Board recommends Central Square contract after ProPhoenix security breach

Director Dr. West Milam told the board that in February 2026 the vendor ProPhoenix committed a security breach that violated the city's agreement and FBI security policy; the city revoked vendor access and in late April declared the vendor in material breach and moved to terminate the contract. "In late April, we notified ProPhoenix that they are a material breach of contract. We are terminating the contract," Milam said.

Milam said the Arkansas Crime Information Center provided guidance in April that allowed ProPhoenix to continue operating under specific conditions but that the trust relationship had been broken. He asked the board to approve a 2026 budget amendment of $379,272.46 from the 911 fund (which he said is sitting at approximately $2,300,000) to begin implementation of a unified CAD, mobile, RMS and jail management system with Central Square. "I'm requesting this allocation... $379,272.46," Milam said.

Board members pressed for details about costs and migration. Milam said Central Square and ProPhoenix scored equally in the vendor evaluation and that Central Square's implementation price covers training, installation and the first three subscription periods; annual service fees quoted were markedly lower than ProPhoenix's prior proposal. Milam said some legacy data (ISIS/PSSI data) cannot be fully converted and that the plan includes freezing legacy servers and building APIs and access to historical records where possible.

The board voted to recommend that the state board of directors approve a contract with Central Square and to augment the 2026 funding as proposed; members present voted in the affirmative and Oaks was noted as not present. Milam said any settlement recovered from ProPhoenix would be returned to the 911 fund and that litigation remained an option if settlements were unsatisfactory.