Hermitage Police Department replaces reporting system
Dec. 13—HERMITAGE — For about 20 years, the Hermitage Police Department's officers — like most police officers across Mercer County — have used the Visual Alert report management system.
But with the company behind Visual Alert phasing out the system, Hermitage police are switching to a new system, thanks to a state grant, Hermitage police Chief Adam Piccirillo said.
"Visual Alert did and still does meet our needs, but with the system going away, we had to look into a new reporting system, and we're certainly not the only department in that boat," Piccirillo said.
The new report management system, made by Motorola, is the same system already used by Mercer County 911's dispatch center, which will allow for greater integration between dispatch and the department's system, Piccirillo said.
"When we have incidents, it'll be so much more incredibly efficient for us," he said.
To implement Motorola's system with the Hermitage Police Department, Piccirillo said police officials will receive the system's software, a new server and training.
The changeover will also include 17 Panasonic Toughbooks, a ruggedized laptop that can be used in the department's cruisers. Each of the department's criminal investigators will also have an assigned laptop that can be used in the field or in the office.
While Hermitage police officers have been using regular laptops in their cruisers for about 12 years, Panasonic Toughbooks are often used by military and law enforcement agencies due to their ability to withstand extreme temperatures and other factors, Piccirillo said.
"Our current laptops get the job done, but they're not built for remaining in the car," Piccirillo said. "You can have intensely hot or cold temperatures, or the vibrations of the car, so we've had a few breakages at times with the computers."
The costs for the Motorola system's software, server, training and Toughbooks amount to about $520,000 — all covered through a grant awarded late last year by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, Piccirillo said.
The efforts to secure the grant — as well as researching different systems and equipment, and getting quotes from vendors — were spearheaded by the two Hermitage officers, Det. Derek Songer and Officer Brad Davis.
Piccirillo thanked Songer and Davis for their efforts, since buying the new system and equipment would have been "incredibly difficult" without the grant to cover the project's costs.
"They were absolutely instrumental in this," Piccirillo said of Songer and Davis.
The new Toughbook laptops are already in use, and the Motorola report management system is expected to by fully implemented by mid-April, Piccirillo said.
Like David L. Dye on Facebook or email him at .
Like David L. Dye on Facebook or email him at ddye@sharonherald.com.
