Behind the Badge
The Tustin Police Department, following many years of research and consideration, is upgrading its software for everything from computer-aided dispatch to records management.
The new system, called Mark43, will help officers spend more time in the field, avoid duplicating information in reports, be more environmentally friendly, and increase efficiency in data entry and report writing for the agency’s 150 employees, Lt. Andy Birozy said.
“It’s a very big upgrade,” Birozy said. “It’s a more robust system and increases our capabilities.”
The Mark43 computer-aided dispatch system.
Photo provided by Mark43
The cloud-based solution is being implemented now and is expected to be fully live by April 2021. It’s also compliant with the National Incident-Based Reporting System, which agencies use to report crime data to the FBI.
The upgrade was part of the city’s five year Strategic Plan, Birozy said. Over the past two years the city has been reviewing RFPs (request for proposal) and vetting the various products.
Under the previous system, officers had to hand-write or type and print their reports, often repeating the same information on multiple forms, before handing them to a supervisor. If any changes were needed, the officer would return to the station to make the corrections. When the new system is in place, officers will be able to make changes from the field, using their phones or their computers.
The new, cloud-based system allows officers to write their reports from the field, and will auto-populate fields such as the victim’s name and address.
The report-writer can then submit the information electronically to supervising officers and the records department, saving time in both report writing and submitting, Birozy said. According to Mark43, the system can cut down report-writing time by 80 percent.
The Mark43 computer-aided dispatch and automatic vehicle location abilities.
Photo provided by Mark43
Mark43 supplies software programs to more than 80 public safety agencies nationwide and more than 40 agencies in California. The Tustin Police Department will be using the Mark43 computer-aided dispatch and records management system in the near future as one of the first steps in this transition.
“We did a very thorough vetting process… narrowing it down to what solution would fit our needs best,” Birozy said. “The city manager and city council were behind this 100 percent and understood this will benefit the community by providing more time for our personnel to remain in the field.”
“Everyone is excited,” he said.
Graphic provided by Mark43
