City and County of Denver

Jacob Woodard

Jacob Woodard served as an IT Manager with the City and County of Denver, leading technology work for Denver911. His career in public safety technology spans roles in systems administration and technical consulting, giving him experience close to the systems that emergency personnel depend on when response time matters.

Keeping 911 Technology Dependable

Public safety IT leaves little room for technology decisions to be separated from service requirements. A disruption in a 911 system can affect the flow of information during an emergency, making reliability a consideration alongside modernization.

Woodard’s work revolved around that intersection. The technological documentation at Denver shows that Woodard was the 911 technical lead for the deployment of Carbyne Apex; this placed him in a project that involved the emergency communication technology of Denver and its wider technological setting. The technical delivery needs of Denver911 and other agencies utilizing it were the focus of Woodard’s work.

This approach guided his work with the computer-aided dispatch environment in Denver. A resolution passed in 2023 at the city showed that Woodard was the point person for a long-term contract with CentralSquare for the use of the CAD application of Denver911 and other agencies responsible for safety. The software had more than 1,000 users in participating agencies and also supplied information via mobile data systems.

Modernizing without Disrupting Service

For a public safety IT manager, replacing or expanding technology cannot be treated as an isolated upgrade. The systems already in use support established workflows, so changes have to preserve continuity while creating room for new capabilities.

Woodard’s involvement in the Carbyne Apex deployment demonstrates this well. The initiative saw collaboration between city technology teams and outside technical and project team members, whereas Woodard himself had been appointed the 911 technical lead. In this capacity, he was well-positioned for decision-making on technical issues without forgetting the context in which the public safety system would be implemented.

The CAD agreement also posed the same type of managerial challenge. One of Denver’s reasons for entering into such an agreement had been to maintain business continuity by allowing the city to plan its technology expenditures for multiple years. For Woodard, technology management had thus meant issues of continuity and planning rather than mere system selection.

Keeping People Close to the Technology

Woodard’s public professional record also points to a people-centered view of public safety IT. In a farewell message after leaving Denver, he referred to the people with whom he was working and the community that was being served as those who gave meaning to his job. He also set himself the task of preserving the technology that would help the first responders to perform their tasks efficiently and safely.

This approach is relevant to the work done by Woodard in Denver because emergency response technology should always be designed keeping in mind people who will use it under stress.

In moving from a PSAP technician to a 911 system administrator and later becoming an IT Manager, he was closer to the task.

With his experience, Woodard provides an important lesson for government IT managers in charge of public safety systems. In managing technology in such systems, one cannot separate the process from the dependability of the service. Hence, the best decision is the one that takes into consideration both the technological setup and the people behind it.