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Leaping Into The 80's
On May 21st, 1998, Monterey CHP Communications became another of the department's
Comm Centers using a Computer Aided Dispatching system (commonly referred to as "CAD").
(Since then, Stockton CHP and Chico CHP have "come online" with CAD; eighteen CHP Centers
down, six more to go!)
Our Center wasn't slated for its CAD installation for at least two more years, for a variety of reasons
that suddenly became moot in April. (Network server was a 286 with 5.25" really
floppy disk drive - a single drive, no less, and it failed backups for so long we started to worry we'd
lose the thing if we had to reboot it for any reason. Then, in April of 1998, it suddenly decided to revert to
January 1, 1998 and wouldn't let me reset the date.......)
CHP Information Management Division managed to get the equipment installed and up and
running just 30 days from the high-level, emergency decision to install CAD at Monterey CHP.
The CHP State-wide CAD Training Team moved into action (and into a local hotel in the area for
three weeks) and trained our Communications Operators around the clock for six days. (Our staff
was broken down into small classes of two to three each; each class had three days of intensive
hands-on training, on their own regular shifts!) The first class started at 0600 hours on Monday, May
18, and we "flipped the switch" at 0600 hours on Thursday, May 21.
The second set of around-the-clock training classes began and the first set of CAD-trained
dispatchers utilized the CAD system LIVE, while the others completed their training.
The CAD Training Team remained for an additional two weeks to assist all of us as we handled
operations in CAD: "keyboarding" instead of handwriting radio traffic and incidents on cards.
Console Furniture Upgrade
Although we have two actual radio console assignments, we do have one of the four service desk positions set up with a radio. It's useful for giving breaks to the two radio positions, handling special event radio traffic and excellent for training purposes.
We totally re-arranged the console configuration in the Center. (Officers coming in to visit approached the "wrong" position for several months, thinking they were still addressing the Black Radio dispatcher.) Service desks were moved to the other side of the room and the Radio positions were moved to the area where the service desks were, previously.
With the new console furniture, this new configuration opened up the floor space and made the whole Comm Center appear much less crowded.
With the addition of individual console lamps, most of the dispatchers work with the overhead florescent lights OFF. The atmosphere is less stark, yet everyone still has plenty of light for his or her work station.
The console furniture is totally ergonomic; you can raise (AND TILT) the desk surface platform, raise or lower the monitor platform separately, with a touch of a switch. Some dispatchers even set their consoles to work standing up!
See some more pictures of our new consoles.