Marist Security Introduces “CAD” System to Increase Emergency Response Efficiency

The Safety and Security Office at Marist University continues to innovate by introducing a new computer-aided dispatch system (CAD), which gives security a 9-1-1 level dispatch system.

The CAD system is part of a renovation process that has been going on since winter break, seeking to optimize the space in the security office and improve overall efficiency.

One of the first parts of the renovation was relocating the dispatch office to a room tucked away in the corner of the Donnelly 258 computer lab.

There are two operators in the room 24 hours a day; one dispatcher answers incoming calls and provides emergency instructions to callers while the other dispatcher sends officers coordinates with external agencies like the local fire department or EMS and documents all of the details of the incident.

“Our guys are responding faster and with more information than before,” said Director of Safety and Security Daniel Gough. “Because of that, we are able to coordinate more efficiently with external agencies.”

The new phone number for the dispatch system is (575)-5555.

Calling the dispatch office may not be the first thing that comes to students' minds in emergencies; however, it is actually more efficient than calling 9-1-1.

“I would recommend calling dispatch first because you’re really making two calls at once,” said Gough. “When you call our dispatch the first thing they’re doing is dispatching an officer and calling 9-1-1 to tell them to send EMS, whereas when you call 9-1-1 they’re going to dispatch EMS and then call us meaning that calling the dispatch office will get professionals to the emergency on campus quicker than calling 9-1-1 will.”

Every officer on staff had to go through three different forms of training to ensure that every officer had a clear understanding of the system and how it operated. The three forms were a curriculum on computer-aided dispatch where they had to take eight courses on the new system and how to use it, four-hour classroom training sessions where officers were put in scenarios where they had to dispatch and every officer completed two hours with a former 9-1-1 operator at the 9-1-1 center.

The CAD system has played a pivotal role in reducing the number of incident reports on campus.

“Do I think it’s why we’ve had the reduction in calls that we’ve had to respond to over the past two weeks… Yes, I think it’s one of many things,” Gough said.