AGENDA #11
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Technology Improvements in the Police Department
DATE: February 28, 2000
This memorandum discusses improvements to the Police Department’s information technology, including the internal data management system and mobile data terminals in patrol cars.
The attached Resolution A would authorize the Manager to pursue the purchase of new records management software and mobile data terminals (MDT) which can communicate with other similarly equipped patrol cars and both the Department’s data system and the State’s criminal information network.
Resolution B would authorize the Manager to pursue purchase of all the above, except the equipment to allow MDT’s to communicate with the Department’s database.
Resolution C would authorize the Manager to pursue purchase of all the elements in Resolution B, except the equipment to allow officers’ reports to be downloaded to disks which can then be used to enter the reports in the department’s records management system.
Resolution D would authorize the Manager to replace the Police Department’s present records management software.
The Police Department needs to address two technology issues which are closely related: the status of the in-house records management software and the implementation of mobile data terminals (MDT’s) in patrol and traffic enforcement vehicles. We are presenting five options for implementation. The options are:
We recommend Option 5 for reasons of officer safety, operational efficiency, and service to citizens.
The improvements and ongoing costs would be paid for through grant funds, funds already budgeted for the required local match and other available funds. The remainder would be financed over three years, with no increase in required funding next year. The primary budget impact would be in 2001-2002, in which about $93,000 would need to be added to the Police Department base budget as a recurring expense. After this year, no additional funding would be required to complete the lease-purchase, and about $70,000 would remain available in the base budget for future computer replacement.
In-house Records Software and Mugshot Imaging
In 1998 the Police Department purchased forty desktop computers, four servers, operating software, and records management software to upgrade the in-house records keeping system. The computers and software are being paid for through a four-year lease-purchase agreement. The Department allocates approximately $46,000 annually for the lease-purchase payment, with the final payment scheduled for 2001-2002.
The network is used for email, Internet access, word processing, and other office functions. However, the main use is for maintaining police records. All incident reports, arrests, mugshots, traffic collision reports, citations, warrants, investigator notes, evidence, and bicycle registrations are stored in numerous related databases. This electronic storage allows access to information by all employees, retrieval of information, and generation of reports. Data can be retrieved and analyzed for criminal investigations, tracking crime patterns, informational purposes, response to citizen requests, and reviewing officer workloads.
The records management software was purchased from Vision Software for $19,100. It was an upgrade from their DOS product (which has been used since 1994) to the Windows version. The low cost was a discount presented to DOS users to change to the updated software. Since its installation on March 1, 1999, the software has been problematic. Poor design, continual operating problems, and inadequate customer support have affected the operations of the Police Department. A full list of the problems associated with this software is listed in Attachment 5.
These problems have resulted in time being spent reviewing and double checking all information generated by the software. Retrieving accurate data has to be done through various methods in order to check the validity of what is generated. Employees are frustrated by the constant problems. Polaroid mugshots are being used instead of electronic imaging. Also, Police Department staff and the Town’s Computer System Specialist have spent a large amount of time trying to remedy the problems with Vision technical staff and officers of the company. There is no indication that the problems will be corrected.
Because of this unsatisfactory performance, the Department has not paid the budgeted annual maintenance and support fees of more than $8,000. We believe that the most feasible solution at this point is to purchase other records management software. The Citizens’ Technology Committee has been kept informed of this situation and concurs with this assessment. (Please see Attachment 6, a memorandum from the Committee’s chair.)
Mobile Data Terminals
In Fiscal Year 1998-99 the Town was awarded $85,000 from the Governor’s Crime Commission for mobile data terminals (MDT’s) in patrol vehicles. At that time the Council allocated $87,000 towards the purchase of MDT’s, $59,000 in excess of the required 25% match. The additional funding was provided so that more vehicles could be outfitted and capabilities enhanced. The purchase of the MDT’s has been delayed to the present fiscal year because of the problems with the Vision Software records management software.
Mobile data terminals are laptop computers with some additional hardware which are placed in patrol vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with radio modems which connect the officer to the State Division of Criminal Information network to do driver license and license plate checks, and to communicate car-to-car with any other officer in the State who is using the state system.
