Accomplishments

Board Members: The beginning of Fiscal Year 2021 marked the retirement of Denco Board Chairman Jack Miller after twenty years of service. Long-time board member Bill Lawrence was unanimously elected to serve as the new Chair. The board also welcomed Jason Cole, representing Denton County Commissioners Court to fill the position vacated by Mr. Miller. During the January meeting of the Denco Board of Managers, Rob McGee announced his intention to resign from the board due to a change in employment which affected his eligibility. George A. Karatzis was appointed by the board to fill the non-voting board position representing 9-1-1 service providers.

Cybersecurity Assessment: Denco completed a comprehensive assessment to analyze the agency’s risk of cyber breach and disruption. The assessment was designed to determine if vulnerabilities exist that could be exploited to gain access to Denco Area 9-1-1 District’s information systems, evaluate mitigation controls in place, and recommend areas of improvement to reduce risk. The project provided Denco with information and guidance to efficiently and effectively make improvements to our current cyber-defense strategy and policies. 

Federal NG9-1-1 Equipment Grant: Denco received approval for additional grant funding from the Next Generation 9-1-1 Advancement Act in the amount of $247,000 to support planned projects of implementing a more robust network failover to the microwave system, upgrade of routing services with Intrado, and a comprehensive cybersecurity assessment. Additionally, as discovered during the winter storm in February, our 25-year old emergency generator serving the administrative facility needs to be replaced and upgraded. Denco received authorization for up to 60% replacement cost in grant fund reimbursement for the project.

Financial Sustainability: The district supported draft legislation during the 87th Texas Legislative Session to ensure long-term sustainability of the emergency number systems in Texas through a slight increase in the wireless 9-1-1 fee. H.B. 2911 was approved in the House but as modified in the Senate, did not provide the needed fee increase. SB 8 by Sen. Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound)/Rep. Greg Bonnen (R-Friendswood) during the Legislature’s Third Called Special Session appropriated $13.3 billion in federal coronavirus relief money including $150 million for deployment and operational support for next generation 9-1-1 service until the next legislative session. 

 

Location Based Routing: In 2021, Denco and T-Mobile completed cutover to the enhanced Location Based Routing (LBR). The routing enhancements use the wireless callers precise location for routing determination rather than the older Phase I technology previously used. Routing 9-1-1 calls with this system improves overall response times by reducing the number of transfers required between emergency communications centers. The enhanced routing is currently only available for T-Mobile subscribers in the district.

Winter Storm: During the Winter Storm of 2021, total 9-1-1 call volume at the emergency communications centers was up almost 104% from the same week the previous year and more than 135% from the previous week. During the event, although Denco facilities lost power for more than three days, all calls presented to the 9-1-1 system were successfully processed to the appropriate emergency communications center. During the power outage, the Denco administrative facility suffered three separate water pipes bursting above the ceiling, resulting in ceiling collapse and extensive water damage through the facility. 

CALEA Accreditation: After extensive review of Denco practices and operational procedures, the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies voted unanimously to approve Denco’s reaccreditation for the next four years, with annual remote assessments. As described by CALEA, “CALEA standards require a proven management system of written directives, sound training, clearly defined lines of authority and ongoing operational assessments that support decision making and resource allocation. Accreditation provides objective evidence of an agency’s commitment to excellence in leadership, resource management, and service delivery.”

Training and Public Education: Denco’s training, recruiting and public education programs continued to be significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Several courses were canceled throughout the year but due to improving infection numbers, the agency was able to return to a full training schedule in mid-summer. During 2021, Denco continued to focus public education toward social and traditional media outlets. Campaigns were developed to create a consistent presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and local publications with important public safety messages.