New sheriff Pat Kelly wants to bring the Athens County Sheriff's Office into the 21st century with laptops in patrol vehicles to expedite reports and cut down on unnecessary mileage.
The office plans to install five laptops, purchased four years ago from an Athens County Commissioner's grant of $25,000, Kelly said.
The laptops should be installed for a trial run by the end of February, Sgt. Bryan Cooper said.
The computers will allow deputies to type reports while on patrol and look up information stored on the office's records-management system, INTERBADge, Cooper said.
Through new software, called INTERLInk, deputies would upload encrypted reports to the sheriff's office at a wireless hub.
The office will assess how useful the laptops are, and in time, might petition the commissioners for more laptops to cover vehicles for all 16 deputies, three investigators, two jail transports and one sergeant.
On a busy day, deputies can spend two to three hours of an eight-hour shift writing reports, Cooper said.
Driving back and forth from the sheriff's office to write reports wastes gas money, he added. Athens County comprises almost 500 square miles and a trip from the south side of the county to the sheriff's office can take an hour.
It's a waste of fuel
Cooper said.
By cutting down on runs to Athens, deputies can spend more time patrolling neighborhoods. The laptops will also provide access to INTERBADge data about previous arrests, concealed-carry licenses and warrants.
We just want to be as mobile as we can be Cooper said. And hopefully deter crime.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol Post in Athens has utilized laptops in their vehicles for almost three years, Sgt. Jeff Holbert said. State troopers type their reports while on patrol and download them via thumb drives at the post.
The computers provide documentation of trooper's locations and have improved the legibility of reports, Holbert said.
They are able to look up information from the roads which is a big help
Holbert said. They don't have to go through the dispatchers.
Meigs County Sheriff's deputies type their reports at the Pomeroy office. The patrol vehicles are not equipped with computers.
In Washington County, deputies type reports at the office or jail, Maj. John Winstanley said.
It would be better
but with the budget we have it's just not feasible
Winstanley said.
Cooper said he was optimistic about the results of the trial run.
My grandfather said
'The greatest thing to ever have is knowledge
' he said. Knowledge of technology is key.
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