Frequently Asked Questions

We believe RIMS is surprisingly affordable, especially when compared to most of our competitors. For example, RIMS begins at only $15,000  for both CAD and records management for small agencies. Our pricing is based on the size of the population you serve rather than on the number of users or a flat price for everyone, making RIMS affordable for agencies small and large alike. Contact for a quote.

 

Yes! We have a sheriff's department serving only 1,500 people in a rural area that has been a satisfied RIMS user for many years. After all, you all do the same things and you all need to keep records. Automating dispatching and records keeping has the same benefits; only the scale is different. And with our scaled pricing, just about everyone can afford RIMS.

 

You obviously would not want to buy RIMS CAD, but you will still find our records management software very useful. We have several customers that fall into your category.

 

We have users who literally can't find the computer's on/off switch! Knowing how to use a computer certainly eases the learning curve, it is not a requirement. We've spent more than 20 years making RIMS as easy to use as possible. One of our customers has told us that he taught his officers how to enter their reports into RIMS in 15 minutes!

 

This is always a knotty problem in that there is no simple yes/no answer because each agency's idea of what they want customized is different. The only certainty is that no two agencies do things exactly alike. We have spent a lot of time over the years making RIMS easily configurable directly by our customers when it is installed, in more than 100 ways. That said, it is possible that you will want something that is not currently in RIMS. If you want to pay extra for it, we can usually accommodate you, but in general our customers tend to think RIMS is a pretty good fit "right out of the box."

 

RIMS runs on PC networks under Windows 2000 or 2003 operating systems [specific hardware/software recommendations]. User PCs need Windows XP Professional or Vista. RIMS does not run on a UNIX system --- UNIX requires much more costly hardware, it is not cleanly compatible with Windows applications at your user positions and does not necessarily provide a more powerful system. RIMS uses Microsoft SQL Server for its database.

 

Unless you are in a large agency, the answer is usually NO! Large agencies need consultants to help them determine their requirements, pare their wish lists and arbitrate among competing desires in the department. They are also more likely to require a customized RFP since most are legally required to go out to bid in obtaining a new system. However, for smaller agencies, all or most of these conditions are generally not present. If you know absolutely nothing about computer-aided dispatch/records management, you may still feel more comfortable with a consultant. Otherwise a consultant is a luxury: Hire one only if you have more money to do the proper research than you have personnel with the time to do it. We've seen agencies actually spend more on the consultant than they spend on the software! If you are required to go out to bid, we can provide you with a sample Request for Proposal document, which you can customize to meet your needs.

 

We've had our current system for years. Can you convert its data to your system? We commonly convert an agency's old data when installing RIMS, however, there is no magic import program; data conversion does cost money because we have to write programs to do the conversion. The cost is a function of what's being converted—its format, number of files and information content. The good news is that in replacing other systems over the years we have compiled a library of conversion programs, making it a straightforward process in many instances.