SOUTH OGDEN -- It's definitely an improvement from the old school bus.
South Ogden Police Department received its first fully functioning mobile command center in June. With planning and budgeting, the 36-foot trailer took about six years to obtain and finally arrived just in time for its first run at South Ogden Days.
Before the department received the trailer, officers relied on an old school bus as a makeshift mobile command center.
"It just got to the point where it wouldn't run," said Officer Marci Edwards. "It just got so dilapidated. It was just a place to congregate, just a place to plan. Other than that, it was nothing."
The old bus didn't offer officers anything more than a meeting area. In contrast, the new command center features two satellite phones, two radios with fully functional dispatch capabilities, one ham radio, two cameras, two televisions, and emergency-vehicle lighting.
"This will allow us to function directly and independently out of the trailer," Edwards said.
Having the ability to take the trailer anywhere has advantages for police.
"The advantage of having the unit is that it's mobile," she said.
"We can be right on the scene. It's almost like a mini police station that can go wherever it's needed. It allows for quick deployment."
The trailer cost about $93,000, much of which was paid by federal grants. Edwards said that while the trailer took six years to develop and obtain, once it was ordered it took only about three months to build and be delivered.
Edwards said the department will use the trailer any time the emergency operations center is activated. It's also deployed for major community events, such as South Ogden Days.
This year's South Ogden Days was the first time the center was used. Edwards said the command center was especially useful in helping reunite a lost child and its parents, who saw the flashing lights on the command center -- a feature the old school bus didn't have.
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