The police department is moving its operations out of the paper age. The borough assembly voted unanimously Dec. 16 to approve $68,472 for new software following a critical technology failure.

Police Chief Gene Meek told the assembly that a recent “perfect storm” crippled the department’s capabilities. A server crash destroyed the motherboard. While IT staff migrated some data to the cloud, the crash wiped out the department’s records management system.

The loss was significant. The system held records dating back to 2001.

“All those records are gone,” Meek said. “We have paper copies, but it’s a very difficult system to look up things without a name or a time.”

Making matters worse, the original vendor for the old system no longer exists. The department cannot get technical support or access codes to fix it.

The new contract with law enforcement software company EFORCE will replace the broken system. It includes both a records management system and computer-aided dispatch software.

Meek emphasized the need for modernization. He said officers currently process evidence using obsolete technology.

“Our current evidence management is still done on a typewriter,” Meek said. “The officer gets an evidence card back, he goes in, he finds the evidence, he puts it into a typewriter.”

The new system uses scannable codes instead. It will also allow dispatchers to send instant notifications to fire and police via smartphones. Meek said he first became acquainted with EFORCE and its system while working in Colorado in 2019.

The price tag is a bargain compared to competitors, the chief said. Meek said he shopped around with the International Association of Chiefs of Police. He found that a similar system from another law enforcement software supplier, Axon, cost nearly $200,000. A partnership with Petersburg using Motorola software would have cost about $175,000.

Assembly Member Jim DeBord joked about the department’s outdated equipment.

“We’ll make sure the museum gets a typewriter,” DeBord said.

Meek replied that he had already thrown out about 20 broken typewriters found in storage.

The new software is expected to go live by February. EFORCE will fly a representative to Wrangell to train officers and dispatchers. The system will require an annual fee of approximately $8,000 after the initial setup.

He said another benefit is the new software will also allow for enhanced emergency medical dispatch, which will enable first responders to more quickly receive the most accurate information when going out on a call.

Meek assured the assembly that the new tools would bring the department up to date.

“This is what we need,” Meek said. “This is what’s going to push us forward out of the 20th century to the 21st.”