Welcome to the 19th century. [Link]City officials signed a $982,269 contract last year with New Jersey typewriter manufacturer Swintec for the purchase of manual and electric typewriters during the next three years and last month the city inked a $99,570 deal with New York's Afax Business Machines for maintenance on the typing machines, the New York Post reported Monday.There is no good reason they should still be using typewriters.
NYPD sources said the vast majority of the typewriters are for use by police.
Most of the city's arrest forms have been computerized, but property and evidence vouchers printed on carbon-paper forms still require the use of typewriters.
"It just doesn't make sense that we can't enter these (vouchers) on computer," a police officer told the newspaper.
Dr. Edith Linn, a retired New York police officer and professor of criminal justice at the city's Berkeley College, said many of the 500 police officers she interviewed for a study told her the outdated equipment makes them less likely to perform arrests for minor offenses.
An NYPD representative told the Post officials are working on software that would eliminate the need for the typewriters.
1 comment:
Actually, there is... to computerize the process may take many more thousands of dollars in meetings, procedure overhauls, IT development, IT expenses, and training--not to mention the inevitable mistakes that will happen as the growing pains work their way through the system. This is a very, very good reason why a department like New York City would eschew modern DP for typewriters, at least for now.
This isn't an argument for them to -never- do it, mind you; however, it will have to be phased in gradually, as all IT changes are.
Post a Comment