EPWORTH, Iowa – Dispatchers in the Dubuque 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center are getting a lot of use out of additional access to traffic cameras in Dubuque.

Emergency Communications Center Manager Mark Murphy updated the Dubuque County Joint E9-1-1 Service Board on Wednesday on dispatch operations, including the increased use of more than 600 city traffic cameras due to summer traffic issues. Murphy said dispatchers have spent more time reviewing camera footage for traffic flow as well as to aid police investigations on crashes and other criminal activity.

“It’s a daily occurrence with the police department (to review the cameras),” Murphy said. “We’re using cameras for traffic accidents, hit-and-runs. If there’s a disturbance, we can put a camera on that area and monitor it.”

Looking ahead, Murphy said the dispatch center has the capabilities to receive texts to 9-1-1, though the state still needs to put the switch into motion for those messages to go through. Murphy added that dispatchers soon will train on standardized questioning and protocols on handling fire and police calls, similar to what is already in place for handling medical calls.

Murphy added that the dispatch computer software upgrade from August provides a better layout for dispatchers to coordinate calls to police and emergency personnel available, as well as having a built-in map to plot calls and track emergency vehicles in real time.

Murphy also provided an annual report of 911 statistics, noting that while the total number of 9-1-1 calls has been consistent, the gap between wireless calls and landline calls has grown. He added that revenue from wireless surcharges has continued to increase, in part because the state increased the wireless surcharge to $1 to compensate for the decline in landline telephone use.

The adopted fiscal year 2016 budget projects revenue at $859,940 in the surcharge fund, to match the expenditures, with the radio fund evening out with $471,205 in projected revenue and expense.

County Auditor Denise Dolan, who serves as the board’s budget director, said the radio fund will have $250,000 set aside to pay for a consultant to study an upgrade in the county’s emergency radio system to fit new federal standards. The current radio system will no longer be supported in 2017.

The Joint E9-1-1 Service Board approved an amendment to the current budget to appropriate $50,000 toward the consultant. Murphy said a request for a proposal to hire a consultant is in the works.