A new, computer-aided dispatch system will benefit Pike County, 911 dispatchers and law enforcement officers.

The CAD project was discussed during the Pike County Communications District 911 board meeting on Wednesday.

Chris Dozier, the 911 director for Pike County, said the computer-aided dispatch software would be put in place within the next three to six months. He did not provide a cost estimate on the new system, but said the computer support enhances the efficiency of the dispatch system. The CAD uses supercomputers with hubs in two different locations in Alabama to assist in the dispatch of 911 emergency calls.

“The CAD system is a big thing,” Dozier said. “It’s our big project this year. This will bring a lot of capability to all three centers.”

The CAD’s main function will be to log everything related to calls. “ It will allow (dispatchers) to log everything they do in relation to any kind of call they hit, emergency or non-emergency. If we have certain types of calls that we want text messages sent out, such as a 1070-structure fire, we have a list of phone numbers for all of the fire fighters in their department. They can send that out before they have even set the tones off,” Dozier said. “If they don’t have radio communication, but have cellphone signal they’ll get a text message.”

The board is also considering a joint agreement with Brundidge, Troy and Troy University to allow the three to share materials

“(It is) an agreement between 911, Troy, City of Brundidge and the university, and if we purchase it, it will allow us to feed off of each other,” Dozier said. “It’s not saying you have to do this. Its just part of the state law requirement, there must be an agreement in place before we do it.”

The board also discussed the allotment of money for an attorney. The board plans to hire a local attorney and have set a preliminary quote for $12,000 for the attorney. “If the board has any questions, if we have any questions for any contracts, he wrote an agreement with us, and it would cover pretty much everything for us short of us going to court,” Dozier said. “It gives us an opportunity to call the attorney directly.”

Dozier said the agency also has plans to move its 911 dispatch center from the Troy Police Department building to the 911 building (directly across the street). The police department has requested funding to share the costs of furnishing the center, and the move provides room to grow. “It’s giving them room to grow, and it’s also creating new positions,” Dozier said.

The 911 service also includes dispatchers in Brundidge and the Pike County Sheriff’s Department.