Thinkstream, Inc. and San Diego Urban Area (SDUA) partner to provide region’s public safety agencies with CAD Interoperability solution

Multi-jurisdictional System will provide rapid and effective emergency response

Baton Rouge, LA, Sept. 16, 2009 – Thinkstream Inc., a leading provider of criminal justice and public safety solutions, announced its partnership with the San Diego Urban Area (SDUA) to implement a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system that will provide the region’s public safety agencies the ability to share and manage data and resources during day-to-day operations, large-scale events and critical incidents.

The new system is a product of the Regional CAD Interoperability Project (RCIP), intended to strengthen interoperable communications capabilities as an Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funded activity for the regional, local and territory interest of the San Diego area.

The RCIP committee worked with emergency response agencies across the San Diego region to research the benefits of sharing information between disparate CAD systems during daily operations, and when responding to critical incidents such as the devastating wildfires that have plagued California.

Dispatchers throughout the region operate with different types of systems which prohibit instant routing and communication in neighboring jurisdictions. Inter- connected CAD systems permits automated emergency response and eliminate the need to make time-consuming phone calls to locate and dispatch the closest resources, reducing response time and potentially saving lives.

"....We have learned over time that a coordinated response and information sharing are the keys to public safety both during times of emergencies, and in every day responses. Unified radio and data systems are already in place. The next logical step is to provide Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) Systems interoperability, in real time. This can save minutes on responses when a rapid response is needed the most...."

Thomas Zoll, Chief of Police, Carlsbad, CA.

Thinkstream was chosen based on its capabilities and excellent track record in CAD Interoperability and statewide Integrated Justice (ICJIS) implementation and because the company provides the flexibility to accommodate the dynamic interoperability requirements and expected growth in the region.

"This is a truly exciting time for San Diego County with the advent of our CAD to CAD connection project. This is the next step in our overall challenge to improve our interoperability in our region. Keeping all the stakeholders informed and creating an effective communication between our contractor and all our communications centers will be key to our success.

One of the many values of this project to the San Diego region will be a near seamless ability to back each other up should any of our dispatch centers go down without interrupting services to our citizens."

August Ghio, Fire Chief of San Miguel Fire Protection District and President of the San Diego Fire Chiefs Association

Thinkstream President and CEO Barry Bellue said the new system will support the seamless exchange of information between multi CAD, Mobile Data Computers (MDC’s), Geographic (GIS), and Records Management (RMS) applications regardless of the manufacturer.

"Information on an incident can be automatically transferred between dispatch centers regardless of the jurisdiction of the originating call or responder. This will dramatically improve coordination among the participating agencies, increase personnel efficiency and enhance response time and mutual aid," Bellue said.

Other key benefits include a customizable CAD system that allows each agency to keep its own response procedures and a GIS-based regional map interface that will help responders visualize and locate the incident scene, he said.

"We’re excited about our partnership with the San Diego Urban Area and look forward to helping its public safety agencies and first responders reach their communications and interoperability goals today and in the future," Bellue said.

About Thinkstream
Thinkstream Inc., a leading software development company based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, specializes in criminal justice applications that tie agencies together securely giving them the ability to rapidly share critical information across organizational, agency and geographic boundaries. The company has linked over 150 agencies in eight regions of the state of Louisiana, making it the largest civil and criminal information network in the nation. The company also operates systems in California, Florida and Texas.

CEO Barry Bellue, who also founded Fifth Generation Systems, a national top 20 software company acquired by Symantec, established Thinkstream over ten years ago. Mr. Bellue heads a team of engineers with over 60 years combined experience in designing Web-based integrated information networks for businesses and criminal justice agencies across the nation.

Thinkstream Inc. is an active member of the Internet Working Group for Justice Integration Committee. Established by the U.S. Department of Justice, committee members contribute their knowledge and experience to promote and implement integrated information systems (IJIS) throughout the country.

For more information contact:

Barry L. Bellue, Sr.
President and CEO
Thinkstream, Inc.
Email: bbellue@thinkstream.com
Phone: (225) 291-5440

Wyman McClendon
Thinkstream, Inc.
Email: wyman@thinkstream.com
Phone: (510) 599-5684

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