Enhanced Efficiency & Working Conditions: Communications Center Co-location

About the Program

Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

The Adult Probation Department (MCAPD) serves all of Maricopa County, which has a population of 4.2 million and spans 9,200 square miles with 27 cities and towns. MCAPD’s 24/7/365 Communications Center provides officer safety monitoring to the MCAPD, Juvenile Probation Department, and Court Security staff that work at probation buildings. The Communications Center also serves as a resource to probation officers in the field and law enforcement by responding to phone calls and collecting and sharing pertinent information. These services require state-of-the-art equipment and technology to meet the needs of officers in the community and operators who work at the Center. The Communications Center had aging equipment, some of which was unsupported, and lacked sufficient space and design to meet the demands of a 24/7/365 operation. When the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) built a new headquarters with a state-of-the-art 911 Center, both agencies recognized an opportunity to share this state-of-the-art space designed to enhance public and officer safety. After careful planning, the MCAPD Communications Center was relocated to a shared space within the MCSO 911 Center. This collaboration resulted in an efficient use of resources, generated costs savings, upgraded working conditions for employees, and enhances intergovernmental coordination.