June 2014 - SmartCOP

CTS Products on Georgia State Contract

At the time this was written, SmartCOP, Inc. was doing business as CTS America.

CTS America was recently awarded a contract with the state of Georgia. The team at CTS is excited to work with the Georgia State Patrol and is planning for the wide variety of tasks ahead.

As part of the agreement, CTS will assist the Georgia State Patrol in consolidating 48 dispatch locations into 11 efficient, regional communication centers over a two year period. CTS will install hardware at the new dispatch centers and in 833 Georgia State Patrol vehicles. With the help of CTS America, Georgia State Patrol vehicles will allow troopers to complete almost every aspect of their job electronically. Transmitting information to their supervisors will be seamless and convenient, allowing troopers to stay on the road serving their communities.

CTS is also pleased to announce that Georgia local government and educational institutions are now permitted to purchase CTS and partner products though the Georgia State contract, which is administered by the Georgia Department of Administrative Services. Available products include CAD, Records Management System, Mobile Computer and Jail Management.

Key benefits of the contract include:

Cost Benefits

Aggressive Software Licensing Costs
Lower Maintenance Costs
Reduced Labor Costs
Aggressive Pricing and Service Agreement with Dell
Eliminates the requirement for a RFP

Service Benefits

Complete solution pricing for hardware from Dell and Computer Aided Dispatch, Records Management System, Vehicles Software, Hardware and Installation
CTS America and Dell will work with agencies to customize quotation for software and hardware to meet their needs.
24/7 Support Desk is provided by CTS for software service and 4 hour service response is offered from Dell.

All agencies have different requirements and therefore, a customized quotation will be provided for your needs. The State Contract provides pricing from Dell for hardware, from Jotto Desk for vehicle consoles and computer mounts, and from Interceptor Public Safety for vehicle installation. With your quote from CTS for software and services, the Authorized User or Agency will be provided a set of hardware specifications and quantities. With your permission, CTS will submit those specifications to Dell pursuant to the State of Georgia Contract under which the state has negotiated aggressive pricing for the hardware component. They will present you with a complete quote. Alternately, you may take the recommended hardware configurations and numbers and seek a quote directly from Dell or the hardware manufacturer of your choice. CTS has certified specific configurations of hardware to work with their software and specific services from Dell for hardware installation. Your actual order will be placed based on an agreed Statement of Work including specific progress and payment milestones.

Come by our booth at the Georgia Sheriffs Command Conference April 22nd at Stone Mtn. to see our products be demonstrated and talk with our team.

We look forward to serving you and your agencies, and encourage you to contact us with questions.

Sincerely,
Jim Benson
CTS America Chief Operating Officer
(877) 762-7826

Mr. Bernard Joy is administering this contract for the State of Georgia and can be reached at (404) 463-5556 and bernard.joy@doas.ga.gov.

New records system could end the paper chase

At the time this was written, SmartCOP, Inc. was doing business as CTS America.

Source: Bradford County news
Release Date: 10/9/2009

Bradford Sheriff Gordon Smith told the county commission Monday that he and his office has been working with other county and municipal departments on a unified records management system. “We’ve got to have something that’s more efficient and a whole lot less expensive,” Smith said.

Smith said the county has paid purchasing and annual maintenance or licensing costs for software that was supposed to be used in vehicles and at the fire stations that was never installed. Since 1997, he said the county has spent more than $1 million is records management software and used only about 60 percent of it.

The goal is to make the records system paperless, or as paperless as possible. When an officer files a report, that report should be able to be pulled up in the clerk’s office, the jail, the state attorney’s office, the courts, other law enforcement agencies in the county, etc.

Currently most are running on different systems. Even the jail and sheriff’s office are on separate systems. The result is a daily paper chase for those who work in these agencies, one that Smith hopes to help put a stop to.

“Our people wear their legs out chasing paper every single day,” the sheriff said.

mith tried working a deal with one of the current vendors the county spends tens of thousands of dollars with each year, but couldn’t cut a deal that didn’t involve spending thousands more on software the county had already purchased. Instead, the sheriff is now looking elsewhere.

The system under consideration-SmartCOP from CTS America-is one used by Florida Highway Patrol, Baker County, Union County and others. The Eighth Judicial Circuit “loves it” and already has four of its counties using the system, according to Smith. In addition to everyone working from the same system, there will be enhancements such as computer-aided dispatch in emergency vehicles that should help reduce response times. When dispatch sends the information, it will pull up the address and map on the rescue unit’s (or fire engine’s) computer screen, Smith said. A unified system will also eliminate the need to enter data multiple times in different offices. It will be entered once and then be available elsewhere to those who need it. Smith said the county would be saving time and money.

Members in charge of the Intergovernmental Communications Fund agreed to invest in the purchase of the software. The first-year purchase installment of $68,000 will be paid out of IGCF funds. Smith hopes to use grant or other funds to pay for the three subsequent payments and not draw those yearly payments from IGCF. He will budget for the payments in fines and forfeitures and use that money, if necessary, to completely pay for the software.

