It’s a matter of safety and of liability, Barton County Communications Director Dena Popp said Monday morning when she asked the County Commission to approve the purchase of a new Net Clock for the department.

“This is a mission-critical piece of equipment for all 911 offices,” she said. 

However, “the Net Clock will be at the end of its shelf life and will cease to operate on April 19, 2020,” she said. The current clock has been in service for about 10 years.

As it interfaces with the radios, Mobile Radio Service of Great Bend (which provides the county’s radios) was asked to provide a quote for the purchase and installation of an updated clock. The company quoted a price of $7,665, including installation. 

Popp said it was an anticipated expense and 911 Funds can be used for this purchase.  

The 911 Center utilizes a Net Clock to synchronize what time is recorded on the computer-aided dispatch servers, radios and recording devices, Popp said. 

CAD is a highly specialized application that allows for the coordinated communication, assignment and tracking of department resources in response to calls-for-service. It covers CAD systems, software and layered digital geographic information system (GIS) mapping solutions for dispatch and emergency response. 

“This is a liability issue in court if times don’t match,” Popp said. Should the time an officer makes an arrest not match exactly on all logs and recordings, it can become problematic in a trial.