Public Safety Communications Customer Perspective Delaware County Sheriff’s Department: A Long Road from the Middle Ages to the 21st Century IntegratorRD Workstations Keep An Ancient Office On the Cutting Edge

The Office of Sheriff has a long and fascinating history For many, many years, the Sheriff’s Department’s home was that reaches back to the middle ages. More than twelve the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office and Jail, a building hundred years ago, England was inhabited by Anglo-Saxon with a remarkable history of its own, being built in the tribes. Ruled over by a single monarch, the tribes came 1800s. Since the building was constructed, the world has together in groups of ten families known as a tithing. changed almost beyond recognition, as have the needs of Each group then elected its own leader, who was known as the law enforcement agency it houses. Recognizing this, the tithing-man. In what was the earliest and most Delaware County decided it was time to build a 21st primitive form of law and order, the tithingman held the Century home for its Sheriff’s Department. At the end of responsibility of raising the Hue and Cry, a process in 2003, after years of planning, the Delaware County Sheriff’s which every able-bodied man had to participate in the Department moved into a brand new, $23 million dollar pursuit and apprehension of offenders. building. The tithings were also organized in groups of ten. Each “We went from antiquated to state-of-the-art,” says group of ten tithings (or a hundred families) elected a Sergeant Thomas Avery, who oversees the departments’ headman known as a Reeve. Several hundreds were then communications needs. “Now we are housed in the combined to form a shire—an area equivalent to a county. Delaware County Public Safety Building, which The leader of the shire was a “shire- reeve,” from which the modern word “sheriff” evolved.

The “Shire-Reeve” of Delaware County: The office of sheriff arrived in America along with the first English settlers and has continued to the present day. The Sheriff’s Department of Delaware County, New York is part of that continuing legacy. Delhi is one of the largest villages in the County of Delaware, which is around the same size as Rhode Island—only hillier and with a population of just 50,000. The dispatch at the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department runs 24/ 7/365 and, in addition to its own Sheriff’s Patrol, dispatches for five out of the eight law enforcement agencies in the county.

Sergeant Thomas Avery staffs one of two IntegratorRD Workstations incorporates the Emergency Services, Probation, Stop DWI, “When KJBL Electronics said they were ready for us,” a Correctional Facility, and the Sheriff’s Office, including Sergeant Avery remembers, “all they had to do was flip a patrol, civil division and dispatch.” switch and our people walked across the road.”

Time to upgrade: With touch screens and a host of added capabilities, the The Delaware County Sheriff’s Department had been using new IntegratorRD workstations looked a little intimidating, opportunity to upgrade to a brand new Zetron radio but operators’ anxieties quickly dissipated once they got a console system. hands-on with the equipment. “They had the Zetron Model 4115 and 4116 button “We’ve got a mix of civilian dispatchers as well as some consoles with a Model 4024 Common Control Unit and a officers,” Avery says. “At first, the IntegratorRD looks a little Model 25 Paging Encoder,” explains Dennis Bennett of KJBL confusing, but it’s very, very simple to operate and easy to Electronics, Inc. of White Sulphur Springs, New York. teach. So far, we’re more than happy.” Bennett’s company installed the original Zetron consoles Welcome to the computer age: back in 1986, and was called in again to provide the new The computer-based system also soon proved to be a Zetron equipment. money-saver, allowing “They wanted to upgrade,” additional capabilities to be Bennett adds, “so we moved “Our old consoles were probably added quickly and easily at a them up to the modest cost. IntegratorRDTM workstations six to eight feet long and we had “Before, we never had with a Model 4048 Common communications with the Control Unit.” two of them. Now I’m looking at just two 17-inch monitors and jail,” Avery adds, “We could Room at the top: only communicate with KJBL Electronics installed keyboards.” portables. Now, for less than two positions of Zetron’s two hundred dollars we have IntegratorRD Intelligent a whole new jail Integrated Workstation (IIWS), but the dispatch center still communication system on our computer screens. That’s less has plenty of room for future expansion. than the cost of one portable radio!” “We’ve got plenty of room to install a mirror of our current Traditions are wonderful things to have; still, it’s nice to equipment,” Sergeant Avery says, “Right now, our county 9- have modern technology to keep things up to date. Thanks 1-1 program is handled by the State Police Barracks, but if to their new IntegratorRD workstations, the citizens of the that changes we have the space to put a 9-1-1 call-taking shire of Delaware County can rest assured their “shire-reeve” center in the middle of our dispatch room.” department is ready to respond to any hue and cry. Not only is the new dispatch facility physically much bigger than the old one, the computer-based IntegratorRD takes up less space than the department’s button-based consoles. “Our old consoles were probably six to eight feet long and we had two of them,” Avery adds. “Now I’m looking at just two 17-inch monitors and keyboards. Because it’s all computerized, we can use a mouse, touchpad, or touch screen. The Model 25 Paging Encoder is no longer needed as we have all the paging functions right up there on the screen.”

At the flip of a switch: The actual cutover day—when the old dispatch was shut down and the new brought on line—proved to be remarkably normal.

Zetron USA Zetron UK Zetron Australasia PO Box 97004 27-29 Campbell Court PO Box 3045 Reprinted from Zetron's monthly newsletter, Redmond Bramley TADLEY Stafford Mail Centre the Advantage, May 2004. WA 98073-9704 Basingstoke RG26 5EG Stafford QLD 4053 All trademarks are the property of their USA UK Australia respective owners. Phone: (425) 820-6363 Phone: +44 (0)1256 880663 Phone: +61 7 3856 4888 Fax: (425) 820-7031 Fax: +44 (0)1256 880491 Fax: +61 7 3356 6877 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] 005-7403A August 2004 www.zetron.com