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County flags dispatch data errors, DES coordinator outlines 9‑1‑1 improvements
Summary
Commissioners pressed dispatch leadership to correct persistent RIMS/CJ data errors and set expectations for emergency call handling; newly sworn DES/9‑1‑1 coordinator Desiree Thielen reported on IamResponding usage, tower/generator work requests and address‑mapping updates.
Commissioners and dispatch supervisors spent a lengthy session reviewing recurring data quality issues in the county’s dispatch system (RIMS/CJ), and set concrete steps to correct reporting and operational practice.
Dispatch supervisors described multiple errors — incorrect vehicle model years, missing or malformed data (dashes and address formats), and incident time stamps that did not match call activity. Commissioners said inaccurate timestamps and missing information create prosecution and liability risks and asked dispatch leadership to institute mandatory practices for emergency calls: stay on the line in active emergencies until dispatch releases the call, ensure time entries are entered contemporaneously and call back callers who hang up during emergencies where appropriate. The commission scheduled a focused dispatch meeting for the coming Wednesday and asked staff to invite a commissioner to observe and follow up until error rates decrease.
Separately, the county’s DES/9‑1‑1 coordinator, Desiree Thielen, presented a multi‑agency update: she reviewed IamResponding contract usage (audio vs text usage varies by agency), inventory and maintenance requests for tower generators, outreach to pipeline operators (ExxonMobil, Kinder Morgan) about safety and good‑neighbor grants, and mapping/address updates to synchronize Insight mapping and RIMS. Thielen said only the sheriff’s office was using the IamResponding audio app fully; others were relying on text notifications. She also requested a process to ensure address updates entered in mapping are propagated to RIMS to avoid manual re‑entry and the attendant errors.
Following her presentation, Desiree was administered the local DES oath of office in a short public ceremony.
Next steps: dispatch will hold a remediation meeting with supervisors and staff, commissioners asked for periodic error‑rate reports, DES will continue tower/generator planning and coordinate with vendors for maintenance, and staff will pursue ways to automate address updates between mapping and RIMS.
