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2013-04-13 Crime Rates Drop in Last Decade

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http://www.leaderandtimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11490:crime-rates-drop-in-last-decade&catid=12:local-news&Itemid=40

By ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
In the middle part of the last decade, Liberal’s crime rate was high, so much so the city held the distinction of having the second highest level of  per capita crime in the state per capita.
Though he was not sure what Liberal’s current standing was, police chief Al Sill did say crimes have dropped over the course of time.
The Liberal Police Department recently released its annual report, and while the report contains much information, one thing it does not contain is one of the factors for the drop in the community’s crime statistics – the number of traffic violations local police issued in 2012.
“We have, over the course of years, taken a very progressive stance towards traffic violations,” Sill said. “We have written a lot. We generally give quite a number of traffic violations.”
Another factor the police chief pointed to is City of Liberal officials keeping equipment such as traffic signals and signs up to date and operational.

SILL

A total of 255 non-injury accidents were reported in Liberal in 2012, with 38 injury accidents. Compared to 2011, non-injury accidents were down nearly 12 percent, and since 2006, that number has been nearly sliced in half.
Injury accidents did rise a little, with a 3 percent increase from 2011, but overall, those numbers have decreased almost 12 percent. Sill said this is part of LPD’s goal to try to eliminate as many accidents as possible.
“Whether we’ll actually achieve that goal or not, as long as you’ve got a lot of motorists on the road, you run the risk of having a lot of accidents,” he said. “Our objective is to keep all those motorists operating in a safe fashion.”
Sill then focused on the other crime statistics, detailing the difference between Part 1 and Part 2 crimes.
“The Part 1 and Part 2 crimes are derived from national statistics throughout the country,” he said. “That is done so cities across the country can keep somewhat of an accurate record of their crime fluctuation.”
Sill said Part 1 crimes are also called index crimes, as these are the ones most generally accurately reported to police. The reason for that is due to the severity of the crimes, making them things people will most readily report.
There are two types of Part 1 crimes, personal and property. Sill said personal crimes include areas such as homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault and aggravated battery.
Part 1 property crimes consists of burglaries to dwellings, auto and commercial theft, theft of motor fuel and arson. 
In 2012, 51 personal crimes were reported in Liberal, down nearly 4 percent from 2011 and more than half from 2006. 
In 2006, more than 1,200 property crimes were reported to the LPD, and despite a slight rise in 2012 with 637 last year, that number has also been reduced by half in the last six years.
Sill then explained Part 2 crimes, which can include forgeries, batteries, identity thefts, criminal use of financial cards, criminal damage to property, graffiti, weapons, sex, narcotics, liquor and curfew violations, DUIs, disorderly conduct, flee and elude, criminal trespass and reckless driving.
Sill said Part 2 crimes are separated from Part 1 crimes because they are not as readily reported.
“People don’t generally go out and report a drunk driver or a weapons violation or a liquor violation or a narcotics violation,” he said. “Those are the type of crimes that aren’t always easily discoverable either unless there’s a proactive police approach to that or if somebody happens to report that violation and it’s investigated later on. You still have crime even though it doesn’t fall into those Part 1 categories.”
Nearly 1,200 Part 2 crimes were reported in 2012, a number which rose slightly from 2011. This was the second consecutive year those figures increased, but compared to 2006, Part 2 crimes are down about 25 percent.
Sill said, however, those numbers fluctuate greatly and are a bit misleading.
“The increase of those crimes is not a true indicator as to whether your crime rate has gone up or down,” he said.
One of the main issues of the recent city commission race was the number of officers employed by the LPD. Sill said those numbers have always been down from where they should be. He said Liberal currently has 30 officers and is authorized for 40.
“The goal is to increase our strength in numbers to get that back up to our authorized strength,” he said.
The police department also recently implemented new software to track crime stats.
“It’s called Spillman, which is our software that we purchased a couple years ago,” Sill said.
That technology was purchased through grant funds, according to Sill.
“Along with the sheriff’s department, the police department and our communications center, we went in and purchased this shared software system called Spillman Technologies,” he said.
Sill said the software is utilized to allow departments to share data with one another.
“It’s centered around a Computer Aided Dispatch system,” he said. “From that, we’re able to collect this data and use it to our benefit. Our municipal court recently has implemented a new software system that is integrated into our Spillman software. Any data we generate through the police department side is being made accessible to our municipal court in their new software.”
Sill said LPD is now in the process of joining the Seward County Attorney’s office with its software so the data can be utilized there.
“It’s actually very sophisticated,” he said. “It’s extremely beneficial to us, a lot more so than what our old system used to do. In doing that, we’ve also implemented computers in the car. The officers out in the field can access data through the software system via these computers.”
As for whether the new software played a role in the lower crime statistics, Sill said it is difficult to pinpoint any proven data to that effect.
“What that is providing the officers out in the field is valuable information they didn’t once have available to them without that,” he said.
Through the new software, Sill said field officers can learn of active warrants on potential suspects.
“They are able to readily see what in house information we have available on that particular person,” he said.

2013-06-18 Seven agencies purchase Spillman, 40 expand systems

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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – June 10, 2013 – Seven public safety agencies purchased software from Spillman Technologies for the first time during the opening quarter of 2013, joining the more than 1,000 public safety agencies in 37 states nationwide already using Spillman software. In addition to the new agencies, 40 agencies expanded their existing Spillman systems.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office in Indiana is equipping its field personnel with Spillman’s mobile software, giving deputies access to agency records on the road. Field personnel will have the ability to search name, vehicle, and incident records from patrol-mounted laptops. While on the road, warnings connected to name records will keep deputies safe by alerting them to potentially dangerous situations, while fast access to record images will help improve efficiency by allowing deputies to verify identities in the field without returning to the office for follow-up.

The Cedar City Police Department in Utah will be using Spillman’s Driver License Scanning module to quickly populate mobile search screen and field reports with driver license data. Data from driver license scans can be used in quick searches from their local databases as well as statewide and national databases.

In Pennsylvania, the Williamsport Bureau of Police will be using Spillman’s CompStat and Community Dashboard modules with data pulled directly from their Spillman system to stay informed of crime trends in their jurisdiction. These modules employ the principles of intelligence-led policing to help command staff address crime trends in the community and determine where resources are best utilized. With CompStat, agency personnel will be able to quickly see at what rate crimes are increasing or decreasing and pinpoint hotspots of activity and vulnerable areas. The Community Dashboard will then enable the agency to share this information with the community.

Spillman Technologies is a public safety software provider headquartered in Salt Lake City, serving more than 1,000 police departments, sheriff’s offices, communication centers, fire departments, and correctional facilities nationwide. Spillman specializes in integrated software solutions, including Computer Aided Dispatch, Records Management Systems, Mobile Data & Field Reporting, Mapping & GIS, CompStat& Intelligence-Led Policing, Jail Management Systems, Fire, Data Sharing, and Personnel & Resources. For more information about Spillman, visit www.spillman.com

New sales:

  • Big Stone Gap Police Department, Va.
  • Essex County Sheriff’s Department, Maine
  • Hudson Volunteer Fire Department, Colo.
  • Sanibel Police Department, Fla.
  • Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, Wash.
  • Williamsport Bureau of Police, Pa.
  • Wise Police Department, Va.

