Winder Police uses cloud-based system for accountability

Winder police use PowerDMS policy management software for training and policy and procedure management and to share updates and announcements.

December 23, 2020

Written by Matt Gasior December 6, 2016

A recent Gwinnett Daily Post article highlighted how Winder Police Department uses PowerDMS to manage policies, conduct training and hold officers accountable.

Winder PD, which serves a population of roughly 14,600 in the city of Winder, Georgia, has used PowerDMS for three years. Before the department adopted PowerDMS, Winder’s officers spent roughly 25 percent of their shift time doing paperwork or training, which took away from the time they could spend serving the community. When officers were out on patrol, they had to carry around thick binders of paper policies.

Winder police training coordinator Alicia Schotter told the Daily Post that the officers quickly bought into PowerDMS’s cloud-based system.

“The officers like it better than having to carry around a whole binder of policies,” she said. “They can access it from an app on their phone or on computers in their (patrol) cars.”

Winder PD is one of almost 2,000 organizations around the U.S. using PowerDMS to manage essential documents, training, accreditation files and more. Schotter told the Daily Post that all law enforcement agencies should use a cloud-based policy management system like PowerDMS. Not only does PowerDMS make it easier to update and send out policies to officers, it also allows departments to collect electronic signatures and track when and how officers interact with each policy.

“There’s less hassle than having to track somebody down to sign something,” Schotter said. “It keeps people held accountable for everything that is sent out.”

Having detailed records of training and policy sign-offs can help protect officers and prevent liability risks—an issue that has become increasingly important.

“Amid a national outcry for police accountability, Winder PD is taking proactive steps to address this issue,” said PowerDMS spokesman Caleb Liptak.

“Winder PD is leaps and bounds ahead of many agencies in the U.S. in this regard,” Liptak continued. “A new survey shows that 74 percent of law enforcement agencies across the U.S. lack the budget to train officers effectively—putting officers and their communities at risk.”

Liptak pointed out that using PowerDMS to make sure officers receive and read the information they need leaves them “better prepared in life-and-death situations involving use of force, high-speed pursuit and other critical policies.”

PowerDMS has helped Winder PD cut training, paperwork and storage costs. It’s allowed officers to spend more time in the field and made document management and distribution much simpler. Schotter said Winder PD recently renewed PowerDMS for another three years.

“We’ve all adapted pretty well to it,” she said. “It’s a very, very good system to have overall.”

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