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Operational information is currently handled through the department's A. <br />L. Roark Community Management System. It is a Computer Aided Dispatch and <br />Records Management software system that was installed in 1999. Immediately <br />after installation the owner went bankrupt and subsequently has died. The <br />system was never properly installed and the department never received <br />adequate training on the system. The Department worked with other vendors <br />and departments who had the system to manage as best they could but it does <br />not have all the analysis and management features that it was originally intended <br />to have. This lack of management information is critical to the proper analysis of <br />data and has hampered the department's efforts for several years. A new <br />Dispatch and Records Management systems by Computer Information Services <br />of Skokie, Illinois, has been purchased and now pending installation. This is a <br />well respected leader in the industry and the new system will allow the <br />department to develop state of the art management and operational information. <br />With both the current and proposed system, a unique service number is <br />created every time officers are dispatched on a call. When officers clear the call, <br />they indicate to the dispatcher if they will be writing an offense or incident report <br />on the call. When officers submit an offense report, it is reviewed by a <br />supervisor. If the supervisor discovers an error or omission, it is returned to the <br />officer for correction. This process assures that offenses are not lost and <br />ensures the integrity of the reporting system. <br />While Chief Louis has access to all departmental records, there are <br />currently no automated management reports which summarize activity such as <br />calls for service, response times, arrests, cases assigned, clearance rates, or <br />other departmental operational status reports. These critical monthly reports <br />must be compiled manually by Division Commanders. The new Records <br />Management software will also provide enhanced management reports useful to <br />the department. <br />Page 13 <br />