Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Communications Center receives software change, aims to shorten response times
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — CBS 58 got a look inside Milwaukee’s Emergency Communications Center on Friday, March 1, where a major software change aims to take response times down for police and fire calls.
“The computer is automatically determining which squad is the closest based on GPS. The dispatcher doesn’t have to figure that out anymore so that speeds everything up,” said Captain Anne Marie Domurat, Milwaukee Police Department.
Milwaukee’s Emergency Communications Center is a busy place.
Dispatchers and all takers are being trained on the “Unified CAD System” which can take in both fire and police calls, eliminating the need for emergency calls to be transferred.
“Substantial progress has been made both in terms of the number of call takers we have, the number of dispatchers we have, the retention levels we have,” said Leion Todd, executive director of Milwaukee Fire and Police Commision.
The fire and police commission expects call takers and dispatchers will fully up to speed on the universal CAD system in about a year.