So what happens when DPD gets it done?

[sturge]

Fitch is on the case!

[mwilbert]

Putting laptops in the cars is useful, but it isn't a panacea. I work with a police agency that does have laptops in all its vehicles [[they also have boats and snowmobiles and such) and while they are certainly useful to have, they are far from eliminating desk officers, or officers spending time at their local office to do paperwork.

The $4 million cost estimate is optimistic. The only way to do it for a million dollars of programming is to use stock software and adapt your procedures to what the software wants you to do. The problem with that is that different places have different legal requirements, and it is hard to get people to change procedures to match software. In some cases you can't--most police departments that I am familiar with have negotiated compensation systems with bizarre rules. Just automating a police department payroll with all the various allowances and work rules and details is a daunting task. You also have the security and privacy requirements, both for the PCs and for the systems that receive the data, which also increase the costs over what you might expect for a normal business system.

The PCs cost about $1000, maybe a bit less depending upon how you configure them, but you have to install some kind of radio connection and vehicle mounts with power and usually antenna connections so the cost of putting them in the car is higher, along with the cost of actually doing the deployment, and the training of the officers to use the automated system. In my experience, many police officers do not take to computerized systems like ducks to water.

[MSUguy]

Stephen Henderson had column after the August shooting spree on the use police resources that had detailed consultants report. I actully made thread about it, but it didn't get attention

Moreover, during an average eight-hour patrol shift, cops actually spent
almost half their time -- 3 1/2 hours per shift -- filing reports, transporting
criminals or suspects or waiting. Yes, waiting -- for equipment, for
detectives, or for prisoners to get processed.

And, the consultants say, more than a third of the city's precincts or
districts needed more officers, while two-thirds have more cops than they need
based on crime statistics.

http://www.freep.com/article/20110821/COL33/108210446/“

http://www.freep.com/assets/freep/pdf/C4178357819.PDF

[Django]

ROTF sturge^

Hey, I dont think many folks here on Dyes have come down too hard on our officers. For the most part we all respect them and understand what crap they have to deal with day to day. Ive done some complaining here about some run ins with the boys but I have always tried to understand what they have to deal with on a day to day.

[HistoryNotHisStory]

Not those numbers. Those I knew. It's these numbers:



That's what's compelling to me.

The numbers comes from years of experience and implementing a simple system.