Ozark Police Department's Computer Illiteracy Costing Ozark Residents More Money

Two years ago, the Ozark Police Department in Ozark, Missouri decided it was about time to computerize their records. I know, it was 2009...

Anyway, they obviously bought a system that wasn't well researched and not user-friendly, which further set back city time and money, and of course made the city look quite backwards as well. Unknown to me, they sued the computer software company for lack of training. I hope the Ozark Police Department lost, because having spent almost two decades in the computer industry, lack of training is a pathetic excuse. I haven't known a software company yet that doesn't offer support that focuses on keeping users. If there is a will in front of the computer, there is a way to train even granted that some systems are easier to use than others.

The Christian County Headliner writes:

“They (Ozark Police Department) paid $88,000, got caught up in a lawsuit and the police chief blamed it on the training,” he said.
And according to court documents, the software firm blamed it on the police department for not having qualified people operate the system and not being responsive to training sessions.

“There was no way to prove that the system didn’t work,” Collignon said. “We would have had to hire an expert to prove it wasn’t working. Their claim was it worked, it was your people. It would have cost probably as much for an expert as it ultimately cost us to settle the case.”

Having worked in the software industry, I tend to think the latter was probably the case. If I only had a dollar for every time someone I trained on software had their mind in another direction.

So I am reminded of this great computer embarrassment once again today as it appears the Ozark Police Department has received federal dollars to purchase another computer system at a higher price that is going to have a huge reoccurring cost the local taxpayers. In fact the residual cost to the taxpayer is going to further crunch the department, which is already hurting for cash. The computer illiteracy of the Ozark Police Department has started some fingers pointing at City Hall.

Hodges said the integrated system that is “user-friendly” will let officers write reports without spending time in the office and it eliminates “a lot of paper.”

But it was still a decision that puzzled City Administrator Steve Childers who said he thought staffing was the main priority for the department.

“Now it is not about a police officer anymore, it is about a records management system,” Childers said. “Now it is a $105,000 purchase of software.”

Childers said the department will buy the CODY Records Management System with federal forfeiture funds, but its annual maintenance cost must come from the city’s already-strapped general revenue fund.

“It won’t cost any money this year,” he said. “But there is a $17,000 annual maintenance cost.”
Mayor Bradley Jackson also said he thought the department needed another officer, in addition to the one the department recently hired, rather than “software.”

“There was such a loud cry for another officer,” he said. “Now that is put on hold.”

That “loud cry” was played out in public several weeks ago at a Board of Aldermen meeting when officers appealed directly to the aldermen rather than Childers, Hodges’ direct supervisor, to fill a vacancy. The board agreed, but the process angered Jackson and an ugly confrontation ensued that eventually played out in the media.

And so is life with the teenage boy tasering Keystone cops of Ozark, Missouri, who still can't give any kind of insight to the Ozark Dodge murder from over two years ago. They have proven again they are not very responsible with taxpayers money as they have been embarrassed by purchasing a computer system obviously without doing much research, like calling around the state of Missouri asking for recommendations at the ultimate cost to taxpayers. This time it's catching up with them.