TMCnews Featured Article

Will we ever see the paperless office? The phrase was coined decades ago, yet it has continued to elude even the most diligent of environmentalists. Even as we rely more heavily on electronic communications, there’s something about the printed piece of paper that keeps us coming back.

Such reasoning is no long acceptable for a Springfield, Illinois police department. A recent SJ-R.com article highlighted the department’s journey to streamline processes, reduce the time it takes to complete reporting and eliminate paper.

For the typical officer on the force, paperwork is a necessary evil. If a person is stopped in a vehicle for a violation, a warning is cited in public or an individual is arrested, paperwork must be completed. That paperwork then has to be turned in for review. This may take place during the shift or at the end of the shift, but it still must be done, and it still takes time.

Once that paperwork is picked up for processing, scanning and archiving, a number of individuals have touched it, spent time on it and processed it. It’s a process that by all current standards is outdated and a waste of time.

Fortunately, this process will soon be replaced with technology to eliminate handwritten reports. The police department recently received approval for funding to replace roughly one third of its oldest computers in its 150 car fleet and make upgrades to the server shared with the sheriff’s office and the dispatch center.

The ultimate goal – a paperless system.

Going paperless is a challenge for the police department, however. Without a complete system replacement, they run the risk of shutting the whole thing down by putting too much information into it. But continuing to require officers to write reports by hand and push manual processing is inefficient and prone to errors.

This antiquated approach is not necessarily by choice. The department tried to go paperless in the early 2000s when the city, county and 911 dispatch center tried to link all agencies into one system. Much of the process for the city was going to be funded by a grant they ultimately didn’t get. Thus, connectivity remains one of the primary reasons the police department still does things the “old way”.

Ultimately, the department wants to save time, allowing its officers and internal support staff to become more efficient. The amount of time saved when reports do not have to be driven back to the station could result in significant gains. With the right system in place, officers could use smart devices and IP fax capabilities to securely communicate information back to headquarters.

Translating that kind of improvement into dollars saved is hard to communicate to voters, especially in a tough economy. In terms of officer available to ensure public safety, however, the benefits could be immeasurable.