Sheriff's Office seeks $1.4M for dispatch and records system, plus security upgrades

Sheriff's Office staff presented computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and records management (RMS) replacement as their top capital priority, telling the Strafford County delegation that the current system is roughly 15 years old and the vendor has stopped upgrades. A presenter said the replacement package — including initial implementation and support through year five — is quoted at approximately $1,388,168 (rounded in discussion to $1.4 million) and would take about 18 months from contract to go‑live for an agency of Strafford County's size.

The presenters said the quoted cost covers training for all users (dispatchers, patrol officers, detectives and evidence technicians) and that the county would operate both systems in parallel during implementation to avoid service disruption. The committee asked about bidding and possible lower costs; staff said similar vendors exist and competitive bidding would be used.

Sheriff's staff also requested related security and operations items: replacement of inoperable gate openers at the secure parking area (budgetary ballpark $40,000), a full video security and door control system replacement (estimated ~$94,500 to do the courthouse building cameras and door controllers in a single architecture), dispatch console/furniture replacement (five positions, estimated $180,000), drone replacement (vendor quotes varied), and fireproof storage for critical files (about $37,000).

Justin, the named presenter for the Sheriff’s Office, told the committee: "It's our highest priority project for the sheriff's office in this next round of capital is replacement of our CAD and RMS systems." Committee members emphasized using bids to confirm prices and asked whether costs should be funded by bond or another mechanism; no final funding decision was made by the executive committee — the recommendation advanced to the full delegation.