Add-on sales highlights:

  • Avondale Police Department, Ariz.
  • Cedar City Police Department, Utah
  • Douglas County Emergency Management, Wis.
  • East Chicago Police Department, Ind.
  • Jackson County Sheriff, Ind.
  • Moscow Police Department, Idaho
  • Oconto County Sheriff, Wis.
  • Port of Houston Authority, Texas
  • West Valley City Police Department, Utah
  • Wise County Sheriff’s Office, Va.

2013-07-09 Three Texas agencies adopt new CAD, RMS, and mobile software from Spillman

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Three agencies in Texas have purchased Spillman for its tight integration and searching capabilities. The Lampasas Sheriff’s Office, the New Braunfels Police Department, and the Greenville Police Department have each purchased Spillman systems for their Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD), Records Management (RMS), and mobile public safety software systems.

Lieutenant Chuck Starnes of the Greenville Police Department said that the integrated suite would help their agency improve efficiency with improved access to data. “I think the biggest thing for us is the global nature of the software,” Starnes said. “You take a call in CAD, and then that info is immediately available to the officer responding. In a real-time sense, Spillman is something that is going to improve processes.”

At the Lampasas County Sheriff’s Department, Jail Administrator Cathy Groothoff mentioned that Spillman offered them what they had been looking for with a public safety software system that featured robust searching capabilities and the ability to see connections between records. “One of [Sheriff David Whitis’] main concerns in looking at software was record searching, person, property, or otherwise, and not being able to tie all those features together. [The Spillman system] is extensive, and the search engine is great, and we are quite excited about getting it in place.”

At the New Braunfels Police Department, Captain John McDonald agreed that Spillman will help his department with easy access to records. “We liked the availability to have a lot of information available to our staff,” said Captain McDonald. “Giving them that information will also give them the power to better do their jobs. We are excited about having a partnership with Spillman to further enhance our policing capabilities.”

2013-07-10 Mission Critical Systems: Spillman Mobile Solutions Share Critical Data

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http://lawandordermag.epubxp.com/title/12194/20

For public safety agencies across the United States, the downturn in the economy has become enemy No. 1. The problem is doubly painful to agencies because a lack of jobs in a community fuels criminal activity, causes financial distress for homeowners, and decreases funds available to agencies. So, not only do public safety professionals have to contend with increasing demands for services, they have to do so with fewer resources. The downturn in the economy has forced agencies to consider several options for saving money, including decreased salaries, mandatory staff furloughs, and cuts to community services.

In short, agencies have learned to do more with less. For these agencies, any tool that can save money and increase efficiency is a welcome addition to their protocol. Modern public safety software like computer-aided dispatch (CAD), records management systems (RMS), jail management systems (JMS), and mobile records products help agencies work better, save time, and save money.

Challenge

Sergeant Sarita Titus is the network and database administrator for the Gary Police Department in Indiana. She said that Gary has really felt the impact of the economic crisis. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the city’s unemployment rate more than doubled in the span of a few months, from 4.7 percent in April, 2008 to 10.3 percent in February, 2009.

“We are a financially distressed city—not only in our government, but in our residents. There just aren’t a lot of job opportunities.”

Sgt. Titus explained what that means for the Gary Police Department.

“We have been majorly impacted by shrinking budgets. We’re to the point where just upgrading something takes a long time if we even have the option to do that. We haven’t had any raises in the last eight years for our sworn officers. We’ve laid off civilian staff to the point where it’s just a skeleton crew.”

Joseph Gallagher, patrolman for Gary, indicates that they have seen an increase in neighborhood crime.

“There are just more and more abandoned houses,” Gallagher explains.  “There are entire blocks that are just abandoned. It seems like there is an uptick in burglaries in residences, and problems with scrappers. We also have gang problems, and those are primarily neighborhood gangs.”

Yakima County in Washington provides another example of what happens when the economy starts to shrink. At the Yakima County integrated public safety consortium, Systems administrator Richard Springsteen said that even though the county hasn’t been hit as hard as other places, the effects are painful.

“I think that the economy did have a noticeable impact because we had to lay off jail staff and we lost officers all across the board,” Springsteen explained. “All agencies in the city and county have been impacted by the budget. That includes the D.A., the courts, human resources, mental health—they’ve all seen cuts. And there’s no way that’s not having an effect on the community.”

Wise County in Virginia has also been hurt by the economy. Assistant E9-1-1 Coordinator for the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, Billie Laney, talked about how the economy is impacting all types and sizes of communities.

“Where we’re a rural community, the bad economy is just hitting us,” Laney stated. “In unemployment for one; there are a lot of people out of work, and that affects crime rate like petty thefts and shoplifting. I think it affects drug use too, because people get depressed and they just start abusing.”

Wise County is starting to see increases in problems like repossessions, families losing their homes, vacant buildings, homelessness, and closing businesses.

“The rate of people losing their homes and business buildings is something we are starting to see [increase],” Laney said. “We had a mom- and pop-style heating and cooling business that just shut down after 75 years in business. That’s had an effect on the town.”

Even small increases in business closures can put a burden on calls for service for the office.

“Mostly what you see is panhandling around the small shopping areas that we have. There’s a lot more people asking for money or food. Route 23 is where you can see quite a few of them asking for places to stay.”

Commander Neil Sexton of the Lyons Police Department in Illinois said that the economy has forced his department to make hard decisions on where funding gets spent.

“Jobs are still hard to find; we are seeing the struggles same as anywhere else,” Sexton explained. “We have reduced our funding dramatically with costs for salaries going up and tax revenues going down. It is creating a negative impact on our budget. If costs for salaries and budgets go up, that means less money for training and equipment. We have to find ways to do more with less, and it is tough to get that done.”

Doing more with less

Agencies that are seeing increasing demands for service while working under tighter budget constrictions look for cost-effective ways to improve efficiency. The problems of the down economy can offer agencies an opportunity to assess what resources they have to work with and make improvements to how their agencies function.

One place where agencies are finding ways to increase efficiency is with their RMS, CAD, and mobile software systems. If an agency is working under a decades-old software suite or using a system that is not meeting their needs, cuts to an agency’s budget can lead it to explore what else is out there.

Laney mentioned that in Wise County they’ve been using newly implemented mobile software from Spillman Technologies after searching for something to help personnel do their jobs while in the field. She said that improvements to their mobile system help her team work efficiently and do their jobs better by enabling field personnel to access critical information away from the office. The Spillman system allows them instant access to name records and information they would have normally had to request over the radio or return to the office for.

“The feedback I’ve gotten so far is that everyone really likes the ability to search all sorts of information,” said Laney. “There is so much data going into the system that we can use. And the investigators are loving the type of information they’ve been able to pull out. I think the turnaround time, getting the cases solved is a lot faster because of the information that we have.”

Communities can take the savings even further with the ability to participate in shared software systems for CAD, RMS, mobile, and jail software. Not only do shared systems allow neighboring sheriff’s offices, police departments, fire departments, jails, and communications centers to save money by distributing the cost of purchasing and administering a shared software system, it also allows them to increase efficiency by sharing information. Neighboring agencies can turn to vendors like Spillman Technologies to build a shared system that meets their individual needs while helping keep costs low to the community.

