Document Douglas_doc_f9e27aa9ba

Converse County Sheriff’s Office City of Douglas Police Department Town of Glenrock Police Department 9-1-1 Communications Center Consolidation Business Case Analysis May 14, 2014 Conducted by: IXP CORPORATION Princeton Forrestal Village 103 Main Street Princeton, NJ 08540 [PHONE REDACTED] phone [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com ---PAGE BREAK--- TABLE OF CONTENTS GOVERNANC OPERATION CURRENT DIS CONSOLIDAT TECHNOLOG FACILITY CAPITAL IN OPERATION CONCLUSIO APPENDIX A ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 1 [PHONE REDACTED] ph on e [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com INTRODUCTION Late in 2009, IXP Corporation was retained to conduct a review of the 9-1-1 and emergency communications services being performed by the individual communications centers operated by the Converse County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Douglas Police Department and the Town of Glenrock Police Department. The goal of that review was to determine if feasible to create and operate a consolidated communications center to serve all three of these organizations and the various Fire and Emergency Medical Services organizations they support. That work concluded that there were no significant technological barriers to consolidation, but there were a number of operational changes that would need to be made within each organization if consolidated dispatch were pursued since the existing dispatching models utilized the on-duty dispatchers for a number of non-dispatch functions that they could not continue to perform if dispatch were moved to a consolidated operation. There were also some facility space constraints that limited the alternatives for consolidation within existing facilities and at the time there did not appear to be an ability to fund the construction of a purpose-built facility for consolidated dispatch. Then, in the winter of 2013, IXP was asked to re-engage with these three organizations to re-examine the potential for consolidation of dispatch operations and to develop a business case financial analysis to outline the potential capital expenses (CAPEX) and operational expenses (OPEX) to create and operate a consolidated communications center in a purpose-built communications center facility. To accomplish this analysis, a series of meetings were held with the stakeholders from all of the jurisdictions as well as refresher visits to each of the communications facilities to identify changes in conditions or systems since the time of the previous work. Further, updated workload and budget data was collected so that an updated staffing analysis could be developed and to support development of the OPEX estimates for a new consolidated dispatch organization going forward. The information in this report is organized into six topical areas with a summary Conclusions section at the end.  Governance Approach and Organizational Models  Operational Strategies and Staffing Models  Technology Systems and Integration Cost Estimates  Facility Concepts and Cost Estimates  Capital Investment Models  Operational Cost Models  Conclusion ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 2 [PHONE REDACTED] ph on e [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com GOVERNANCE APPROACH AND ORGANIZATIONAL MODELS In the previous feasibility study, IXP provided insights on potential governance and organizational models that could be considered for a consolidated communications organization serving Converse County. By far, the most common practice in public safety communications center consolidations is to establish the consolidated organization with as much autonomy as possible within the legal and fiscal constraints of the organizations engaged in consolidation. Often this takes the form of creating a new, stand-alone agency under provisions governing intergovernmental cooperation agreements or the formation of intergovernmental organizations/agencies. This new organization is then vested with the authority to plan and execute a combination of staffing, technology and facility investments to serve the common needs and interests of the participating jurisdictions and agencies. Often with consolidations of smaller dispatch organizations such as those in Converse County, the newly established stand-alone organization is not of a sufficient size to make it reasonable for it to develop all of the administrative systems and services (such as accounting systems, payroll systems, benefit programs, etc.) to sustain the organization. In these circumstances the most common approach is to use one of the participating jurisdictions as a ‘host’ organization to provide the accounting, human resource and related systems and services needed to operate the consolidated dispatch organization. These services are typically provided on a for-fee basis so that there is a clear business relationship between the communications center organization and the host jurisdiction to reduce the appearance that the host jurisdiction has any disproportional influence over the policy and operational decision-making of the communications organization. Policy and operational decision-making in consolidated communications center organizations is most commonly vested in a governance structure that provides a mechanism for bringing together the policy and operational needs and interests of all the jurisdictions and agencies being served. Typically this governance model has two layers of responsibilities:  The top layer of the governance structure is responsible for establishing the overarching policies and fiscal parameters for the organization. This body is often referred to as the Policy Board or the Governing Board for the organization. The main focus of this Board is to assure that the general organizational structure, funding and staffing is put in place to successfully meet the needs and requirements of the participating jurisdictions. Typically this layer of the governance model is composed of one representative from each of the participating jurisdictions and is typically an elected official or senior general manager (such as a City Manager) from each of those jurisdictions. Once the organization is fully established and operating normally, this Board typically meets on something like a quarterly basis to review the operational and fiscal performance of the organization and to develop and approve annual operating budgets and cost allocation models for the organization.  The second layer of the governance structure focuses on operational policies and procedures and the ongoing quality of service provided by the communications center. Typically this layer has two key components: o An Operations Board that is typically composed of the Chief or comparable lead official for each agency being serviced by the communications center. This Board is typically directly responsible for working with the Communications Center Manager to establish the operational policies and performance expectations for the communications center. They typically interact with the Manager through a combination of periodic one-on-one interactions to deal with specific issues related to incidents handled within their agencies, and through routine meetings of the Operations Board (typically where performance statistics are reviewed and operational procedure adjustments can be discussed and evaluated. o The Communications Center Manager and the staff of the communications center provide the day-to- day operations of the center. The Manager routinely interacts with the Operations Board on ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 3 [PHONE REDACTED] ph on e [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com operational policies and procedures, and with the Policy Board on organizational policies and fiscal management issues. Graphically, the organizational structure would look something like the following: Based on the observations that IXP has made during both the original feasibility assessment and during this business case effort, it is our belief that an organizational structure such as this could be very successful for the jurisdictions in Converse County. It also seems reasonable for Converse County (the County at-large, not the Sheriff’s Office) to serve as the source of the administrative support services for the organization and as the employing entity for the communications center personnel. This approach allows the existing capabilities and systems of these departments to be leveraged for the collective benefit of the consolidated communications center while also keeping the personnel outside the direct control of the Sheriff’s Office so that there is no appearance of imbalanced influence over the operations of the consolidated communications center. Combining this approach with the creation of a formal governance structure as outlined above should allow the consolidated communications center to operate as an autonomous organization under the direct policy and operational control of the Policy Board and the Operations Board, rather than being viewed as an organization dominated or controlled by Converse County. Policy Board One representative from each jurisdiction being served Operations Board Law Enforcement, Fire and EMS Chiefs from the Agencies being served Communications Center Manager and Staff Administrative Support Services Accounting / Payroll Human Resources / Benefits ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 4 [PHONE REDACTED] ph on e [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com OPERATIONAL STRATEGIES AND STAFFING MODELS CURRENT DISPATCH CENTER RESPONSIBILITIESAND ALTERNATIVES Establishing the operational strategies and staffing levels for a consolidated communications center requires careful balancing of three bodies of work and responsibility:  Answering of inbound 9-1-1 and 10-digit phone lines to receive reports of emergencies,  Dispatching of law enforcement, Fire and EMS resources to these emergencies, and  Handling a variety of non-emergency telephone traffic and administrative support functions for the agencies being served While the first two of these typically receive the majority of attention, the third is an important part of the overall role that the communications center plays in day-to-day operations. This is particularly true in law enforcement operations where the dispatchers often support a wide variety of officer support functions and non-emergency public