Issue link: http://lawandordermag.epubxp.com/i/139048
ON THE JOB NEWS DISCIPLINE RANGEMASTER JUST HANDED DOWN MISSION CRITICAL SYSTEMS Spillman Mobile Solutions Share Critical Data By Madeleine Roe Madeleine Roe is the MarCom Supervisor for Spillman Technologies. She can be reached at mroe@spillman.com. www.spillman.com F or public safety agencies across the United States, the downturn in the economy has become enemy No. 1. The problem is doubly painful to agencies because a lack of jobs in a community fuels criminal activity, causes fnancial distress for homeowners, and decreases funds available to agencies. So, not only do public safety professionals have to contend with increasing demands for services, they have to do so with fewer resources. The downturn in the economy has forced agencies to consider several options for saving money, including decreased salaries, mandatory staff furloughs, and cuts to community services. In short, agencies have learned to do more with less. For these agencies, any tool that can save money and increase effciency is a welcome addition to their protocol. Modern public safety software like computer-aided dispatch (CAD), records management systems (RMS), jail management systems (JMS), and mobile records products help agencies work better, save time, and save money. Challenge Sergeant Sarita Titus is the network and database administrator for the Gary Police Department in Indiana. She said Gary has really felt the impact of the economic crisis. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the city's unemployment rate more than doubled in the span of a few months, from 4.7 percent in April, 2008 to 10.3 percent in February, 2009. "We are a fnancially distressed city—not only in our government, but in our residents. There just aren't a lot of job opportunities," Sgt. Titus stated. Sgt. Titus explained what that means for the Gary Police Department. "We have been majorly impacted by shrinking budgets. We're to the point where just upgrading something takes a long time if we even have the option to do that. We haven't had any raises in the last eight years for our sworn offcers. We've laid off civilian staff to the point where it's just a skeleton crew." Joseph Gallagher, patrolman for Gary, indicates that they have seen an increase in neighborhood crime. "There are just more and more abandoned houses," Gallagher explained. "There are entire blocks that are just abandoned. It seems like there is an uptick in burglaries in residences, and problems with scrappers. We also have gang problems, and those are primarily neighborhood gangs." Yakima County in Washington provides another example of what happens 18 LAW and ORDER I June 2013 when the economy starts to shrink. At the Yakima County integrated public safety consortium, Systems administrator Richard Springsteen said that even though the county hasn't been hit as hard as other places, the effects are painful. "I think that the economy did have a noticeable impact because we had to lay off jail staff and we lost offcers all across the board," Springsteen explained. "All agencies in the city and county have been impacted by the budget. That includes the D.A., the courts, human resources, mental health—they've all seen cuts. And there's no way that's not having an effect on the community." Wise County in Virginia has also been hurt by the economy. Assistant E9-1-1 Coordinator for the Wise County Sheriff's Offce, Billie Laney, talked about how the economy is impacting all types and sizes of communities. "Where we're a rural community, the bad economy is just hitting us," Laney stated. "In unemployment, for one, there are a lot of people out of work, and that affects crime rate like petty thefts and shoplifting. I think it affects drug use too, because people get depressed and they just start abusing." Wise County is starting to see increases in problems like repossessions, families losing their homes, vacant buildings, homelessness, and closing businesses. "The rate of people losing their homes and business buildings is something we are starting to see [increase]," Laney said. "We had a mom-andpop style heating and cooling business that just shut down after 75 years in business. That's had an effect on the town." Even small increases in business closures can put a burden on calls for service for the offce. "Mostly what you see is panhandling around the small shopping areas we have. There's a lot more people asking for money or food. Route 23 is where you can see quite a few of them asking for places to stay." Commander Neil Sexton of the Lyons Police Department in Illinois said the economy has forced his department to make hard decisions on where funding gets spent. "Jobs are still hard to fnd; we are seeing the struggles same as anywhere else," Sexton explained. "We have reduced our funding dramatically with costs for salaries going up and