Mobile Data Terminals are an important safety feature for officers. In the 1998 Grant application to the Governor’s Crime Commission, the Police Department stated: “In 1997, Chapel Hill officers were dispatched to almost 29,000 calls for service. They issued 7,192 traffic citations, served 1,140 arrest warrants, and made 2,412 on-view arrests. Each of these incidents involves radio contact with Orange Central Communications (911 Center). Along with dispatch information on the radio frequency, there is (voice communication) between officers and requests for driver’s license and registration checks. In the first nine months of 1997, Orange Central Communications ran 20,975 license or registration checks for Chapel Hill officers, an average of 83 per day. Dispatchers are often busy and cannot quickly supply the information officers have requested, which presents dangerous situations for officers. The police radio is heavily used and it is difficult for officers to speak on the radio. This is a safety concern because officers have been in situations where they could not get on the radio to request needed emergency assistance.” We believe that conditions have not changed significantly since the earlier report.
OPTIONS
We believe there are five main options to address the present situation.
1. Maintain the Present Software
The current in-house records software could be maintained.
Advantages: There would be no immediate additional financial cost to the Town.
Disadvantages: Police operations would remain hampered by inefficient data entry process and the inability to retrieve useful data from the system.
Mugshots would not be stored in the computer system, since the software does not work well enough to use.
Inordinate amount ofPpolice staff time would be spent attempting to make the software operate.
Mobile data terminals that interact with the Department’s database would not be possible because it would not be sensible to purchase additional software from Vision Software.
Initial Costs: None
2. Replace the In-house Records Management Software and Arrest Imaging (mugshots) Software and Equipment
The staff has researched what law enforcement record keeping software is available. There are presently four software providers (including Vision) who are certified for submission to the North Carolina Division of Criminal Information. We recommend purchasing a program by Open Software Solutions of Greensboro, NC. This company has been making Windows-based law enforcement software since 1994. The software is being used by many mid-size law enforcement agencies in the State, including High Point, Winston-Salem, Rocky Mount, Wilson, Wilmington, and New Hanover County. Chapel Hill staff visited the High Point Police Department to see an established system. All the users with whom we spoke are pleased with the product and customer support.
Advantages: Replacement would improve the efficiency and data retrieval capabilities of the Police Department.
Mugshots would be in the computer system.
Staff time would not be spent trying to get the present system to work.
Disadvantages: Data that are in the present database would have to be re-entered into the new software program because the data cannot be transferred automatically.
Initial Costs: $145,000 (includes updating the operating software and adding mapping capabilities).
3. Mobile Data Terminals (MDT’s) in Vehicles which Connect to the State Database:
This level of MDT’s would allow officers to connect by radio modem to the State Criminal Justice Information System. Officers would be able to check license plates and drivers licenses, and be alerted to outstandingSstate-wide warrants.
We would equip fifteen (15) vehicles – marked patrol units and traffic enforcement vehicles.
Advantages: MDT’s would enhance officer safety by reducing the amount of non-critical voice radio communication.
MDT’s would provide quicker return on information requests by eliminating the need for a 911 dispatcher to relay the information from the officer to the State database and back to the officer. (Quicker return of such information also improves the safety of officers making traffic stops.)
Officers would be able to have secured communications directly with any other officer who is on the system. (Any person with a police scanner can now monitor police communications.)
Other advantages noted in Option 2.
Disadvantages: Officers would not have access to the in-house database.
Disadvantage noted in Option 2.
Initial Net Cost: $15,000 ($100,000 less the $85,000 grant from the Governor’s Crime Commission).
4. Mobile Data Terminals (MDT’s) in Vehicles which Connect to the State Database and Allow Officers to Enter Reports (Field Reporting):
If the in-house records software is replaced, additional software could be placed on the MDT’s that would allow officers to enter their own reports into the laptop computers and download them to a floppy disk. The data on the disk is entered into the Chapel Hill database at a later time, such as the end of a shift. Officers would not have to hand write reports which are later keyed into the database.
We would equip fifteen (15) vehicles – marked patrol units and traffic enforcement vehicles.
Advantages: Officers would be able to remain in their patrol areas while entering reports into the laptop computers. By remaining in the field, officers would have a more visible presence, be more available for calls, and reduce time out of service.