interactions. In conducing this business case review of consolidation, interviews were conducted with each of the agencies currently operating communications centers to determine the breadth of supplemental and non-emergency functions performed at each communications center. Individual tables of these responsibilities, along with possible ways of dealing with them in a consolidated communications center model are included in Appendix A. In general terms, each of the current dispatch operations provide a fairly similar set of ancillary functions for each of their agencies. These include such things as providing 7X24 front-counter service for the public as they seek copies of incident reports, payment of fees or fines, VIN checks, applications for concealed weapons permits, check-out of shooting range or other keys, and similar activities. It also includes a number of officer support functions such as managing NCIC entries, assembling NCIC and other records query information for incoming arrests or bookings, assisting officers in case entry processes, coordinating phone calls and messages for agency personnel not on duty, and similar activities. Many of these functions could still be supported by the staff of a consolidated communications center, most particularly the routine NCIC and records queries and various officer support functions they perform in the individual agencies today. The difference would be that when the officer came into the station rather than picking up this information from the dispatcher in person, the dispatchers would print the information to remote printers at each of the police stations and at the Sheriff’s Office so it was there for the officers to pick up. Dispatchers could also interact with officers over the phone or through CAD or Mobile terminals to assemble and pass on most all of the data the officers would need to process their routine work. The bigger challenge, particularly for Glenrock and Douglas, would be with the public interactions and ‘front counter’ activities. With dispatching moved to a consolidated communications center, each agency would need to establish revised strategies for providing public contact activities. The City of Douglas and the Sheriff’s Office are already operating in this manner to some degree with Records Clerk or similar positions operating during normal working hours and handling most of these public interactions. This is not the case at the Town of Glenrock, where the loss of the on- duty dispatcher would leave nobody on duty at the facility to handle these kinds of public interaction. If a Records Clerk function weren’t added, an on-duty officer would need to be dispatched to the station to handle these interactions when needed. Even with these activities being handled by non-dispatch personnel, they would shift away from being services ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 5 [PHONE REDACTED] ph on e [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com available 7X24 to services available during prescribed hours of service established by each jurisdiction. This may be somewhat disruptive to the individual communities initially, but this is increasingly the situation in communities all across the country and the public seems to adapt fine to having non-emergency services available only during set hours of operation. The other important activity sometimes handled by on-duty dispatchers is taking walk-in reports of emergencies or incidents that require the response of an officer or Fire/EMS resources. This could still be accomplished in a consolidated communications center setting by having a combination of audio and video links tied to the communications center from the front door of each police station. People would be able to report their emergency and a combination of video and audio monitoring could be maintained by the communications center until an officer could respond to interact with the person directly. The most difficult challenges would be faced by the Sheriff’s Office, where the on-duty dispatchers are an integral part of the operations of the Detention Center. If dispatch moved to a consolidated communications center, it does not appear to be possible to sustain Detention Center activities without augmenting the staffing model of the Detention Center to provide the functional equivalent to the work performed by the dispatchers. CONSOLIDATED COMMUNICATIONS CENTER STAFFING MODEL There are three main driving factors in determine the appropriate staffing levels for a public safety communications centers:  The numbers of inbound calls for service being received on 9-1-1 and 10-digit phone lines.  The numbers of officers on the street at any given time and the combined volume of dispatched events received over phone lines or events generated by officers on the street (such as traffic stops, citizen contacts, etc.) that require dispatcher interaction.  The levels of service and performance established for the communications center. There are two industry standard reference models for determining the appropriate minimum levels of staffing for 9-1- 1 and emergency communications centers.  The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) Call Answering Standard/Model (NENA Document 56-005) identifies that 90% of incoming emergency calls (9-1-1 lines and emergency 10-digit lines) should be answered within 10 seconds during a normal busy hour of the day, and that 95% of calls should be answered within 20 seconds.  The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard for the Installation, Maintenance, and Use of Emergency Services Communications Systems (NFPA Standard 1221, 2013 edition) identifies that 95% of emergency calls should be answered within 15 seconds and 99% answered within 40 seconds. NFPA 1221 also identifies that 90% of dispatchable events shall be dispatched within 90 seconds of call answer, and 99% dispatched within 120 seconds. In order to determine telephone-related call volumes and how those would influence staffing requirements, 2009 telephone data was collected during both the original feasibility study and 2013 data was collected during this business case examination. This data was produced by standardized statistical reporting tools within the 9-1-1 telephone system equipment which serves all three communications centers, so it is believed to represent an accurate portrayal of the collective emergency telephone volumes for the three centers if they were operating in a consolidated model. ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 6 [PHONE REDACTED] ph on e [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com For the time period from 2009 to 2013, call volumes increased by an annual average of This same level of growth was applied to the 2013 volumes to estimate what the volumes might look like in 2015, the target year for this business case analysis. Hour 2009 Daily Average Inbound 2013Daily Average Inbound 2015 Estimated Average Daily Inbound 2009 Daily Average Outbound 2013 Daily Average Outbound 2015 Estimated Average Daily Outbound 2009 Daily Average Total 2013 Daily Average Total 2015 Estimated Daily Average Total % of Total 0000 1.9 2.5 2.8 0.7 1.3 1.4 2.6 3.8 4.2 1.6% 0100 1.5 1.9 2.1 0.8 1.2 1.3 2.3 3.1 3.4 1.3% 0200 1.3 2.2 2.4 0.5 1.2 1.3 1.8 3.4 3.7 1.5% 0300 1.2 2.0 2.2 0.5 1.2 1.3 1.7 3.2 3.5 1.4% 0400 1.0 1.3 1.4 0.5 0.9 1.0 1.5 2.2 2.4 0.9% 0500 1.9 1.6 1.8 0.5 1.1 1.2 2.4 2.7 3.0 1.2% 0600 2.1 2.8 3.1 0.8 1.3 1.4 2.9 4.1 4.5 1.8% 0700 4.4 5.7 6.3 1.4 1.8 2.0 5.8 7.5 8.3 3.2% 0800 8.1 10.7 11.8 2.1 2.6 2.9 10.2 13.3 14.7 5.7% 0900 9.4 12.5 13.8 2.8 3.5 3.9 12.2 16.0 17.6 6.9% 1000 10.3 12.7 14.0 2.8 3.9 4.3 13.1 16.6 18.3 7.2% 1100 9.7 12.6 13.9 2.8 3.8 4.2 12.5 16.4 18.1 7.1% 1200 8.4 11.2 12.3 2.5 3.5 3.9 10.9 14.7 16.2 6.3% 1300 9.4 12.0 13.2 2.6 3.6 4.0 12.0 15.6 17.2 6.7% 1400 9.3 12.3 13.6 3.1 3.8 4.2 12.4 16.1 17.8 7.0% 1500 10.4 12.6 13.9 2.7 3.9 4.3 13.1 16.5 18.2 7.1% 1600 9.6 12.4 13.7 2.6 3.8 4.2 12.2 16.2 17.9 7.0% 1700 7.3 9.5 10.5 2.0 3.1 3.4 9.3 12.6 13.9 5.4% 1800 6.1 7.5 8.3 2.1 2.8 3.1 8.2 10.3 11.4 4.4% 1900 5.5 6.8 7.5 1.8 2.4 2.6 7.3 9.2 10.1 4.0% 2000 5.2 6.3 6.9 1.9 2.7 3.0 7.1 9.0 9.9 3.9% 2100 4.3 5.4 6.0 1.6 2.2 2.4 5.9 7.6 8.4 3.3% 2200 3.2 4.1 4.5 1.4 2.0 2.2 4.6 6.1 6.7 2.6% 2300 2.3 3.4 3.7 0.9 2.0 2.2 3.2 5.4 6.0 2.3% Totals 133.8 172.0 189.6 41.4 59.6 65.7 175.2 231.6 255.3 100% 0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0 12.0 14.0 16.0 18.0 20.0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Estimated 2015 Hourly Call Volumes Inbound Outbound Total ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 7 [PHONE REDACTED] ph on e [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com Total call volumes in 2015 are expected to remain fairly steady in the 18 calls per hour range during the 10 busiest hours of the day and then tail off to very low levels in the quietest 8 hours of the day. This is a fairly typical pattern seen in most all communities similar to those in Converse County. IXP has developed a statistical modeling tool that uses industry standard Erlang traffic modeling techniques to evaluate a range of potential performance outcomes given different call volumes and staffing levels. For the models developed for Converse County we have used the following assumptions:  Call volumes between 2 calls per hour and 20 calls per hour were modeled  Staffing levels with 2 and 3 dispatchers on duty were modeled  An average call duration of 120 seconds was used. This is a fairly long duration to use since many calls will be fully processed and released in 60-90 seconds. However, with more calls involving emergency medical situations or the need for coordinated response information for law enforcement, fire and EMS resources, this longer time is used to make sure that adequate staffing is anticipated in the busiest periods of the day to allow these calls to be fully processed and entered into CAD for dispatch before the dispatcher needing to release and handle another arriving call. The IXP modeling tool allows us to look at call processing performance in three unique ways. First, we examine the raw statistics to determine the percentage of calls that would experience any wait time given the assumptions in the model. As can be seen in the graphs below, during the busy hours of the day where 16 or more calls per hour are routinely being handled, far more than 10% of calls would experience a wait if only two personnel were available to answer calls. By adding a 3rd position, call volumes even beyond 20 per hour could be handled with far less than 10% experiencing a wait. ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 8 [PHONE REDACTED] ph on e [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com But just knowing the percentage of calls that wait is only part of the story, it is also important to look at the average wait time for calls that wait, the second way IXP looks at call processing statistics. As can be seen in the graphs below, during the busy hours of the day with only 2 personnel to answer inbound calls, the average wait times would be 10 seconds or longer. Adding the 3rd position brings average wait times down considerably, and call volumes well beyond 20 calls per hour could be handled without significant average wait times. Finally, it is important to understand the potential wait time for the small percentage of calls that may experience longer- than-average wait times (remember average wait time is a combination of some very short wait times and some very long wait times). This third set of graphs indicates that with only two personnel taking calls there may be calls that experience wait times of greater than a minute during the busy hours. However with a 3rd position on duty these long wait times can be reduced to under a minute. It is also important to note that since the model assumes all calls are fully engaged for 120 seconds, it over-predicts wait times to some degree. The practical reality is that if there were multiple inbound 9-1-1 and emergency line calls waiting to be answered dispatchers would wrap up in-progress calls more quickly and get to the waiting calls faster. ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 9 [PHONE REDACTED] ph on e [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com Based on this statistical analysis of telephone processing requirements for a consolidated communications center, and the higher levels of officers and other units on the air during the busier hours of the day, it would be advisable to adopt a minimum staffing policy of having 3 personnel on duty at all times. While this will certainly be needed during the 16 busiest hours of the day, it also provides increased flexibility during the quietest 8 hours of the day when a variety of ancillary tasks can be accomplished while things are quiet. Staffing could realistically drop to 2 personnel on duty during these quiet hours of the night if desired, either as a normal staffing pattern or as a technique to deal with sick call-ins or vacant positions. Staffing should never fall below 2 personnel on duty because the processing of a single complex EMS call for service could tie up a dispatcher for several minutes until responding units can arrive and take over the situation. There are also significant operational risks and inconveniences with only having a single dispatcher on duty. For purposes of this business case analysis, IXP has assumed that a constant staffing model of 3 personnel on duty will be used. Assuming that each individual employee will only be able to fill approximately 1800 hours per year (assuming 10 holidays, 15 vacation days and 10 sick days) to total of 4.87 FTEs is needed to fill each position staffed on a 24 hour basis. Therefore, to fill 3 positions on a 24 hour basis will require a total of 15 dispatch personnel (4.87 FTE/position X 3 positions = 14.6 FTEs). IXP would recommend that 4 of these positions be designated as Supervisor positions and the other 11 be designated as Telecommunicators (the most common term now used for emergency dispatch personnel). In addition to these 15 dispatch personnel, IXP would recommend that 2 administrative positions be established:  The Communications Center Manager position discussed earlier in this report. In addition to being the leader of the organization and responsible for the overall administration and management of the organization, it is also recommend that this position retain a level of operational training so that they can work in the communications center if needed during extreme emergencies or severe staffing shortages.  A Technology Systems and Special Projects Coordinator position to be responsible for overseeing the technology systems of the communications center and coordinating the maintenance and repair activities of contracted services providers for systems such as CAD, telephone systems, radio systems, etc. This position could also coordinate special projects as needed, and should be fully trained to work in the communications center if needed during extreme emergencies or severe staffing shortages. This combined total staffing level of 17 personnel is comparable to the total staffing levels of the existing communications centers. Glenrock currently operates with 5 positions (1 Head Dispatcher and 4 Dispatchers); Douglas operates with 5 Dispatcher positions; and the Sheriff’s Office operates with 7 positions (2 Supervisors and 5 Dispatchers). ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 10 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS AND INTEGRATION COST ESTIMATES There is already a high degree of technology system standardization and system sharing taking place across the three dispatch operations. All three are operating on a common CAD and RMS system and share a common 9-1-1 telephone system. Further, with all of the agencies in the county now operating on the WyoLink trunked radio system, there are opportunities to coordinate the need for radio console system upgrades with the creation of a new consolidated dispatch center. For this business case analysis, cost estimates for the major technology elements of a new consolidated communications center were estimated based on information from existing vendors or recent IXP experience in projects of a similar nature. The following is a brief description of each technology element and the basis for the cost estimate used in the analysis. 9-1-1 Emergency Telephone System – The current system is approaching the end of its reasonable life expectancy and a new system should be installed for the new consolidated communications center. Com Tech, the vendor that supports the current system estimates a new system to replace the current workstations at the three separate facilities would cost $270, 247. While the net cost of a single system in a new facility would likely come in lower than this due to the decrease in installation logistics, there will also be a need to establish some backup 9-1-1 call answering capability at whichever location is selected as a backup for the consolidated center, so the estimated cost of $275,000 has been used for the business case analysis. CAD and RMS System Servers and Workstations – While the current CAD and RMS system will not need to be replaced as a part of moving to a consolidated center, there will be a need to move and reconfigure equipment to the new facility and acquire new workstations. The costs for these activities is estimated at $50,000. Radio Console System – The new communications center would need to be equipped with a new radio console system and backup radios to provide operational capability of the microwave link to the radio system infrastructure were to fail. Several conversations took place with Motorola and an estimated cost of $100,000 per position was recommended as the value to use for the business case analysis. IXP would recommend that four positions be established in the initial configuration of the consolidated communications center. This would provide one position greater than the normal staffing level recommended for the center which provides some redundancy in case a position fails and allows a 4th position to be staffed during large scale emergencies or when circumstances require deeper staffing levels. Therefore, the value of $400,000 is used in the business case analysis. Microwave Connectivity to WyoLink – The preferable method of connecting dispatch center consoles to the core of a trunked radio system is through dedicated microwave links that create high-reliability connectivity that is not dependent on commercial carrier T1 circuits. The estimated cost to tie a new consolidated communications center into the WyoLink microwave network is $175,000. Headsets – Each position at the new communications center will need to be equipped with headset jacks and interfaces, and new compatible headsets will need to be acquired for all the personnel. This overall cost is estimated at $2,500. ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 11 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com Dispatch Furniture and Chairs – The new communications center will need to be outfitted with at least four console positions and chairs to start off. Additional positions can be added in the future as staffing levels increase, or acquired at the time of construction if budgets allow. It is estimated that setting up four positions of high-quality dispatch furniture with adjustable work surfaces and environmental control features will cost $96,000. Master Time – Maintaining time across all technology systems such as 9-1-1, CAD, logging recording and radio consoles is extremely important to maintain consistent and reliable records of the communications center and in developing event reconstructions where all system data is linked to a common time source. Establishing this capability at the new communications center is estimated at $12,500. Primary and Backup Logging and Recording Systems – Since investments in logging and recording equipment are relatively recent, it is likely that the existing systems can be moved and reconfigured to provide logging and recording capability at the new facility. Accomplishing this is estimated at $15,000. Large Screen Displays – It is extremely helpful to have a variety of large screen displays in the communications center to display everything from 9-1-1 and CAD activities to real-time weather information or television news programming. The total cost for 4 display screens and the controlling equipment to link them to these video sources is estimated at $7,000. Local Area Network and Administrative Telephony – The new facility will need to be set up with its own local area network and administrative telephone system. The most common approach is to use an IP-based phone system for the administrative offices and then link this system to the 9-1-1 phone system for administrative phone functionality at the dispatch positions themselves. The