The new Motorola Solutions PremierOne system, which replaces a Motorola CAD network, is “the most significant public safety IT project that the City of Oakland has undertaken in the past two decades,” the city said in a news release.
“This work represents contributions from many individuals, and I especially want to recognize those from the Information Technology Department,” said Chief Information Officer Tony Batalla. “My team worked through weekends and around-the-clock shifts to support OPD and OFD on this upgrade.”
The implementation took several months, and the new system took its first call July 30.
“This work builds on additional efforts to improve the city of Oakland’s emergency response times such as increasing dispatch staffing and implementing call tree improvements to streamline 911 calls,” the news release said. “It also paves the way for future technology improvements, such as replacing the Oakland Police Department’s legacy Records Management System (RMS).”
The CAD upgrade builds on several improvements delivered so far in 2024, according to the city:
- Oakland has increased the percentage of 911 calls answered within 15 seconds — the industry standard for pickup time. In early 2023, Oakland was meeting that standard for 36 percent of 911 calls. In August 2024, that percentage had increased to 51 percent.
- Dispatcher hiring has been ongoing; the city is currently staffed with 69 dispatchers of a budgeted total of 78 (an increase of two funded positions over the previous year). “We maintain continuous recruiting for these positions and have implemented a new cohort model of hiring to improve retention,” the news release said.
- With rapid hiring for the dispatch team, an above-average number of Oakland’s veteran dispatchers are working to support and train those new recruits. “On-the-job training typically lasts for 40 weeks or more, so as those newer team members complete that training and their trainers resume spending those hours taking calls themselves, the city expects those answering times to continue to improve.”
- The IT Department implemented an “auto-attendant” for non-emergency calls for police or fire response. That allows callers to choose from a menu of services that don’t require a dispatcher, such as OAK311, Animal Services, and Encampment Management. “The impact on dispatchers being able to answer calls quicker looks promising,” the city said. “The cost of this was minor and done within the current budget.”
- The 911 call center added 10 training stations that are CAD-connected and functioning, which means the 20 current trainees can get up to speed faster — a critical component to the staffing challenges. This was done with existing resources.
Leaders of the city’s first-responder departments praised the upgrade.
“The launch of our new PremierOne CAD system provides our Communications Division with a state-of-the-art platform for 911 dispatch,” said Police Chief Floyd Mitchell. “CAD provides an enhanced user interface that supports our dispatchers in their daily tasks and seamlessly integrates with other information systems to support a more coordinated and effective response.”
Similarly, Fire Chief Damon Covington said: “As the volume of 911 calls climb, our firefighters and medical service units deserve the best tools possible to help with a timely, well-informed response. Our new and upgraded 911 dispatch system is a significant step forward and efficiently connects all corners of our department to Oaklanders requiring emergency services.”
Batalla, who was named Oakland’s CIO in 2022, addressed the topic of upgraded infrastructure in an Industry Insider — California One-on-One interview that year.