Records Technicians would do less data entry and therefore more quality control of reports, information retrieval, and re-entering of old reports from the Vision system.
Time spent on paperwork would be reduced by eliminating hand-written reports, which are later keyed into the database.
Advantages listed for Options 2 and 3.
Disadvantages: Officers would not have access from their vehicles to the in-house database.
Data would be downloaded at the end of a shift.
Disadvantage listed with Option 2.
Initial Net Cost: $75,000 ($160,000 less the $85,000 grant from the Governor’s Crime Commission.
5. Mobile Data Terminals (MDT’s) in Vehicles which Connect to the Department’s Database as well as the State Database:
This additional functionality of the mobile data terminals would enable the MDT to also function as a workstation on theDepartment’s network. Officers in the field could enter reports directly into the database, retrieve information from the database such as outstanding warrants and criminal histories, and view mugshots. This component would be achieved by placing a message switch computer in thePolice building and adding additional software to the mobile data terminals.
We would equip fifteen (15) vehicles – marked patrol units and traffic enforcement vehicles.
Advantages: Officers would have immediate access to information in the Department’s database. Local criminal histories, local outstanding warrants and mugshots would be available to them. The more history or information an officer has before dealing with a situation fosters his or her safety. Background information also assists the officers in providing better service when responding to calls.
Officers could remain in their assigned patrol areas instead of having to come to the Police headquarters to enter reports into the Police database. By remaining in the field, officers would have a more visible presence, be more available for calls, and reduce time out of service.
Time spent on paperwork would be reduced by eliminating hand-written reports which are later keyed into the database or the need to download data from disks.
This option would move the Department towards the ultimate goal of a paperless records system.
Advantages listed with Options 2,3, and 4.
Disadvantages: Increased initial and on going costs.
Disadvantage listed with Option 2.
Initial Cost: $165,000 ($250,000 less the $85,000 grant from the Governor’s Crime Commission).
We believe that implementing Option 5 would be the best alternative for several reasons.
1. The efficiency of the Department would be greatly improved by replacing the present records management software. The Police and Town Computer System staff expected to spend six months after installation and training to work out problems in the software. However, at that point it became clear that the product was faulty and would not meet the needs of the Department. Most patrol officers do not use the system, and the mugshot imaging system is now inoperable. In-house personnel must spend time ensuring that information generated from the system is correct.
2. Officer safety would be enhanced by having immediate access to both the State Division of Criminal Information network and the Police Department database. Voice radio communication would be reduced, leaving that radio frequency available for more urgent officer-to-officer or officer-to-dispatcher communication. Connection to the State would offer more immediate information about a person’s driving and criminal records. The officer would know if the person he or she is about to confront has a history of violent crime or weapons use, or any outstanding State-wide warrants. In addition, immediate access to the Police Department’s database would provide a detailed local history, outstanding local warrants, and a picture of the person if he or she has ever been arrested. Car-to-car communication among officers also provides a method of confidential communication that is not accessible to the public by a police scanner.
Given these issues, Option 3 with MDT connection to the State’s database would be better than option 2 with no such connection. However, option 5 with connection to the department’s data base, too, would do the most to improve officer safety.
3. Finally new in-house software and fully equipped mobile data terminals would reduce paper work by eliminating hand-written reports, provide immediate access to information, and enable officers to remain in their assigned patrol areas. Officers would not need to go to Police headquarters or a substation to enter reports or retrieve data. By remaining in the field, officers would provide a more visible presence, be more available for calls, and reduce time out of service.
In summary, replacing the in-house software would enhance the productivity and efficiency of the Police Department. Mobile data terminals in vehicles would improve officer safety. MDT’s would also allow officers to remain in their assigned patrol area while entering and retrieving data, thus increasing Police visibility, reducing response time to calls and reducing time out of service.
The records software, mugshot software and equipment, and mobile data software could be purchased through the “piggyback” bid procedure. That is, we could use the low bid of another municipality that had followed the procedures required by the State of North Carolina. The other equipment for the vehicles (modems, laptop computers and mounts) would be purchased from other vendors through the North Carolina State Contract.