estimated cost to establish these systems and interfaces is $50,000. Administrative PC’s, Printers and Related Equipment – Each dispatch position should be equipped with a stand-alone PC to be used to access organization systems such as email and the local area network. This PC would also be used to access the internet or other outside systems so that critical workstations like CAD, Radio and 9-1-1 would not have to be interfaced to the public internet. There will also need to be PCs for the two administrative positions and some combination of multi-function printers and fast laser printers for comm room and office printing requirements. The combined costs for this equipment is estimated at $11,500. Interfaces to Ancillary Systems – There will be a variety of ancillary systems currently in operation at the existing communications centers that will need to be either relocated to the new communications center or interfaced to by the new communications center. This includes things like control of warning siren systems, alarm lines and CCTV interfaces. The business case assumes a total of $15,000 for these interfaces and reconfigurations. System Integration, Project Management, Transition Management and Contingencies – Managing the creation of a new communications center and coordinating all of the system procurements and installations, along with planning and coordinating the transition to live operations will require a combination of hiring consulting services for some activities and providing dedicated staffing for others. There will also be contingency issues that arise that will need to be dealt with. The estimate of $250,000 has been used in the business case which represents approximately 23% of the total cost of the technology systems costs. IXP has seen these costs go as high as 30% of the total technology costs, but given the high degree of system sharing already taking place the lower estimate for the business case seems reasonable. ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 12 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com In summary, the total costs for technology systems and integration activities is estimated at approximately $1,360,000 as shown in the table below: Estimated Technology Systems and Integration Costs Estimated Cost 9-1-1 Emergency Telephone system 275,000 $ CAD & RMS Move and Reconfiguration 50,000 $ Radio Console System 400,000 $ Connectivity to legacy radio systems and Wyolink 175,000 $ Headsets 2,500 $ Dispatch Furniture and Chairs 96,000 $ Master Time 12,500 $ Primary & Backup Logging/Recording systems (move and reconfig) 15,000 $ Large Screen Displays 7,000 $ Network, administrative telephony 50,000 $ Administrative PCs, printers, etc. 11,500 $ Interfaces to Ancillary Technology 15,000 $ System Integration, Project Management and Contingencies 250,000 $ Total Estimated Technolgy System Costs 1,359,500 $ ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 13 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com FACILITY CONCEPTS AND COST ESTIMATES During the prior feasibility study each of the existing dispatch facilities were evaluated for their potential to serve as the location for a consolidated dispatch organization. That review identified a number of physical and technical constraints at each of the facilities that would make repurposing any of them as a consolidated communications center very difficult to accomplish. Further, any repurposing of this nature would displace other functions within the facility causing significant impact on that agency. The most common approach to forming a consolidated communications center is to create a new purpose-built structure to house the communications center function. In the case of large communications centers serving large populations and a large number of agencies, these are often free-standing facilities dedicated to the emergency communications function. In smaller settings such as Converse County, new communications centers are often integrated into other public safety facility projects, either as a part of a single development effort or as a part of some larger multi-year facility investment plan. Regardless of whether a new purpose-built facility is created as a stand-alone structure or as a part of a larger public safety facility, there are a variety of building codes and industry standards that influence the design and construction characteristics. International Building Code (IBC) – The International Building Code and its companion suite of Fire, Mechanical and related codes, is the formal controlling authority for design and construction requirements. Public safety communications centers are characterized as essential facilities for purposes of these codes, and this brings a variety of minimum structural requirements and construction type constraints into the design equation. All of these result in facility construction costs that can be significantly higher than comparably sized general office construction. National Fire Protection Association Standard #1221 – The Standard for the Installation, Maintenance and Use of Emergency Services Communications Systems (NFPA 1221) is widely accepted as the required standards reference for public safety communications centers. Even if not adopted by ordinance, NFPA Standards typically carry comparable weight to adopted codes, and are typically the standard reference used during insurance rating process for fire protection insurance rates. Chapter 4 of NFPA 1221 contains a number of specific requirements for communications centers, including:  The requirement for an alternate communications center that is separated geographically to protect against single events rendering both facilities inoperable  The facility needs to be sized to handle peak workloads rather than just average workloads  Design and construction techniques that protect from any collapse of adjacent structures, such as communications towers associated with the communications center  Requirements to locate communications centers above the designated 100 year flood plain  Enhanced requirements for fire resistive construction techniques and separation from any adjacent occupancy types  Requirements for fire protection systems including FM200 or similar systems for electronic equipment rooms ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 14 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com  Requirements for mechanical and electrical systems that are separate from those serving other areas of the building  Requirements for redundant mechanical systems for areas housing critical equipment and redundancies that allow the facility to remain operational with the largest HVAC unit out of service  Requirements for physical site security including the ability to prevent unauthorized vehicles greater than 82 feet from the structure.  Requirements for alternate power sources (backup generators) that are capable of supporting the continuous operation of the communications center and all of its systems National Emergency Number Association (NENA) – NENA has published a number of Standards and Operational Information Documents (OID) that guide the development of public safety communications centers.  The NENA Public Safety Answering Point Site Selection Criteria document (NENA OID 56-506) provides a number of useful guidelines for planning and locating new emergency communications facilities.  The NENA PSAP Survivability document (NENA OID 53-503) provides useful guidelines on the configuration and operation of communications centers and systems.  The APCO-NENA Service Capability Criteria Rating Scale document (APCO-NENA OID 53-505) provides useful guidelines and techniques to evaluate the performance capabilities of emergency communications centers. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) – FEMA has published two documents that are commonly referred to during the design and site selection process for emergency communications facilities.  The Reference Manual to Mitigate Potential Terrorist Attacks Against Buildings document (FEMA 426) provides a large volume of detailed information to assist in the assessment of risks, determining best strategies for site layout and facility design, and observations about protecting against explosive blasts or chemical, biological or radiological threats.  The Risk Assessment: A How-to Guide to Mitigate Potential Terrorist Attacks document (FEMA 452) provides guidelines, tools and techniques to assist in conducting risk and vulnerability assessments. While originally developed to assist in assessing terrorist attack risks, the document is being revised to include techniques to help assess multi-hazard conditions such as earthquake, flood and high wind hazards. Motorola Standards and Guidelines for Communications Sites – Motorola’s “R-56” document is widely regarded as one of the most complete reference documents related to the protection of electronic and communications equipment at communications sites and communications centers. Since the consolidated communications center will be implementing Motorola console systems interfaced to a Motorola trunked radio system, this reference document should be used in all aspects of electrical and mechanical designs. ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 15 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com While this business case process was not scoped to include conducting a detailed facility space planning process for a stand-alone facility, IXP’s experience with a number of communications center projects in a wide variety of large, medium and small organizations allows us to identify a potential facility model that can provide a reasonable framework for determining potential facility sizing and costs. Regardless of their size, emergency communications centers typically have three functional areas within the facility:  A mix of general office spaces and facility support spaces to support the organization in general.  The dispatch operational area or ‘communications room’ where the Telecommunicators and Supervisors conduct their day-to-day operations.  