Officers Protest Computer System As ‘Hindrance’

If you happened to meet a Bethlehem (Penn.) police officer, you’d never know he might be wearing a silent protest to the department’s computer-aided dispatch (CAD) software underneath his uniform. In fact, some officers are wearing “CODY SUX” t-shirts under their uniform shirts, a protest to the $770,000 CAD and records system that was installed in 2008. The system was originally intended to streamline the flow of information for patrol officers and dispatchers. However, now officers say the system is more of a hindrance than a help, with frequent computer crashes and other glitches. Mayor John Callahan says public safety hasn’t been compromised, and executives at CODY Computer Services Inc., which supplied the system, say they haven’t received any problem reports from the city during the past six months. City officials claim CODY told them the system problems could be fixed for $100,000, but CODY executives dispute that figure. City officials have filed a formal notice of a possible breach of contract lawsuit against CODY, and have made inquiries about possibly replacing the entire system. Read more about the situation here.