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"This agency has spearheaded a lot of things that have taken place across the country."
Karima Holmes, Director - Office of Unified Communications
WASHINGTON D.C. OFFICE OF UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS ANSWERS THE CALL
WASHINGTON D.C. DIRECTOR MANAGES THE COMPLEXITY
Overview
Washington District of Columbus (D.C.) has many of the same challenges as other major cities but it also has the distinction of being the center of the US Federal Government, Capital of the United States, home to some of the largest US tourist attractions and center for major national protests; attracting on average 22 million visitors a year.
Follow along on a typical day in the nation’s capital with technology leader, Karima Holmes, who serves as the Director of Washington, D.C.’s Office of Unified Communications.
Customer Profile
WASHINGTON, D.C.
- 693,000 residents
- 22 million annual visitors
- An average of 1M people are in the district every day
OFFICE OF UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS
- Handles all district-wide 9-1-1 and 3-1-1 calls
- 1.4 million 9-1-1 calls per year
- 200 call center employees
- Responsible for the public safety radio communications systems which serve the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), D.C. Fire, EMS and 27 secondary District agencies
- 8,000 radios on the system
- Leverages the District’s citywide fiber network
- Device level interoperability with surrounding 12 jurisdictions and federal partners
- Manages the National Capital Region Radio Cache
Executive Summary
The Challenge: Keeping Pace with Rapidly Changing Technology
Responsible for communications systems which serve Metro Police Department and 27 other agencies.
The Solution: Ensure Systems Interoperate and Radios are Ready
System and device management from Motorola Solutions helps OUC raise the bar.
The Benefit: Improved System and Device Performance for Increased Citizen Safety
Enhances the close working relationship between the D.C. and federal governments
INTEROPERABILITY - CRUCIAL TO AN EFFECTIVE RESPONSE
“We have to make sure that we share all pertinent information, that everyone is informed and that everyone gets what they need in order to perform their duties.” Bianca Bennett, Police Dispatcher, OUC
DEVICE MANAGEMENT REDUCES COMPLEXITY
“We have a total of 10,080 users on the system. Our role is to make sure the line of communication works because without it communications can’t do their job.” Stephen Matthews, Radio Shop Manager, OUC
IT EFFORTS ADDRESS INCREASING VULNERABILITIES
Cyber security is a big piece of what we’re doing these days. We have to be very efficient with how we provide services to support and as newer technologies are coming up making sure we have the right processes and personnel in place.” Teddy Kavaleri, Chief Information Officer, OUC
COMPLEXITY MANAGED. CALM PREVAILS.
As the OUC looks to the future they know they will need to continually adapt the technology and services to make it easier for the dispatch center personnel as well as first responders to do their jobs. The resounding goal across the organization is “100% customer service. That’s what we were hired to do and that’s what we love to do.”