MU Police switch to new computers

The MU Police Department retired a 23-year veteran and replaced it with $250,000 rookie last month.

The department’s new computer system from New World Systems came online June 20 and replaced the department’s Sunguard HTE system, which was installed in 1982.

The new computer system will save time by making access to records more simple and by allowing officers to use their computers more while on patrol, Richardson said.

“We kept the old system due to financial reasons,” Capt. Scott Richardson said. “We were not able to go forward with the project.”

During the past 23 years, upgrades were made to the system, but this was the first time the entire system was replaced.

“(The new system) allows officers to spend less time in the office and more time patrolling the campus,” Richardson said.

Before MUPD purchased the system, officers went to Notre Dame University and Northwestern University to see how it worked on a college campus.

Northwestern University Police Department said it has had the computer system since May 2003, and they are quite happy with it, assistant director Merrill Silverman said.

“Overall, we consider it a solid solution,” he said. “It gets the officer back on the street sooner,” he said.

MUPD officers are also able to spend more time on the street because they are able to write incident reports and send them wirelessly to the station. They can also access other information on the computer system, such as mug shots, from their cars.

The new computer system now does jobs officers used to do by hand. An officer used to map out where all crime occurred on campus. Now, it is done automatically by computers.

The system “saves an incredible amount of time,” Richardson said.

Since the introduction of the system, officers spend less time looking for the information they need, Richardson said.

“You don’t have to go to two or three different (places) to get the same conclusion,” he said.