Columbus Police Department trains for upgraded report-writing system

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The Columbus Police Department is getting a technology upgrade. The new software will streamline reports and record-keeping.

It will also allow the department to better share information with E911, the District Attorney’s Office, and the courts.

Columbus Police Chief Joseph Daughtry said this is a way for the department to head in the right direction.

“We’re fulfilling our promise of getting this department into the current century,” Daughtry said.

Currently, the department uses several different systems to file a single report.

Now, all that information will be in one area and easily accessible.

“We came up with one software, ADSI that everybody can use from dispatch all the way to when it goes to court. With the current system, all reports are made at the police department. The new software will allow officers to stay on patrol, and reduce a paper trail,” Daughtry said.

While the new system may be virtual, its roots are connected close to home.

“It’s completely in the cloud, it’s secured at Mississippi State University. So, it’s a locally based company out of Mississippi,” Daughtry said.

The upgrades in the office could lead to upgrades in the field as well.

“Hopefully in the very near future officers will have computers in their cars so officers will be able to stay on their beats and do their reports. If an officer needs to correct a report a supervisor will just be able to send a message and they can just correct it in their car,” Daughtry said.

That means less time traveling back to headquarters and more time keeping the streets safe.

Daughtry said they hope to switch over to the new system as soon as possible so the training will be fresh to the officers.

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