| In 2003, The Law Enforcement Information Technology Standards Council (LEITSC) identified the need for a national standard for computer aided dispatch (CAD) functional specifications to: provide a starting point for law enforcement agencies to use when developing CAD requests for proposal (RFP); level the playing field when working with industry solution providers; and promote system interoperability. |
| This recognition ultimately led to the creation of the Standard Functional Specifications for Law Enforcement Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) Systems through the cooperation of a number of partner organizations and with funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. |
| In 2009, the IJIS Institute’s Public Safety Data Interoperability Project, with funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, identified the need to expand the original document to include fire service and emergency medical service (EMS) CAD functional specifications. Through a series of meetings and collaborative efforts, a Revision Assessment for the Incorporation of Fire and EMS Functions into the Law Enforcement CAD Functional Specifications was created. This Revision Assessment not only identified functional specifications that should be added to the existing document, but also a number of areas where the existing law enforcement-focused document should be altered to be timely and accurate. Some of these functions stem from recent technologies and initiatives, such as Next Generation 9-1-1 and Suspicious Activity Reporting, which have been developed since the original document was drafted. |
| This Revision Assessment serves two purposes. First, it provides the basis for determining the level of effort required to incorporate fire and EMS functional requirements into the existing Standard Functional Specifications for Law Enforcement Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) Systems document. This document specifically describes fire and EMS CAD functionality that would need to be added, as well as numerous modifications to current language and restructuring suggestions. Understanding the level of effort and need will help create and guide a future effort to achieve the desired goal – a revision of the CAD Functional Specifications. Second, until the next revision is published, this document can serve as a supplement of sorts to the existing Standard Functional Specifications for Law Enforcement Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) Systems to those needing a more complete list of base CAD functionality. It may be of particular use to those drafting Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for CAD systems that need to support dispatching fire or EMS – either alone or in addition to law enforcement. |
| The document is available at http://www.ijis.org/docs/ijis_CADFS_Rev_Assm_20100128.pdf. More information about the PSDI Project can be found at http://www.ijis.org/_programs/public_safety.html. |
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