Case Study: Douglas County, CO

Client Since: 2008
Agencies Served: 15 (Police, Fire)
County Population:: 336,000
Solutions Used: Enterprise CAD, Records, Mobile, Field Reporting, Decision Support, Corrections
Square Miles Served: 844

Douglas County is the seventh-most populous county in the state of Colorado and located between Denver and Colorado Springs. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office provides public safety services to the county's 336,000 residents in an 844-square-mile area.

To do this, the sheriff's office, its four affiliated law enforcement agencies, and 11 fire departments use New World^™ public safety software from Tyler Technologies.

The Challenge

Prior to using New World software, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and its affiliated agencies were using an outdated public safety software system, which was incapable of offering an open database structure, automatic vehicle location (AVL) functionality, mobile field reporting, mobile computer aided dispatch messaging, address geo-verification, and incident-based reporting.

Without these capabilities, sworn officers and civilian employees were required to file multiple copies of the same report, which could lead to inconsistencies and inaccuracies due to human error. In addition, the system used by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office wasn't built to National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) standards, which helps law enforcement agencies collect and report data on known crimes. The system also had no true mobile computer aided dispatch capabilities, which meant law enforcement officers relied heavily on radio transmissions, calls to the dispatch center, and frequent visits to the sheriff's office.

When officials with the sheriff's office decided they needed a new system, they had the following requirements:

• Single database for all modules
• Fully-integrated mobile data terminals
• Better information sharing and communication between agenciesand jurisdictions
• Enhanced mapping capabilities

The Solution

In 2008, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office selected Tyler's New World public safety software to replace its inefficient system. In selecting the fully-integrated, multi-jurisdictional public safety system, the sheriff's office and its affiliated agencies became equipped with the technology necessary to do more for the community and increase officer safety.

The Results

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office implemented .NET-based New World computer aided dispatch, records, mobile, field reporting, decision support and corrections software solutions. This provided the following benefits:

• Data collected is NIBRS-compliant and able to be shared instantly across applications
  • Users save time by eliminating redundant data entry
  • Information is more accurate and instantly retrievable
  • Self-sufficiency is increased in the records department and among sworn officers
    • They are better able to access information and generate reports
  • Data highlights areas of high call volumes leading to increased patrol
• Law enforcement officers complete reports and access mission-critical information using their mobile data terminals
  • Officers spend more time in the field and save time by not traveling to and from the sheriff's office to access information or file reports
  • Automatic alerts and premise history data increase officer safety
• Mapping functionality is enhanced
  • Data updates and synchronizes automatically so new streets and construction projects are available for routing and geo-verification
  • Map layers decrease response times by showing where all fire hydrants are in the area of the call for service
  • Automatic vehicle location (AVL) functionality helps dispatchers and first responders see where everyone is positioned on the map

Summary

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office protects and serves the community by using public safety software to collect and utilize data, report and analyze trends, apprehend suspects and prevent crime.

Industry-leading New World public safety software from Tyler has a proven track record of providing agencies across the country with fully-integrated software designed to help public safety personnel save lives, time and money.