DELAWARE STATE POLICE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECTION
Major Michael J. McDonald (DSP Ret.)
Information Technology for the Division falls under the management control of the Director of Information Technology. The Director is a retired DE state trooper whose responsibilities include planning, acquiring or developing, and implementing all information technology solutions for the Division. The administrative offices for the section are located at the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) building in Smyrna. This section oversees the State Police local and wide-area network, all hardware components attached to or capable of connecting to the network and all end user software applications used in the course of its business. The Information Technology Section also oversees the statewide Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) operated by the State Bureau of Identification and all local law enforcement agencies within the State.
Organizationally, the Information Technology Section falls directly under the Lieutenant Colonel in the table of organization. The acquisition and implementation of all technology solutions are coordinated, reviewed, and approved by the Director of Information Technology. The annual budget for support of and investments in technology projects is approximately 1.3 million dollars, not including salaries or federal grants assistance awarded to the Division.
The Director is the primary resource appointed to be the liaison to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC), to Nlets, the International Justice and Public Safety Information Sharing Network, and to the Delaware Criminal Justice Information System, (DELJIS). The State Police is one of 11 voting members on the DELJIS Board; the legislatively responsible body for the oversight of the database containing the numerous tables, files, and electronic records of the Criminal Justice System including criminal history records.
Reporting to the Information Technology Section is the Information Support Services (ISS) Section. This section is responsible for technology implementation, support, and immediate oversight of the State Police network and all nodes on that network. ISS is housed in the lower level of the State Bureau of Identification Building on the Headquarters complex. There are 13 personnel in ISS who support the entire Division’s computer infrastructure and network. This group is also responsible for application development that is not contracted out to third party vendors as well as help desk support. In addition, a Captain is assigned to ISS who is responsible for managing any special technology projects pursued by the Division. This sworn position acts as a liaison between ISS and the uniform members of the Division as well as the Executive Staff.
The Training and Audit Unit is also assigned under the management control of the Information Technology Section. The Training/Audit Unit is responsible for NCIC and Nlets user training and the statewide auditing of NCIC records. Normally a two person unit, this unit saw the retirement of its lone trainer and she hasn’t been replaced as of this update. The Training Audit Unit handles all training and auditing of the criminal justice agencies having access to NCIC or Nlets which equates to approximately 7,000 users statewide.
Due to the Division’s ongoing dependence on technology to complete it’s mission, the Information Technology Section continues to experience a high level of demand for training and help desk support. In addition, local law enforcement also receives the assistance of ISS as many of these agencies do not have technical support personnel. There are many challenges ahead but also many opportunities to embrace technology solutions that create value for the Division by providing more real time information for decision makers. Furthermore, our continued emphasis on capturing data as close to the source of the data, while empowering officers to harness the technology solutions of the mobile office, allows them to remain on the street and be more efficient and productive. The discretionary time gained as a result of embracing these technology solutions affords our troopers and local law enforcement partners additional time to conduct proactive policing strategies that positively impact the quality of life for our citizens and those who visit or travel through our state.
- Information obtained from 2008 DSP Annual Report -
