Erie County Legislature: Hardwick announces system upgrade for GI 911 dispatch center

Erie County Legislator Kevin Hardwick has announced the Erie County Legislature approved a resolution to accept a New York state grant to complete upgrades to the county's 911 system, including Grand Island's dispatch center.

The Public Safety Answering Point Consolidation, Improvement and Enhancement Grant totals $967,981 and will pay for the third and final phase to enhance dispatch centers to the Next Gen 911 system.

"Utilizing grant funds, Erie County has upgraded the majority of the local dispatch centers' systems, equipping them with improved capabilities. With the acceptance of this grant, the remaining nine dispatch centers will be upgraded and the entire county will finally be operating on the Next Gen 911 system, providing callers with the best service possible," said Hardwick, who represents Grand Island n the legislature. "These funds allow Erie County to implement a technologically advanced system that provides an improved mapping component, in addition to other features to best serve 911 callers."

The funding is paid fully by the NYS Department of Homeland Security. The first two phases were completed in recent years, upgrading the high volume dispatch centers to the Next Gen 911 system first. The third phase will upgrade the remaining nine centers and complete the project.