In 2014, the Police Department began the implementation of new records management and court software systems. At that time, BPD was forced to select a new RMS vendor after the former vendor was sold and the new company refused to update the software to make it compliant with the Tennessee Incident Based Reporting System (TIBRS) without substantial cost to the City. Funding was included in the Capital Projects Fund and after an RFP was prepared, several companies provided sealed proposals for replacement RMS and court software. There were only two vendors who met minimum specifications for the project. Those companies were TriTech Software Systems ($592,694.17) and Tyler Technologies ($297,180.00). Although BPD staff preferred TriTech's software, Tyler Technologies' bid was substantially lower and its bid was accepted. Tyler's software has been installed and in use since that time. Given the interaction between the 911 computer aided dispatch (CAD) system and the police RMS system, BPD staff did inquire at the time about the potential for a new CAD system and vendor, but at that time the long term plan for CAD was still to upgrade with the then current vendor.
In 2016, after repeated failed attempts to obtain an upgrade to the CAD software and other issues related to the Interact CAD, including its sale to another vendor, it was determined that there was a need to replace the CAD, mobile and mapping software. TriTech was selected as the vendor and the software was installed and went live in March of 2017. Obviously, had it been known in 2014 that the CAD would be upgraded to a TriTech product in 2017, a different course of action regarding the police RMS system would have been considered 2014.
During the process to purchase and install the new CAD software, PD staff began to explore the possibility of adding TriTech RMS along with the new CAD, mobile and mapping software. Considering that TriTech had previously bid on the RMS in 2014 and after discovering a number of issues with the Tyler Technologies RMS software currently in use, it was determined that the potential for an entire suite of software from one respected vendor would likely result in a substantial improvement to the efficiency and effectiveness of staff. Additionally, given that a number of other agencies in the area are currently using TriTech RMS, including the City of Franklin, BPD would have the opportunity to share data with those departments.
While the current RMS system is functional, BPD staff has identified multiple deficiencies with the current Tyler Technologies RMS. One of the most important issues is the inability to easily expunge criminal charges from the RMS database. Tyler staff has assisted in identifying a process to expunge charges, but it is time consuming and does not provide the ability for a partial expungement of multiple charges. Additionally, it is difficult to enter and extract data from RMS. The software is not customizable and many of the reports it generates are not helpful to provide the data needed by staff. Tyler does not offer a true field based reporting module, which in many cases results in officers in the field returning to BPD headquarters to complete reports, taking additional time and keeping those officers off of the street. During the implementation of the TriTech CAD software it was also discovered that there is currently no agency in the US with TriTech CAD and Tyler RMS. There is some concern that the two products may not interface well, which will result in additional problems accessing CAD data from the field.
Multiple PD staff members recently attended the TriTech user conference to learn more about the CAD software and vet the proposed RMS product. After vetting the RMS product offered by TriTech, staff is convinced that most of the issues identified with the Tyler software will be corrected. The TriTech product can easily expunge data, is much more user friendly and offers a field based reporting module which will allow for the completion of reports in the field and eliminate the need for officers to complete reports at headquarters. Having both CAD and RMS software from the same vendor will result in the immediate transfer of data from CAD to RMS, which will save additional time for officers in the field. The proposed purchase additionally includes the development of a crash module which will capture traffic crash data before it is submitted to the Tennessee Integrated Traffic Analysis Network (TITAN). This will allow BPD staff the ability to search crash data for the first time.
BPD staff acknowledges that the Tyler RMS purchase was a relatively short time ago and recognizes the responsibility we have to be good stewards of taxpayer funds allocated to our department. This proposed purchase was brought about due to the more recent TriTech CAD purchase. It provides the opportunity to offer a suite of software products from the same vendor, while addressing the deficiencies identified with the Tyler software and making staff more efficient and effective.
Funds for this purchase are not available in the current General Fund or Capital Projects Fund budgets. Instead, BPD proposes to fund the entire project using available asset forfeiture funds that can only be used for one-time police related purchases or projects. The cost of the proposal from TriTech is $295,675.44 through GSA contract pricing. Purchasing through the GSA contract is authorized under state law and complies with competitive bidding requirements. Annual maintenance costs are expected to be $22,684.72. There is a potential discount on the purchase using a credit from the original CAD purchase. If approved, this options will be explored by staff as the project progresses. The existing Tyler Court and Brazos e-citation software will not be affected by this purchase.
Staff recommends approval of the agreement with TriTech Software Systems for police records management software. We believe this purchase will result in a substantial improvement to the service delivery to the citizens of Brentwood. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact the Chief of Police. |