Saturday, February 11, 2006 - NEWFANE -- Windham County Sheriff Sheila Prue this week unveiled a new online, accountability program that she hopes will silence critics who complained about her department's billing system.

The new program, Prue said, is going to give towns an accurate and timely accounting of where her staff patrolled and the tickets that were issued.

Prue explained the system at a meeting Wednesday for representatives from towns in the county that hire the sheriff's department.

"We are still in the learning curve phase, but this is a very precise instrument and the towns should get accurate accounting," Prue said.

The high-tech system transports data over the Internet and uses a Global Positioning System satellite to track vehicles and record activity.

The database also supplies detailed billing records so officials can see the hours and locations that the sheriff's department spent in the towns.

"It has been hard to track where they have been," said Chris Ryan, Putney town manager, who was at the meeting this week. "There has been a big outcry over this and it seems like they are attempting to address it."

The Windham County Sheriff's Department has faced down a number of accusations over the past few years.

The Vermont state auditor is conducting a review of the department's financial records. At the same time, a motorcycle club has filed a suit against the department, and the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council is investigating it over allegations that new recruits are not receiving proper training.

The department has also heard from many towns that have wondered where deputies have been stationed and how the billing time is being spent.

"The Selectboard has wondered if we have been getting our money's worth," Ryan said. "My impression from the meeting is that she is on the right track and this is a way to get a handle on it."

Prue said her staff is still getting used to the software and the department has not yet used the program to its full capabilities. She said the program was put into place to address some of the concerns lodged against the department having to do with billing and patrol time.

In the future, Prue said the program will track all of the department's work, including prisoner transportation, court work, traffic control and the School Resource Officers Program.

Earlier this month, the department began to electronically transfer information over the Internet.

Prue also said the new system will cut down on time officers have to travel into the office to file paperwork.

"It will increase the time officers spend in the communities," Prue said. "All of the material the officers require to complete a case or respond to an emergency has been downloaded to the computers."

Hendrik Van Loon, chairman of the Newfane Selectboard, said he went to the meeting this week with an open mind.

He said he is looking for a more accurate account of the time spent patrolling so he can tell residents when the sheriff's department was in the area.

He said he has had trouble understanding the old system and he said he was going to wait and see if the new program is an improvement.

"We want a good idea of when and why and for how long and what they were doing," Van Loon said. "It is obvious they have been hearing some complaints. I think they got a way to go and time will tell."

Howard Weiss-Tisman can be reached at hwtisman@reformer.com or (802) 254-2311, ext. 279.