The Chattanooga City Council today will consider $350,342 in costs associated with technology and training for the Chattanooga Police Department.
Of that total, $273,524 amounts to annual records maintenance and subscription and support for IBM COPLINK, a law enforcement data-sharing network. The relocation of a massive trailer from Amnicola Highway to the Moccasin Bend Firing Range for training needs accounts for the remaining balance of $76,818 in expenditures.
Targets once powered by electricity, no longer move Thursday, September 3, 2015 at the police firing range on Moccasin Bend Road.A $255,940 records maintenance agreement with Tritrech Software comprises the biggest-ticket item for consideration.
Kyle Miller, communications coordinator for the Chattanooga Police Department, said the maintenance agreement does not represent an increase over last year's cost.
The police department considers COPLINK, the other technology subscription budget item, a great resource, Miller said.
IBM says the software helps law enforcement organizations improve officer safety, shorten crime-solving time and disrupt crime "by organizing and providing tactical, strategic and command-level access to vast quantities to seemingly unrelated data." Users can access the system through mobile devices.
Chattanooga has used the program for 10 years, sharing with several law enforcement agencies in Hamilton and Bradley counties during that time, Miller said.
The member organizations have agreed to a cost-sharing plan to split the $32,563 annual cost, with Chattanooga's portion amounting to $17,584 for 486 users.
The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office will pay $5,969 for its 165 users. The Cleveland Police Department and the Bradley County Sheriff's Office will pay a combined $7,054 for nearly 200 users. Police departments in Signal Mountain, East Ridge and Red Bank also participate in the program, contributing a combined total of $2,747 for 76 users.
The trailer relocation serves as part of a joint program of improvements for the Moccasin Bend Firing Range by the police department and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, Miller said.
Last fall, Chattanooga Police Department Chief Fred Fletcher cited concerns that rust-covered targets that no longer move could impact the department's ability to maintain state and federal standards.
"We could easily come out of compliance, and we could fail to exist as a police department," Fletcher said.
The trailer, which has been used as a wellness center, will offer classroom spaces and can be used for other training, Miller said.
Contact staff writer Paul Leach at 423-757-6481 or pleach@timesfreepress.com. Follow on Twitter @pleach_tfp.