The county earlier this month opened a $13.5 million facility that includes a new e-911 system, 14 dispatch stations, an IT data center and a 20-by-50 foot video wall that contains 54 70-inch monitors. Called the Macomb County Communications and Technology Center (COMTEC), the facility is located nearby the county Department of Roads.
Each of the monitors in COMTEC will be used to display weather conditions, GPS mapping, live traffic video feeds from intersections, video conferencing and other alerts. According to the Macomb Daily, $9 million of the total cost came through federal and state grants. The remaining $4.5 million was taken out of the county budget.
The county currently monitors 38 intersections. Staff can adjust traffic signals based on what they see from the cameras. Robert Hoepfner, director of the Macomb County Department of Roads said he believes that it could increase to about 300 over the next couple of years. In addition, the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office, and the Clinton Township and Sterling Heights police departments, will also use the facility for dispatch operations.
Other features of the center include eight traffic monitoring positions, two emergency generations, a signal lab and traffic monitoring system, and two continuous power supply systems. The Macomb Daily reported that future additions to the center’s technology include incorporating live video feeds from mobile command vehicles, schools and other areas.
