Seward County is hoping to partner with agencies in York, Butler and Saline counties to share a public safety software system.
Detention Center Director Maria Hatfield said at the Seward County Commissioners meeting Jan. 15 that this software is used for several different reasons.
In an email, she specified that this system is for computer-aided dispatch, or CAD, records management and jail management. CAD is also installed in law enforcement cruisers.
The county’s current system was bought out, Hatfield told the board, meaning updates are no longer available.
She has been in contact with Butler County’s sheriff and dispatch offices, Saline County’s sheriff and dispatch offices, York County’s sheriff office, York County Communications Center, the York Police Department and the Seward Police Department on sharing costs for this system.
“Software’s not cheap,” Hatfield said.
The county opened bids for this system on Jan. 15. It received two bids.
One was from Zuercher Technologies for $798,871, with an additional $389,852 for five years of maintenance.
The other bid was from Global Public Safety for $784,012, with an additional $537,346 for a five-year maintenance agreement.
Interlocal agreements are not in place with the other agencies, Hatfield said, because they were waiting for the bids.
Now, Hatfield said she would obtain letters of intent from each agency. Then they can work to develop an interlocal agreement that outlines how costs could be split, because some counties have larger populations than others.
Chelsea Smith, administrative assistant in the Seward County sheriff’s department, said if the counties share this software, it would mean arrest records and other records would be available to law enforcement, dispatch and jail staff across the four counties.
She said if a natural disaster were to happen in one area, then the information is backed up because the other counties have it.
No date was specified for when bids will be awarded nor when the interlocal agreements will be completed.
amanda@sewardindependent.com
