PEORIA, Ill. – Congressman Darin LaHood says he’s trying to help Peoria’s 911 emergency communications center get funding to upgrade their equipment.
LaHood wants $2 million in funding to improve the dispatch center and its record-keeping.
“When I talk to law enforcement and I talk to the chief here on what they need here in the city to help make their jobs easier, we heard consistently that their communications system needs to be upgraded,” said LaHood (R-Dunlap).
LaHood says the money has yet to be approved by the full House, but he’s optimistic.
An upgraded Computer-Aided Dispatch system would help officers respond to calls quicker and improve communication.
“We can go ahead and get them the closest officer — which may not necessarily have been who we would normally send,” said Brandon Blayney, Emergency Communication Center Director. “We’ll be able to see, this is where this call is, I have an officer a block and a half away, so I can get him there quicker than the officer we would normally send.”
Blayney says it will also help officers be able to respond to situations appropriately.
