Numbers at a glance:
105 Sworn Officers 55 Civilians Staff CFA Accredited
Tammie Jacobs is the accreditation coordinator at the North Port Police Department in Florida, and she manages the department’s accreditation process by herself.
Thanks to PowerDMS, Jacobs’s one-woman accreditation team can keep documents and information organized in a simple and secure manner.
Jacobs and the North Port PD have been using PowerDMS since 2010, and Jacobs says the software has been a huge blessing for the department, completely transforming the way it operates.
The department uses PowerDMS to store policy manuals, standard operating procedures, training presentations, training evaluations, reports and other vital information. Instead of having these documents scattered throughout the office, the information is now accessible in one, central location everyone can easily access. Additionally, the training department has been able to send out refresher trainings like BBP online so they can use critical class time for hands-on training. Since the North Port PD started using PowerDMS, the software greatly improved department communication, reduced training and paper costs and simplified the overall accreditation process.
Distribute information quickly and easily online
One of PowerDMS’s biggest benefits to Jacobs and the North Port PD is its ease of use. Before converting to PowerDMS’s electronic system, Jacobs spent a lot of time distributing and tracking down paper documents. If she needed to inform the department of a new policy change, she’d have to print hundreds of physical copies of the updated policy, make sure every officer received a copy, then wait for officers to sign off on the change and return the signed versions.
On top of the immense time requirement, Jacobs also had to laboriously keep track of hundreds of sheets of paper. Now, Jacob's can distribute information quickly and easily online through PowerDMS. When Jacobs publishes a new document, it becomes available to everyone in the department immediately. Officers receive a notification of the update, and they can review and sign off on the documents electronically. With this process, Jacobs spends her time more efficiently instead of using it to print copies, track down officers and file paperwork.
Prior to PowerDMS, tracking policies and training was extremely difficult and a huge headache. Moving to PowerDMS we are now able to pull reports and get information at our fingertips with a click of a button. It has saved us so much time and energy, I love it!
In addition to the time savings and efficiency gains, PowerDMS also saved the North Port PD thousands of dollars in paper costs. From using PowerDMS, the North Port PD has saved more than $11,000 in printing costs alone.
By making everything electronic and improving communication across the department, PowerDMS has made the accreditation process more streamlined and much simpler for Jacobs. In 2015, the North Port PD received Excelsior Recognition for 15 years of accreditation with no conditions.
Jacobs thanks PowerDMS for helping the department stay on track and maintain its high standards to achieve the highest level of recognition within the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation.
Policies and other critical documents were scattered around the department
Critical documents are centrally located and can be accessed anywhere, anytime