Technology equipment and facility infrastructure spaces to house the specialized systems needed in an emergency communications center. Based on past experience with organizations similar in size to the Converse County agencies, a facility totaling approximately 4,100 square feet will likely be needed. The potential allocation of this space is shown in the following table. Space Plan Concept Space Description Sq Ft # Total Sq Ft Functional Notes General Spaces Entrance/Vestibule 64 1 64 Provides secure entry mechanism for un- attended access Admin Assistant/Front Counter 100 1 100 Recommended for growth Communications Center Manager 120 1 120 Spare Office 120 1 120 Recommended for growth Meeting/Training Room 240 1 240 Recommended so facility can be stand-alone Copy/File Workroom 120 1 120 Technical Staff Work Area 180 1 180 Combination work and office space for internal and external tech support personnel General Storage Room 150 1 150 Break Room 150 1 150 Restrooms/Showers 120 2 240 Quiet Room 80 1 80 Sub-Total General Office Spaces 1,564 Gross-up factor for circulation & building infrastructure 35% 547 Sub-Total General Office Spaces 2,111 Operational Floor Supervisor Position 150 1 150 Dispatch Positions 120 3 360 Space for Future Dispatch Positions 120 2 240 Sub-Total for Operational Staff Spaces 750 Gross-up factor for circulation & building infrastructure 25% 188 Sub-Total for Operational Staff Spaces 938 Technology Room and Facility Infrastructure Technology Equipment Room 350 1 350 Electrical, UPS and Battery Room 250 1 250 Mechanical Room 250 1 250 Sub-Total for Tech and Infrastructure Rooms 850 Gross-up factor for circulation & building infrastructure 25% 213 Sub-Total for Tech and Infrastructure Rooms 1,063 Combined Total of Communications Center Spaces 4,111 ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 16 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com IXP recommends planning the operations floor area of the building at a fairly generous 120 square feet per position for the initial layout of the facility and with a smaller gross-up assumption for circulation and layout inefficiencies. While this provides a fairly spacious layout at the start-up of the communications center, we have often seen facilities that have been in service for 15+ years end up having to place even more positions or other equipment in the communications room then they ever thought might be needed. Often these operations end up with overall spacing of 100 s.f. or less per position and the room becomes fairly crowded and noisy during busy shifts. The cheapest and easiest time to build spaces like this is at the time of initial construction. It is not easy to expand the communications room in the future if needed. Estimating the land area needed for an emergency communications center requires consideration of a number of factors such as the appropriate security set-back of the facility from adjacent parcels, the need for both secure and public accessible parking, and the need for various facility support elements like generators, fuel tanks and radio towers to be located on the site. It is estimated that a parcel of approximately 1 acre will be needed for a new purpose- built emergency communications center facility, as shown in the table below. Emergency communications centers are often the most expensive facility projects ever initiated by county and local governments. The complex mix of code and standards requirements coupled with the need for enhanced electrical and mechanical systems within the facility often elevate the overall cost of one of these facilities to as much as double the construction costs for comparable sized general office structures. Construction costs are also heavily influenced by the construction marketplace and the availability of contractors and labor with the appropriate skills to build a facility of this nature. Based on past experience in similarly sized facilities, IXP would estimate that the overall cost of construction for a facility of this nature could be as high as $450 per square foot. This estimating value includes all of the facility design costs; permitting costs; general contractor and trades costs; all of the project management and architect oversight costs; allowances for all the general furniture, fixtures and equipment for the facility itself; and contingency factors to account for material or construction cost escalation and design changes during construction. This would put the estimated total cost at approximately $1,850,000. Estimated Parcel Size Required Space Description Sq Ft # Total Sq Ft Building Footprint 4,111 Building Stand-off Area 342 75 25,677 Visitor Parking 5 325 1,625 Visitor ADA Parking 1 512 512 Staff Parking 8 325 2,600 Staff ADA Parking 2 512 1,024 Generator 1 120 120 Fuel Tank 1 120 120 Radio Tower 1 120 120 Sub-Total Site & Parking Space (Square Feet) 35,909 Gross-up for site features (landscaping, utilities, etc.) 20% 7,182 Total Site Area (square feet) 43,091 Total Site Area (acres) 0.99 ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 17 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com CAPITAL INVESTMENT MODELS Creation of a new purpose-built emergency communications center will require both a capital investment in the facility itself and an investment in the specialized technology systems and equipment needed to operate the center. With overall facility costs estimated to potentially reach a total of $1,850,000 and technology systems and integration costs to potentially reach approximately $1,400,000, a total investment of approximately $3,250,000 will be needed to establish the new consolidated communications center. In the communities that IXP has worked with in the past, or used as comparable jurisdictions in case studies for other customers, we have seen just about every possible approach to funding these levels of investments. The ‘best’ solution for one community is often the ‘worst’ alternative for another. The most commonly considered alternative is to utilize long-term debt mechanisms such as bonds. When this strategy is used we recommend that separate bond instruments be used for the facility costs and the technology costs. It is often reasonable for the term of a facility construction bond to be run over a 15 to 20 year period to keep the annual debt service costs manageable. Shorter-term instruments of 5 to 7 years should be used for technology investments since many of the systems will begin to require hardware refreshment cycles by the 7th year of operation. The funding mechanisms used to service this long-term debt vary considerably depending on the mix of taxation and revenue streams available to the government financing the project. In some circumstances we have seen local governments identify portions of their regular annual revenue streams to funding these debt service costs. More common is to see some form of limited-term specialized assessment added to the sales tax, property tax or other revenue mechanism available to the jurisdiction. Identifying these special assessments as targeted at a significant public safety investment such as a consolidated communications center often makes it easier to garner political support for the initiative. This is particularly the case when the communications center will be serving an entire county and the county government becomes the ideal organization to arrange the financing since they have revenue opportunities that cover the entire county. In some situations we have seen the financing of the new facility and systems rolled into the overall business model for the new communications center. We have seen this most often in larger urbanized communications center consolidations with multiple cities coming together into a newly created stand-alone intergovernmental organization to operate a consolidated dispatch center. In this approach the new consolidated communications center becomes the holder of the long-term debt, and the funding to service that debt becomes a part of the overall cost allocation model used to fund the operations of the organization. In this approach, each of the jurisdictions and agencies being served pay a proportional share of the capital costs for establishing the facility. In addition to the original capital investments to create the new facility, it is also important to establish strategies to support ongoing capital reinvestments in technology systems and equipment. Typically these systems require refreshment or replacement on 5 to 7 year cycles and these costs need to be factored into planning for the organization. For stand-alone organizations that run fully within their own funding models, these costs are typically accumulated into capital improvement reserves that are funded through annual assessments added to the operational budget and cost allocation formulas to the agencies being served. In smaller operations such as Converse County, where the county government provided the original funding for the creation of the facility and systems, these periodic reinvestments are most often integrated into the capital improvement programs already in place for other county facilities and systems. ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 18 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com OPERATIONAL COST MODELS The annual operating costs for consolidated communications centers are predominately driven by the salary and benefit costs for the personnel. In smaller operations such as the one that exist of Converse County, we often see operating budgets where salary and benefit costs can reach 90% or more of the total annual operating costs, and the costs of utilities and other operating and maintenance expenses consuming 10% or less of the budget. Information collected from the existing communications center budgets indicates the following position titles and compensation levels are currently in place:  Town of Glenrock o 1 Head Dispatcher – Salary range: $42,408 to $55,824 o 4 Dispatchers – Salary range: $37,056 to $48,636  City of Douglas o 5 Dispatchers – Salary range: $31,276 to $45,663 o Support Services Lieutenant – Salary range: $53,520 to $78,138  Converse County Sheriff’s Office o 2 Supervisors – Salary range: $44,152 to $46,043 o 5 Dispatchers – Salary range: $34,565 to $38,055 As discussed earlier in this report, IXP would recommend a total staffing for the consolidated communications center of 17 personnel as shown in the table below. To estimate the Year 1 total salary and benefit costs the following assumptions were used:  The base annual compensation cost estimate used for the Telecommunicator positions is $45,000. This could be thought of as a mid-point for a salary range for the 11 Telecommunicator positions, and is used for high- level budget planning since the actual mix of employees will likely include some with less experience and therefore at a lower compensation level, and some with more experience and therefore at higher compensation levels.  