City of Paris Texas Police Department Rolls Out New AVL System from Computer Information Systems Inc.
The City of Paris Texas Police Department has successfully implemented the Automatic Vehicle Location System (AVL) from Computer Information Systems Inc. (CIS), enhancing current operations of their Mobile Computing System (MCS) also from CIS. This last phase completes Paris Police Departments’ seamless integration of CAD, Records, Mobile, and AVL including mapping and many other integrated features and functional tools like Crime Analysis. As Police Chief Bob Hundley relates, “ We started using CIS’ Computer Assisted Dispatch System and Records Management System in 2008, and followed with their Mobile Computing System shortly afterwards. We are extremely pleased to have this follow-on AVL System, which provides a real-time picture of where all on-duty vehicles actually are for both dispatchers as well as all mobile units being able to see all other units on a map in the vehicles.”
The City of Paris Texas has 23 citywide vehicles equipped with CIS’ Mobile Data and AVL Systems; 10 patrol cars, 6 fire apparatus and 7 ambulances.
On a normal shift, there are 6 patrol cars and 3 stations each of Fire and EMS Services being deployed.
As Chief Hundley explains, “The CIS AVL System uses a GPS unit in each vehicle that reports its position to the CIS Server and displays that position on a Map in dispatch. The CIS AVL System is very accurate. “Dispatchers have said that it helps them when they get a high priority call, they can look at the Map and see who is actually closest to the call. This ability makes our dispatch more efficient. Officers also see a real-time Map of AVL in their vehicles. If there are 3 vehicles headed for a call, they can actually decide who is closest and stand down if needed.”
CIS provided the AVL software to the City of Paris and officers began to use it immediately. Hundley says that there have been very few staff issues implementing the AVL System. “As in any brand-new piece of software, there are some adjustments on the part of the agency. We received a new update of the mobile system with the AVL at the same time, so we had more to get used to with many new features. Everything is working out quite well.”
The CIS AVL System also provides the ability to run reports on the playback for pursuits. Chief Hundley looks forward to running those reports locally, as well as being able to have waypoint ability, to track important physical points during Incidents with CIS’ AVL System.
“We are very pleased with CIS’ AVL System. The main reason that we asked for AVL was to improve our response times to high-priority calls. CIS’ AVL has done that for us. We have CIS’ Mobile System set up so that anything in the CIS Systems, records, mug shots, photos, can be accessed by officers in their vehicles. You can’t share information any better than that,” concludes Chief Hundley.