Friday, August 5, 2011.
"Sheriff” magazine features innovative ideas from public safety agencies across the country each month in their "Justice Solutions” series. The July/August 2011 edition brings attention to South Dakota law enforcement and their 24/7 Sobriety Application.
Alcohol related offenses are a continuing challenge for law enforcement officials. Officers often find themselves frustrated with seeing the same repeat offenders despite fines, license suspensions, and threats of incarceration. The South Dakota Attorney General and sheriffs decided to partner up and try to end the circle using some of the latest technology available.
Zuercher Technologies, a leading public safety software provider, was chosen to provide a data collection program that was fully automated and cost effective. The program they created utilizes data from continuous alcohol monitoring (CAM) bracelets, Preliminary Breath Tests (PBT), and Urinalysis (UA). Each offender’s information is stored and tracked, including testing schedules and locations. If an offender misses an exam or fails one, a notification is sent immediately to appropriate parties.
Since its inception in 2007, the program has logged millions of tests. All of the data from these tests is available for extraction and statistical analysis, which has enabled officials to carefully monitor the success of the program. Results have been very positive, showing a lower repeat offender rate for those who participate in the program. It has also been an economical solution, since participants pay for their testing, plus countless staff hours and incarceration expenses have been cut. All financial transactions related to the testing are also automatically tracked by the software application. Each offenders account has a complete financial history and receipts can be generated from the application.
"South Dakota really was a forerunner in this technology,” stated Zuercher Technologies President Michael Zuercher. "We were privileged to be a part of such a progressive program.”
For a copy of the article, please visit the Sheriff magazine website.
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About Zuercher Technologies, LLC
Zuercher Technologies, LLC provides best of breed public safety software solutions to agencies across the U.S. under its flagship product, ledsSuite©, encompassing Computer-Aided Dispatch, Mapping, Criminal Investigations, Crime Analysis, Jail, Civil, Financial, Records, Public Administration, and Mobile CAD and Records. Founded in 2003, Zuercher Technologies is based in Sioux Falls, SD. Information about Zuercher Technologies' products and services can be found at www.zuerchertech.com.