The total first-year costs would be:
Option 1No Change |
Option 2In-house Only |
Option 3MDT's Only |
Option 4In-house, MDT’s, and Field Reporting |
Option 5In-house, MDT’s and modem access to the PD |
|
No Cost |
$145,000 |
$100,000 -85,000* 15,000 |
$305,000 - 85,000* $220,000 |
$395,000 - 85,000* $310,000 |
* Grant from the Governor’s Crime Commission for MDT’s
As with all computer implementations, there are ongoing costs of maintenance, support, hardware upgrade, software upgrades, and other modifications as the technology changes. A six-year plan, with costs is attached. We project that if the in-house software is not replaced now, it would have to be replaced by 2001-2002. In Options 2, 4 and 5, the vendor would mostly likely update the new in-house software by 2003-2004. The detailed costs shown in Appendix 3 include $20,000 for installation and training costs associated with this update.
Ongoing costs for all options include software support and maintenance and replacement of the servers. In Options 3, 4 and 5, the laptop computer elements of the mobile data terminals would be replaced in 2003-2004.
The following approach could be used to pay for the software, hardware, and equipment.
|
Option 2 |
Option 3 |
Option 4 |
Option 5 |
|
|
TOTAL COSTS |
$145,000 |
$100,000 |
$305,000 |
$395,000 |
|
Available Funds |
||||
|
Crime Commission |
85,000 |
85,000 |
85,000 |
|
|
Town 25% match* |
28,000 |
28,000 |
28,000 |
|
|
99 Federal Grant |
30,000 |
30,000 |
30,000 |
|
|
00 Federal Grant |
66,000 |
66,000 |
66,000 |
|
|
Balance to Finance |
$49,000 |
$0 |
$96,000 |
$186,000 |
*The Town match is in the Police Department budget.
When the Council accepted the Crime Commission funds in 1998, they allocated an additional $59,000 in order to equip more vehicles and enhance capabilities. There is $10,000 in the Police budget which is budgeted for computer equipment or software, and $8,000 in maintenance and support money which was not paid to Vision Software. These funds on hand, which total $77,000, could be used for the first payment on a lease-purchase.
We propose to fund Option 5 by using a combination of 1) all available grant funds and the required local match, totaling $209,000, to make cash purchases for a portion of the total costs and 2) a lease-purchase contract for the remaining costs totaling $186,000. A three-year lease purchase for this balance would require annual payments of approximately $70,000 including estimated interest costs beginning next year.
Below is a table showing the cash flow and budgetary impacts of the proposed financing.
In summary, the computer purchase options we recommend could be funded next year with federal and State grants and funds currently available with no significant increase in funding next year. The cost of the recommended option would require an increase of about $93,000 in the Police Department base budget in year two (2001-2002), followed by a potential reduction of $46,000 in third and final year. (This reduction is made possible by the ending of the lease purchase payments of $46,000 for the Department’s current hardware.) At the completion of this purchase in year three, about $111,000 would be available in the base budget that could be used for replacing this system or for future computer replacement.
A narrative explanation of funding requirements by year is found in Attachment 8.
|
1999-2000 Year 0 |
2000-2001 Year 1 |
2001-2002 Year 2 |
2002-2003 Year 3 |
Annual Future Years |
|
|
COSTS |
|
||||
|
Lease Payments Existing |
46,000 |
46,000 |
46,000 |
0 |
0 |
|
Lease Payments New |
70,000 |
70,000 |
70,000 |
0 |
|
|
Maintenance/Support |
0 |
0* |
41,000 |
41,000 |
41,000 |
|
Subtotal Costs |
46,000 |
116,000 |
157,000 |
111,000 |
41,000 |
|
BASE BUDGET FUNDING |
|||||
|
Lease Payments Existing |
46,000 |
46,000 |
46,000 |
93,000** |
93,000 |
|
Maintenance/Support Funds |
18,000 |
18,000 |
18,000 |
18,000 |
18,000 |
|
Prior Year Carryover Funds |
59,000 |
59,000 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Subtotal Funding |
123,000 |
123,000 |
64,000 |
111,000 |
111,000 |
|
Budget Impact |
|||||
|
(Surplus) Deficit |
(77,000) |
(7,000) |
93,000 |
0 |
70,000*** |
* Under warranty in first year
** Increase to be added to base budget in year 2001-2002
***Available for future replacement costs
We will return to the Council on March 28 with resolutions addressing the piggyback purchase and the financing of the project, depending on which option the Council chooses tonight.
