Communications

The Sheriff's Office is the largest law enforcement agency in the county, with a jurisdiction spanning more than 862 square miles. The Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement and public safety services to all unincorporated areas of the county. Communications Specialists answer over 290 calls for law enforcement services each day, with a third of those being 9-1-1 calls. In addition to providing communications services to the various divisions of the Sheriff's Office, the center provides communications services for the eight Constables and their deputies.

In 2014, Communications Specialists handled over 44,000 calls for service.

The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office utilizes state of the art technology to manage their 9-1-1 response. In 2002, a new Law Enforcement Information System was purchased from Open Software Solutions Incorporated. Implementation included several components:

• Computer Aided Dispatch System (CAD)
• Mobile - Interface units in the field to CAD
• Records Management System (RMS)

CAD was implemented to provide an interface to the 9-1-1 system, manage the call workload and effectively deploy units in the field. The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office was one of the first Phase 2 wireless capable agencies in the State of Texas. This means that a wireless caller’s position can be plotted on a map if the wireless carrier provides that data. This has already proven to have life-saving capabilities when a caller is unable to provide details on their whereabouts.

Each unit in the field has a special notebook computer that has a software interface (Mobile) to CAD. This allows the deputy to communicate directly with the dispatcher, receive immediate updates to dispatched calls, initiate wanted checks on persons or vehicles, write and submit reports from their unit and view mugshots. Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology is deployed on each unit to provide for the most effective response based on their proximity to a 9-1-1 call. A map in the Communications Center displays the position of all units and is updated every few seconds with their current location. General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is utilized to provide communication between the wireless units in the field and the wired network at the Communications Center.

How long will it take for deputy to respond to my home if I call 9-1-1?

The volume of calls received dictates that a priority system is used to determine the appropriate response. For example, a robbery in progress or a car accident with injuries would be assigned higher priorities than a parking violation or a theft report, not in progress. Higher priority calls are dispatched before lower priority call. Below are the guidelines used to determine priority:

The Records Management System (RMS) is the repository for the majority of information collected by the Sheriff’s Office and assists in managing numerous critical functions:

• Entry of offense reports, accident reports and citations
• Case Management of criminal investigations
• Uniform Crime Reporting
• Property and Evidence management
• Assignment and tracking of criminal warrant service
• Records associated with persons, vehicle and property
• Electronic Case Reporting to the District Attorney
• Manage Internal Affairs investigations
• Employee records
• Mugshot system

The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office also shares in “real-time,” its criminal justice data with a number of other law enforcement agencies via an Internet-based application. The sharing of such information is critical to effectively execute and unify homeland security efforts.