A DuPage County committee considered a resolution Aug. 26 to launch a shared police records system covering Wheaton and more than two dozen local departments.

The resolution, labeled PRMS-R-0001-26, appeared on the Police Records Management System Oversight Committee's agenda for its 2 p.m. meeting Wednesday, Aug. 26. It asks the DuPage County Board to execute an intergovernmental agreement with local police agencies to operate the shared system. Meeting minutes have not been published, so the committee's vote has not been confirmed.

The project dates to 2013 and aims to improve how criminal justice information flows among courts, the county and municipal police departments. Wheaton, West Chicago and Warrenville police were among the agencies represented at the committee's May 11 meeting, where members discussed replacing the current Hexagon records platform with a system called Mark43.

RMS Manager Don Ehrenhaft told the committee in May that Mark43 was selected through a formal evaluation that included written proposals, vendor demonstrations, user feedback and cost scoring. He said preliminary pricing was projected to be lower than the current Hexagon cost, with no additional staffing required.

Committee Chair Berlin said at the same May meeting that "the purpose and vision of the consortium remain unchanged" as the county prepares for the transition.

Glen Ellyn Deputy Chief Kurt Vavra traveled to Texas, Pennsylvania, Berwyn and Aurora to observe Mark43 in use. Users reported positive experiences, according to the committee's June 10 meeting minutes.

As of that June meeting, 21 of 28 agencies had returned letters of intent to participate. Downers Grove and Oak Brook opted out. Committee members said they preferred a single-tenancy setup, and the draft IGA was being shared with village managers for review.

Member McPhearson told the committee in May that the consortium provides shared data, infrastructure support, cybersecurity compliance, training and ongoing support. Each participating agency would retain ownership of its own data.

Committee members estimated in May that implementation would take at least 15 months once a contract is executed.