Springsteen said that three years ago, the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office and six communication centers, seven jail centers, and 25 fire departments all brought on a shared Spillman system that allowed them to work more efficiently. But this system wouldn’t have been considered if the economy, and their budgets, hadn’t been a motivating factor. The first major cost-cutting measure was to reduce the amount of redundant hardware each agency had, including maintenance costs.

“If the economy hadn’t tanked, I don’t think we would have gotten everyone to go on one system,” says Springsteen. “We had three servers and the cities and towns on different systems so we just merged all that into this one.”

Springsteen said this new system also helps improve efficiency. The agencies on the system share information in real time.

“Yakima is a big county. We have a lot of gang activity, and before, someone could be arrested in Sunnyside and no one in Toppenish would know about that. Now that everyone is working off the same system, everyone in Toppenish can see records from Sunnyside and everywhere.”

According to Sergeant Titus, a software system like Spillman can help agencies save time, money, and resources.

“We use our software with our daily operations. There is a lot of benefit being on a shared system with the rest of the county. I do believe the amount of data in the database helps our officers, for example, on the way to different homes or answering calls, they can look and see what has taken place there already.”

Gallagher agrees, and said that they use their shared Spillman system for information every time they respond to a call for service. Accessing information from many different agencies gives all of the officers a full view of the criminals in their area.

“When we are utilizing the database shared with the other agencies, and we search for a name record, most of the time we run across someone who is already in the system,” Gallagher added.

Commander Sexton said the functionality of their system improves his officers’ efficiency.

“Spillman is definitely a force multiplier. I can only wish that I had this software capability on the street when I was a patrolman 25 years ago,” Sexton said. “The information that is available at my officer’s fingertips with images, warnings, and records is amazing. Now officers don’t have to deal with not having the information they need to do their job. Sharing information on who has had contact with a particular person is helpful, so we can plan a response based on the history of encounters.”

Sexton also agrees that sharing the costs with two other agencies eased the impact of the purchase.

“It has helped all of us,” said Sexton. “We’re forced to do more with less. The maintenance fees can take a chunk of your budget and hardware can get expensive. But sharing those costs across the board helps you out and helps out each individual agency.”

Overall, having one software system has helped the agencies on his system access information they need quickly and easily.

“In addition, it has helped us run specific reports that in days past we would have had to do with calculators and spreadsheets. And now we can just run reports, so we can populate that information very quickly. We share the information pretty openly, so it saves us money as far as time goes. Now I don’t have to physically run over to the agency to get a report, my officer can just access it here.”

Conclusion

The effects of the economy have forced public safety agencies to make hard decisions about how to use the funds in their shrinking budgets in order to be as effective as they can. These communities may also be experiencing greater problems including increases in crime thanks to the difficult economy. Agencies looking to do more with the resources they have are turning to public safety software like Spillman’s integrated CAD, RMS, Jail, and mobile solutions to allow their personnel to access records in the field, do more with the information they put in the system, and share critical data as well as costs with neighboring agencies.

2013-07-31 Gulf Shores, Orange Beach police to share software, records and server

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To read the full article, visit here: http://www.gulfcoastnewstoday.com/area_news/article_6ec290e6-f91f-11e2-b0bd-001a4bcf887a.html

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – There’s a line separating Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, but that’s a line criminals aren’t likely to care about.

Police in both cities will upgrade to the same software system in 2014 that will help officials more easily cross that line with shared information.

“Bad guys on the island don’t pay attention to that imaginary line and this is one way we can share that data about them and paying attention to those lines from a law enforcement perspective, too,” Gulf Shores Police Chief Edward Delmore said.

Orange Beach Chief Billy Wilkins said the sharing of information will help both departments on a daily basis.

“We’re right next door,” Wilkins said. “Our problems are their problems, obviously. People go back and forth so much of what we do every day is intertwined with each other. We’ll be sharing much of the same information that is now separated completely.”

Delmore came to talk about the new software at a recent Orange Beach City Council meeting. His department did extensive research on the new software offered by Spillman Technologies which specializes in public safety software.

“That’s the software that we did a tremendous amount of due diligence on finding that it was the right product for us in the police department,” Delmore said. “Also finding in doing due diligence that other departments, including Chief (Billy) Wilkins former department, Tuscaloosa, operates with that platform and have had a tremendous experience.”

Delmore sent several members of his department to Utah to watch the software in action.

“One of the main things that we were concerned was whether or not it would work well for an Alabama police department,” he said. “We found out that to be the case.

“In addition to that we sent people out to Salt Lake City and the surrounding area from all the different disciplines in our agency. Corrections, records, dispatch and patrol and embedded our people with actual users of that software. They all came back with glowing reports, not only about the software but also about the support.”

Orange Beach is getting a break of sorts by agreeing to come on to the new system at the same time as Gulf Shores. It’ll cost Orange Beach about $250,000, but that’s a savings of about $60,000, Wilkins said, because the install in January 2014 will coincide with the one in Gulf Shores.

“We got a pretty good break on the purchase price in going in with Gulf Shores purchasing our license at the same time they are,” Wilkins said. “We’re actually piggybacking their contract with the shared agreement. We’ll be doing everything at the same time as them. All the training, debugging, everything will be done at the same time.”

Gulf Shores’ price will be much higher because they are providing the server the two agencies will store data on. Gulf Shores will spend almost $425,000 for computers for patrol cars, the software and the server.

Delmore said his city is happy to return a favor.

“Several years ago you were very forward thinking in Orange Beach and you elected to go on board with 700 megahertz radio system,” Delmore said. “Graciously, a couple of years ago, you allowed us to also use that infrastructure and also go on board with that 700 megahertz radio system. As a result both departments, where we previously couldn’t talk to each other, can.”

His city will provide this upgrade in communications between the two departments.

“This software system, us both going on board, will have that same effect,” Delmore said. “When we purchased software we also purchased a big enough server so that at no additional expense to you, you could come along and we’d have plenty of space for both departments to share that very vital information.”

Not all information will be available to both departments, Wilkins said. Files on cases headed to the grand jury, felony cases, juvenile cases and personnel records will have limited access.

“We’ll be sharing much of the same information that is now separated completely,” Wilkins said. “Such as vehicle files, name files, records files, things that might as well be completely walls apart now would be just one common database. So that when we search for something we’ll also be searching what they have.”

2013-08-08 Sheriff’s Office gets ‘smart’ computer system

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Sheriff’s Office gets ‘smart’ computer system

Training under way after department installs essential upgrade
By Joe Johnson

HANFORD — Groundwork is being laid this week for the new computer-aided dispatch system that will bring the Kings County Sheriff’s Office into the modern age.

Officials say this software — with a tentative go-live date in November — will help put more deputies out on the street.

“The citizens may not notice major differences,” Sheriff Dave Robinson said previously, “but we’re optimistic that this will help us keep the county safe.”

Administrators will receive training through next week to learn how the system functions. Then, in September, most employees will get their first hands-on experience.

Right now, the Sheriff’s Office uses a text-based, green-screen DOS interface that’s incompatible with Windows. Assistant Sheriff Dave Putnam says it’s been difficult for new deputies to adapt to the ancient parser, having grown up using simple, modern interfaces.

A previous effort to upgrade the county’s system went bust in 2008 after signing contracts with SMART Public Safety Software, Inc. Almost every Kings County law enforcement agency joined together to use this system under the promise that it would allow them to share records and work better together.

