Brantford Police Service & CROMS Mobile – A Model for Success
By Susan Campbell, Manager, Brantford Accident Support Services Ltd.
Accident Support Services International Ltd. (ASSI), has partnered with the Brantford Police Services in the operation of their Collision Reporting Center (CRC) for over 10 years. Collision reports made by drivers attending the CRC are entered into ASSI’s Collision Reporting and Occurrence Management System (CROMS). When The Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) mandated that they would no longer accept paper-based reports, ASSI began working with the MTO to validate and submit Brantford and other Ontario jurisdiction collision reports through secure electronic transfers. ASSI also transfers completed reports to the Brantford Police internal Record Management System.
ASSI was pleased to offer the Brantford Police CROMS Mobile as an additional collision reporting channel. On January 7, 2015 the Service implemented this new project for their on-scene Motor Vehicle Collision reports, saving valuable time spent manually entering, correcting and submitting reports to the MTO.
The Mobile system provides significant time savings benefits, including automatic, real time validation of collision data such as driver and vehicle information. The system also identifies and assists in the elimination of errors and MTO acceptance of electronic submissions. Other benefits of CROMS Mobile include completion of the entire Collision Report at the roadside electronically. It can communicate with RMS/Dispatch systems with highly secure synchronization to receive system alerts, utilize the VIN Decoder, D/L scanners, GIS geo-mapping, and more. The project ensures data accuracy, consistency and validation and real time data analysis for proactive road safety initiatives.
“Collision reporting through CROMS Mobile is a natural progression using the technology within Policing,” states Sergeant Grahame Lee.
The Brantford Police Service under Chief Geoff Nelson moved forward with CROMS Mobile. From training in October 2014 to going live in January 2015, the Brantford Police have proven that team work and dedication to the task equals success. As Inspector Steven Sumsion states, “Only by being diligent will we continue to improve and grow with this system.”
From the initial IT technical installation through the Brantford Police and the ASSI technology department, Officer input, roll-over for Sergeant approval, data integrity verification by CRC and Records, CROMS Mobile has proven to be very successful for the Brantford Service.
The Brantford Police Service is a model example of proactive policing. All Officers have been trained and instructed on the use of CROMS Mobile. The full complement of 34 Patrol cars was outfitted with the Mobile Units and the Officers soon learned the electronic benefits through turnaround and accuracy. Within a short time, reports are submitted and become available to insurers and the MTO. Mobile was also installed on eight computers in the station for Traffic, the Duty Officer, Records, the Training Classroom, Staff Sergeant, Sergeant and the Beats Office for consistency and continuity.
It was evident that paper reports could be phased out and replaced. Training time was minimal, filing of reports eliminated. Collision data is available on a server and user friendly for all. The Officers soon became adept with the system and were impressed with the way the program was designed. One officer reports, “I love CROMS. I would not go back to paper.” He stated that when he was on scene in the past at a multi-vehicle collision, filling out the Police form was extremely time consuming. Then the officer would have to return to the Station to make copies for all vehicles involved. With CROMS Mobile, officers can print multiple copies on scene and the exchange of all party information is ensured in a timely manner.
Brantford Police Chief Geoff Nelson states that, “ASSI has supported our Service’s efforts to streamline the accident reporting process since the Collision Reporting Centre originally opened. This support continued with the introduction of MTO e-transfer; MVC data entry; the direct RMS interface, MVC analytics and, most recently, CROMS Mobile. ASSI products or processes have had a significant impact on the accuracy and efficiency of our entire accident investigation and reporting process.”