Deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department were forced to respond to emergency calls the old-fashioned way, by radio, after the agency’s computer dispatch system crashed just hours before midnight, leaving patrol vehicle computers basically useless, authorities confirmed to KTLA.
The incident came amid the chaos of New Year’s Eve celebrations across the region, including illegal firework shows, a wild street takeover and the impending Rose Parade and bowl game.
Sheriff’s officials told KTLA that they began hearing of the issue around 8 p.m. as deputies assigned to several different stations reported problems logging onto the computers in their patrol vehicles.
It’s unclear how long it took to find the reason for the crash, but officials later said the computer-aided dispatch program or CAD was not allowing deputies to log in with new year, rendering the whole system inoperable.
One deputy, who spoke to the Los Angeles Times on condition of anonymity, referred to the system failure as “our own little Y2K.”
Other department systems, like 911 lines, deputies’ body-worn cameras and emails continued working normally.
The CAD’s failure, however, meant phone operators had to write down emergency details by hand, get that information to dispatchers who made the radio calls to deputies who then also had to write down all the information.
One of the deputies who spoke to The Times said that while the system crash made everyone’s job more difficult, they were still able to respond to calls, which were being manually tracked at the station level.
“The Department is collaborating closely with our LA County partners at the Internal Services Department to find both temporary and long-term solutions to resolve this technical issue,” sheriff’s officials told KTLA.
Richard Pippin, President of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, the union representing deputies, criticized the system failure, telling The Times that the department is “under-resourced” when it comes to training, facilities, equipment and technology.
In a statement about the computer breakdown, sheriff’s officials told KTLA a formal request to acquire a new modernized and centralized CAD system was issued in Dec. 2023.
“The Department has long faced significant challenges with outdated technologies, and since taking office, the Sheriff has emphasized the urgent need to improve and upgrade our internal systems,” officials added.
Deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department were forced to respond to emergency calls the old-fashioned way, by radio, after the agency’s computer dispatch system crashed just hours before midnight, leaving patrol vehicle computers basically useless, authorities confirmed to KTLA. The incident came amid the chaos of New Year’s Eve celebrations across the […]