Instead, the company took $500,000 of the county’s money, delivered a half-broken product, then went bankrupt and disappeared under a new corporate identity.

In the aftermath, the Lemoore and Hanford police departments were stuck using the unfinished software, while other agencies switched back to their archaic systems.

SMART met its end in 2012, when the area police departments joined together to adopt the RIMS software by Sun Ridge Systems.

But the Sheriff’s Office declined to follow them, preferring to find a service that would accomodate running the Kings County Jail and dispatching for the Avenal Police Department.

They met their match with Spillman Technologies, Inc., a Utah-based firm that provides systems for more than 1,000 agencies across the country.

Robinson said the switch will cost them only $10,000 a year more than they were already paying to maintain the old system.

The Kings County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in late 2012 to adopt the platform. Work has been under way ever since to bring the program online.

“We’re very excited,” said Putnam. “This system will allow us to be more efficient and helps us better serve the people here in Kings County.”

http://www.hanfordsentinel.com/news/local/crime/sheriff-s-office-gets-smart-computer-system/article_1347067e-ff92-11e2-a289-001a4bcf887a.html?comment_form=true

2013-08-14 Records upgrade shelves 20-year-old system

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http://www.kilgorenewsherald.com/news/2013-08-14/Front_Page/Records_upgrade_shelves_20yearold_system.html

Records upgrade shelves 20-year-old system

By JAMES DRAPER

When an officer needs information, there’s no middle ground: either the data is available, an asset, or it’s missing, a potentially dangerous handicap.

“The more information you’ve got, the better decision you can make,” Roman Roberson says.

According to Kilgore Police Department’s assistant chief, for years local law enforcement has been hampered by sluggish, subpar software that became an obstacle to information gathering and, more importantly, to retrieval.

“That’s what really drives, to some extent, law enforcement is information. It’s the basis of what we do every day as police officers,” Roberson said Tuesday. “We’re good at collecting a ton of information and not doing much with it.”

Moving forward, however, KPD has found the means to put its information to better use through a new record management system from Spillman Technologies Inc.

The software replacement began more than a year ago, Roberson said, but the need arose much earlier: KPD personnel were spending more and more time repairing their outdated Cardinal interface. The 20-year-old platform was showing its age, forcing employees to develop a wide variety of redundant workarounds in spreadsheets and other documents to pick up the software’s slack.

“We knew our system was broken. It was just to the point we’d outgrown it, and it wasn’t providing us the service we needed.”

Up-to-date and upgradeable, Spillman eliminates the need for those workarounds, Roberson insisted, folding them into its core elements while offering numerous new features.

Among a number of RMS software options, the Nacogdoches Police Department was already utilizing Spillman, as were the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office and other county agencies. Interviewing personnel there, “They, of course, were very pleased with it,” Roberson said, and City of Kilgore administrators ultimately approved KPD’s transition to the Spillman software. “We saw them as a forward-thinking organization, someone to carry us in the future. We know how fast technology changes. This system here, we know we can grow with it.”

The broad transition to the new RMS began in April, and the department took the software live July 29.

“Over the past several months we’ve been training everybody in the department in its usage,” he said, estimating the new system will hold twice the amount of information as its predecessor at KPD. “It’s a whole different animal. I’m still learning myself. The great thing, when we get through it, we’ll have a great tool for our officers and for the City of Kilgore.

“It definitely means efficient service. That’s what it comes down to.”

According to Roberson, nowadays KPD – like other agencies – relies on three principal digital tools: its record management system, computer-aided dispatch and patrol officers’ in-car mobile interface.

A robust records management system, integrated with the mobile units, puts relevant data immediately in front of an officer, offering a more complete understanding of a given situation and the people involved.

For example, Roberson said, the new software includes a wide variety of ‘Alert Codes’ tied to records, collected from past encounters with individuals – the previous investigating officer may have flagged the subject as having a mental health issue; the subject might be a convicted felon or typically in possession of a weapon; among a litany of tags, Spillman also includes an alert code for a “Martial Arts Expert.”

“We can actually go in here and do a search on any amount of identifiers,” Roberson insisted. Much of the data is the same as has always been collected and archive, he added: Spillman streamlines retrieval, say, during a traffic stop. “If we’ve handled them before, when it comes up it will actually give (the officer) an audible alert.”

In the midst of a case, investigators can use the new software to pull up an intuitive 2D visualization of a single suspect, a data-tree linking that person to his or her known associates, residences and vehicles. It even allows officers to search incident data according to known suspects’ modus operandi.

“This software, every field is searchable. We can actually go in here and do a search on any amount of identifiers. We can go in and pull a tremendous amount of information out of it,” Roberson explained. “You can go point-to-point with it, which is a great investigative tool. It looks for relationships between the information.”

It’s the same thing investigators do by training and experience: look for relationships and use that knowledge to put a case together. In the past, the investigators were limited by what they could hold in their memories or find in hard-copy. Longproved methods still compile the data, Roberson said, and the latest technology collates it, correlates it, makes it immediately accessible.

“If we do it right, a brand new officer can come in and have all that information at your fingertips.”

The system allows users to attach key, additional information to any record – responding to an incident at a school, Roberson said, officers will be able to pull up layouts of the building’s interior as well as a list of key contacts on campus: “That information, in a critical situation, is very important.”

Overall work-flow in the department is set to improve through the digital bridge as well, Roberson said: “We’re not going to be pushing as much paper around,” using electronic updates and messaging to keep personnel on the same digital page.

Spillman also incorporates GPS tracking data: in one application – integrating mapping software and officers’ mobile units – dispatchers can track personnel in the field in real-time: if an officer is on a call, the incident is flagged in red; if a car is available, it’s green. If an officer hasn’t reported in recently, the system warns dispatchers of the loss of contact.

“They know where all their officers are,” Roberson explained, who is free and closest to a new call, who can be immediately dispatched to assist. “This is a great tool for dispatchers, for officers.”

Beyond the law enforcement interface, the new software can also be tied to Kilgore Fire Department’s Firehouse records management software in addition to the emergency dispatchers’ setup.

“Everything’s going to be integrated into it,” Roberson said.

With the bulk of their records still link to the Cardinal software, KPD will maintain the old system for about a year while building the Spillman data-stores. It’s too costly to try to dump the existing archive into the new software, Roberson said, and there’s a risk Cardinal’s information would corrupt the Spillman collections.

“We felt it better just to maintain that old system and move to the new system,” he explained, using Cardinal, while it lasts, as a static archive. “The more we have centralized, the better off we are because it’s easier to find it.”

The new system provides an immediate increase in the safety of emergency personnel, Roberson said; it’s an overall improvement in their ability assist the public and a new source of necessary information for individuals.

“This is public information,” he insisted. Whether there’s a person collecting information for their insurance company after a wreck, a crime victim collecting reports, a resident keeping tabs on happenings in their neighborhood or a newspaper seeking the most recent police reports, “We work for the people of Kilgore – any information we have, they can get.”

One part of installing the new software has been redesigning Kilgore’s designated zones: in addition to incorporating the newest portions of the city north of Interstate 20, through the records management system KPD has subdivided and categorized other zones for reporting purposes – investigators, and others, can easily review criminal activity in the Main Street District, the Downtown Entertainment District, industrial areas, shopping centers, neighborhoods and more.

