Minutes 10/02/1997 - Laserfiche WebLink

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1997 Department of Criminal Justice Services that his department wishes to apply for to acquire the equipment under discussion, intended to equip up to twenty (20) cars. The total cost of the project was stated as $246,579. $184,934 of this amount would come from grant funds, and the balance, $61,645, would be local match funds. Major Long emphasized that the figures stated for the equipment are estimates based on market review at this point, and that the equipment had not yet been bid. Councilmember Haskell asked whether or ~-- not the funds for the local match had been budgeted this year, to which City Manager Reynolds replied no. Mr. Reynolds stated, however, that there were funds available for the majority of the match requirement, as a result of a refund on Workers Compensation Insurance costs in the amount of about $55,000, and he stated confidence that the balance of funds could be found. ChiefEdwards then went on to describe the technological and practical advantages of the mobile data terminals, which are essentially mobile computer terminals mounted in police vehicles. These advantages included faster data transfer, less paper use, fewer human errors, greater data base access, and sofhvare that will interface with their new records management system. In addition, benefits such as less voice transmission of information, resulting in more secure transmission of information and significant reduction of 911 center traffic, and possible tie-in to geographic information systems were also cited. Mr. Blewett then described the software behind the system, and demonstrated the operation of a typical unit, stating that the system was designed to run on any standard laptop computer. Advantages cited with regard to the software shown included level of support, ease of use, system security, ease of accessing and sharing information, ability to do incident based reporting, and regular software upgrades at no cost. Mr. Blewett stated that it typically takes an individual officer four to six weeks to become familiar with the system. He also stated that ongoing maintenance costs are built into a five-year ~_~ contract, and that the laptop units themselves mustbe replaced about every three years. When asked about the ability to repair the units should they fail, Mr. Blewett stated that instant alarm capability was in place on software problems, and that hardware would be repaired or replaced within one or two days maximum. When asked what units might be used for fire and EMS, Mr. Blewett stated that the same units would be used. Councilmember Teague then complimented the Police Department for their efforts to obtain this technology.