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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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New computer system will improve officer response times, Flint police Chief Alvern Lock says
Chief Alvern Lock discusses real-time data software Officials hope new software will increase police response times to calls.
Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com By Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com
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on August 14, 2013 at 6:00 PM
FLINT, MI – Flint police Chief Alvern Lock said he hopes new computer-assisted policing will increase his officers’ response times.
The computer software by New World Systems will include computer-aided dispatch, records management and corrections management.
“It will provide real-time data that wasn’t available before,” Lock said during a news conference at Flint City Hall on Wednesday, Aug. 14. “The end goal is to respond much faster and more efficient.”
The computer system will allow police to look at data during a particular shift and adjust patrols as needed, Lock said.
“We’re going to say we can see this trend happening and we’re going to respond,” Lock said. “We’ll use it to deploy individual officers on the streets.”
While the software has been installed, Lock said officers and staff still need to be trained on the new system.
The upgrades cost the city $101,400 over four years and were approved by former emergency financial manager Ed Kurtz in February.
“I don’t think it can be overstated, in terms of upgrades to our system, this brings us up to current technology,” said city Spokesman Jason Lorenz.
The upgrades also will allow for better operation of officers’ in-car computers and cameras, the resolution reads.
“I don’t know how it’s going to increase response times if there’s no officers on the streets to send,” said Flint Police Officers Association President Kevin Smith. “It’s just smoke and mirrors. Nothing’s changed.”
Wednesday’s news conference also highlighted upgrades to the city’s accounting system and how the human resources department has gone paperless.
The upgrades to the accounting system will mean an electronic workflow for purchase orders and other paperwork, said Paul Knific, director of city’s information technology department.
“Instead of taking a week to go department to department and get things signed off on, this will be almost instantaneous,” Knific said.
Flint paid $530,000 for the software, data conversion and training.
The city also developed a capital improvement plan for technology that will look at what upgrades are needed every four years. The plan will ensure Flint doesn’t get decades behind in technology, Lorenz said.
The city is the first municipality in Genesee County to join a human resources collaborative effort to save public money by using using computers to eliminate paperwork.
Flint’s employment application process will go online in an attempt to become more efficient.
Flint will pay the GISD $10,000 for training, administration costs and support services to implement the Applitrack System. The city also will pay a $1,800 annual usage fee.
Dominic Adams is a reporter for MLive-Flint Journal. Contact him at dadams5@mlive.com or 810-241-8803. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+. |
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Wed Aug 14, 2013 6:25 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Flint has used New World Systems since March of 2004. The Troy, Michigan company announced the nearly $2 million contract for Flint police and Fire at that time. Then it was the Microsoft windows based Aegis MSP public safety software.
The software was selected by the 0911 Director Steven Todd who had worked with it in Ottawa County 14 years earlier. His decision was supported by Larry Piper, then Administrator of Information Systems.
At that time Flint had 230 sworn officers, 27 dispatchers, 40 administrative personnel and the Fire Department had 126 firefighters, 7 administrators and 2 Fire Chiefs. |
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Wed Aug 14, 2013 6:34 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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On February 11, 2008 The City Council received a notice from Purchasing Director Derrick Jones regarding resolution 080137. Council and then Mayor Williamson were in a political battle over the validity of the 2008 budget and council was "at an impasse on the approval of spending". Jones cited Flint city Code 18-21.10 as his authority for an emergency purchase order #08-0169 in the amount of $18,600 to New World Systems because the Information Systems Department sad these services were vital to the Police, Fire and 911 daily operations.
Annual Maintenance agreements with New World Systems were also implemented. This agreement in 2009 was for $135,900. |
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Wed Aug 14, 2013 6:43 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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A number of communities have selected New World Systems despite lawsuits against the company for allegedly faulty systems.