The base annual compensation cost estimate used for the Supervisory positions is $51,750, or 15% above the Telecommunicator estimate.  The Technology Systems and Special Projects Coordinator position is envisioned as being comparable to a Supervisor position and therefore estimated at the same compensation level.  The Communications Center Manager position is estimated at $70,000. In addition to direct compensation costs, the combination of benefit costs such as medical, dental and vision insurance; supplemental insurances such as disability or life insurance; retirement contributions; and various state and federal payroll or employment taxes typically can reach a fairly high percentage of the employees’ salary levels. A budget estimating value of 55% has been used for this business case model. ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 19 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com Collectively then, the estimated salary and benefit costs for the new organization for the first full year of operations would be estimated at approximately $1,275,000 as shown in the table below: In addition to these salary and benefit costs, the new consolidated communications center would require an operating budget to cover everything from utilities to office supplies to routine maintenance of systems. The following list of annual costs is what is typically seen in stand-alone communications centers:  Maintenance of technology systems – While the current practice of paying for the maintenance and support of the 9-1-1 telephone system equipment out of the dedicated 9-1-1 funds managed by the County could continue, the communications center will face a variety of other technology system maintenance costs for systems such as the CAD system, the radio console system, the logging/recording system, the local area network and the various PCs, printers and equipment used in the operation of the center. Further there should be routine maintenance agreements put in place for facility systems such as the UPS system, HVAC systems and fire suppression systems that support the critical equipment and operations spaces. For an operation of the size contemplated in this business case, it is estimated that the costs for these activities may reach $30,000 annually.  General operational expenses – Often the single largest general operational expense for a communications center is the costs for the utilities to cool and heat the facility. There are also costs for things such as training and travel for the personnel; office, printer and computer supplies; janitorial services; uniforms; and minor repairs and maintenance. Further, small communications centers that receive human resources, payroll and accounting services from a host agency also typically face a cost to that host agency for these services. For an operation of the size contemplated in this business case, it is estimated the costs for these activities may reach $80,000 annually. Position Count Base Budgeting Assumption Totl Benefit Load Estimate Base Total Cost of Compensation per Position Year 1 Estimate Communications Center Manager 1 70,000 $ 55% 108,316 $ 108,316 $ Tech Systems & Spec Proj Coordinator 1 51,750 $ 55% 80,076 $ 80,076 $ Communications Supervisor 4 51,750 $ 55% 80,076 $ 320,306 $ Telecommunicators 11 45,000 $ 55% 69,632 $ 765,948 $ Totals 17 1,274,646 $ ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 20 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com Collectively then, the total estimated annual operating costs for the consolidated communications center in the first full year of operations would be approximately $1,385,000, with 92% of these costs related to salary and benefit costs and 8% related to routine operating and maintenance expenses. Cost element Estimated Year 1 Cost Percentage of Total Cost Salary and Benefit Costs 1,275,000 $ 92% Technology Maintenance Costs 30,000 $ 2% General Operational Costs 80,000 $ 6% Total Costs 1,385,000 $ This is relatively the same as the total costs being experienced today by the three individual communications centers. Note – for Douglas, this excludes the existing salary and benefit costs for the Support Services Lieutenant and Records Clerk positions. Projections for out-year costs would depend on the assumptions made for annual cost increases for the various expenses faced by the organization. For many governmental organizations the total costs for salaries and benefits have been increasing at 5% or more each year and while general operational and utility costs have increased by 2-3% annually. Using these as modeling values, the estimated annual operating costs for a consolidated communications center in the first 5 years of operation would look something like the following: Annual Escalation Value Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Salary and Benefit Costs 5% 1,275,000 $ 1,338,750 $ 1,405,688 $ 1,475,972 $ 1,549,770 $ Technology Maintenance Costs 2% 30,000 $ 30,600 $ 31,212 $ 31,836 $ 32,473 $ General Operational Costs 2% 80,000 $ 81,600 $ 83,232 $ 84,897 $ 86,595 $ Total Costs 1,385,000 $ 1,450,950 $ 1,520,132 $ 1,592,705 $ 1,668,838 $ Current Costs Summary Table Glenrock CCSO Douglas Totals Salaries and Benefits 428,368 $ 473,225 $ 386,221 $ 1,287,813 $ Other Operating Costs 23,700 $ 9,681 $ 26,722 $ 60,103 $ Total Costs 452,068 $ 482,906 $ 412,943 $ 1,347,916 $ ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 21 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com CONCLUSION Converse County appears to be well positioned to move forward with a successful communications consolidation initiative. The existing communications centers are already utilizing a number of common technology systems so there will be fewer technology migration and integration challenges that often seen in consolidations of three individual communications centers. There also appears to be a high degree of cooperation between the agencies to seek consolidated operating strategies that can improve their levels of resource coordination and improve the depth of staffing available at any given time to handle significant emergencies as the arise within an individual community. There also appears to be a willingness within each community to examine alternative service models for the ancillary functions being supported by the communications centers today, particularly the so-called ‘front counter’ functions that dispatchers often support beyond normal office hours for other government functions. ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 22 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com APPENDIX A –ANCILLARY FUNCTIONS OF COMMUNICATIONS CENTER PERSONNEL The following tables were developed from interviews with each organization as a tool to identify the various ancillary activities performed by dispatch personnel, and the potential techniques for meeting these needs if a consolidated communications center were to be established. These notes do not represent any ‘decisions’ on how to address these functions, rather these are discussion notes to help document the thinking at the time so it can be used as a starting point for formal decisions if a consolidated communications center is established. In these notes the phrase CCC is used as an abbreviation for the consolidated communications center. Town of Glenrock Function Possible alternatives Providing Notary services to the public and occasionally to other City functions  This function could be moved to other city staffers. This would limit the service to ‘normal working hours’ rather than the 7X24 service now offered.  If the decision were made to retain a “Records Clerk” position this function could still be provided by this position, but again, with a reduced hours of service profile. Pool Key Checkout  Since the pool key is checked out to known individuals, an enhanced access control system (such as a key-card system) could be installed at the pool and those known individuals could then have direct access. The records maintained in the access control system would provide the accountability data now derived from the sign-out sheet. If usage privileges were revoked, the name could be quickly removed from the access control database. Range Key Checkout While use of the range is year-round, the busiest time of the year is in the fall around hunting season. Use is daylight hours only, and only one person or group at a time. Use is 7 days per week.  If a Records Clerk function is retained at the PD, this position could handle Range Key Checkout. This could cover at least 5 days of the week for the majority of usable Range usage.  For hours when the Records Clerk was not on duty, a ring-down phone at the door to the PD could be used to contact Dispatch and an officer could meet the person and let them in.  It could also be a requirement that off-hours use be pre-scheduled so the officer would already know that a Range key was needed at a particular time. Receipt of municipal fees and fines  If a Records Clerk function is retained at the PD, this position could handle this work, but the service to the public would be reduced from 7X24 to normal office hours.  This function could also be moved to the Municipal Court clerk, with the same reduction in hours of service compared to today. Home-Alone Status Calls Twice per day check-in calls to live- alone elderly or special needs residents.  There are a very small number of these and the timing of the call is flexible, so it is entirely reasonable that this function could be integrated into the operations of the Consolidated Communications Center (CCC). Routine tests of warning siren and fire paging systems  This function could be moved to the CCC. ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 23 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com  Functional capability could (and probably should) be retained at Glenrock as well so that there is both the local activation capability by other PD staff if needed as a backup to the CCC.  Equipment would be needed at the CCC control these and other sirens across the County. Activation and testing of the Code Red system  This function could be moved to the CCC. After-hours call-out of other Town agencies  This could easily be done by the CCC and it will be a need for all of the participants. Handle all the incoming 10-digit calls to the PD and then route caller as needed Since this number is widely known in the town, it is often used to report events requiring an officer to be dispatched. This number would likely need to be answered by the CCC and then non-emergency calls transferred to direct-dial numbers within the PD.  