Butler County Sheriff's Office investigating after communications system hacked
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Updated: 6:36 PM EST Dec 30, 2020
WLWT Digital Staff
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Updated: 6:36 PM EST Dec 30, 2020
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THEY HAD TO OPERATE OLD SCHOOL STYLE. 911 DISPATCHERS THEY PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN GETTING POLICE AND FIREFIGHTERS TO SCENES OF EMERGENCIES. THEY RELY ON TECHNOLOGY TO COMMUNICATE CRITICAL INFORMATION FROM 911 CALLS, SUCH AS ADDRESSES AND NATURE OF THE CALL IN BUTLER COUNTY, COMMUNICATION WAS DISRUPTED WHEN MALWARE GOT INTO THE COMPUTER AIDED DISPATCH, OR CAD, SYSTEM. THE CAD SYSTEM IS WHAT AUTOMATICALLY DOES THE MAPPI AND SHOWS WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE BY COMPUTE SO WE JUST HAD TO DO IT ALL BY HAND. KARIN: SPEAKING TO US BY PHONE, SHERIFF RICHARD JONES SAYS THE 911 PHONE SERVICE SYSTEM NEVER WENT DOW WAS THE SAFETY OF THE PUBLIC EVER COMPROMISED? >> NO. THE PUBLIC WAS NEVER COMPROMISED. NEVER SLOWED DOWN ONE BIT. KARIN: TONY HARRIS IS THE PRESIDENT OF HAMILTON FIREFIGHTERS UNION, LOCAL 20. THE COUNTY DISPATCHES FOR THEM. >> WHEN THAT STUFF GOES DOWN, IT KIND OF TAKES YOU BACK A STEP. WE HAVEN’T SEEN HUGE DELAYS BUT I KNOW IT’S CREATED CHALLENGES FOR 9COM. I KNOW IT CREATED CHALLENGES FOR US. KARIN: IN EFFORTS TO OVERCOME THOSE CHALLENGES, HARRIS SAYS HE WHEN COMPUTERS WENT DOWN HAMILTON FIREFIGHTERS, WHO ARE EXTREMELY FAMILIAR WITH THEIR TERRITORY, JUMPED IN TO HELP DISPATCH CALLS WITHIN THE CITY. >> I SAT THERE THE FIRST NIGHT AND AS AN ADDRESS WOULD COME IN, THEY’D THROW THE ADDRESS AT ME AND I’D TELL THEM THESE ARE THE UNITS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO GO AND THEY’RE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO BRIDGE THIS GAP BC -- BECAUSE THEY DISPATCH FOR A LOT OF DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES IN THE COUNTY. >> IT WAS A TEAM EFFORT LIKE I HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE IN MY LIFE. KARIN: THE SYSTEM WAS HACKED ABOUT A WEEK AGO AND THE SHERIFF SAYS THEY’VE RESTORED MOST OF THE OPERATIONS, INCLUDING THE CAD SYSTEM THE SHERIFF SAYS THEY’RE STILL LOOKING INTO WHO WAS BEHIND THE CYBER ATTACK. HE SAYS THEY HAVE BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE FBI AND OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES AND A THIS POINT THEY DON’T BELIEVE ANY INFORMATION WAS COMPROMISED. LIVE IN BUTLER COUNTY, KARIN JOHNSON, WLWT NEWS 5 MIKE: WHAT ABOUT OTHER DISPAT CENTERS WITHIN BUTLER COUNTY, LIKE WESTCHESTER AND MIDDLETOWN? WERE THEY IMPACTED KARIN: IT WAS JUST THE COUNTY DISPATCH SYSTEM THAT WAS IMPACTED. THE OTHER DISPATCH CENTERS WERE NOT AFFECTED.