Ashley Kosciolek of the Morning Call reported in February 28, 2008 that the Schuykill County Commissioners approved $8,000 in filing fees against the Michigan based company that sold them a $1 million computer system. The details were sketchy as the Commissioners stated their contract with new World Systems had limits as to what could be disclosed about the contract and the litigation |
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Wed Aug 14, 2013 6:57 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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FOPs file complaint against new 911 radio system
By RICK LEE
Daily Record/Sunday News
Updated: 04/14/2009
06:45:26 PM EDT
Citing safety concerns, three York County police lodges filed a complaint in Common Pleas Court Monday seeking to have the new 911 radio system shut down and the old analog system reinstalled.
At issue for county police is reported failures of the $36 million P25 radio system installed by M/A-Com last year and the county's Computer Aided Dispatch, or CAD, system installed in 2005 by New World Systems
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According to the complaint, the P25 radio system has had "periods of total failure of both mobile ... and portable ... radio units." The problems reportedly include "delayed signal connection" and "distorted or unintelligible communications" between county control dispatchers and "officers in the field."
The CAD system also has had problems with connections and uses computer screens in cruisers that "do not clearly and easily display information ...," according to the complaint.
"We want it to work, all of us do," said York Area Regional Police Sgt. John Fishel, president of the Fraternal Order of Police -- York County Lodge No. 73. "But we don't want to get hurt while we're waiting."
Along with Lodge No. 73, FPO Hanover Lodge No. 69 and White Rose Lodge No. 15 are asking the local court to order the county and Eric A. Bistline, York County Director of Emergency Services, to remedy the situation.
County solicitor Michael Flannelly said Monday the county and emergency services are well aware of the complaints.
FOP representatives met with Flannelly,
Bistline and M/A-COM representatives on Jan. 20 to voice their concerns about the emergency dispatch systems. The FOPs set a Feb. 1 deadline to have the P25 system fixed.
At that meeting, according to the FOP complaint, M/A-COM reps admitted the company had not installed a system as large as York County's with the particular radio bandwidth that is being used.
Flannelly said M/A-COM representatives are in the county working to fix the problems.
"It's my understanding, talking with Eric, is that (M/A-COM) is making good progress," Flannelly said. "It's unfortunate (the FOPs) didn't leave us much time to move forward,"
Flannelly said he has not seen the FOPs' complaint but conceded "they were very clear about their unhappiness with the system. I'm not aware of anyone who is happy. We understand what they want."
According to the filing, the county and Bistline "have failed or refused to perform their public duties" to "remedy the existing deficiencies with the P25 radio system and CAD systems."
"Any further requests asking the defendants to perform their official duties would be in vain," the complaint states.
Bistline did not respond to a message seeking comment.
"Obviously, it's safety issue," Fishel said. "We are not able to communicate. You press the button and you don't know of you are going to get a response."
Fishel said under the analog system, officers were aware of the dead spots in the county and could prepare for them. He said under the P25 system, dead spots could be anywhere, at any time and not in the same place twice.
He said M/A-COM representatives were in his department Monday reprogramming radios.
"It's not fixing the problem," he said. "It should have all been fixed before we switched over. Now, we're driving the car while they're trying to fix it and somebody's going to get hurt."
Attorneys for the FOP lodges did not seek a temporary injunction Monday which would have brought the matter immediately before a county judge for a ruling.
Parties seeking emergency injunctions can be required to post bond to cover any possible damages to a defendant. In this case, the bond required could be as high as the total amount of the radio dispatch systems. |
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Wed Aug 14, 2013 7:03 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Collier Sheriff's Office files lawsuit seeking $1.78 million for non-delivery of computer system
By JESSICA LIPSCOMB
Posted September 30, 2012 at 9 a.m.
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After paying $1.96 million for a records management system that failed to launch on time, the Collier County Sheriff's Office has refiled a lawsuit for breach of contract against a Michigan-based tech company.
The Sheriff's Office claims the New World Systems Corp. failed to install a new records management, jail management and computer-aided dispatch system by its contractually obligated deadline, court records show. The suit, filed in federal court Wednesday, originally was filed in Collier Circuit Court in April.