RECOMMENDATIONS
That the Council adopt the attached Resolution A authorizing the Manager to pursue Option 5, the purchase of records software, mugshot software and equipment, and mobile data terminals that connect to both the State and Chapel Hill Police databases.
Alternative resolutions are also attached:
Resolution B would authorize Option 4.
Resolution C would authorize Option 3.
Resolution D would authorize Option 2.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Resolution authorizing the Manager to pursue the purchase of records software, mugshot software and equipment, and mobile data terminals that connect via radio modem to both the State and Chapel Hill Police databases. (Option 5) (p.12)
2. Resolution authorizing the Manager to pursue the purchase of records software, mugshot software and equipment, and mobile data terminals that connect to the State and download reports (Option 4) (p.13)
3. Resolution authorizing the Manager to pursue the purchase mobile data terminals and related equipment to access the State. (Option 3) (p.14)
4. Resolution authorizing the Manager to pursue the purchase of records software, mugshot software and equipment (Option 2) (p.15)
5. List of Specific Problems with Vision Software products (p.16)
6. Memo from William E. Groves, Chair of the Citizens’ Technology Committee (p.18)
7. Six Year Plan with Costs for all Options (p.19)
8. Funding Requirements by Year (p.20)
ATTACHMENT 1
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MANAGER TO PURSUE THE PURCHASE OF RECORDS SOFTWARE, MUGSHOT SOFTWARE AND EQUIPMENT, AND MOBILE DATA TERMINALS THAT CONNECT VIA RADIO MODEM TO BOTH THE STATE AND CHAPEL HILL POLICE DATABASES (2000-02-28/R-13a)
WHEREAS, the operations of the Police Department would be greatly enhanced if the records-management software is replaced; and
WHEREAS, Department operations would be enhanced if officers have access to the department’ electronic files; and
WHEREAS, officer safety would be enhanced by less use of voice radio transmission and the quicker retrieval of information from the State; and
WHEREAS, services to citizens would be improved by officers remaining in their patrol areas to generate reports and receive information; and
WHEREAS, there is a financial plan to purchase and maintain the systems;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council authorizes the Manager to pursue the purchase of records software, mugshot software and equipment, and mobile data terminals that connect via radio modem to both the State and Chapel Hill Police databases.
This the 28th day of February, 2000.
ATTACHMENT 2
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MANAGER TO PURSUE THE PURCHASE OF RECORDS SOFTWARE, MUGSHOT SOFTWARE AND EQUIPMENT, AND FIELD REPORTING SOFTWARE; AND MOBILE DATA TERMINALS THAT CONNECT TO THE STATE (2000-02-28/R-13b)
WHEREAS, the operations of the Police Department would be greatly enhanced if the records-management software is replaced; and
WHEREAS, officer safety would be enhanced by less use of voice radio transmission and the quicker retrieval of information from the State; and
WHEREAS, services to citizens would be improved by officers remaining in their patrol areas to generate reports and receive information; and
WHEREAS, there is a financial plan to purchase and maintain the systems;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council authorizes the Manager to pursue the purchase of records software, mugshot software and equipment, and field reporting software; and mobile data terminals that connect via radio modem to both the State.
This the 28th day of February, 2000.
ATTACHMENT 3
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MANAGER TO PURSUE THE PURCHASE OF MOBILE DATA TERMINALS AND RELATED EQUIPMENT TO ACCESS THE STATE (2000-02-28/R-13c)
WHEREAS, officer safety would be enhanced by less use of voice radio transmission and the quicker retrieval of information from the State; and
WHEREAS, there is a financial plan to purchase and maintain the systems;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council authorizes the Manager to pursue the purchase of mobile data terminals and related equipment to connect via radio modem to the State.
This the 28th day of February, 2000.
