OPS is happy to announce a new contract with the State of Nebraska!

Nebraska motorists will soon have access to www.BuyCrash.com to purchase collision reports investigated by any law enforcement agency in the State of Nebraska.  To obtain a copy of a collision report, individuals can access www.BuyCrash.com, enter a few simple pieces of information and locate a report.  Accessing www.BuyCrash.com eliminates the need for individuals to make a trip to the investigating agency where the collision occurred.  Individuals can locate, view and purchase copies of vehicle collision reports from the comfort of their own homes or offices without the hassle of travelling to the law enforcement agency that wrote the report and waiting in line for a copy.  

In addition, personal injury attorneys will have the ability to view all State of Nebraska collision reports by using a secure username and password.  Instead of travelling to the NDOR to inspect printed reports, they will have access all collision reports anywhere with an internet connection.

OPS will modify the NE Crash application to run on a Mac OS.  This will allow Nebraska law enforcment agencies to electronically capture and submit collision reports to the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) with an IPad device.

This news is great for OPS and the State of Nebraska!  This new contract is a direct result of our discussions at the International Forum on Traffic Records & Highway Safety Information System in New Orleans last month.

Any state that wants to provide cutting edge services that provide additional access options for the public while saving the state money is encouraged to contact us.  OPS would be happy to discuss our products and services!

Robert F. Dallas, Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) Director, recently sent a letter to law enforcement agencies in Georgia regarding the benefits of the Georgia Electronic Accident Reporting System (GEARS).  GEARS is powered by Open Portal Solutions’ NE Crash.

The letter explained that law enforcement agencies that do not currently have an electronic crash reporting option can receive software, implementation, training and on-going technical support that will allow them to electronically capture and submit crash reports to the State–all at no charge.  The reporting application is configured to meet all of the State of Georgia requirements for data collection and data validation.

Law enforcement agencies that already have an electronic crash reporting system in place have the ability to transmit crash reports to the State electronically, reducing the time and resources currently involved in submitting the reports.

All law enforcement agencies have free access to the Georgia Department of Transportation’s online record management system through a web portal.  This will provide agencies with the ability to retrieve crash reports, run queries, map crashes and generate various reports tailored for specific needs.

GDOT anticipates that the benefits of utilizing GEARS will lead to all LEA’s submitting crash reports electronically. 

To learn more about GEARS, watch this video available on www.OpenPoralSolutions.com.  OPS has a fully staffed support team dedicated to GEARS.  E-mail support@openportalsolutions.com or call the support line at (866) 495-4206.  Complete the technical support request form to register your agency for GEARS.

The OPS staff will be visiting the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Riverdale Police Department, Clayton County Police Department, DeKalb County Police Department and Glynn County Police Department this week for on-site Georgia Electronic Accident Reporting System (GEARS) training.

OPS is working with the Columbus Police Department to schedule training later this month as well.

GEARS offers law enforcement tools that allow officials to complete collision reports more efficiently.  High-quality consistent, accurate and timely collision information can be collected through a wizard-based application than incorporates bar code reading of driver’s licenses, unlimited narrative with spell check, integrated diagramming and point and click mapping.   GEARS is available to all Georgia law enforcement agencies at “zero cost.”

For a video introduction to GEARS and to see support tutorials, go to the media section of the Open Portal Solutions web site.

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.

Jason LaRue and Mike Randall train Rockdale Sheriff’s Office law enforcement on GEARS.

Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Riverdale Police Department and the Clayton County Police Department have on-site Georgia Electronic Accident Reporting System (GEARS) training scheduled the first week in August.

We are happy to be working with Griffin Police Department, Columbus Police Department, DeKalb County Police Department, Glynn County Police Department to schedule training next month as well.

GEARS offers law enforcement tools that allow officials to complete collision reports more efficiently.  High-quality consistent, accurate and timely collision information can be collected through a wizard-based application than incorporates bar code reading of driver’s licenses, unlimited narrative with spell check, integrated diagramming and point and click mapping.   GEARS is available to all Georgia law enforcement agencies at “zero cost.”

For a video introduction to GEARS and to see support tutorials, go to the media section of the Open Portal Solutions web site.

93,051 collisions were reported in Indiana during the first six months of 2010.  99.6% were submitted electronically through ARIES, the Automated Reporting Information Exchange System powered by OPS.

In addition, 87% of the electronic reports were submitted in a timely manner.   A crash report is considered timely if received within five days from the date of collision.

The integration of data is an important tool on focusing on problem areas, whether it is a teen driving issue, alcohol issue or a road issue.  Having accurate data assist stakeholders in traffic records the ability to access and analyze data from crash reports so a direct plan can be initiated to eliminate fatalities, injuries, and property damage in our roadways.  OPS is proud to be an important partner in keeping our roads safe for Indiana motorists.

Find reporting statistics for individual Indiana law enforcement agencies at http://www.crashreports.in.gov/Public/crp.xls

OPS is looking forward to participating in the Georgia Association Chiefs of Police Summer Training Conference in Savannah, Georgia this July.  We are happy to support this great opportunity to showcase our products and services to Georgia law enforcement.  We will have the opportunity to meet and talk with law enforcement executives representing federal, state and local agencies, as well as municipal and county agencies, college and university police departments and corporate/private security firms.

Visit us at booth #610 from 1 p.m.  to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 24th and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, July 25th.

New geographic information system (GIS) capabilities through the Georgia Electronic Accident Reporting System (GEARS) will allow users to visualize and interact with Georgia State collision data.

GIS integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information.  GIS allows users to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualize data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts. 

Green markers on the map will indicate property damage.  Yellow markers will indicate injury.  Red markers will indicate fatality.

The feature will offer the option for users to  overlay the mapping data over Google’s satellite imagery—providing life-like imagery.

The new GIS feature will help Georgia traffic safety experts to look at data in a way that is quickly understood and easily shared.  By using the feature, they will be able to anaylze where accidents are occuring, perhaps determing that traffic lights, stop signs or changes in lane configuration may be necessary for traffic safety.

BuyCrash.com received a nice mention in the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution yesterday.  The article informed the public that drivers involved in automobile accidents investigated by Henry County police can now go online to gain access to police reports.

To obtain a copy of a collision report, individuals can access www.BuyCrash.com, enter a few simple pieces of information, such as last name and date of collision, and locate their report.  Accessing www.BuyCrash.com eliminates the need for individuals to make a trip to the investigating agency where the collision occurred.  Individuals can locate, view and purchase copies of vehicle collision reports from the comfort of their own homes or offices without the hassle of travelling to the law enforcement agency that wrote the report and waiting in line for a copy.  

Enjoy the article by clicking here!

The Dillard Police Department was set up with the Georgia Electronic Accident Reporting System (GEARS) last week.

GEARS works seamlessly with www.BuyCrash.com, a service designed to make it easier for motorists to obtain copies of vehicle collision reports.  Collision reports submitted by the Dillard Police Department are now available on www.BuyCrash.com.  To obtain a copy of a collision report, individuals can access www.BuyCrash.com, enter a few simple pieces of information, such as last name and date of collision, and locate their report. 

www.BuyCrash.com eliminates the need for individuals to make a trip to the investigating agency where the collision occurred.  Individuals can locate, view and purchase copies of vehicle collision reports from the comfort of their own homes or offices without the hassle of travelling to the law enforcement agency and waiting in line for a copy.

 GEARS is available to all Georgia law enforcement agencies—big or small— at “zero cost.”

OPS is glad to have the Dillard Police Department on board!