Issue link: http://lawandordermag.epubxp.com/i/109778
FOCUS State of the Art: Department Furnishings tured those as well, cosmetically matching the consoles in the Center. Dispatch Products proved they could think outside the box and apply that thought process to their product. Russ Bassett: On Time and on the Mark The new Williamson County (Ill.) Sheriff���s Department features functional and attractive furniture, providing professional atmosphere in the lead investigator���s office, Capt. Brian Thomas. He suggested having a team ready to meet with the vendors to express ideas and thoughts. He said it is important to make sure your own people are on the same page before that meeting to make the overall process move faster. Mangas believes in opening up all possible ideas for the communications center with the vendors ���because if you know what you need and share it with the vendors, the industry is so driven by technology that many things are possible, and some can be inexpensive.��� Because innovations the vendor makes for one department might be useful for other centers, they are often willing to get creative and come up with ways to accomplish what is requested. Hamilton County also had some additional cabinetry built at their communications center, and Dispatch Products manufac- The Williamson County (Ill.) Sheriff���s Department training center with its state-of-the-art training potential equipment and chairs and tables from CDS. 42 LAW and ORDER I February 2013 Russ Bassett also provides consoles for law enforcement. From a single position confguration to the most advanced dispatch center, they can confgure and design console furniture for any communications center that best suits their unique operational requirements. Their desienceConsoles use a versatile design, allowing for custom confgurations to meet the varied needs of both personnel and technology and the room design layouts based on their expertise. In addition, the customer���s input allows for complete visualization, understanding and approval of the proposed system before it is installed. Russ Bassett���s desienceConsoles sit-stand consoles deliver durability, ergonomics and technology integration. The desienceConsoles single-work surface sit-stand consoles have integrated CPU boxes and fling pedestal and offer the industry���s only slat-wall mounting area for monitors and accessories, maximizing usable workspace. Their desienceConsoles are equipped with Anti-Collision Technology at all pinch points on the console to protect equipment, users, and furniture, thus reducing work place injuries. John Stuermer, Executive Director of the Hamilton County (Chattanooga, Tenn.) Communication Center was very pleased with Russ Bassett���s work in helping them transition from their old system to the new multi-agency center. They had been planning for several years to have several agencies unifed in a single system. They knew they would have to completely redo their center and frst met a Russ Bassett representative at a conference and were impressed by the quality of their work. One vital consideration for renovating the communications center was the timeline because their communications center could not operate solely on a backup system for any length of time and the move had to be done quickly. Stuermer���s department met with a large airline for which Russ Bassett had renovated a much larger system and kept with a strict timeline for those renovations. ���Russ Bassett stood above other vendors for their willingness to work with us and work with what we told them we needed, rather than them telling us what we needed,��� Stuermer reported. Stuermer stated Russ Bassett was very professional and great about customizing the consoles, making it more cost effective for Hamilton County because they were offering the center what they needed, rather than a cookie cutter approach. Hamilton County utilizes the Sit-Stand consoles and the whole deck goes up to whatever position the employee wants to use. Russ Bassett also installed an ADA-compliant handicapped accessible console, paying attention to having the buttons in positions comfortable and user friendly for employees in wheelchairs. Russ Bassett���s equipment has worked well for the center, the support department is very responsive, and Stuermer said he wishes other vendors could provide such a positive experience. Watson Communications Angie Conley, Communications Manager for the Gwinnett