Henry Bailey Jr., The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

DeSoto’s 911 Emergency Communications District commission approved larger-than-usual monthly expenses — some $304,893 — but it was welcome, with the bulk signaling final payment for a long-desired new recorder system for dispatchers.

James Powell, 911 deputy director, said about $255,000 of the expenses reflected payment to AT&T of the recorders’ total price, plus installation and training costs. The rest, about $50,000, went for usual operations, including maintenance and upkeep costs tied to the system’s four cell towers.

The new recorders have been placed at six dispatch locations — each of the county’s five cities and the Sheriff’s Department — and a related PSAP (public safety answering point) phone system has arrived and is ready for installation in coming weeks, said Commissioner Chris Shelton, information technology chief for Southaven. Both systems represent a total $1.2 million investment for improved technology by the county.

“We deem the recorder phase of the project as closed,” said Shelton.

Meanwhile, UPS, or uninterruptible power support units, “have been installed and are running” at three of the towers, said Shelton. Components in the $66,297 battery-backup system package from Tupelo-based 3-Point Technologies are in place at Southaven, Olive Branch and Hernando, replacing worn-out UPS units. The tower on Starlanding Road near Nesbit already has an updated UPS system.

Powell also reported that the 911 district is due a refund from the state Department of Information Technology Services, which has been billing the county in error for a service it discontinued some time ago. “We’ll either get a check or a credit toward the services we do have with the department,” he said. “Debby caught the mistake,” Powell added Wednesday in reference to 911 district director Debby Dunnaway.

The motion “to pay the bills” for the month was made by the commission’s newest member, Horn Lake Police Lt. Michael Guice, the operations division commander who oversees dispatch. The Clarksdale native has been with the Horn Lake force since 1992.

Guice replaces Michael Norris, former network administrator for the police department’s information technology unit, who served on the 911 commission barely two months before taking a post in Southaven’s IT department, working with Shelton. Norris was Horn Lake’s pick in February as successor to Police Chief Darryl Whaley, who served nearly two decades on the emergency panel.

Guice slid into 911 business with ease. “I’ve worked with most of the commissioners on other projects over the years,” he said. “I’m glad to be called to help out. One of my concerns is that our dispatchers have the equipment and backup they need to do the best job possible.”   

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