“That helps focus our resources in those areas. We can analyze and research and look at where crimes are occurring,” Roberson said, and individuals can do the same, whether they’re researching an upcoming relocation or worried about recent vehicle burglaries. “All that information is available.”

Data collection has been in the news a lot this summer, he allowed, following National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden leaks about the government’s mass digital snooping and other developments.

Local law enforcement’s methods aren’t cloak-anddagger, Roberson said. KPD is archiving information collected through its standard operating procedures and making the data available for anyone’s inspection.

“Any contact with the public, we document. From the time you call the police department, everything you have, we keep, we log. The officer responds, he’s going to do some type of reporting,” Roberson explained. However, “We can’t look at the future and know what information we’ll be searching for at a given time.”

“We collect this information for the public – it belongs to them. It’s not secret by any means. It’s here for folks who need it.” 

2013-10-04 County Approves Long-Awaited System

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County approves long-awaited CAD system

Toni Milbourne 

Jefferson County became the 55th county in the state to approve negotiations for a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system as well as a Records Management System to replace an antiquated system. The vote, unanimous, came after a presentation given by Director of Communications Jeff Polczynski and Thomas Reilly, consultant from Accurate Systems. The two gentlemen provided details of the bid process that was undertaken to select a company for services. The process involved seeking a system to update the Emergency Communications Center and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office with an automated incident/unit management system integrated with records solutions. 

A committee of 11 members from the technology and police and rescue fields evaluated all bids and selected two of the five received to present to the county. With those selections, the committee recommended securing Spillman to receive the contract. 

The total cost of the contract with Spillman to provide the CAD system and records management is just under $800,000, an amount that had been budgeted within the county's Capital Outlay account. 

Commissioner Dale Manuel made the motion to negotiate and receive a final contract from Spillman. The ultimate vote on the motion received a round of applause from audience members including many in the law enforcement and rescue services. 

The system will allow for more efficient work by dispatchers, Polczynski said. It will also offer real-time status alerts so dispatchers know who and where officers and emergency equipment are dispatched. The ultimate goal is providing increased response time, something the commissioners are looking forward to. Accurate mapping will aid in that more efficient response time and allow for dispatch of multiple agencies. 

Speaking in favor of the proposal was Sheriff Peter Dougherty who stressed the benefit such a system will bring to his force and the county as a whole. Echoing those sentiments were Charles Town Police Chief Chris Kutcher and Shepherdstown Chief David Ransom. Several fire chiefs also spoke in favor of the system as did Emergency Services Director Doug Pittinger. 

Commissioner Jane Tabb, who seconded the motion to approve, told committee members and Polczynski in particular , "I know it's been a long, long road. Thank you for your work. The community will be much better served with this system." 

Commissioner Walt Pellish agreed saying he fully supported the work done by Polczynski and the committee. "You did a hell of a job on this," he said. 

http://www.shepherdstownchronicle.com/page/content.detail/id/510354/County-approves-long-awaited-CAD-system.html?nav=5091 


2013-10-24 L-Tron and Spillman collaborate on Cherry Hill proposal

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L-Tron and Spillman Collaborate on Cherry Hill Proposal

L-Tron will supply NJ Law Enforcement agency with 4910LR Driver's License Scanners as part of e-Citation solution.

PRLog (Press Release) - Oct. 23, 2013 - VICTOR, N.Y. -- L-Tron Corporation announces its partnership with Spillman Technologies on an e-ticketing solution for the Cherry Hill Police Department in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Spillman Technologies won the proposal to design, install and maintain an e-ticketing solution for the Cherry Hill PD and will complete the department’s transition from a traditional pen and paper ticketing system to a modernized electronic ticketing system. L-Tron will supply its cutting-edge 4910LR Driver’s License Scanners, as well as the necessary printing hardware and accessories, to integrate with Cherry Hill’s existing Spillman CAD/RMS system.

Cherry Hill’s e-Citation solution incorporates L-Tron’s 4910LR Driver’s License Scanners, Zebra RW420 Mobile Printers (http://www.l-trondirect.com/Zebra-RW420-4-Direct-Thermal-...), Zebra Desktop Printers and Havis Vehicle Printer Mounts(http://www.l-trondirect.com/Havis-s/85.htm). Zebra Technologies and Havis Inc. are premier partners with L-Tron Corporation. Installation has begun in almost 60 patrol vehicles and 10 headquarter workstations, due to be completed by December 1, 2013. The comprehensive e-Citation system will collect information from driver’s licenses and IDs, capture patrol officer notes, perform auto-populating tasks, and provide statistical reporting for Cherry Hill Police Department.

L-Tron’s 4910LR Area Imaging Driver’s License Reader (http://www.l-trondirect.com/Honeywell-4910LR-Next-Gen-Are...) interfaces seamlessly with Spillman’s e-citation software and is designed for use within patrol cars at traffic stops, accident scenes, and incident scenes. The 4910LR captures data from driver’s licenses, vehicle registrations, and laptop/tablet/mobile screens, eliminating the human error associated with handwritten reports and reducing the occurrence of reduced or dismissed violations. Law enforcement agencies in over 25 U.S. states and Canadian provinces use L-Tron’s 4810LR and 4910LR scanners for e-ticketing and accident reporting applications.

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Spillman Technologies (http://www.spillman.com/) is a leading public safety software provider serving more than 1,000 police departments, sheriff's offices, fire departments, communication centers, and correctional facilities nationwide. Spillman specializes in integrated software solutions, including Analytics & Intelligence-Led Policing, Computer Aided Dispatch, Records Management Systems, Mobile Data & Field Reporting, Mapping & GIS, Jail Management Systems, Fire, Data Sharing, and Personnel & Resources. Spillman has partnered with L-Tron Corporation since 2008, actively selling L-Tron’s previous 4810LR and current 4910LR Driver’s License Readers.

L-Tron Corporation has worked closely with the Law Enforcement field for over 10 years, providing cutting-edge technology to decrease administrative tasks and improve agency productivity. L-Tron’s patrol vehicle equipment (http://www.l-tron.com/Products/PatrolVehicleEquipment.aspx) includes barcode scanners, thermal mobile printers, mounting equipment and console systems, rugged laptops, tablets and mobile computers, sealed keyboards and accessories. L-Tron’s products and solutions have been featured at various tradeshows across the United States this year and upcoming exhibits include Iowa’s TraCS User Group Conference in Des Moines on October 24, 2013 and the COPSWEST Leadership Summit & Expo (Booth #1714) from November 4-6, 2013 in Ontario, California.

2013-10-30 CPD Mobility to increase community safety

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CPD Mobility to Increase Community Safety

CLAREMORE — Claremore Police Department is planning a digital transformation adding mobility to the tools officers and staff will have to improve community safety.

Chief Stan Brown and his staff presented the new system to the Claremore City Council Monday after years of preparation, planning and saving.

The city has saved 911 fees to pay for the proposed Spillman Technologies software designed to streamline the more than 23,000 calls for service the department handles annually.

Brown said those calls translate into about 3,000 written reports and the current record system is 14 years old, outdated and lacks the tools to meet the department’s needs.

