SARASOTA COUNTY - Sarasota County is proud to be a leader in public safety communications and recently had an opportunity to welcome visitors from the Province of Catamarca, Argentina, looking to learn more about the county’s radios and technology.   

On May 9, Sarasota County’s Public Safety Communications (PSC) staff provided guests with an overview of the technology used in the PSC, and a tour of the Emergency Operations Center and 911 Call Center. The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and the county’s vendor, Motorola, shared information on 911 operations and the radio equipment used by the county. 

Sarasota County’s PSC has spent the last year working to upgrade its systems to improve the lifesaving service that includes 911 calls, first responder radio systems and computer-aided dispatch. The PSC is one of few agencies across the nation implementing new technology aimed at reducing the time it takes to process an emergency call.

In April, the Sarasota County Board of County Commission approved a contract for the purchase and installation of a new computer-aided dispatch system in the 911 Call Center.

Also, Sarasota County’s PSC upgraded their hardwired call processing equipment (CPE) and mobile emergency service internet (ESInet) in November 2022. Sarasota County’s PSCC became the only public safety answering point to implement both services at the same time and the third in the U.S. to join a national network offering location-based routing.

The upgraded CPE uses new location-based routing, which delivers the call and the caller’s location simultaneously to the 911 Call Center – making sure the call goes to the correct agency the first time. Sarasota County PSCC is one of the few agencies in the country to use location-based routing.

Included in this upgrade, is an internet-based remote emergency call processing system. This utilizes laptops which, when paired with the remote radio system, will allow Sarasota County to receive and dispatch emergency calls anywhere there is internet connectivity.

Sharing ideas, lessons learned and experiences across agencies encourages continued growth and improvement throughout the organization. The Sarasota County PSC is committed to serving the community through continued advancement and collaboration.