The International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) has just released an updated version of its Police Priority Dispatch System (PPDS).
Version 4.2 includes several protocol changes that will generally make interrogations for dispatchers processing several types of emergencies, including minor traffic accidents to descriptions of suspects at a crime scene, more succinct.
The changes were two years in the making and based on Proposals for Change (PFC) submitted by current users of the PPDS and reviewed by the law enforcement experts on the IAED’s Police Council of Standards. Combining the PFCs with current research and field expertise, the Council of Standards, on behalf of the College of Fellows, determined the proposals accepted, and how they should be implemented.
Version 4.2 highlights include:
•Collecting descriptions of the demeanor of suspects at the scene as well as possible vehicles involved as part of a new Key Question sequence in Protocol 105: Animal.
•Several changes to definitions and Determinant Codes have been made to emergency calls involving animals, public disturbances, vehicular crashes, and weapons-involved incidents.
“Several elements have been refined and more terms defined, all in an effort to get to the relevant details with far fewer questions,” said Dave Warner, police consultant with Priority Dispatch Corp. who helped draft the changes and organize beta testing of the changes.
ProQA Paramount software is the exclusive operational system for PPDS v4.2. These changes help decrease calltaking times, increase accuracy and efficiency, and enhance the user experience. For more information about ProQA Paramount or PPDS v4.2, go to www.prioritydispatch.net or email epd.standards@emergencydispatch.org.
