The City of Flint Michigans 9-1-1 Call Center receives approximately 340,000 calls for service
each year, 90% of which are law enforcement. In the past few years the City of Flint Call Center
has seen a 40% reduction in staff and a 22% increase in calls. Flints legacy system had
difficulties handling the high volume of calls, reporting was poor, and the system was expensive
to upgrade. The City needed a reliable integrated system to help them manage the ever
increasing volume of calls, reduce redundant data entry and offer frequent updates and support.
New World Solution
The City of Flint switched from the legacy system to New World Systems' Aegis Public Safety
Software in 2004. Flint 9-1-1 currently uses New World's integrated, multi-jurisdictional
Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), Law Enforcement Records Management, Fire Records
Management, Mobile Computing and Field Reporting. According to Stephen Todd, 9-1-1
Administrator for the City of Flint, as well as the call-taking and dispatch users, since the
transition to New World's solution, they are better able to handle the volume of calls and
reporting has been greatly simplified.
Community Benefits
Improved ability to handle a large volume of calls for service.
Better information to find suspects and solve crimes because of a wealth of information and ease of access.
Faster response, improved decision-making ability and enhanced team cooperation in protecting the community through in-car mobile communications
Better understanding of crime trends down to specific crimes through crime analysis reporting.
In Need Of A Change
The City of Flint 9-1-1 made the decision to transition from their previous
software solution because of a number of inefficiencies. The legacy software
could not handle the high volume of calls and offered no customer service
or support. It was costly to upgrade and lacked important functionality, such
as integrated field reporting, mugshots and fingerprint identification. They
regularly experienced difficulties with their records system because of the
lack of integration. The legacy system did not meet federal mandates for IBR
reporting, which put the struggling City in danger of losing important
funding. Another challenge for the City of Flint is the lack of clerical
employees, making it even more important for their software to improve
internal processes and easily manage large volumes of information. The City
was determined to find a stable software vendor with a track record of
success.
The 12-month process to select a new vendor began with what Stephen Todd
the City's 9-1-1 Administrator, called Vendor Pre-Qualification. The first
step was to investigate vendors financial stability, longevity and development
investment. We were looking for a vendor that had been around for at least
10 years and has a vision for the next 10, said Stephen Todd. The city
reviewed multiple vendors through site visits and demonstrations. It was
important that the new software provider offer a functioning State and NCIC
interface and could handle the ever-increasing workload.
Stephen Todd wanted to avoid what he described as one of the biggest
procurement frustrations: not adequately investigating a vendors history and
stability. His past experience in Ottawa County with the transition and
implementation of New Worlds system brought a level of comfort to the
decision."When I worked at Ottawa County, MI, we chose New World nearly
16 years ago, and it is still a major player today unlike most of the other
vendors at that time. We chose New World for several reasons, such as its
commitment to our ever-changing market with frequent upgrades and its
stability," said 9-1-1 Administrator, Stephen Todd
The City of Flint 9-1-1 has been live on Aegis CAD, Records Management and
Mobile Computing since 2004, and the users have found that the familiar
Windows environment made the transition from the legacy software easier.
During the implementation process, the dispatch staff was put on a 24 Hour
Plan, requiring each dispatcher and call-taker to log at least 24 hours of
training, familiarizing the staff with the new system. The call-taking and
dispatch personnel now enjoy the ability to customize their screens to show
only what they want. They are also pleased with the constant service and
support. The City of Flint 9-1-1 has been able to improve their productivity,
and are happy with the complete integration. This year a City of Flint dispatch
supervisor received statewide recognition as the Dispatch Supervisor of the Year.
Flint System Success
Since the transition to New Worlds software, Flint has made positive changes
to increase productivity and enhance their ability to solve crimes. The
introduction of bar coding has completely reorganized their property room.
The City of Flint is now able to meet federal mandates for IBR reporting,
ensuring they will not lose precious funding. Flint has also been able to
reintegrate files and jackets in their system. Using the previous software, it
was common for them to find multiple jackets on one individual. Now, they
can automatically cross-check to avoid this frustration.
Lieutenant Jennifer Besson, of the Flint Police Department, has seen an
increase in the ability to solve crimes because of more readily available
information. In one instance, officers found a cell phone at the scene of a
crime, believed to belong to a suspect. This cell phone was not listed and
there was no record of who it belonged to, but it contained one number
listed under the name Ma, explains Lt. Besson. After running that number
through their system, officers discovered it matched the phone number of a
witness to a crime that occurred three years earlier. Using this information,
the City of Flint Police Department was able to track down the suspect and
make an arrest. A fully integrated database with simple and easy search
capabilities made the difference.
Additional Benefits
Improved productivity due to tremendous integration, eliminating redundant data entry.
Improved Management tools to better evaluate detective clearance rates and compare average clearance rates.
Simplified reporting from one database.
Easy to use and train new hires.
Support is always available.
Testimonial
New World Systems has enhanced our ability to serve the residents of this
needy City and it makes all of us better explains Stephen Todd, 9-1-1
Administrator for the City of Flint. The City transitioned to New World
software to better meet the daily demands of their high volume call center.
Because of that, they
