$1.6M tech upgrade approved for Apache Junction police dispatch, records
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This is kind of the brains behind the entire police department that holds all of our records, that helps us send officers to different locations when a call comes in. And it really is our entire system that we base our operations off of.”
A five-year contract costing nearly $1.6 million has been approved for Apache Junction police computer-aided dispatch, records management and mobile field reporting software.
The Apache Junction City Council voted unanimously Nov. 15 to award a contract to Mark43 for the first year costing $490,645.00 with four additional automatic one-year renewals costing $269,062.00 for a total not to exceed $1,566,893. In the vote the council also rejected bids by Tyler Technologies and Capers North America.
Funding given to the city from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 — also known as the COVID-19 stimulus package or American Rescue Plan — will be used to pay for the first year of the contract.
A request for proposals was sent out for the new computer-aided dispatch and records management system, Police Chief Michael Pooley said.
“This is kind of the brains behind the entire police department that holds all of our records, that helps us send officers to different locations when a call comes in. And it really is our entire system that we base our operations off of,” he said at the council meeting.
“There were two other companies that put in for this. One of them was Capers North America; the other was Tyler Technologies. After a very thorough review and selection process we determined that Mark43 was — and it will be — the best CAD/RMS system that will help us to do exactly what we want to do out here in Apache Junction Police Department and the city,” Pooley said. “(T)his is going to be funded the first year through the American Rescue Plan Act — ARPA money — for the $490,645 for this year. It is for a five-year contract with a total of $1,566,893.”
Capers North America’s bid was $377,000 and Tyler Tech’s bid was $1,488,135, Pooley and Purchasing Administrator Kimberly Heldt said in a written memo to the council.
“Staff reviewed the proposals for proven technical ability, qualifications/experience, proposed solution/method of approach and pricing. Mark43 was deemed the most responsive and responsible bidder,” they said in the memo. “The Apache Junction Police Department’s current computer-aided dispatch and records management system needs updating and replacement due to the limited level of functionality offered by the current system and aging hardware and software. AJPD needs a system that allows end users to better analyze public safety trends, link crime and events, identify suspects and improve the quality of field reporting and statistical reporting.”
Mark43 is a cloud-native public safety software company from New York, New York, according to mark43.com.
The implementation of Mark43 CAD will include Mark43 OnScene, a mobile dispatch application; and Mark43 Analytics. The new CAD system operates as a natural extension of the dispatcher, call taker and in-field first responder during an emergency response. Using Mark43 OnScene, officers will be able to receive calls from anywhere on their mobile device. This keeps officers out of their car and in the field where they belong, according to a Mark43 release.
Richard Dyer Managing Editor | East Valley @RHDyer
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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