Lake County law enforcement to update records management system

The Lake County Chiefs of Police, in partnership with Administrative Consulting Services of Algonquin, have recently negotiated with Tyler Technologies of Lubbock, Texas, and Quicket Solutions of Champaign to offer all Lake County law enforcement agencies the opportunity to enhance their records management efficiencies toward an electronic data exchange system.

The deal is a result of a two-year process that included a comprehensive Request for Information and a Request for Proposals from companies all over the country. Working closely with the circuit clerk's office and Chief Judge Jorge Ortiz, Lake County law enforcement will now be able to select one of the chosen vendors and pre-negotiated pricing to automate their citations. The process allows an officer to issue a citation to drivers using a printer and thermal paper stock within their patrol vehicles and then electronically transmit that data to their record management systems and ultimately to the office of circuit clerk.

This electronic platform will allow both the circuit clerk and the Lake County Court systems to utilize that data once they are prepared to fully accept it. Moving from the traditional handwritten citation to an electronic format presents a number of advantages to law enforcement, including safer stops for police officers, reduced staff hours, and more legible citations. This project was headed by Chief Steve Balinski of Kildeer, Chief Mark Fleischhauer of Vernon Hills and Chief Eric Guenther of Mundelein.

"This is a wonderful example of what Lake County Law Enforcement can do it when it works toward a common goal, this successful partnership serves as an example of how law enforcement should be functioning in the future," Guenther said.

"This collaborative effort of the Lake County Chiefs Association and the Lake County Judicial System resulted in a date exchange program that will enhance the way we do business in Lake County by the electronic data exchange program that will promote system accuracy, reduce staff time and promote officer safety," Balinski said.

This program is underway as each municipality works with one of the selected companies. Agencies are expected to start transmitting the data in the next six to eight weeks. For information, call Chief Steve Balinski, at (847) 438-6644; Chief Mark Fleischhauer, at (847) 362-4449; or Chief Eric Guenther, at (847) 968-3775.