ATTACHMENT 4
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MANAGER TO PURSUE THE PURCHASE OF RECORDS SOFTWARE, MUGSHOT SOFTWARE AND EQUIPMENT
(2000-02-28/R-13d)
WHEREAS, the operations of the Police Department would be greatly enhanced if the records-management software is replaced; and
WHEREAS, there is a financial plan to purchase and maintain the systems;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council authorizes the Manager to pursue the purchase of records software, mugshot software and equipment.
This the 28th day of February, 2000.
· Case management
· Conversion (transfer) of old data
· Arrest and DMV form entry screens
· When entering a case description or case number, the system flips the user to a completely different case.
· In the Incident form view, employee name is not generated when the employee number is entered.
· In the arrest form the employee name appears on the screen, but not on the printed form.
· Fonts are large in both DMV and Arrest, limiting the amount of narrative in the field.
· Name suffixes (Jr. III) attach to the first name, not the last name in Incidents.
· Suffixes do not print in DMV.
· In DMV the work phone field is on the data entry screen, but is not in form view or on the printed report.
· In DMV other circumstances appear on the form view, but do not print.
· Vehicle/driver 1 and 2 information will sometimes flipflop. It can not be corrected by editing, deleting the data and re-entering it, or by deleting and re-entering the entire report.
· In DMV “At or From” does not print “At” or “From” on the form, it is always “At or From.”
· User rights do not work correctly. We are unable to give rights to delete just images.
· If two images are attached to the same arrest, just one can not be deleted, they both disappear.
· Printing page 2 of a DMV report takes 1-2 minutes.
· I have not had a chance to run all the reports, but there are problems with many that I have run. Some have no data, race is in the sex field, race is a code not text, zip codes are in the charges field, and erroneous data.
· The master name search provides inaccurate information; arrest charges are connected to the wrong arrest.
· Get SQL errors while entering data, which locks up the workstation.
· There is no flag or warning for a report containing a juvenile.
· Codes are printed on the form, not the text. So for example Hair Color is “3” not “BROWN” which is useless information. All the code tables have to be redone changing the number code to a text (often abbreviated) so that it makes some sort of sense on the report. True tables can not be modified to text.
· Some fields are not big enough.
· There is no option for “or” between fields in ad hoc reports
· Searching is limited to one field. While seek allows using more than one field, the fields are predetermined, not the ones the user may need.
· When doing a search and the user finds the screen of the incident, (for example offense) and then goes to another screen (for example name) that information is for a different case. So when you do a search you are only getting data about that one screen of the incident, not the whole incident – pretty useless.
· Every user has to build a view on every screen of every case. This is at least twenty views per person.
· Default views do not stay as the default. They often revert to the default view.
· The Windows nature of the program requires going back and forth from the keyboard to the mouse. In DOS PCIBASE the user got a screen, entered data, either filled out the last field on the screen or hit page down, and went automatically to the next screen. In RMS, the user must click on add (+), enter the data, and then click on save.
· Imaging is simply to confusing. There are twenty-two steps to take an image. We have created an instruction notebook that is kept at the imaging workstation. Assuming officers make an average of three arrests per week, they do not use imaging enough to become fluent in the process.
· Evidence module data entry is too time consuming for the data retrieval payoff
· Support is overworked. It takes days to weeks to get a call returned. Some calls do not get returned. Support personnel do not always know the answer to the questions.
ATTACHMENT 6
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: William E. Groves, Chair
Citizens’ Technology Committee
SUBJECT: Technology Improvement in the Police Department
DATE: February 22, 2000
The Citizens’ Technology Committee has been kept informed about the status of computer needs of the Police Department.
Town staff have attempted to work with the in-house records software vendor, Vision Software, to remedy the problems in the software. However, it does not appear that satisfactory improvements and corrections will be made. We believe that replacement of the present record-keeping software is a necessary action at this time.