Direct dial numbers could be identified for key PD functions or personnel so that the CCC could transfer easily to these.  A public education campaign could be launched to get the public more adapted to using 9-1-1 to report things and promote the use of the direct-dial non-emergency numbers for other PD functions. Maintain Municipal Warrant roster and clipboard in Dispatch center  The Justice system has functionality to allow these local Muni Warrants to be logged and managed in the system, so a process could be set up to work with Glenrock Municipal Court to manage open Warrants within the Justice CAD/RMS system Finger Print Cards Take the $5 fee from the person and coordinate getting an officer in to do the printing.  If a Records Clerk function is retained at the PD, this position could handle this work, but the service to the public would be reduced from 7X24 to normal office hours.  If a Records Clerk function is not retained at the PD, this service could be pre-scheduled (perhaps through the CCC) so that an officer could be assigned to meet the person for a finger-printing appointment. Local Background Checks Take the $5 fee and perform the background check and distribute the results.  If a Records Clerk function is retained at the PD, this position could handle this work, but the service to the public would be reduced from 7X24 to normal office hours.  If a Records Clerk function is not retained at the PD, this function could be considered for inclusion as an ancillary duty of the CCC. It is probably a need for the other participating jurisdictions as well. Concealed Weapons Permit Take in the paperwork and fee, run the criminal history and local records checks and prepare the package for review/action by the Chief.  If a Records Clerk function is retained at the PD, this position could handle this work, but the service to the public would be reduced from 7X24 to normal office hours.  If a Records Clerk function is not retained at the PD, this function could be considered for inclusion as an ancillary duty of the CCC. It is probably a need for the other participating jurisdictions as well. Case Entry  If a Records Clerk function is retained at the PD, this position could handle this work during their working hours. ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 24 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com Dispatch assembles criminal history or other background data for Officers to use in their Case entry process  The CCC could perform this work and print it to a local printer at Glenrock PD for use by the Officer when they come in to do their Case entry. Citation Entry Officers issue paper Citations and Dispatcher enter those into the system. Dispatch also prints out history and support docs prior to Court.  If a Records Clerk function is retained at the PD, this position could handle this work during their working hours. This would probably require some workflow adjustments to make sure that weekend citations were entered in time for weekday Court sessions. UCR Reports  If a Records Clerk function is retained at the PD, this position could handle this work.  If a Records Clerk function is not retained at the PD, the work would need to be assigned to an Officer or Patrol Supervisor. Vacation Checks Maintain the log based on paperwork filed by the resident.  If a Records Clerk function is retained at the PD, this position could handle this work.  If a Records Clerk function is not retained at the PD, completed forms could be reviewed by a uniformed Officer and then FAXed to CCC for entry in the system (or entered directly with proper training and access). “Monitor” surveillance several surveillance cameras  The camera monitoring system appears to be IP based so it will probably be possible to monitor these cameras from wherever the CCC is located.  If cameras are used (or planned) by the other jurisdictions, there may be enough diversity of sources that ‘monitoring’ by the CCC dispatchers is ineffective, so a video analytics solution may be beneficial. Dispatch Animal Control Often more interactive than PD dispatch since owner contacts and other coordination often a part of the process. Dispatch also completes incident data entry for these events.  This function could be accomplished by the CCC with any required supporting documentation printed to a local printer in Glenrock for use by the Animal Control officer.  The Animal Control officer may need to take on more of the process of getting incident details entered into the RMS system. Walk-in Incident Reporting  A ring-down phone (with video monitoring) to the CCC could be installed at the door so that these reports (or other service requests) could be made and an Officer dispatched to assist. Probation Monitoring Handle paperwork and getting an Officer in to perform any Probation monitoring actions needed.  If a Records Clerk function is retained at the PD, this position could handle this work, but the service to the public would be reduced from 7X24 to normal office hours.  If a Records Clerk function is not retained at the PD, the person would have to use the ring-down phone at the door and the CCC could dispatch an Officer. VIN Inspection Paperwork  If a Records Clerk function is retained at the PD, this position could handle this work, but the service to the public would be reduced from 7X24 to normal office hours. ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 25 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com City of Douglas Function Possible alternatives Providing Notary services for the Department and for the public.  While this function could still be supported by the Records Clerk during normal business hours, but after-hours capability would not be available. This may not be a significant service reduction for the public, but an alternative would be needed for Officers to obtain Notary services when needed on a 7X24 basis. Range Key Checkout While the use of the range is year- round, it is much busier around the hunting season. The range is used 7 days per week.  This function could still be supported by the Records Clerk during normal business hours.  For hours not covered by the Records Clerk, a ring-down line phone at the door to the PD could be used to contact Dispatch and an Officer could meet the person and let them in.  It could also be a requirement that off-hours use be pre-scheduled so the officer would already know that Range access was needed at a particular time. After-hours support for Records functions (copies of reports, VIN inspections, etc.)  If the governance process for the new consolidated operation agreed to do it, the consolidated communications center (CCC) could still serve as an after-hours location for the public to conduct ‘Records-related’ transactions. This would only be of direct benefit to Douglas residents if the consolidated operation were located in Douglas, and of direct benefit to Glenrock residents if the facility were located there.  If this were not done, after-hours ‘Records’ services may not be able to be offered. Support of Case Report entry processes While the Officers handle their own case entry in the Records Management System, the Dispatchers assist in this by running all the external queries and printing them off for the officers when they return to the station to enter their information.  This activity could still be supported by Dispatch and the required paperwork could be printed to which ever location the Officer was going to do their paperwork.  If mobile computers are used in the future, and particularly once CAD and RMS are directly interfaced to conduct external queries, more of the case entry process will move to an online activity and be even easier for Dispatch to support no matter where they are located. Entry of local Municipal Court Warrants in CAD/RMS  This activity could still be supported by the Records Clerk during normal business hours.  A backup process could be worked out with the CCC to provide this service in the event the Records Clerk were on leave. Municipal Fees and Fines  This function could still be supported by the Records Clerk during normal business hours, but after hours support would need to be discontinued. ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 26 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com  Working out processes and controls to allow this function to be supported by the consolidated communications center would likely be very difficult. This is not a function often supported by consolidated communications centers. Animal Licenses  This function could still be supported by the Records Clerk during normal business hours, but after hours support would need to be discontinued. Walk-in assistance to individuals with ankle monitors or PBT-type devices requiring supervised up-load of data  This function could still be supported by the Records Clerk during normal business hours, but after hours support would need to be discontinued, or...  After hours support could be provided by having the person use the ring-down phone at the door and having an Officer dispatched to meet them at the station. NCIC property, persons and runaway entries  This function could still be supported by the Records Clerk during normal business hours.  It is also reasonable to train and certify a sufficient number of personnel at the CCC to perform this function to handle after- hours entry of high priority entries. Entry of Pawn Tickets  This function could still be supported by the Records Clerk during normal business hours.  If this created a workload problem for this single position, it is also reasonable to train CCC staff to perform this function and have them enter Pawn Tickets during quiet periods of late-night shifts. This could be handled through specific provisions in the service level agreements for the CCC so that responsibilities and costs were identified to the mutual satisfaction of all parties. Routine tests of warning siren systems  This function could be moved to the CCC. After-hours walk-in incident reporting or ‘records’ activities (copies of reports, etc.)  After-hours walk-up traffic could be accommodated by a ring down phone/camera system with the CCC dispatching an officer to contact the individual.  