The New Haven Police Department and the city’s 911 call center transitioned to a new computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system this week — and are working through “glitches” as they get used to a new emergency-services technology that has been more than three years in the making. New Haven Po lice Department (NHPD) spokesperson Officer Christian Bruckhart provided that update in an email comment sent to the Independent on Friday. Bruckhart said that the city’s new CAD system “went live” with the company ProPhoenix on Monday, Sept. 21, at 10 a.m. The alders first approved a six-year, $4.8 million contract between the city and ProPhoenix in July 2023. That contract called for ProPhoenix to “develop a platform which covers the consulting fees, hardware, software, installation, training, and maintenance for Computer Aided Dispatch/Record Management System/Jail Management System (CAD/RMS/JMS),” referring to the technology that the city uses to manage records and dispatch emergency responders in regards to 911 calls. A March 2023 cover letter written by then-Police Chief Karl Jacobson stated that the city selected ProPhoenix after conducting a Request for Proposals (RFP) to replace the city’s current CAD/RMS/JMS system, “which has transitioned over the years to a legacy system with limited support options, with one that would fit the City’s current and anticipated future needs.” Jacobson also wrote at the time that the new ProPhoenix program “will increase efficiencies in all aspects of record management, improve geographic information systems on patterns and trends of criminal activity, and provide tools for a safe and secure detention center for staff and inmates.” How’s it going so far? “There have been some glitches over the past few days that are being fixed as they come up, but the system is currently functioning,” Bruckhart wrote on Friday about the switchover to ProPhoenix. Why has it taken so long to get this new system up and running? “A large part of the delay in implementation was due to integrating separate agencies and departments: NHPD, NHFD, YPD and PSAP,” Bruckhart wrote, referring to the city’s police department, the city’s fire department, Yale’s police department, and the city’s Public Safety Access Point, which is the city’s 911 call center. The most recent mention of ProPhoenix in city police commission meeting minutes came in June of this year. Those meeting minutes state that Capt. Michael Fumiatti said at the time that the adoption of the new CAD/RMS system was the department’s “largest endeavor at the moment.” Those meeting minutes also stated that the ProPhoenix tech adoption “has been pushed back due to some concerns with Yale University and the operability of the platform for them.” On Friday, Bruckhart wrote, “The glitches we are currently experiencing are not uncommon when integrating new technology and we experienced similar problems when we transitioned from handwritten reports to then-new software.” Joe Vitale, who has helmed the city’s 911 call center since 2022, added that the “implementation timeframe also included user training and hardware updates, all while the communications center had to remain operations.” Also this week, a former city police officer named Jason Bandy took to social media to criticize both ProPhoenix and a retired former New Haven police lieutenant, Sean Maher, who reportedly now works at ProPhoenix. Bandy pointed out in his Instagram video that Maher “was in charge of implementing the new computer system” at the time that the city chose ProPhoenix as its new CAD contractor. He criticized Maher for ultimately taking a job with the company, and he pointed out that municipalities across the country have experienced a range of problems using ProPhoenix’s CAD technology. Bruckhart wrote that Maher retired from the city’s police department and entered the DROP plan on July 1. (The DROP plan allows newly retired police officers to continue working for the city’s police department for a limited amount of time.) Maher then fully “separated from service” with the NHPD on Aug. 31. “It is my understanding that he is currently employed at ProPhoenix,” Bruckhart wrote, “however, any allegations of corruption have no merit: the city put out a Request for Proposal due to the size of the bid and involved representatives from several city departments in addition to the ones mentioned above (e.g. purchasing and IT). Lt. Maher would not have been able to single-handedly select a company.” Maher could not be reached for comment by the publication time of this article. A ProPhoenix spokesperson, Paul Hoppe, declined to comment, citing the company’s “long-standing policy not to comment publicly on matters involving active customers, ongoing projects, or customer relationships.” The post City Works Thru “Glitches” After 911-Tech Transition appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less