Spidertracks Customer Spotlight: Oregon State Police
Formed in 1931, the Oregon State Police (OSP) today comprises five bureaus: Police Services, Field Operations, Public Safety Services, Gaming and Employee Services, and Administrative Services. They serve the entire state of Oregon, with three region headquarters and a total of 36 area command and work site offices stretching across this swath of the Pacific Northwest.
OSP’s resources include a fleet of aircraft that support the organisation’s mission to protect the state’s people and land — and they use Spidertracks to keep track of that fleet, to ensure the safety of their pilots, and to quickly and easily communicate with them when they’re in the field. We spoke with Cecilia Haess (OSP Hiring and Dispatch Communications Manager) and Carl Wiese (OSP Telecommunications Supervisor) to gain insight into how they make use of our system. Here’s what they said:
What Spidertracks features and functionalities are the most important for your organisation, and why?
Carl: Definitely real-time tracking and telemetry of our aircraft. Because we’re state police, we cover the entirety of Oregon — and just because a pilot is taking off in Salem doesn’t mean they won’t be working hundreds of miles away. Being able to see them working and to view their path in real-time is extremely useful, as our work by nature is dynamic.
Cecilia: Being able to track OSP aircraft in real-time. State police cover the entire state of Oregon and our pilots patrol and cover hundreds of miles in just a few hours, so it’s great to be able to see their flight paths — and if necessary, we can use Spidertracks to communicate with them and ask for assistance with a critical incident if they’re airborne.
What would you say are the biggest strengths of the Spidertracks system?
Carl: Integration with the pilots (i.e. their ability to issue and cancel alerts) and the autonomy of the system on our end. We simply log in, and the information is there and updated. As stated above, we deal with our entire state — so if a pilot has a problem, tracking them down on a radio can be time-consuming. But with Spidertracks, we know where they are at all times, so we can jump on the appropriate radio if we need to contact them or get in touch with ground units who may be working with them to check their status.
Cecilia: It’s simple to use and so very user-friendly!
What key issues for your business has Spidertracks helped with?
Carl: Personally, I’ve worked when we had an SOS signal come through on a plane. I was able to quickly obtain the aircraft’s location information and ask the dispatcher for that area to confirm their status, all the while knowing that if the worst had happened, I had a clear idea of where they were. Fortunately the SOS was cancelled by the pilot, and there was no problem. In our business, response time is everything — and with Spidertracks, I already have the information I need to get help to someone as quickly as possible. No guessing or trying to track them down.
Cecilia: When the pilot issues an SOS, we’re able to immediately see their location. Fortunately the SOSs I’ve received were all accidental.
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