Logo courtesy of Yuba City

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) – A computer dispatch system that has served Yuba City police since 1994 will be replaced with new technology designed to improve emergency response, records management and information sharing with neighboring law enforcement agencies.

The Yuba City Council last month approved the $974,427 purchase of the RIMS Computer Automated Dispatch and records management system from Sun Ridge Systems Inc. The system is used not only for police calls but also to dispatch the Yuba City Fire Department and medical emergencies, officials said.

Police Chief James Runyen said the CAD system is the central program used throughout the department, beginning when calls enter dispatch and continuing as information is sent to officers in the field. It also tracks patrol activity and locations and stores criminal reports, citations and other records.

“Having a system that is efficient and works for us is really a priority,” Runyen said. “It absolutely can make things work really smoothly in a police department.”

The department has used Spillman Technologies since 1994. Runyen said support for the aging system has become difficult, with some problems taking too long to resolve, particularly for the records division. Changing state and federal reporting requirements also require dispatch and records systems to be continually updated.

Another major factor in the switch is the ability to share information with other agencies. Yuba County Sheriff’s Office, Wheatland Police Department, Butte County Sheriff’s Office, Chico Police Department, Colusa Police Department and Colusa County Sheriff’s Office already use RIMS.

Runyen said the new system will allow controlled access to information from participating agencies and provide compatible mapping during mutual aid incidents. The system also includes a citizen dashboard that can make limited crime information available to the public.

The change could also place Yuba City in a better position if local agencies again consider a regional dispatch center. Runyen said one of the major requirements for such a system would be agencies operating on a uniform CAD platform.

The Fire Department was also involved in evaluating the system. RIMS will work with Tablet Command, which the department is pursuing to improve dispatching, incident scene management and interoperability with outside agencies.

The purchase includes software, installation, training, conversion of decades of existing records and the first year of maintenance. Annual maintenance is expected to cost $94,800, less than the amount currently budgeted for Spillman.

Mayor Marc Boomgaarden recalled that the city began looking at CAD systems in the early 1990s before settling on Spillman.

“I think that it lasted 32 years, probably far exceeded its useful life,” Boomgaarden said.

The city has $1 million set aside for the project, including $500,000 from COPS funding, $200,000 from the STOP Fund and $300,000 from the Traffic Fund. No General Fund money will be used for the purchase.