This is a response

This is a response to an article published in the Athens Messenger of 4/27/2007.The
original text of the article can be viewed at:
http://www.athensmessenger.com

The original text is italicized and reproduced here in its entirety, minus the photo.
My comments are in the plain text.

The Athens County Sheriff's Office is busy transferring equipment to seven new cruisers,
but the cars won't be stocked with the five laptop computers the department bought for
its cruisers in 2005. In fact, the computers have yet to be used for their intended purpose.

"When we get the technical glitches worked out, we'll start using them," said Lt. Rodney Smith, who worked to get the grant to buy the computers.

There are no technical glitches. These systems have been ready for a live test since 6-27-2006.

The laptops were supposed to make it easier for deputies to complete incident reports by allowing them to fill in information at the scene and upload it onto the department's main computer system immediately.

This is incorrect. The software does not function in this manner. It never has nor did the vendor intend it to by its design. It does not do live updating in this manner and requires connectivity to the servers to integrate the data. Athens County does not have the infrastructure to run a wireless system of this nature. Such a system is not feasible with current technology due to costs as well as physical geography.

Instead of waiting until the end of their shifts to write reports, they could write them immediately or during down time wherever they were in the county, which would have let deputies spend more time on the road.

The Athens Police Department has similar equipment.

They may have similar equipment, but they do not have the same hardware nor the same software. This is an unfair comparison.

But, the software on the computers wasn't compatible with the department's report-writing software, InterBadge.

This is incorrect. The software on the laptops IS Interbadge. It is the version for laptops called Interlink.

The numbering system in the office was different from the numbering system on the computers, so if deputies started a report on the laptops, they would have no way of matching the numbers to include the information entered by the dispatchers from the 911 call.

The software resolves this. That is what it is for. This again, is an incorrect statement.

"I don't know if they're ever going to get the thing to work the way it's supposed to," Sheriff Vern Castle said.

Since they arrived, the computers have by and large not been used at all, and were stacked in a closet in the sheriff's office. Smith said he uses one and another deputy uses one to type search warrants, but they cannot be put in the cars or even used to type reports in the office.

The computers are stored not in a closet, but in the Sergeants Office, available for use at any time as authorized. This is the same room shown in the photograph used by "The Messenger". They are approximately 3 feet from where they are shown at this time. The systems work
fully when connected in the correct manner. I have not been requested to set up any training for the deputies with these systems.

Deputy Jason Kline tried out one computer in his cruiser for about two months, according to an article in the July 30, 2004, issue of The Messenger. He didn't have the upload capability, but got to see how it worked in the cruiser. The sheriff's office was happy with those computers, according to the article, but ended up buying the computers from another company, Group Mobile.

This was by their own statement a different system.


The department shelled out $26,597 to Group Mobile for five computers in January 2005, according to records in the county auditor's office. The money came from a sheriff's equipment grant fund.

I was not involved in the choice of systems nor the final decision of what to purchase. It is also my understanding that the cruisers are not set up to have a laptop installed at this time. The do not have mountings nor the power needed to run such systems.

The department's technical guru, Brian Winner, has worked on the computers, as has 911 director Doug Bentley. Bentley said he managed to set up the software, called InterLink, to create wireless access. However, without the software compatibility, deputies on patrol would have nothing usable to upload even if they could get the computers to work.

I am not a "technical guru". I am a certified network administrator, a certified support specialist, a certified InterBadge Administrator, InterCad Administrator and consultant in the fields of network design and security. I am also part owner of one of the most successful IT Companies in Southeastern Ohio. I have been a presenter at conferences (SEOMUG- 2004,ITAAO-Tigar) and have been a peer reviewer for O’Riley books. I have consulted on networks around the United States. Chief D. Bentley did not set up the wireless system nor did I fully. That was given to the support person for the courthouse. I do not know who made this decision. Once he had the hardware in place and functional, I then added Chief Bentley’s laptop system to the secure wireless network. The laptops are now configured through a secure wireless network and have been. The software IS compatible as stated before.


"But it never really got to that point, it just got to this point and stopped," Bentley said.

This reporter never contacted me at any time. My contact information is freely available from both 911 and the Sheriff’s office. My home phone number is even listed in the Athens phone book.

Be mindful and awake