POSS Provides the Atlantic County (NJ) Department of Public Safety a Substantial Cost Savings
Imagine you are responsible for safe, humane and secure housing for 1,200 inmates and the scheduling of nearly 250 officers and civilians charged with their care. Now, imagine the frustration of daily scheduling problems for this operation: five officers standing at your door for overtime that was posted in error, numerous calls to and from payroll to verify information, time delays, payroll errors, etc. To make matters worse, the entire process is also time-consuming and tedious.
That was “then”; this is “now”.
Today, Captain Sean Thomas has a flexible, user-friendly time and attendance system at his disposal: the Police Officer Scheduling System™ [POSS]. He can better plan work schedules and training, a full year in advance, if necessary. Scheduling errors (which used to total as many as five per shift) are down to one per quarter (if any) with POSS. He can quickly access the information necessary to better manage his department, such as staffing ratios, staffing criteria per shift, long term reviews of staffing, overtime breakouts, etc. Taxpayers also benefited from the ability to reassign 1.5 headcount from the payroll department to other functions. This has resulted in savings of more than $70,000 per year, including salaries and benefits. Officers appreciate the ability to quickly and easily check their vacation status using the POSSWeb capability from either their home or from the computers located at various places at the facility. Overtime scheduling problems are also a thing of the past. In fact, according to Captain Thomas, “the POSS has more than paid for itself just in managing overtime”.
How did they get from “then” to “now”?
Charged with finding a solution to the department’s scheduling dilemma, Captain Thomas undertook extensive research. In addition to police departments, he contacted several other types of 24 X 7 operations, including hospitals and nursing homes. In evaluating available scheduling systems, he found them far too inflexible for his needs, “I can’t change the way I do business for a piece of software”. Fortunately, he found POSS from Visual Computer Solutions. VCS’ founder, Guy DiMemmo, closely worked with him to provide a system that was customized to his specific needs. Guy also worked with the department’s IT organization to ensure that the installation went smoothly. The personal attention he received was also important to Captain Thomas. “The other companies are huge, and you got the feeling that they’re huge. You get that ‘down-home’ friendly feeling with Guy.” He also found the system so easy to use that he trained himself within a few hours (prior to the scheduled formal training). New users have had the similar experiences.
Would Captain Thomas recommend POSS to others?
“Absolutely! I often find myself at industry gatherings where scheduling problems are a common complaint. I’m quick to point out that ‘I have the solution’. It’s been a God-send.”
"POSS, a user friendly, easily customizable program, has allowed us to eliminate several steps in our scheduling, leave accounting, and payroll procedures.”
-Lt. George Meyer
Hopewell Township Police Department