New Computers for Deputies

      Mason County Sheriff Wayne Youell announced that after nearly a year of updating the sheriff’s office’s computer systems and training the staff to the new software programs, sheriff’s deputies now have the capability to prepare their incident reports from the squad car. With squad cars now equipped with laptop computers, deputies have instant access not only to the sheriff’s office’s incident reporting system, but also to up-to-date warrant lists, security checklists, mastername lists and more.

     Today, rather than returning to the sheriff’s office to prepare reports, sheriff’s deputies will remain in the field and type their incident reports into the squad car’s laptop computers. At the end of their shift, deputies will connect their laptops to the sheriff’s office’s main computer system and, within a matter of seconds, transfer the information. During the same time the incident reports are being transferred from the laptops, the sheriff’s office’s main system updates the laptops with a new arrest warrant list, security check list and mastername list.

     Sheriff Wayne Youell stated, “Being able to prepare reports from the squad car puts the Mason County Sheriff’s Office on the cutting edge of technology for incident reporting. Right now, I know of no other other sheriff’s office or police department in at least a fifty-mile radius that has this capability. I credit and applaud the Sheriff Richard Walker/Chief Deputy Leland Keith administration for being instrumental in bringing our sheriff’s office to this milestone.”

     What does this mean for the citizens of Mason County? With the ability to prepare incident reports inside their squad cars, sheriff’s deputies should be more visible throughout the county; an important step forward toward the goals of community policing and crime prevention. “Statistics show that Mason County deputies are spending a combined average of 80 hours a month preparing incident reports. Time that deputies used to spend writing reports inside the sheriff’s office, will now used more effectively in the squad car, at locations all over Mason County,” said Youell.

     The Mason County Sheriff’s Office’s new computer systems and software programs are the results of an approximated $89,000 COPS MORE grant that was acquired by the Richard Walker administration.

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