Bringing a County Police Department to the Digital Age with collectiveQuartermaster

About the Client

Chatham County Police Department was established in 1912 to serve the unincorporated areas of Chatham County in Georgia. After serving in this capacity for almost 100 years, in 2005, the Department merged with the City of Savannah police Department to ease police operations in the area and eliminate the duplication of services. However, in 2017, the Savannah City Council voted to end this merger, and on February 1. 2018, Chatham County Police Department returned to its original form, a policing entity for those living outside the city limits of Savannah.  

Now, this was not completed overnight. Everything had to be rebuilt from scratch, hiring a police force, acquiring vehicles, equipment, etc. Policies were quickly written up, support services established, and software systems put online to allow officers to do their job. The department grew and prospered over the years, adding more specialized units (Forensics, SWAT, K9, etc.) which meant more equipment, uniforms, and technology that the current patchwork inventory system had trouble keeping up with. By the time they hired a Quartermaster in 2020, it was well known that the current system had to be replaced. A search for a new inventory system had begun.

The Challenge

The inventory software the old Quartermaster unit was working with was a patch work system that was an add on to the computer system the department was using for records, ticketing, and reports. It was very basic, and not user-friendly at all. For example, to add something new to the current inventory you had to enter each item one at a time. This was fine if you had one item, but if you had 50 to 100 items, it was a nightmare. There was no way to update the software as it was an afterthought to the system. 

The Solution

Collective Data won over the evaluation committee with its focus on law enforcement and its needs and its ease of use. The price was just right, and Collective Data could do everything and more that they needed. Collective Data won the bid for the contract over 2 other companies, and in February 2023, the county signed the contract with Collective Data and the process to get them into the Digital Age began. Our team listened to Chatham County’s needs and configured the system to do everything they needed it to do, with options to expand if needed. Our IT team worked closely with the county’s team to get their system up and running without issue. 

A note from Chatham County Police Department’s Quartermaster 

 “I’m so glad Collective Data reached out to us, and we were able to hop onboard. The ease of operation, the user-friendly aspect of the software is what truly sold me from the beginning, as well as knowing what a police department truly needs when it comes to inventory software. What used to take hours to do on our old system now takes mere minutes to accomplish. The ability to generate reports on a variety of subjects in seconds is amazing, and it makes my job so much easier when the Chiefs come to me with questions or the need for numbers on this or that ASAP. The training staff are top notch and made sure we knew the software inside and out before we were ready to be cut loose and work on our own. They worked with our schedules and were so helpful if we needed extra time to go over something. If I have issues or something pops up, they are only an email or phone call away, and they get back to me and help me in no time flat.  

Since using Collective Data, tracking inventory and issuing/returning equipment has been a breeze. The way the system flows, and you can do multiple functions from one tab is a godsend. The reminders on the mission control tab have helped us keep our inventory in the green and kept us from spending hours physically checking the various shelves to make sure we have enough stuff on hand. This software is exactly what we were looking for, and we have just begun to tap into the full potential of this program. I couldn’t be happier with this program.  

If there is any department out there that is looking for a dependable and all-encompassing software system, go with Collective Data. They know exactly what a police department needs and can develop a system specifically with your department in mind. They’re there to help in a moment’s notice, and make it so user friendly that everyone, even the old school anti-tech supply guy who loves filing cabinets filled with mounds of paperwork, can use it with ease and efficiency. It makes a Quartermaster’s job so much easier and can provide a large amount of data for their bosses in just a key stroke. And the cost is very budget-friendly to boot! If you don’t have Collective Data in your department, you are missing out. Go out and get on the Collective Data team, you won’t be sorry.” – Marty Ellis, Quartermaster, Chatham County Sheriff’s Department 

Solution Features

• Asset & inventory management 
• Issuing in & out equipment  
• Capturing re-order points with auto alerts  
• Streamlined request and approval process  
• Perform inspections to pass audits with ease  
• Ordering and receiving items  
• Forecasting protective gear expiration  
• Managing stipends/employee allowances  
• Managing licenses and certifications  
• Manage officer training 
•  Barcode scanning technology

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