POSS Improves Efficiency and Effectiveness for the Trenton Police Department
The Trenton (NJ) Police Department is comprised of more than 500 officers and civilian personnel located in three separate sites. More than two hundred years old, it serves the capital of the country’s most densely populated state. To the bureau commanders charged with officer and support staff scheduling, the manual process they were using must have seemed reminiscent of that era.
Scheduling Problems and More
Although spreadsheet-based, operating their system was “ponderous” and required an inordinate amount of each bureau commander’s time. It also was prone to errors. According to a Trenton PD representative, “Anytime you’re doing that much detailed work, you’re creating mistakes”. For example, sometimes they would find themselves a man short on the street; other times, an officer would be assigned twice to the same shift. The need to provide staffing data to the payroll department was yet another time-consuming, tedious and error-prone operation. Perhaps, most importantly, they were unable to supply Police Director Joseph Santiago the information he needed to better allocate the department’s resources to problem areas in the city.
Caveat Emptor
Seeking a resolution to these problems, the Trenton PD acquired a computer system specifically designed for police department scheduling. Unfortunately, it failed to work as advertised. Last year, they began searching for a system that would meet their two major objectives, flexibility and ease of use. “If it’s not easy, they’re not going to use it. Some of the systems out there are cumbersome”, stated a Trenton PD representative.
How POSS Improves the Trenton PD’s Efficiency
Late last year, the Trenton PD acquired the Police Officer Scheduling System (POSS) from Visual Computer Solutions. They finally had what they needed - a system that allowed them to schedule as they wanted, not conform to someone else’s ideas about how they should operate. Although only months old, the system is routinely being used by officers in more than 100 car-mounted mobile computers and 50 computers located at various sites. According to the Trenton PD, “The time spent scheduling has been cut by 75%.” Not only did it greatly improve the efficiency of the scheduling process, it “cleaned up our tracking of vacation time and overtime hours, plus allowed us to get a better handle on sick time. Further, we are also able to detect patterns of absenteeism – these reports are just a click away.
How POSS Improves the Trenton PD’s Effectiveness
POSS has also allowed the Trenton PD to be more effective. Police Director Santiago is committed to using data to focus department resources, maximizing their impact on the city. POSS gives them a tight handle on the numbers required for effective staffing - questions can now be answered with the stroke of a computer key. According to a department spokesperson, “POSS makes it easier to put those things together. We’re generating a ton of reports. We’ve never had this capability before and it’s really allowed us to make a difference.
Continuous Improvement
The Trenton PD especially appreciates the way POSS is routinely enhanced, incorporating improvements suggested by police departments throughout the country, including themselves. For example, they will soon employ an automated payroll link that will further improve the department’s efficiency.
Outstanding Service
With respect to VCS-provided support, according to the Trenton PD, “the installation was flawless and the customer service is as good as the product itself. I make a phone call and they get back to me right away. Training is very easy - we use the system-provided Quick Start notes to help bring new users onboard. We recommend the system highly because it’s easy to use and does what’s advertised. The support is responsive and they’re always looking to come up with new ideas and enhancements. They’ve been a pleasure to work with.
"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