Police Dispatch Center

Convert a simplex VHF radio frequency to repeater operation and provide improved talk back coverage for portable radios in several challenged areas of the township.

Design a new dispatch center to incorporate the new police radio system as well fire dispatch for 5 volunteer and partially paid fire companies.

Make recommendations as to a possible new location of the radio operations dispatch area to isolate it from civilians coming into police headquarters to pay traffic tickets and other police business.

Performance:

Horizon was assigned the lead task for the Project and was awarded an additional contract to include project management to oversee implementation.

Horizon acquired 2 additional frequencies, realigned the frequencies the township was already licensed for and developed two (2) repeater channels for the police, provided them with simplex on scene frequencies, coordinated the FCC license application to accommodate same. He did an operational functional analysis of the tasks of the house sergeant and other uniformed personnel as well as duties of the dispatchers outside of their normal radio operating tasks and recommended that the dispatch center be moved to a higher floor for security, with a uniformed officer handing walk in civilian traffic that would no longer detract from radio communications operations and provided a CAD layout of the new dispatch center, crafted the request for proposal and assisted with the pre bid and award of the installation contract.

The transition to a repeater system included training of the police personnel in using a repeater system and included the operation of several remote receivers which improved in building and coverage in the original RF challenged areas.

The project was completed on time and within several hundred dollars of the budget.

• Designed a state of the art communications vehicle acting as the facilitator of an internal team of personnel as well as the vehicle manufacturer and local dealer to affect a working command unit that sees frequent service at the scenes of incidents.
  
• Developed an internal team of planning personnel which crafted a three and five year plan to keep a $35,000,000.00 system up to the state of the art with cost estimates, recommendations by prioritization. Horizon’s applied their skills in total quality management that has provided county commissioners a viable financial planning tool for the future.
  
• Horizon timeline predictions were accurate and were executed on time as promised, within the budget limits of the contract.

Township Police Department

Make assessment and recommendations to prevent continued system downtime and equipment loss due to lighting strikes.

Make assessment and recommendations to improve radio coverage for the 43 square mile township with expanding population.

Develop a system plan to improve alternative communications if the primary TAC channel is inoperative and determine what will be needed to give the special unit task forces such as the Narcotics squad private frequencies for covert operations.

Make recommendations for the type of radio consoles required to handle the upgraded systems and for future expansion.

Study the needs of the volunteer fire companies in the township and make recommendations as to what is needed to provide dedicated paramedic and basic life support ambulance communications.

Performance:
Horizon performed personnel interviews of Police Command Staff, patrol officers, services officers and the call taker dispatcher group to determine all of the problems the regularly face related to radio communications and coordination of same.

With the input from the respective disciplines set out to make studies of the present radio system coverage, made recommendations to add a second operational TAC frequency and determined that the radio tower in use was beyond its life expectancy and recommended a new tower.

Horizon with full permission from the Township solicitor entered into negotiations with Comcast Metrophone to build a 190 foot lattice tower and move all police, fire and emergency medical services communications as well as County equipment and the highway department to the new tower.

In process of executing that, Horizon applied to the FCC for radio license modifications and for the addition of a second police repeater channel as well as a VHF simplex frequency for use by the paramedics both volunteer and paid in the township.

The project management of the tower site and radio shelter construction was handled by Horizon who developed and executed a cut over plan that kept any downtime to less than 5 minutes while migrating to the new system and tower.

Township Police now have 2 operational channels with full township coverage both on the street and in building with full redundancy in the event of a major issue with the primary site at police headquarters.

Horizon had the fore sight to recommend the second police channel repeater transmitter be placed on a 10 story high rise building with redundant linkage back to the hub site at police headquarters.

Narcotics and other special units are served by a 3 rd lower power repeater system and simplex operation in a digital mode for privacy.

County 911 Center

Horizon was the lead consultant in determining the route cause of many Radio infrastructure problems with the county microwave, mobile data and voice Dispatch system. His approach was rapid, and with key recommendations that corrected serious technical issues with a 18 site simulcast trunked radio system that in fact ultimately saved the county in excess of $15,000,000.00. Horizon was the catalyst that brought together subcontract communications technicians and engineers as well as several manufacturers to expedite the resolution of technical issues that brought the system from a less than acceptable reliability to in excess of 98% regaining the trust of all Emergency Providers in the various disciplines.

Horizon’s project management skills took the company from behind the desk to the field at many Tower sites directing the modification of antenna systems, tower top amplifier and Multicoupler networks and the retuning of transmitter combines that resulted in a well synchronized system. Horizon recommended additional sites for improved coverage which have been installed and met the goals and objectives accordingly.

Key tasks were;

• Analyzed microwave path studies- made recommendations for improvements reducing bit error rates (BER) to acceptable levels.
• Conducted propagation studies for various antenna sites and the recommendations made to change the type antennas have paid positive dividends in improved portable radio coverage.
• Wrote grounding and bonding specifications which reduced down time from lighting and power surge events.
• Performed occupational functional analysis working with another consulting company to improve the interior furniture and layout of the dispatch and call taking operations center.