The Sacramento Sheriff's Department says it is upgrading a computer system that could allow it do a better job tracking use of force by its deputies.
The department has been phasing in the "Blue Team" program produced by the company I-A PRO. Captain R.L. Davis is Commander of the Professional Standards Division for the department.
He says the sheriff's office wants faster access to deputy performance including use of force, vehicle crashes, complaints and commendations.
"We've had IA PRO. What we didn't have was the Blue Team. That's where we're trying to go with our system to where it's now more a push of the button. 'Oh, Bobby Davis did this.' Push a button and boom, it pulls up everything that I was associated with."
Last year, Capital Public Radio requested use-of-force data from 22 law enforcement agencies between Yuba City and Modesto. Some departments produced detailed reports within days. Sacramento County took six months. Sheriff Scott Jones created a team to address the delay.
Davis says the department will be faster and more efficient when "Blue Team" is fully operational.
"In the past, if I get into a use-of-force situation, then I write a report. Once that report is approved then it goes to the division, then it goes to internal affairs if it's a use of force that is questioned, and then, say it's a shooting, well, then it goes to the range. Well, then we're going to have at least three different locations where this report has gone in different variations of the data that's collected."
Davis says there isn't a timeframe for getting Blue Team to work with all of the department's divisions and its forms, only that he hopes it's soon.
The program costs about $75,000.
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