Currently, officers collect information on the scene then come back to the office to complete a report.

For example, the department works approximately 600 accidents a year. On average it takes 40 minutes to work the scene. Once the officer returns to the police station another hour and a half is added to the processing time for just one accident, according to Brown.

The new system will allow officers to collect and process the data at the scene of an accident while remaining visible to the community, according to Brown.

“We are trying to improve efficiency for officers, citizens and administrators.  The department will better manage resources and improve accountability,” Brown said.

Every aspect of the department will be impacted by the system if the purchase is approved next week by the city council.

The system adds functionality,  including a citizen dashboard. They will be able to access crime statistics and to make them more aware of their surroundings, ultimately improving community safety, according to Brown.

The system allows citizens the ability to manage their quality of life, Brown said.

Before selecting Spillman Technologies the department looked at 16 vendors.

Eleven included an in-depth review of their products by employee democratic committee process, according to Brown.

The product will extend benefits beyond CPD adding services for Claremore Fire Department and Animal Control.

Not only will it improve public safety, but provides tools to increase officer and firefighter safety, according to Brown.

CPD will move away from a pen and paper system, which requires hand written notes to be transcribed multiple times into separate screens in a program.

“The product fits dispatch really, really, well,” said Stacey Dowden, supervisor and tenured dispatcher.

It will allow us to track officer availability and location, she said.

We can become a very busy center quickly and the system will eliminate duplicating efforts for fire, EMS and police calls, Dowden said.

The product increases officer safety because it provides background information on events and people before arrival, according to Dowden.

Officers will benefit from the on screen notes on the in car computers, according to Patrol Sergeant Jamie Starling.

“It will free up radio airtime while protecting sensitive information,” Starling said.

Officer Doug Woodward said he is looking forward to the new E-ticket function.

It is more efficient with scanning technology, which will pull other records instantly.

The officer will be able to scan a driver’s license and add the information to a citation, according to Woodward.

It will keep us out in the field and visible. It will save about three cents per ticket, materials and valuable time, according to  Woodward.

 “I like to work traffic,” Woodward said. “I want to reduce the amount of crashes we have and injuries.”

The E-Ticket system will allow officers to write up to eight citations at one time allowing for multiple charges to be included.

It will save the time of manually writing tickets, which is redundant, according to Officer Woodward.

Animal Control Supervisor Jean Hurst said the mobile system would keep officers on the streets and serve as a visible crime deterrent.

The chances an officer will be in the community when you need them are that much greater, Hurst said.

The mobility translates into less trips across town to the station to process reports, saving money and fuel expenses, according to Hurst.

Because repetitive data entry will be eliminated it will lower human error, according to Hurst.

The availability of officers in the field will allow for a quicker response time, said Assistant Chief Charles Downum.

Tools including vehicle locate will allow officers to set a perimeter when needed and assist with officer complaints, according to   Downum.

Every department from investigations to evidence will improve functionality and efficiency with the system, according to  Downum.

State reporting will no longer require manual counting eliminating 10 to 12 work hours a month, according to Julie Zollo, records supervisor.

“The reports are impressive,” Zollo said. “There are thousands of reports to choose from.”

Calls for service and statistics will be available to pull for callers, Zollo said.

A System is only as good as information entered into it, I can tell you we would use it to our fullest capacity, Zollo said.

“I need this product, we need this product,” Brown said. “The thing I am really excited about is the community dashboard. We can make this product available for everyone to log on and see what is going on in the city.”

There will be a lot of data available the citizens need and deserve, Brown said. -

http://claremoreprogress.com/local/x703150471/CPD-mobility-to-increase-community-safety

2013-11-05 New Technology Needed for Claremore Police Department

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The Claremore Police Department is asking for some technology upgrades. Police Chief Stan Brown said they are asking city council for a new software and computers for all patrol cars and fire trucks that total $450,000.

The system in place now is more than 14-years-old. Right now 911 dispatchers have to answer the call, hand write the information before emergency crews can be sent out, and then they can put the information in the computer.

Chief Brown said the new system would eliminate redundancy and the need to hand write down information. He said his officers are spending about 45 minutes on a two car accident writing down the information before they head back to the station to put all that information in the computer. With the new software they are asking for, Brown said it will make it easier to be out in the city.

"It will decrease our response time and decrease unnecessary driving and the mere fact that the officers are out in the field, they will be more productive because they can't see and observe things when they are setting in these four walls completely a report," Brown said.

The system will link dispatch, police and fire together making it more efficient to be at any scene. It would give all agencies real time updates on the location they are arriving at.

Brown said the updates straight to the in car computers could be something like,"You have been to this house before on domestics the male subject has always been the aggressor."

Besides cutting down on the time these officers have to spend at computers back at the station, another feature of the new software and computers will be E-tickets and being able to scan a drivers license which will put the information straight into a report. It will also keep statistics on the officers and any resident will be able to view the crime in their area.

"That's what we need to provide for the citizens is efficiency of service. To improve quality of life and safety and security of the City of Claremore," Brown said.

The money to pay for the new equipment will come out of money saved from the 9-1-1 calls fund. The council is set to vote on Monday and if approved, it'll take 10 months to get it up and running.

http://www.ktul.com/story/23835130/new-technology-needed-for-claremore-police-department

2013-11-06 PTC to spend $265K on police data system

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Thursday night, the Peachtree City Council is slated to consider spending $265,000 on a new records management system for the police department.

The sole-source request from Police Chief H.C. “Skip” Clark is recommended to replace the city’s current electronic records management system software, which is 15 years old.

The main reason for selecting vendor Spillman Technologies is to integrate the system with the network currently being used by all other law enforcement agencies in the county, Clark explained in a memo to council.

The integration of everyone’s data will “greatly enhance public safety, drastically improve our agency efficiency and increase officer safety,” Clark wrote.

In other business, council is expected to renew the moratorium on rezonings seeking a multi-family zoning designation. The moratorium has been renewed annually over a number of years to prevent consideration of multi-family rezonings because of the potential burden to public safety and area schools and the likely increase of traffic congestion among others.

The moratorium does allow a property owner to seek to have it lifted for any particular parcel, but such action must be considered by the city council.

In an unrelated matter, council is also expected to approve a rezoning request that would allow Panasonic to split part of its 60-acre campus to make way for a vendor who will be bringing an estimated 200 high-paying jobs to the city phased in over a period of several years.

The company is also expected to invest more than $1 million in the facility as well, a Panasonic representative has said.

Another item up for discussion is an ordinance amendment that would allow developers to meet their tree replacement requirements by planting them off-site at locations established by the city. The amendment was requested by the city planning commission in recognition of certain sites not having enough area to plant the required number of trees for a given development.

The tree plantings can be used to supplement areas along Peachtree Parkway for example and also perhaps in city parks, officials have said previously.

http://www.thecitizen.com/articles/11-06-2013/ptc-spend-265k-police-data-system

2013-11-06 Claremore one step closer to mobile technology

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CPD, CFD and Animal Control to benefit from new software

CLAREMORE — Claremore’s digital transformation to add mobility to the tools officers and staff use received approval Monday by unanimous vote of the city council.

Chief Stan Brown and his staff presented the new system to the council last week. The software system is the first phase of the project anticipated to costa bout $400,000.

