Baltimore County officials will use a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to upgrade equipment at the 911 Center in Towson, a facility that is set to undergo a $14 million renovation within the next two years. The purchases include a monitoring system that can detect glitches in equipment and alert maintenance staff to address problems before any failure occurs. A radio frequency data alerting system that allows police officers and emergency crews to send text messages to the center dispatchers is also among the planned new equipment. The grant will also fund improvements and an expansion to the center's telephone system and pay for the installation of a fiber-optic link between the center and police headquarters. The County Council expects to approve the grant at its session Monday.

- Mary Gail Hare | The Baltimore Sun