Sheriff’s Dept. Trying Laptops in Patrol Cars

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department is embarking on a pilot program that will make it the first law enforcement agency in Ventura County to use laptop computers to fill out police reports.

Fifty sheriff’s personnel are taking part in the $60,000 pilot program that is scheduled to run through January.

Officials say they hope to increase the number of computers from 10 to nearly 120, eventually stocking each Sheriff’s Department car with the computers.

Although the cost of having a new computer system, including desk computers and the 120 laptops, is estimated at $600,000, sheriff’s officials say it would be money well spent.

Using computers will significantly decrease the amount of time officers spend filling out police reports and increase their time on the field, Capt. Lary Reynolds said.

The computerized information will also help create an efficient network of information for law enforcement officials, Reynolds said.

“This is real important for us,” he said. “It’s really setting up the future for us.”

Deputies will be taught how to fill out incident reports on a laptop computer in their cars, rather than filling out nearly half a dozen police report information sheets.

The software program, designed by Impact Solutions, is used by several law enforcement agencies, including the San Diego Sheriff’s Department and the Orange Police Department, officials said.

The program resembles a police report sheet on which deputies can fill out information detailing the incident, including the names of suspects, victims and witnesses.

Teaching some of the old-timers has been a bit challenging, said Deputy Robert Davidson, one of the volunteer instructors. But most of the deputies have embraced the change, he said.

“It’s a different approach to police reporting,” Davidson said. “So people have to get used to that.”