Emergency Management Agency Facilitates Purchase of New Dell Tablets for 30 Patrol Vehicles
Sagadahoc County Deputy Sheriff Mark Anderson demonstrates the functionality of the new Dell tablets.
BATH, Maine, Sept. 16, 2014 – The Sagadahoc County Emergency Management Agency (SCEMA) recently announced that all patrol vehicles in the county have been equipped with new Dell tablets, replacing aging equipment and offering law enforcement the benefits of cutting edge technology.
The tablets, outfitted with durable protective cases and detachable keyboards, were programmed by personnel at the Sagadahoc County Regional Communications Center and purchased through a grant from the Maine Emergency Management Agency through the US Department of Homeland Security. They replace decade-old mobile data terminals that have quickly become outdated. At a base cost of approximately $1,100 per machine and accessories, the new tablets not only offer increased efficiency over other possible replacements but also performance that parallels units costing nearly four times that amount.
“The men and women of law enforcement deserve the best tools available to protect and serve our residents,” said Max Dawson, Chair of the Sagadahoc County Board of Commissioners. “We take pride in the fact that our law enforcement personnel are known as some of the best-equipped in the state, and this significant upgrade in equipment further cements that reputation.”
Sagadahoc County has four full-time municipal law enforcement agencies and a Sheriff’s Office that provides law enforcement services to the six municipalities that do not have police departments. They all use the same computer-aided dispatch and law enforcement database management system – a system that without an update in equipment would suffer diminished performance.
“Equipment failure out in the field is not an option,” said Chief John Skroski of the Phippsburg Police Department. “As a group across the county, we identified an urgent need and collaborated on a solution. Our thanks to the commissioners, the SCEMA, the team at the Regional Communications Center and all others involved for listening and investing the necessary resources so we can continue to do our job. The new tablets are a tremendous asset.”