Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Police System topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Santa Fe police data migration, a lapsed certification and citation shortfalls prompt council questions
Summary
Council heard detailed police reporting on a new records/cad system migration, continuing software issues that limit citation processing, and a lapse in a required state certification that left an officer unable to access criminal/driver databases for roughly a month. Council also approved two fully‑upfitted patrol vehicles.
The Santa Fe Police Department told the City Council on May 8 that a recent transition to a new records and computer‑aided dispatch system has caused reporting gaps, slower response for certain data screens and, in at least one case, an officer’s inability to run license or plate checks for about a month while a state TCIC/NCIC credential was lapsed and subsequently renewed.
“Right now, they're concentrating on legacy data migration…we're experiencing lag issues,” the Police Chief said in the council meeting, describing long load times when officers try to open certain modules. “When you hit that button, sometimes it takes 30 to 45 seconds for that screen to pop up, and we're making notes and sending that back to them.”
Software and operational impacts
- The department reported it handled 1,625 calls for service in April and documented 96 citations that could be pulled from the new system; staff cautioned some citation and warning counts remain incomplete while legacy data is migrated.
- Police staff said the new Motorola system was rolled out in tiers and that agents are logging bugs and missing legacy records; staff expect to be able to run full automated reports within about two to three months.
Certification lapse and enforcement gap
Council pressed the department on a separate personnel issue: one officer’s TCIC/NCIC access had lapsed, so that officer could not run DPS checks for a month. The Police Chief said that because the officer’s access was expired, his activity was not captured in the new system for that period and therefore his recorded counts were zero for some metrics. “He did not have access to the state…He did not have the ability to write tickets,” the Chief said.
Council members asked whether the officer should have been removed from frontline duties. Officials said the department remedied the certification lapse by arranging the required eight‑hour training session and that the officer received corrective discipline consistent with policy.
Vehicle purchases and fleet rotation
At the meeting the council approved a motion to purchase two fully‑upfitted Dodge Durango patrol vehicles through the BuyBoard cooperative, not to exceed $146,611.40. The department presented a rotation plan: newer marked units would replace older patrol cars; replaced marked units would be reallocated as administrative vehicles or rebranded for investigative use to maintain a pool of unmarked detective vehicles without purchasing separate replacements immediately.
Council reaction and next steps
Councilmembers repeatedly asked for clearer, daily or monthly stat summaries while the new system is being stabilized. Staff agreed to keep compiling the interim reports and continue pressing the vendor for software fixes. The Police Chief said he expects to be able to run full reports from the new system in two to three months.
Ending
Council approved the vehicle purchase and asked staff for more regular performance metrics while the records migration continues. The department said the certification lapse has been corrected and the officer has been retrained.