There is no maintenance cost during year one. After that, the system will cost the county $39,000 annually versus the $71,000 the county is paying each year for the current system, Smith said. Every municipality has agreed to the software switch, Smith said, which means every law enforcement agency, fire and EMS station, and court office will be on the same system. The county commission joined IGCF in agreeing to the purchase of the new software.

Clerk Ray Norman said a lot could have been done prior to now, but Smith is taking a giant step to making it happen now. It will save time and effort for all agencies involved, he said. “It’s really a big step in the right direction,” Norman said.

Georgia DNR Program Aims to Improve Ranger Safety, Customer Service

At the time this was written, SmartCOP, Inc. was doing business as CTS America.

Source: Jacksonville.com Release Date: 4/13/2010

BRUNSWICK – Mark Carson routinely patrols Coastal Georgia’s isolated woods and waterways alone and far from the closest backup.

Until now, Carson and his fellow Georgia Department of Natural Resources law enforcement rangers have had no way to quickly determine whether they face a law-abiding sportsman or a violent criminal. Nor has there been a way for emergency personnel to know where to start looking should a ranger be injured or otherwise be unable to call for help.

Rangers are testing a computer-assisted communications and data system with a built-in GPS locator in a pilot program that ties the DNR into the Georgia State Patrol’s network, said Capt. Stephen Adams, who supervises the 25 rangers assigned to nine coastal counties.

Three DNR Game Management officers and two park rangers who face similar situations are in the pilot program, which began March 29.

They have been issued rugged, military-grade laptop computers that can be mounted in their patrol vehicles and boats. The system allows them 24-hour communications with state patrol dispatchers. It also gives them direct access from the field to the Georgia Crime Information System and the DNR license data base.

“The GPS lets them know where your boat or car is, so they have an area to start searching if something happens to you and you can’t radio or call for help,” Carson said.

Adams said “first and foremost, officer safety is the reason for this system.”

An accidental shooting nearly two years ago shows the need for such technology, Carson and Adams said.

“On Thanksgiving 2008, one of our officers was shot and had to use his personal cell phone to call for help,” Carson said.

DNR Cpl. Curtis Wright was investigating a report of illegal waterfowl hunting when he was struck in the chest by a rifle bullet fired by a deer hunter near Port Wentworth. The hunter administered emergency first-aid, then used his all-terrain vehicle to carry Wright out of the woods to meet emergency personnel.

“Nobody knew where he was … and that delayed help getting to him. This system would have gotten us a lot closer to his last known location so we could have gotten to him faster,” Adams said.

Wright recovered from the shooting. On any given day, however, rangers may encounter potentially deadly situations.

“A ranger frequently runs up on meth labs, convicted felons with firearms and people who are wanted … Until now, they’d be in the middle of nowhere dealing with an armed person and nobody would know where they were,” Adams said.

Rangers have department-issued radios, and many also carry personal cell phones. They’ve relied on county sheriffs for backup after 4:30 p.m. daily and on weekends when DNR offices are closed.

Until now, rangers haven’t been able to directly or immediately access the statewide crime data base from the field. GCIC allows officers to check individuals for outstanding warrants, and license tags to determine if a vehicle or boat has been reported stolen.

“With this system, we also will get BOLOs [law enforcement Be on the Look Out bulletins] directly, which is the first time that we’ve had that capability,” he said.

A similar system is used by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Florida Highway Patrol.

Adams said the system has already helped in one case. Recently in Richmond Hill, a ranger stopped a man to check his fishing license. He also checked GCIC, and discovered the man was wanted for arrest in Bryan County, Adams said.

It also will allow rangers to spend more time on patrol and less in the office doing administrative paperwork, Adams said.

“They can do their administrative duties while parked at the boat ramp, wildlife management area or side of the road,” he said.

Adams said the pilot program is being funded by a federal boating safety grant. Each laptop costs about $3,000 because it is built to withstand saltwater and other harsh conditions.

To keep expenses down, the DNR is piggy-backing on the state patrol’s computer network, sharing its server and using its software, Adams said.

Like troopers, rangers will be able to print out copies of licenses, reports or citations in the field, Carson said.

A ranger first class, Carson patrols Glynn and Camden counties as well as offshore sometimes as far as 25 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean when checking fishing vessels.

“This will be a big help to us when we’re dealing with our outdoor customers,” Carson said.

Sometimes, hunters and fishermen say they lost or left their license somewhere, he said.

“Now, we can run them through the computer to verify they had a valid license or boat registration, and print them out a copy on the spot to replace the one they lost,” Carson said.

Carson said he likes the system. The rangers’ comments and suggestions will be incorporated into a report due in June, which could determine whether the system will be expanded to all DNR rangers, Adams said.

teresa.stepzinski@jacksonville.com,(912) 264-0405