San Luis Obispo County just approved $3 million to upgrade the sheriff’s office’s data management system.
"It’s a lot of money and robust systems require a lot of money," said Sheriff Ian Parkinson.
Officials say the current system, used for daily operations on patrol and in the jail, has been failing for years.
It’s a project that’s been in the works for years, according to Sheriff Parkinson. The program will track inmates and crime data, some of which will be available to the public in what will be an upgraded crime mapping system.
"We want live data, we want good data going to the public. That way you can look up crime in a particular neighborhood that maybe you want to move to," Parkinson added.
Local agencies like the Pismo Beach Police Department are hoping to join the program, which will increase communication between departments.
"Right now, the folks on the street and our detectives’ bureaus are fantastic at sharing information verbally, but it’s not at our fingertips," said Chief Jake Miller, Pismo Beach Police Department.
Having county-wide data could mean getting ahead of crime before it hits, according to Chief Miller.
"As we move towards the intelligence-led policing, we would like to join that with evidence-based policing," Chief Miller said. "At some point, as we start looking at the data, we can start predicting where these crimes are going to happen or somehow change behavior or modes of police models so that hopefully we can solve crime before it happens."
Officials with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office says every law enforcement agency in the county is interested in tapping into the system, which could be years away.
The $3 million will come out of an automation fund which is part of the county budget system.