The committee also supports the installation of mobile data terminals in patrol vehicles. Our examination of the issue indicates that decreasing the amount of voice radio transmission, and quicker retrieval of information are important safety factors for Chapel Hill officers. We believe that it would be reasonable to provide the highest level of mobile computing, giving officers access to both the State and Town databases. This functionality will also facilitate officers staying in their assigned patrol areas, which will provide better services to citizens.
|
Option 1 No Change |
Option 2 Records Only |
Option 3 MDT’s Only |
Option 4 MDT’s and Field Reports |
Option 5 MDT’s with access to the Police database |
||
|
1999-2000 |
Installation of records software and imaging equipment |
0 |
135,000 |
0 |
135,000 |
135,000 |
|
Update the operating software needed to run the new software |
0 |
5,000 |
0 |
5,000 |
5,000 |
|
|
Add mapping hardware and software |
0 |
5,000 |
0 |
5,000 |
5,000 |
|
|
Purchase laptop computers, modems, and equipment for vehicles |
0 |
0 |
100,000 |
100,000 |
100,000 |
|
|
MDT software |
0 |
0 |
0 |
60,000 |
150,000 |
|
|
2000-2001 |
Completion of purchase, installation, and training from the previous year |
|||||
|
Software maintenance and support |
8,000 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
2001-2002 |
Software maintenance and support |
0 |
20,000 |
0 |
29,000 |
41,000 |
|
Replacement of desktops (Town replacement cycle) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Replace Records Software |
200,000 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
2002-2003 |
Software maintenance and support |
15,000 |
20,000 |
0 |
29,000 |
41,000 |
|
Replace data server |
10,000 |
10,000 |
10,000 |
10,000 |
10,000 |
|
|
2003-2004 |
Software maintenance and support |
15,000 |
20,000 |
29,000 |
41,000 |
|
|
Replace laptops and purchase 4 more |
0 |
0 |
50,000 |
50,000 |
50,000 |
|
|
Software update |
0 |
20,000 |
0 |
25,000 |
30,000 |
|
|
2004-2005 |
Software maintenance and support |
15,000 |
20,000 |
0 |
29,000 |
41,000 |
|
Replace server |
10,000 |
10,000 |
10,000 |
10,000 |
10,000 |
ATTACHMENT 7
Six Year Plan with Costs for all Options
ATTACHMENT 8
Funding Requirements by Year
Year One. The first year’s payment could be made with approximately $77,000 from funds available in the current year budget (as noted above) that could be reserved for this payment. Since the system would have a one-year warranty, there would be no new maintenance cost in the first full year of the lease. Thus, there would be no additional budget impact for this purchase next year (2000-2001). The Police Department’s base budget already includes $46,000 for lease purchase payments on existing computer purchases that continue through fiscal year 2001-2002. About $18,000 is also included in the base budget for annual maintenance support of the system.
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Year Two. The budget impact of the new purchase would be in the following year 2001-2002 (the second year of the lease) in which both a $46,000 payment on existing lease purchases and $70,000 for the new lease purchases would be required. In addition, we estimate annual maintenance cost would be about $41,000 for the new system beginning in this second year. Therefore, in the second year, the Police Department budget would need to be increased by about $70,000 for the lease purchase payment and a one-time net increase of $23,000 for maintenance costs ($41,000 in new maintenance minus $18,000 already included in the existing Police base budget.) Thus, in year two, the total increase required would be $93,000.
Year Three. In the third and final year of the new lease, the older lease with payments of $46,000 would be completed, leaving this $46,000 in the base budget available for the cost of new system. Total costs of the new system would again be about $111,000 ($70,000 for the lease- purchase payment and $41,000 for maintenance costs). Therefore, the total level of funding included in the second year as noted above of $157,000 ($93,000 added in year two, $46,000 for older lease payments, and $141,000 for maintenance costs) could be reduced in the third year to $111,000, a reduction of $46,000. Alternatively, the higher level of funding could be retained in the base budget allocated for future computer replacement costs.
In summary, the computer purchase options we recommend could be funded next year with federal and State grants and funds currently available with no significant increase in funding next year. The cost of the recommended option would require an increase of about $93,000 in the Police Department base budget in year two (2001-2002), followed by a potential reduction of $46,000 in third and final year. (This reduction is made possible by the ending of the lease purchase payments of $46,000 for the department’s current hardware.) At the completion of this purchase in year three, about $111,000 would be available in the base budget that could be used for replacing this system or for future computer replacement.