Hexagon regional dispatch upgrade delayed; vendor, cities work to finalize integrations
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Summary
Hexagon representatives told the Sparks City Council the regional computer-aided dispatch and records project (contracted 2023) missed earlier go-live targets and is now targeting early fall 2026, with ongoing integration testing, remediation of software issues and discussions about reimbursing unaccounted expenses to participating agencies.
City IT staff and Hexagon officials briefed the council on Feb. 9 about the regional Hexagon unified computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and records management replacement project, acknowledging a series of schedule slips and outlining steps to finish integration and training.
Russ Elder, IT development manager and an agency coordinator for the project, introduced Ben Ernst, Hexagon’s vice president and general manager for North American public safety. Ernst said the contract among participating agencies was signed in 2023 and the team began work in November 2023. Although the original contracted timeline was 27 months with an initial go-live target in 2025, the project missed earlier milestone dates and Hexagon now projects a go-live in the early fall of 2026 after additional interface and integration work.
Ernst described the current phase as final testing with agency coordinators and public-safety partners, followed by an elongated 90-day end-user training window required by the contract. He acknowledged unanticipated costs incurred by jurisdictions during implementation and said Hexagon is working with agency coordinators, CIOs and partners to resolve the concerns "and make sure that everybody's made whole, if you will." When Council Member Bybee pressed whether the new September target was realistic, Ernst said the vendor had increased on-site staff and was working "knee to knee" with jurisdictions to speed issue resolution and increase confidence in the schedule.
Council members asked about the project's role in regionalizing fire/EMS dispatch and whether the system would be the "system of record" for 9-1-1 calls; Hexagon and staff clarified that agencies are not the system of record today and emphasized ongoing integration of third-party interfaces to achieve that capability.
No formal council action followed the presentation; council members expressed concern about past delays and appreciation for the vendor's increased engagement.