Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Computers Installed

There are two new computers at the Nevada County Sheriff's Office.

Nevada County Sheriff Steve Otwell began working to obtain these two computers several months ago. The computers will be used for record keeping and management.

Information will be entered into these computers from the Prescott Municipal Court and the Prescott Police Department. This will be done to help save time and to assist officers in the field as they check backgrounds of those they have stopped or are investigating. In addition, the computers will help find those who owe money on outstanding fines.

One of the most important potentials the computers will have, according to information from the NCSO, is saving response time on emergency calls.

Deputies, the release states, began gathering data on who lives where and on which county road, along with how every individual can be contacted much like a 9-1- 1 emergency telephone system.

This method, Otwell said, is essential for the response of every call and can be vital in life or death situations.

However, it should be pointed out this is not a 9-1-1 emergency system, but could be an important step in Nevada County becoming a part of the 9-1-1 network.

As the information is computerized, the NCSO will have the capability of retrieving charts showing the month, day, time and location of a particular criminal activity which has occurred during any given period of time to alert the department to the areas most needing to be patrolled as to avoiding the possible reoccurrence of crimes.

"There is just so much potential here for these computers," he said, "it's amazing to me what they will allow us to do in our continuous efforts to fight crime here in Nevada County."

The computers were purchased through the efforts of Brent Haltom, 8th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney and the Nevada County Quorum Court. Printer-Tek has been working to service the systems, while the Hempstead County Sheriff's Department technician has aided those who work on the systems.