PDSI (Principal Decision Systems International), the leading provider of automated workforce management solutions for Public Safety through its product TeleStaff, today announces it has been selected by the County of Los Angeles Sheriff's Department on behalf of the LASD,  L.A. County Fire Department, and L.A. County Probation Department for the Automated Employee Scheduling System (AESS) software solution project. PDSI was awarded the contract through a competitive proposal process. 

In an effort to align with the county's goals to improve operational effectiveness and increase scheduling efficiencies, the  public safety departments will utilize TeleStaff to automate their complex scheduling, deployment, and time management requirements while reducing the data entry workload for staff.        

With this award, PDSI and the County of Los Angeles will embark on a Phase I deployment at selected pilot sites scheduled to start January 4, 2010. Phase I will focus on deploying TeleStaff at six locations within the three participating departments, and will be comprised of implementation, configuration, testing, training, and maintenance services. The focus of Phase II will be the widespread deployment of TeleStaff to all three departments at facilities geographically located throughout the county to a user community of nearly 27,000 employees and will include mobilizing an interface between TeleStaff and the county's timekeeping solution. 

PDSI says TeleStaff was selected to substantially improve the county's scheduling processes to help it achieve its strategic goal of "workforce excellence and fiscal responsibility."  End users and schedulers will be provided the features they require to accomplish their scheduling tasks with greater ease.  End users will be able to request time-off, sign-up for work, review pay information, and check their schedules through touch-tone phone, Internet, or standalone PC. Scheduling personnel will take advantage of TeleStaff's decision-making capabilities and inbound and outbound communication features. County management will benefit from TeleStaff's ability to adhere to county scheduling policies and rules when making staffing decisions, resulting in the delivery of real-time reports, allowing managers to make better, more informed decisions at all appropriate levels.  In addition, TeleStaff will help the county manage employee leave, automate supervisory tasks, and offer extensive auditing abilities. The public served by Los Angeles County's public safety departments will also further benefit from the system's emergency recall capabilities and cost-saving features. 

"PDSI is committed to a true partnership with Los Angeles County and its sheriff, fire, and probation Departments. This award made by such a considerable and notable county serves to further validate PDSI's comprehensive expertise in the public safety market. We are eager to begin the AESS project, and are grateful for the opportunity to help the county achieve its goals," says Greg Ekstrom, president of PDSI. 

Glen Dragovich, assistant division director for the LASD and the AESS project executive, is eager to see how TeleStaff will improve operating efficiencies at the selected pilot sites. "The Sheriff's Department is committed to maximizing department efficiencies in every facet of our operation, and the implementation of the AESS Phase I project is a step in the right direction," Dragovich says.