Baltimore City police are rolling out new software that officials said will help officers better understand what the department expects of them. Police said they trying to make sure policies and procedures match practices on Baltimore City streets. The new web-based system, expected to start in July, will cost just under $60,000 for the first year. Officers will have about 14 days to read the policies and show they understand. Baltimore police said the tool is aimed at making officers and the department more accountable.

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Baltimore City police are rolling out new software that officials said will help officers better understand what the department expects of them.Police said they trying to make sure policies and procedures match practices on Baltimore City streets.The new web-based system, expected to start in July, will cost just under $60,000 for the first year. Officers will have about 14 days to read the policies and show they understand. Baltimore police said the tool is aimed at making officers and the department more accountable."I think we were stuck in the mid-1980s. Distributing policies and procedures in our profession has advanced thanks to technology. BPD is now embracing that technology," Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said.Once the Power Document Management System begins operating, officers will receive messages they can access by computer or on mobile devices, such as a tablet or smartphone. Police said the updates will provide information about policies, procedures and training."(We'll be able to provide) training immediately to the field in the form of a video, PowerPoint, to evaluate understanding a quiz, and to track that," said Jason Johnson, strategic development director."We have the ability through this system as supervisors to know when it was accessed, by who and how many times," Baltimore police Director T.J. Smith said.In the recent court cases regarding the in-custody death of Freddie Gray involving Officer Edward Nero, who's now acquitted, and Officer William Porter, who's facing retrial, questions arose about police training and the department's efforts to determine whether officers followed procedures. The commissioner would not comment directly on the trials, but said the department has to adopt forward-thinking policies."Are we aware of administrative shortcomings that existed in the Police Department? Are we aware of particular circumstances that highlighted deficiencies? Absolutely, and I think we are reacting to that responsibly by making improvements," Davis said.The department is no longer relying on binders, manuals and emails to ensure officers receive, review and understand general orders."This is for the police officers. This will make them better, more aware of our expectations," Davis said.According to the commissioner, this will end any excuse that officers didn't receive the latest updates."It will not be possible," Davis said.The 11 News I-Team has confirmed that the department also has a core operating procedures manual that contains what the department considers the 26 most pertinent policies and orders. Officers are receiving three hours of training and they must keep the manual with them.Get the WBAL-TV News App