The Los Angeles Sheriff’s dispatch system crashed after a computer crash on New Year’s Day

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s computer dispatch system remains down after crashing on New Year’s Day. The authorities did not explain the cause of the accident, nor did they say when their systems would be operational again.

“It’s our little Y2K,” the city’s deputy mayor said He told the Los Angeles Times. The incident occurred a few hours before midnight Tuesday, creating problems with the department’s ability to handle calls related to New Year’s celebrations in the county. LASO said the crash appeared to have occurred as a result of “the system not allowing employees to log in with the new year, rendering the CAD inoperable.”

The anonymous representative quoted by The Times also provided more details about the problem the department faced as a result of the incident: “Now, the call takers have to write down all the information for each call, and then the dispatcher has to voice all the information.” They said, “The details and the patrol unit must write down everything.” “They don’t have the ability to run people or panels. They can’t pull up report numbers to give people, so they have to call the dispatch center.”

Computer-aided dispatch (or CAD) systems are the digital communication networks that police use to make 911 calls and respond to emergencies. When these systems go down (sometimes due to a network error and sometimes due to cyberattacks), it forces police to approach policing in the same ways they did in the 1990s. Police reports are filled out with pencil and paper and 911 calls are fielded using radios. Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles have been the target of numerous cyberattacks, including the debilitating one Ransomware attack That hit the county Superior Court last summer.

It is unclear when the system will come back online. “The department is collaborating closely with our partners in the Los Angeles County Department of Interior Services to find temporary and long-term solutions to resolve this technical issue,” an LASD statement said. “Since taking office, Sharif has emphasized the urgent need to improve and modernize our internal systems. In mid-2023, the Ministry issued a formal request for proposals for a new, centralized, modern CAD system that will significantly enhance our capabilities.

Gizmodo has reached out to the LASD for more information and will update this story when we hear back.