Records activities would need to be constrained to hours when the Records Clerk was on duty. ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 27 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com Converse County Sheriff’s Office Function Possible alternatives Cover “front counter” duties after hours, including things like receiving civil papers for service, concealed firearm applications, VIN inspection forms, copies of reports, notary service, etc. (including receipt of fees for these services).  These services could still be supported during normal business hours by the administrative staff of the Sheriff’s Office, but after- hours support would no longer exist. Coordinate the process of arranging for a Deputy to serve Civil paperwork, or to hold the paperwork for pickup at the front counter by the recipient.  Some sort of process could be set up for the administrative staff of the Sheriff’s Office to take in these documents and then coordinate with the CCC to handle getting a Deputy identified for service.  It does not feel like after-hours pickup of civil paperwork would be a reasonable duty to try and shift to the Detention Center staff, so this service may no longer be available. County Attorneys periodically call in to get criminal history runs and they pick up the paperwork in Dispatch.  With proper training and certification, this function could be supported during normal business hours by the administrative staff of the Sheriff’s Office. Assembly of UCR reports and other statistical reports for the agency  This function would need to shift to the administrative staff of the Sheriff’s Office.  The CCC would produce routine statistical reports on comm center activities and could also produce basic agency reports if proper processes are set up and documented. Maintain the Community Room calendar and key handout for registered users.  While the administrative staff could handle this during normal working hours, the most common use of the room is after-hours. It does not seem reasonable to try and shift this function to the Detention Officers, so another alternative for after-hours access to the Community Room will need to be found (IXP doesn’t have a great idea at this point) Maintain the Frequent Patrol log, the Trespass Log, and the Salvation Army vouchers and log  Frequent Patrol and similar logs could be managed at the CCC.  Not sure how to handle after-hours handout of Salvation Army vouchers. Monitor the status of Probation and Parole officers in the field on radio and Dept. of Family Services personnel by phone  This function could shift to the CCC. Provide tone-out and communications for Fire agencies for the east side of the county  This function could shift to the CCC. Provide after-hours phone answering for other County departments.  This function could shift to the CCC. ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 28 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com Provide phone answer and transfer for CCSO functions such as investigators.  This function could shift to the CCC. Various activities directly related to Detention Center activities  Opening and closing the exterior and interior sally port doors as Officers from all agencies (CCSO, Douglas, Glenrock and WHP) bring in persons for booking or when meals or medical services arrive.  It does not seem reasonable to have Jail security systems controlled remotely from a consolidated communications center (CCC) so this work would need to be integrated into the staffing responsibilities for the Detention Officers, which could require increasing their staffing over current levels.  Monitoring the camera in the Booking area and recording the booking process, which includes the production of a video disc that is labeled and cataloged for future reference/access.  It does not seem reasonable to have this function performed by a separate CCC, so this function would need to be integrated into the staffing responsibilities for the Detention Officers.  Since the recording equipment is currently located in the CCSO dispatch room, there would also be a need to reconfigure the video recording system so the recordings could be controlled from within the Detention Center.  Opening and closing of interior doors within the Detention Center.  It does not seem reasonable to have Jail security systems controlled remotely from a consolidated communications center (CCC) so this work would need to be integrated into the staffing responsibilities for the Detention Officers, which could require increasing their staffing over current levels.  Monitor the Detention Center and Court Security radios and send assistance as needed.  It seems that Detention Center and Court security would be best handled by monitoring within the facility.  Technical mechanisms could be established for the CCC to also monitor these radios as a backup to the Detention Center staff.  Answering general phone calls for the Detention Center and providing information to Detention Center personnel or to the callers (court times, inmate status, etc.).  It does not seem reasonable to have these functions provided by the CCC since the CCC would not have direct access to the Detention Center personnel or Detention Center records. This work would need to be integrated into the staffing responsibilities for the Detention Officers, which would require increasing their staffing over current levels.  Running criminal histories and other records queries on personnel being booked and providing that to booking officer and/or Detention Officers.  Much of this could still be done by CCC personnel and then printed to printers at the Detention Center for processing.  It would also be possible to make this a function of an augmented Detention Center staffing model so that this along with other functions could be supported directly at the Detention Center.  Perform Case Entry work for WHP bookings so the information gets into CCSOs RMS and Jail Management systems (WHP personnel don’t have access to the shared CAD/RMS/Jail system  It is not reasonable for WHP personnel to have to learn the Converse County systems to do their own case entry, so this will still need to be supported at the Detention Center for WHP bookings. ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 29 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com used by Converse County agencies)  Entry of Warrants in NCIC and maintaining the paper Warrants so they are accessible for confirmations, modifications, coordination with Booking processes, etc.  It is most likely that the physical paper warrants will need to be retained at the Sheriff’s Office so they are directly accessible for use during the booking process. But this will require the CCC staff to interact with the Detention Center staff to verify warrants that they are asked to confirm by officers in the field that they are dispatching.  Handling this warrant work, along with other Detention Center functions currently supported by dispatchers, will likely require increased staffing levels in the Detention Center.  After-hours point of contact for anyone bringing in something for an inmate. Detention Officers come up to get the items or bring the person in, but Dispatch runs the ID and gets the person set up for entry.  This function would need to be integrated somehow into the work of an enhanced Detention Center staffing model. Cover “front counter” duties after hours, including things like receiving civil papers for service, concealed firearm applications, VIN inspection forms, copies of reports, notary service, etc. (including receipt of fees for these services).  These services could still be supported during normal business hours by the administrative staff of the Sheriff’s Office, but after- hours support would no longer exist. Coordinate the process of arranging for a Deputy to serve Civil paperwork, or to hold the paperwork for pickup at the front counter by the recipient.  Some sort of process could be set up for the administrative staff of the Sheriff’s Office to take in these documents and then coordinate with the CCC to handle getting a Deputy identified for service.  It does not feel like after-hours pickup of civil paperwork would be a reasonable duty to try and shift to the Detention Center staff, so this service may no longer be available. County Attorneys periodically call in to get criminal history runs and they pick up the paperwork in Dispatch.  With proper training and certification, this function could be supported during normal business hours by the administrative staff of the Sheriff’s Office. Assembly of UCR reports and other statistical reports for the agency  This function would need to shift to the administrative staff of the Sheriff’s Office.  The CCC would produce routine statistical reports on comm center activities and could also produce basic agency reports if proper processes are set up and documented. Maintain the Community Room calendar and key handout for registered users.  While the administrative staff could handle this during normal working hours, the most common use of the room is after-hours. It does not seem reasonable to try and shift this function to the Detention Officers, so another alternative for after-hours access to ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted Converse County, Douglas and Glenrock personnel for official business Page I 30 [PHONE REDACTED] p h one [PHONE REDACTED] fax www.IXPCORP.com the Community Room will need to be found (IXP doesn’t have a great idea at this point) Maintain the Frequent Patrol log, the Trespass Log, and the Salvation Army vouchers and log  Frequent Patrol and similar logs could be managed at the CCC.  Not sure how to handle after-hours handout of Salvation Army vouchers. Monitor the status of Probation and Parole officers in the field on radio and Dept. of Family Services personnel by phone  This function could shift to the CCC. Provide tone-out and communications for Fire agencies for the east side of the county  This function could shift to the CCC. Provide after-hours phone answering for other County departments.  This function could shift to the CCC. Provide phone answer and transfer for CCSO functions such as investigators.  This function could shift to the CCC. ---PAGE BREAK--- Converse County, the City of Douglas and the Town of Glenrock Business Case Report IXP Corporation Proprietary/Confidential Disclosure restricted [XXX] personnel for official business