Grant a boon to electronic case management

DENVER — Though the state skipped over Montrose when disbursing $16.5 million in federal funds for law enforcement projects, the local judicial district stands to benefit from money awarded to a statewide project.

The Colorado District Attorneys' Council snagged a $250,000 award to help improve the "ACTION" computer application used for case management.

The funds came from Colorado's share of the 2009 Recovery Act Justice Assistance Grant. A state advisory board in July ranked funding requests from more than 200 applicants before passing along recommendations to Gov. Bill Ritter.

The ACTION computer program helps generate the complaint and information in a criminal case, tracks the case through court dates and, ultimately, records how the case was resolved, Colorado District Attorneys' Council Executive Director Ted Tow said.

Use of the application is voluntary and the Seventh Judicial District — comprised of Montrose, Delta, Gunnison, Ouray, San Miguel and Hinsdale counties — uses ACTION.

Tow said the program is also the conduit through which a district attorney's information on felony cases gets into the Criminal Justice Information Services, or CJIS system. CJIS is also moving toward sharing similar information on misdemeanor cases.

Additionally, Tow said, pilot programs are in the works, such as one in Weld County that uses ACTION and compatible computer programs to electronically receive patrol officers' tickets.

"The ultimate goal is single data entry throughout the (CJIS) system," Tow said. "ACTION is one of the spokes in the wheels of CJIS, but it also benefits the individual (agency)."

Tow said more than one study has shown that, the more integrated records are, the better public safety is — a benefit for everyone — and that keeping track of multiple cases in multiple agencies through ACTION improves agency efficiency.

According to the project description provided the state, the $250,000 award will help rural counties that do not have the tax base to support the development of the ACTION system.

The project description states rural areas that are understaffed could benefit from technology-based system improvements that would make their daily duties more efficient and less reliant on manual entry. The grant application addressed making such improvements statewide.

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