Agency dispatching IT systems

The agency responsible for federal workplace security is spending $1.5 million

for new information systems to better track security officers and to enable

them to collaborate on investigations from multiple locations.

The Federal Protective Service, a department within the General Services

Administration, has contracted with Viking Technology Inc. to supply computer-assisted

dispatching software and an enterprise information system.

The automated dispatching software will be installed at FPS regional

call-response centers, enabling staff members to monitor officers sent to

the scene of an investigation. The FPS functions as a liaison between the

federal government and local law-enforcement officials.

The enterprise information system will enable workers to write data

at local field offices and transmit it to a single repository, letting investigators

search, share and compare information from various locations.

According to Martha Hill, vice president of marketing for Viking, the

new IT systems will significantly change the way FPS tracks and manages

data.

"They're not automated to this level right now; their systems are manual

in some places," she said.