The product will extend benefits beyond CPD adding services for Claremore Fire Department and Animal Control.

Not only will it improve public safety, but provides tools to increase officer and firefighter safety, according to Brown. CPD will move away from a pen and paper system, which requires hand written notes to be transcribed multiple times.

“We are purchasing software and training to get the system up,” said City Manager Jim Thomas.

This software will be paid from the 911 restricted fund, according to Mayor Mickey Perry.

Perry has worked with Brown to save the funds need for the system for several years.

Once the system is in place a yearly service contract will be used to maintain the software.

“We are confident the 911 yearly fees will sustain this system, Thomas said.

The city has saved 911 fees to pay for the proposed Spillman Technologies software designed to streamline the more than 23,000 calls for service the department handles annually.

Brown said those calls translate into about 3,000 written reports and the current record system is 14 years old, outdated and lacks the tools to meet the department’s needs.

Currently, officers collect information on the scene then come back to the office to complete a report. The new system will save time, fuel and improve safety, according to Brown.

Before selecting Spillman Technologies, the department looked at 16 vendors. Eleven included an in-depth review of their products by employee democratic committee process, according to Brown.

Bids were solicited from a number of companies, according to Attorney Matt Ballard.

- See more at: http://claremoreprogress.com/local/x252045787/Claremore-one-step-closer-to-mobile-technology#sthash.UrPWcnK9.dpuf

2013-11-07 Tech transformation: Kings Sheriff’s Office goes live with modern system

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Tech transformation: Kings Sheriff’s Office goes live with modern system

Sheriff’s Office sheds obsolete computer software

2013-11-07T10:15:00Z  Tech transformation: Kings Sheriff’s Office goes live with modern systemBy Joe JohnsonHanford Sentinel
2 hours ago • By Joe Johnson

HANFORD — The Kings County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday rolled out its new computer-aided dispatch system, a long-overdue upgrade bringing their software into the 21st Century.

Proponents say this will help keep deputies on the streets and create new ways for citizens to stay informed about what’s happening in the community.

“It’s been a long process and there were many hurdles to overcome, but we’re very excited about moving forward,” Sheriff Dave Robinson said.

The Sheriff’s Office has been using an aging, green-screen interface since the early 1990s. All commands had to be keyed in manually. It didn’t use Microsoft Windows. In fact, it didn’t even work with a mouse.

It looked like something from the 1983 film “Wargames.”

“If you look at where technology is today, we’re miles ahead of where we were even a few years ago, not to mention when the old system was first built,” Robinson said. “This brings us up to speed with the technology we all use in our daily lives.”

The old software served as a constant hurdle for new recruits brought up using snappier, more modern systems.

So officials sought out Spillman Technologies, Inc. — a Utah-based software developer with customers in 1,000 law enforcement agencies across the country.

The Kings County Board of Supervisors voted last year to sign a contract with the developer, which would cost the Sheriff’s Office only $10,000 a year more than they were spending to maintain the existing database.

Since then, Spillman Technologies has been training county staff and laying the groundwork for this week’s switch.

“Integration has gone smoothly,” Robinson said. “Spillman has met all its milestones going forward and they will have staff assisting us onsite for the next three weeks.”

Assistant Sheriff Dave Putnam, who oversaw the transition, said the public shouldn’t notice any difference in service during the rollout.

“So far, everything has gone smoothly,” Putnam said. “This will make our jobs a lot easier and allow us to better serve the community.”

Officials are looking forward to the final phase: installing the new software at the Kings County Jail. Robinson says they want to get the jail systems upgraded to Spillman software in the next six months.

Robinson also hopes to open up a web portal in the coming months where citizens can log in and download crime trends and statistical reports about their neighborhoods.

“We’re cautiously optimistic that it will work out well,” Robinson said. “Time will tell.”

The county previously attempted an upgrade in 2008. They signed a contract with SMART Public Safety Software, Inc. and paid them $500,000.

Months and many failed milestones later, SMART went bankrupt and left Kings County with a half-finished, broken product.

The Sheriff’s Office canned it and went back to their old software, but the Kings County police departments who also signed up for SMART were stuck using it for years.

That fiasco is one of the reasons why Robinson and the Sheriff’s Office waited so long to decide on a new system.

“This has been a great joint effort by county staff, our IT department, Spillman Technologies and Assistant Sheriff Putnam,” Robinson said. “They’ve all done an outstanding job with the encouragement and support from our board of supervisors. We’re very excited to take the next step.”

The reporter can be reached at 583-2425 and jjohnson@HanfordSentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeJ_HS.

http://www.hanfordsentinel.com/news/local/tech-transformation-kings-sheriff-s-office-goes-live-with-modern/article_8964e39a-4749-11e3-80e0-0019bb2963f4.html 

2013-11-11 PTC cops to get new software

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The Peachtree City Police Department will be getting a new electronic records management system to replace its 15-year-old software.

The $265,000 deal with Spillman Technologies will allow city police to share information quickly with their counterparts at the Fayetteville police and Fayette County sheriff’s departments, Peachtree City Police Chief H.C. “Skip” Clark told the city council Thursday night.

The new system allows the officers to share data and intelligence seamlessly between agencies and also allows for communication between the dispatch center and city police units, the latter of which was not possible through another vendor.

In addition to saving $20,000 on the system compared to a price quote from a few years ago from Spillman, the city wil also be saving about $18,000 a year spent on maintenance for the current records system, Clark added.

“We really worked hard to get the best deal we could have,” Clark said, noting that with the hub license the city will not need to pay for any new units added in the future.

The maintenance agreement with Spillman, which won’t kick in until 2016, is at 8.6 percent “relatively low in the industry,” Clark added.

The project includes changing the interface in patrol cars that allows officers to conduct checks for wanted offenders, Clark said.

Because of the need to use the same system as the county and city law enforcement agencies, Peachtree City used a sole source contract instead of putting the matter through a bid process.

Councilman Eric Imker asked several detailed questions of Clark and then declared he was satisfied prior to council’s unanimous vote to fund the purchase, which was part of the city’s budget.

http://www.thecitizen.com/articles/11-08-2013/ptc-cops-get-new-software


2013-11-20 Beaufort County to buy new ambulances, hire paramedics

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zmurdock@beaufortgazette.comNovember 19, 2013 Updated 17 hours ago

2013-11-19T21:47:58Z
By ZACH MURDOCKThe_Island_Packet

"The new ambulance equipment will give Beaufort County better response time to medical emergencies. ... The chest compressors will no doubt save lives, and the new computer software is a giant step in integrating all first-responders and medical providers," Beaufort County Council Chairman Paul Sommerville said in a news release. The acquisitions were approved Monday by council.

The new ambulances will cost $150,000 each, and two other ambulances will be remounted on new chassis for $115,000 each.

Twelve paramedics will be hired to staff the new units, which will run 24 hours, seven days a week in both parts of the county, according to Phil Foot, county director of public safety. About $350,000 was approved for the new crews in the 2013-14 county budget that took effect in July.

"Having two new ambulances to respond to calls will save lives and allow more paramedics out in the community helping the public," Councilman Jerry Stewart said in the release.

A 2010 review of the county's EMS service suggested adding the new ambulance crews, though consultants found that the county provided "a sound level of service."

