I had the opportunity to represent Open Portal Solutions at the Georgia Chiefs of Police Conference this week. 

The Monday morning breakfast meeting was quite impressive with the color guard kicking off the meeting.

At the OPS exhibit booth on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, I had the opportunity to speak one on one with a number of the police agency chiefs in the convention center.  Each one had good questions about the Georgia Electronic Accident Reporting System (GEARS).  Being able to answer questions face to face really helped the law enforcement leaders understand what we are accomplishing in Georgia.  I had the opportunity to explain the benefits OPS  can provide at the state level—and to individual agencies.

It was a busy 24 hours, but I did have the opportunity to spend a couple of hours Sunday evening in Downtown Savannah.  It’s a really neat city and I had a delicious dinner at the Olde Pink House, a local 18^th century mansion and restaurant.

I really enjoyed meeting so many Georgia law enforcement leaders and look forward to working with them in the future.

“I smelled the popcorn all the way out in the hall.  I had to come get some!”

“Aww!  These water bottles are so cute!”

“Is this a trade show booth or a party?  It’s like you’ve got groupies.”

“That was cool that you sent out an email so I knew you were giving away a prize.”

“I’ve been to a lot of these shows, and I’ve never seen one exhibitor DOMINATE like you have.”

“You’re bringing back the popcorn machine next year, right?  RIGHT?!”

Fresh buttery popcorn and ice cold water are popular items at the OPS exhibit booth!

With the aroma of fresh buttery popcorn filling the conference hall, attendees at the International Forum on Traffic Records & Highway Safety Information Systems are happy to visit the OPS exhibit for complimentary popcorn and ice cold water!

Stop by the OPS booth and meet Jeff Holt, Dawn Holt, Bob Holtgrave, John Montalbino and Kevin Sifferlen. 

See photos from the Forum on the Open Portal Solutions Facebook page.  We invite you to become a fan and share your own photos!

Watch for live reports from the Forum from Dawn Holt, Director of Communications of OPS, on Twitter: @DawnHoltOPS.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a report regarding the best practices of electronic crash reporting by states.  The report compares E-Crash systems across the country.   Indiana was selected as one of the states highlighted in the report for best practices.  

Indiana utilizes Open Portal Solution’s (OPS) NE Crash application, referred to as the Automated Reporting Information Exchange System (ARIES) in Indiana.  With 99.7% of all traffic collision reports submitted electronically, Indiana leads all 50 states in the highest percentage of electronically transmitted collision reports.  Indiana moved from an electronic submission rate of 24% in 2006 to 99.7% in December of 2009.  In 2009, the State of Indiana submitted 190,000 collision reports through the ARIES application.  99.7%, all but 1,167, were submitted electronically. Indiana is the only state that has adopted bar coding for both license and registration.  Information on licenses and registrations auto populates with a bar scanner during data collection. The tools offered by ARIES allow law enforcement officials to complete reports more accurately and in a third less time than it takes to complete handwritten reports.  Indiana has the highest timeliness rating in the U.S., submitting 85% of collision reports within four days of the incident.  The partnership between OPS and Indiana saves the state more than one million dollars annually and involves a revenue sharing agreement for local municipalities. 

The crash records system in Indiana is mentioned numerous times throughout the report.  The primary reference to Indiana starts on page 14, with other references throughout.

NHTSA will have a booth at the International Forum on Traffic Records & Highway Safety Information Systems, which starts today in New Orleans.  (OPS is the Platinum Sponsor of this great event!)  The report will be distributed at the Forum to attendees and will be available on the DOT-TRCC Website. 

“We, as the Indiana TRCC, stakeholders,  as well as our law enforcement agencies should take pride in the fact that so much as been accomplished over the past four years,” wrote Nils King, in a memo to TRCC members.   King, is the Traffic Records Coordinator for the Traffic Safety Division of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. King is attending the International Forum on Traffic Records & Highway Safety Information Systems and will represent TRCC.

Jeff Holt, Dawn Holt, Bob Holtgrave, John Montalbino and Kevin Sifferlen are packing their bags—–it’s time for the International Forum on Traffic Records & Highway Safety Information Systems.  The team arrives in New Orleans on Saturday. 

If you are attending the conference, don’t forget to register to win a GARMIN GPS from Open Portal Solutions.  OPS will be at booths #1 and #2—at the front of the exhibit hall. 

Follow live reports from Dawn Holt, Director of Communications for OPS, on Twitter: @DawnHoltOPS.  Watch for additional updates on Facebook and here on our blog.  We encourage you to post your own comments and photos from the conference on our Facebook page—or post a comment right here on our blog!

OPS is the proud Platinum Sponsor of the 36th annual International Forum on Traffic Records & Highway Safety Information Systems!

As you are packing your bags for the International Forum on Traffic Records & Highway Safety Information Systems, don’t forget to register to win a GARMIN GPS from Open Portal Solutions.  

Of course, you can register on site when you visit the exhibitors show.  OPS will be at booths #1 and #2—at the front of the exhibit hall.  Meet members of our team—-Bob Holtgrave, John Montalbino, Kevin Sifferlen, Jeff Holt and Dawn Holt!

If you are not able to attend this year’s event, follow live reports from Dawn Holt, Director of Communications for OPS, on Twitter: @DawnHoltOPS.  Watch for additional updates on Facebook and here on our blog.

OPS is proud to be the Platinum Sponsor of the International Forum on Traffic Records & Highway Safety Information Systems!