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203 police and fire department vehicles are getting a new gps unit installed.

Albany Fire Chief James Carswell says the technology upgrade will greatly help Albany.  "Each one of the headquarters, the APD headquarters and the AFD headquarters and the 911 will include monitors we can see where all the units are 24-7" says Chief Carswell.

But the system isn’t just so the police know where officers are, Albany Police Chief John Proctor says its so they can dispatch whichever officer is closest to the location of a 911 call.  "It helps us place the units strategically in locations to help us coordinate an area better, and it can help us get to a location a lot sooner" says Chief Proctor.

Officials say the system will make the Albany Police Department and the Albany Fire Department more efficient and its worth the price – $534,000.

The average cost is $1600 per vehicle for the gps, installation, and system.  Since the APD and AFD will own the system, the yearly maintenance fee will remain low at an estimated at $7,000 for the entire system.

In addition to cutting down on emergency wait times, officials say the gps systems will help keep them accountable.  "It helps us collect data so we can assure the community that we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing 24-7" says Chief Carswell.

The gps systems are almost completely installed and will operate through an existing radio system.