http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20150213/NEWS02/702139911
Published February 13, 2015 in the Rutland Herald
Project ACTION seeks software to map crime
By SUSAN SMALLHEER
Staff Writer
SPRINGFIELD — Project ACTION wants to launch a community effort to raise $5,000 to pay for a computer software program that will allow the Springfield Police Department to map crime incidents in town.
The Crime and Safety Committee of the Springfield group met Thursday in the visitors’ room at the Southeastern Vermont Correctional Center to discuss concrete goals for the group.
Wendi Germain of the Springfield Justice Center suggested the fundraising drive, since the money for the mapping program was not included in the police department budget.
Germain said she believed the money could be raised quickly in the community, once it was clear that the computer mapping program was needed.
Springfield Police Chief Douglas Johnston said the computer program would save manpower at the police department, and would be more efficient rather than relying on analyzing Excel spreadsheets about crime in Springfield.
The key, the chief said, was making sure the data about the crime incidents was entered into the computer system.
He said the level of detail included in the computer program was important to the police: date and time, not just location and people involved.
Those patterns are important, he said.
The group agreed to get a copy of the Rutland police computer system to see just how valuable it is.
Springfield is following the lead of former Rutland Police Chief James Baker, who had suggested the computer system during a forum in Springfield last November. Rutland experienced success with a similar computer software, he said.
Germain said several hundred dollars were donated at that meeting as a start and Jeff Mobus, the town comptroller, had set up a special account for the donations.
The amount needed for the software is relatively modest, and probably wouldn’t be worth the trouble of applying for a federal grant, said Haley Pero, a staff member with Sen. Bernard Sanders, I-Vt.
After the meeting, Springfield Select Board Chairman Kristi Morris said the money had been requested by the police chief for the 2015-16 town budget, but it wasn’t included.
The feeling during budget talks, he said, was, the money would be raised independently.
During the meeting, Morris had said that people question the necessity of a computer program for a town the size of Springfield, and it was important to tell people why it was necessary.
The Project ACTION subcommittee also discussed the links between crime and mental illness in Springfield.
Said Mark Potanas, superintendent of the Springfield state prison, two jails — Cook County Jail and the Los Angeles County Jail — were the “two largest mental health facilities in the country.”
Sounds kind of expensive for a small town like Springfield. Sure maybe the software would allow the computer in police cars to have access to the information but couldn't an excel spreadsheet or a paper map with marks on it do the job ? Just update the map and make copies.....
ReplyDeleteA good point, 1:54. Can the software do something a pushpin can't?
ReplyDeleteThis is just the beginning of another do nothing program. Yup there was an incident on Clinton St, and another on Summer St, and another on Main St....Boy am I glad I got some software to tell me there were three incidents yesterday...now what do I do that that info....I know, lets hire an IT specialist to crunch the numbers for us....then lets get a committee together to have the IT specialist put on a presentation about the data collected...then lets hire an assistant IT specialist to assist the IT specialist...Now we have spent many hours going over the data and paying someone to tell us we had three incidents. This should work out just fine.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was rejected because it wasn't needed. Where did Kristi Morris come up with the private funding reason?
ReplyDeleteRegardless of whether this particular action makes any sense for Springfield, actually taking any action is a step forward for ACTION. So try to cut them a little slack, they are not used to taking any action.
ReplyDeleteGeorge, you seem to have a lot of common sense, so tell me, do you think Springfield needs a data tracking and mapping program to tell the PD department where in town to focus its energies on? Data input must already be in some type of software program now and I would think as long as the data is put in right it could be sorted to give the PD what they want.
DeleteBut tell me, don't we already know where the problem areas are already? Answer Yes we do.
George:
Delete"They are not used to taking any action" ???
Well they are certainly doing a good thing and I thank them.
But they should at lease get used to getting some common sense.
No Anonymous 8:39 PM, I don't think it is really needed, but as long as the Town is not expected to pay some type of annual maintenance fee or pay a consultant to install it, I don't think it will do any harm. On the other hand, getting a specific proposal out of ACTION to do anything other than talk and say its a community problem and the community has to fix it, has been rather difficult. They have been told several times that they needed to propose some actual concrete action, but they haven't done so. So I think we should give Wendi Germain some credit for at least getting a specific action push through.
DeleteThank you and I think you are right with your reasoning.
Delete"getting a specific proposal out of ACTION to do anything other than talk..."
DeleteMuch like the Springfield Select Board, right, George?
Anonymous 2:56, Yes it certainly feels like that at times, it has been something of a Town-wide leadership affliction, very hard to get and keep things moving forward with specific action. But, I think things are changing in that regard, people are starting to get tired of the never ending talk. There are some ballot items on this year's ballot which are really geared to determine whether the citizens are ready to fish or are content with continuous bait cutting.
DeleteIt is funny when the select board tried to take action with the rental registry it was repealed by the residents.
DeleteWhen an action to improve the commercial tax base was taken it was batted down by a select few residents.
I am not sure the residents of this community want action or movement forward.
I would think by now the author of this article would know the prison in Springfield is the Southern State Correctional facility not the Southeastern Vermont Correctional Center. It really isn't hard.
ReplyDeleteOoooooooo, but isn't that a key difference! You should have just stopped after the words "the prison in Springfield".
DeleteGreat! Another IT tool that will keep the SPD distracted - gathered around their computers and tossing statistics around the squad room instead of being out on the streets and deployed in the neighborhoods where drugs and crime have been running rampant for years. Typical of our society's growing fascination with electronic gadgets through which too many now lead vicarious lives. Enough with the electronic eye candy. Put some damn boots on the ground and hammer the perps.
ReplyDelete