For the second time in just over a month, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s computer dispatch system crashed on Wednesday evening, rendering patrol car computers unusable and forcing deputies once again to handle calls by radio.
Previously, the 38-year-old computer-aided dispatch system — known as CAD — went down on New Year’s Eve, when a Y2K-style glitch was “not allowing personnel to log on with the new year,” according to the department.
Three days later, the department said a “temporary fix” got the system back up and running.
This time around, it was not immediately clear what caused the system failure or how long it would take to repair.
As before, other systems — including body cameras, 911 lines and department emails — are still functioning. Deputies are still able to respond to calls, though they can’t run license plates or background checks from their patrol cars.
“Now, the call takers have to write down all the information for each call, and then the dispatch has to voice all the details and the patrol unit has to write it all down,” one deputy explained when the system crashed before. “They don’t have the ability to run people or plates. They can’t pull report numbers to give to people, so they have to call dispatch.”
Early last month, the department said it had been in the process of trying to upgrade the dispatch system for some time, and that it had issued a request for proposals for a new CAD system in mid-2023. The department also said then that it was still evaluating options and that testing of one potential system was slated to begin imminently.