The Sheriff's Office and New World Systems reached a contract in April of 2009 that specified a final project deadline of April 28, 2012, according to court records.
Concerned the system would not be completed in time, Sheriff's Office representatives emailed New World Systems in December requesting a meeting, records show. In January, New World representatives proposed three options for completing the system; all were rejected by the Sheriff's Office because they did not conform to the April deadline.
The Sheriff's Office is seeking damages of $15,000 as well as the return of $1.78 million spent on the project, according to the lawsuit. About $182,000 of the total $1.96 million was spent on computer hardware and integrated software that the Sheriff's Office has received and can use, records show.
Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Michelle Batten said it is against the agency's policy to comment on pending litigation.
Tampa attorney Brian Baggot, who is representing New World Systems, referred comment to New World's Vice President of Marketing, John Lichtenberg. Efforts to reach Lichtenberg for comment Friday were unsuccessful.
New World Systems has been accused of installing a faulty courthouse computer system in Schuylkill County, Pa., according to a 2008 article in the Pottsville, Pa., Republican Herald. Officials in Ada County, Idaho, also had problems with New World after its dispatch system gave police wrong or incorrect information and overlooked nearby firefighters for ones farther away, a 2002 article from the Idaho Statesman said. |
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Wed Aug 14, 2013 7:10 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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I recently saw an officer repeatedly attempt to respond to his mobile device to no avail. He made an angry complaint to a fellow officer about the effectiveness of the device.
There have been numerous complaints by officers about the difficulty in using the system at times and of many lost reports. |
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Wed Aug 14, 2013 7:13 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Police Magazine only had one comment regarding the technology and it did not agree with the recommendation arising out of the safety conference.
Police Magazine
Technology
Product News
New World Systems' Aegis Named Best New Public Safety Product
October 30, 2012 |
New World Systems' Aegis Decision Support and Dashboards has been named a "2012 Hot Product" by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International and Public Safety Communications (PSC) magazine.
The annual Hot Product award is selected by a panel of public safety communications professionals each year at the APCO International Conference. It recognizes the best and most innovative new public safety products that improve safety and efficiency for both telecommunicators and first responders. New World's Aegis Decision Support and Dashboards was chosen for its unique ability to quickly provide actionable intelligence to public safety agencies, according to the company.
Aegis Decision Support and Dashboards offer at-a-glance information through role-based dashboards for command staff and supervisors. It provides a way to quickly and easily analyze and trend information through charts, graphs, and key performance indicators that help public safety decision makers plan proactive crime reduction initiatives and improve emergency response.
Decision Support and Dashboards is used by more than 1,000 agencies nationwide to improve safety, communication and access to information. Aegis Decision Support and Dashboards solution will be featured in the November issue of Public Safety Communications magazine.
Tags: Software, Crime Reports, New World Systems, Command Staff, APCO
Request more info about this product / service / company
Comments (1)
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1
JC @ 11/8/2012 11:04 AM
Aegis New World Public Safety Software is a nightmare. Our agency went to New World last year and we have had nothing but problems including corrupted reports leading to discovery violations. It has easily doubled the amount of time it takes to complete even a simple report due to the rediculous redundancy. In addition, the system which was demonstrated and sold to us, simply doesn't exist. Simple features which were requested, such as running a person or vehicle and the response can be cut and pasted into the report, does not work, has never worked and we were told it doesn't actually work, but they are working on it. The entire system is useless in a patrol car, with often ten minutes or longer lag time with frequent system crashes. We could write a series of books on why New World is a failure for law enforcement applications. |
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Wed Aug 14, 2013 7:31 pm |
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Raymond Sist
F L I N T O I D
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| You can have the best system on the planet, but if there's not enough officers to respond top the calls, what good is it? Of course, it will help response times in the areas where the officers are actually assigned; downtown and the college area. |
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Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:08 am |
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