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June 9, 2000

Police department replacing failed software

By CHRISTINE COX / H-P Staff Writer

BENTON TOWNSHIP - The Benton Township Police Department is getting new software to replace a program that didn't make it through Y2K.

The township's Board of Trustees Wednesday unanimously approved a dispatch and police report software package that will cost around $10,000.

The new program will give police many computer capabilities they currently don't have, Detective Lt. Delmar Lange told the board.

Some of the highlights of the program are to retrieving information in several categories, providing programs for keeping track of property and state statistical recording, Lange said.

The developer, Alliance Software of Holland, added many features to the package that will cater specifically to Benton Township's needs.

Another selling point on the program is that Alliance Software is nearby in case of problems or questions, Lange said.

He expected to order the software Thursday and have it installed and ready to go in about a month.

The department's 6-year-old ALES (Alliance Law Enforcement Software) program crashed at the beginning of the year.

Since then, police have used a temporary program called Gold Shield.

That program was only meant as a Band-Aid until a permanent package was found, Lange said.

The Herald Palladium

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