Casper Police Launches New Software for People Who Report Crimes
The Casper Police Department have announced that they will be implementing new software, SPIDR Tech, on Wednesday for the community to use when dealing with the police department.
The way it works, according to a press release by the CPD, is after someone calls the CPD, if they provide their phone number, they will get a text from the number 307-234-4723 with a notification that the call has been received and an officer has been assigned to the case, along with a follow-up if there is a delay.
After leaving the scene, the officer will clear the call, creating a follow-up text with the case number, next steps, contact information, and a satisfaction survey.
Not all calls, such as intimate partner violence, sexual assaults, or other violent crimes, will be included in automated communications, instead, they will go through the Victim Services Unit.
According to CPD, they will move at some point to another phase, which includes additional communication services for victims of crimes assigned to the Criminal Investigation Unit and case management notifications related to other criminal investigations.
Casper Police Chief Keith McPheeters said:
"The Casper Police Department is dedicated to providing professional customer service to our community. Partnering with SPIDR Tech to launch this first-in-the-state technology is one of the many ways your Casper Police Department is striving to bring the highest standards of policing services to the citizens of Casper," McPheeters said. "Increased communication and customer service builds mutual respect and increases transparency, which inevitably establishes and builds upon the degree of trust our community has in their police department. As we continue to make meaningful changes to the way we work with our community, one of our highest priorities at the Department will always be to increase trust between our officers and the citizens we serve. We are proud to bring this service to our community."
SPIDR Tech was founded in 2015 and was bought by Canadian-based Versaterm Public Safety, a company that sells products to first responders across the U.S., in 2021 for an undisclosed amount.
In the past month alone, SPIDR Tech has been implemented in communities across the country, like in Canton, Ohio, Bend, Oregon, Fredrick, Maryland, and Duluth, Minnesota.
Rebekah Ladd, Public Information Officer with the Casper Police Department, said that the software cost the department $28,000 and was paid for with CARES Act funding.
Ladd said if the program continues to be a success they will renew it for next year at a lower cost due to not having to pay for the initial start-up costs, though they have not determined what the funding source would be.
Downtown Casper at Night During a Power Outage
More From K2 Radio