One of the new ambulances will be stationed in southern Beaufort County to help with the growing volume of calls there, and the other will be assigned to northern Beaufort County, to help with long distances first-responders sometimes have to travel, Foot said.

The county is still studying response data to choose exact stations for the new ambulances, but one will likely be stationed in the Bluffton area and one between Burton and Dale, he said.

In addition, the county will purchase 10 Lucas 2 chest-compression devices for $132,000. Once purchased, all 12 county ambulances -- including the two new vehicles -- will be equipped with the machines, Foot said.

The machines can perform CPR on a patient without interruption, which could help save lives, County Councilman Tabor Vaux said.

"If you've got somebody on the second floor, before, you'd have to stop CPR to get them down the stairs to the ambulance," Vaux said. "With those machines running, you don't have to stop. That's huge."

Council also approved buying a $2.5 million EMS software upgrade from Spillman Technologies of Salt Lake City.

The new software will replace a 20-year-old records-management, jail-management, computer-aided dispatch and mobile data system used by the Sheriffs Office, Detention Center, EMS, and 911 Dispatch Center.

Sheriff P.J. Tanner is eager to get the new computer software, which will reduce the number of times some data have to be entered and give first-responders instant access to information.

"As a dispatcher is taking information from a caller, the deputy, paramedic or firefighter in the field will now be able to see what the dispatcher is typing in real time," he said in the release. "Having our first-responders see the information immediately makes the response time faster, allowing the person needing assistance to receive care faster."

The software upgrade will be paid over seven years with money from an E911 special revenue fund and the Sheriff's Office, Emergency Management and Detention Center general funds.

Follow reporter Zach Murdock at twitter.com/IPBG_Zach.

http://www.islandpacket.com/2013/11/19/2802296/beaufort-county-to-buy-new-ambulances.html


Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/2013/11/19/2802296/beaufort-county-to-buy-new-ambulances.html#storylink=cpy

2013-11-21 Lewis County Budget Approved

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The Lewis County budget for 2014 is final.

The Board of Legislators passed the spending plan by a vote of 7 to 1.
It's the same budget lawmakers introduced earlier this month. It calls for a tax increase of 42 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
That hikes the budget from $7.17 per $1,000 to $7.59.
The county's tax levy increases by 7.67 percent.
Also at the meeting, lawmakers voted to spend $830,000 for a 911 center for the sheriff's department.
The Computer Automated Dispatch program will include software and hardware for the center.
The money will be paid for by a state grant the county hasn't received yet.
The only cost to the county is a maintenance fee for the contractor, Spillman Technologies.
(Note: we originally reported that the legislature approved $880,000 for a GPS system for the sheriff's department. That was incorrect.)

2013-12-02 Claremore council OK's upgrades in police technology

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Purchases include new dispatch and records management systems and mobile terminals.

Posted: Monday, December 2, 2013 12:00 am | Updated: 6:46 am, Mon Dec 2, 2013. 

By RHETT MORGAN World Staff Writer | 0 comments 

CLAREMORE —- The city council recently OK'd nearly a half-million dollar upgrade in police department technology.

Approved was the $446,116 purchase of a computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system, records management system (RMS) and mobile data terminal (MDT) from Salt Lake City-based Spillman Technologies.

"It will be a more efficient service for the officers and the citizens," said Mayor Mickey Perry, former longtime Claremore police chief.

Spillman Technologies Inc. is an industry leader in law enforcement and public safety software, providing products, training, support and services to more than 1,000 agencies and 70,000 public safety professionals in 37 states nationwide, according to its website.

Claremore's funds will be earmarked for software, installation and training, Assistant Police Chief Charles Downum said. The project is expected to be completed within 10 to 12 months.

A technology committee was formed to study what improvements were available and review the equipment's capabilities in the field, Downum said.

"It brings us into modern times," he said. "It will bring safety to the officers and just get information out quickly. The response times should improve with the use of this.

"It also should minimize the duplication of records and keep officers out in the field, where they can do reports in the cars instead of having to come back here and find a work station."

Part of the mobile system is an automated vehicle locator, which aids in dispatching the closest cruiser to incidents.

Perry said money to fund the upgrades will be taken from restricted 911 funds, fees generated from emergency calls made from landlines and cellphones.

"We have collected those fees for years and saved them up to purchase this without any hit from the general budget," he said.

Requests for the systems' hardware will be made closer to the project's completion.

"A year from now or 10 months from now, things will have changed so much, anyway," said Downum, who helps supervise 38 full-time officers. "We didn't want to select something now in case there's a better product in the future or a less expensive product."

He said the improvements have been seven to eight years in the making.

"It's a huge expense," Downum said. "You just want to make sure it's right. So we've put a lot of time and effort and research in it. We hope we've found the best fit for us."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rhett Morgan 918-581-8395

rhett.morgan@tulsaworld.com

http://www.tulsaworld.com/communities/claremore/claremore-council-ok-s-upgrades-in-police-technology/article_2755cc1a-5ff9-56c7-8fd7-d779c2b69af7.html

2013-12-02 Upgrade for computer-aided dispatch one step closer in Lewis County

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By CHRISTINA SCANLON

TIMES STAFF WRITER

PUBLISHED: SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2013 AT 5:00 AM

LOWVILLE — Lewis County legislators are moving forward with a contract for a new computer-aided dispatch system after the winning bidder, Spillman Technologies Inc., agreed to a clause that would void the contract if expected state funding to pay for the project is not provided.

With a total cost of $894,959 for equipment, an upgrade to the 911 phone system and an annual maintenance agreement, the grant of $808,615 will not cover the full amount.

The difference will be spread out in future budgets.

Legislative Chairman Michael A. Tabolt, R-Croghan, said the board had received word in May that the county was awarded the grant for the project.

“But without that money in hand, we weren’t comfortable committing to the project,” he said.

That changed when Spillman announced it would not hold the county responsible in the event the grant funds do not materialize.

“They said they are taking all the risk,” Mr. Tabolt said of Spillman’s suggestion to get started immediately.

Representatives from Spillman told legislators it is not uncommon to enter such agreements and they have never had an occasion where the funds did not come through.

The system, which is custom made for the county’s needs, will house equipment for dispatchers in their current space at the Lewis County jail.

When calls come in to the center, patrols can be dispatched via the radio, or more discreetly, electronically to a patrol car.

“Each incident is automatically assigned a number,” Undersheriff James M. Monnat said.

Because the system has an automatic vehicle locator, the closest patrol can be assigned quickly.

Cheryl A. LaLonde, dispatch supervisor, said it will save time not only in sending an officer to a call, but also throughout shift work from the current method of doing routine radio checks to find the location of each deputy.

“Now, we’ll be able to see it on a map,” she said. It also will show the locations of village of Lowville and state police patrols.

Deputies also will save time as the new system is also a records-management system, allowing all work, except mug shots and fingerprinting, to be taken care of from the vehicle.

Now, deputies must return to the station and re-enter and download all information the incident gathered into a second system.

“It’s going to make our whole process a lot more efficient,” Ms. LaLonde said.

The current system was installed in 2002, when the county 911 project was implemented.

2013-12-11 Police magazine IACP recap

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Police magazine profiles software and technology vendors in this editorial. Click here to download the full article, or read about Spillman's release below:

Police magazine's feature on Spillman

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