September 08, 1999
Mayor Williams Announces State-Of-The-Art Housing Code Enforcement
(Washington, D.C.) Mayor Anthony Williams today unveiled a new high tech, portable computer system to be used in housing code enforcement by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA). The Mayor was joined by Councilmember Sharon Ambrose and the Director of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Lloyd J. Jordan at a press conference to show RAPIDS, the "Remote Access Inspection and Dispatch System" -- the first computerized inspection dispatch system of its kind in the country. Housing code enforcement in the District of Columbia is going high tech with new hand-held, satellite-linked computers that give inspectors push-button access to information on District properties while in the field, and allows them to issue violation notices on-the-spot. "RAPIDS moves the District from the stone-age to space-age in neighborhood preservation-all in one step. And this is one giant leap for the city," said Mayor Williams.
"It propels us into a new age of community preservation, stabilization and revitalization, using cutting edge technology as a way to provide quicker, more efficient service to our residents. This is preventive maintenance for neighborhoods." DCRA has issued hand-held RAPIDS computers to six Neighborhood Stabilization Officers (NSO's) participating in a pilot program to test the system. With RAPIDS, NSO's carry a virtual office in their briefcases, enabling them to remain in their assigned communities from the start of business to day's end, with no valuable time spent traveling to and from headquarters.
"RAPIDS is a technological breakthrough that will revolutionize housing code enforcement," said DCRA Director Lloyd J. Jordan. "This system will dramatically increase productivity by speeding the entire inspection process. Operations that took hours or days under a manual process are now completely automated." RAPIDS is the most advanced system of its kind in the country. Designed exclusively for the District by Optimus Corporation, a local software engineering company, the system prioritizes inspection assignments, provides digitally illustrated street maps and preferred routes, detailed information on residential properties, including address, name of owner and/or agent, history of enforcement actions, digital pictures of property, and allows the inspector to enter additional information about the subject property and surrounding area. Finally, the NSO can print out deficiency notices and levy fines on-the-spot using the portable printer. This information will be invaluable in helping the Housing Regulation Administration (HRA) gauge its performance and gather real-time information on average inspection times, types of inspections, fines assessed, and number of violations. RAPIDS ultimately will provide a cost benefit to the District as manpower and resources are used more efficiently, operating costs are reduced and fines are collected from a higher volume of inspections. On an annual basis, DCRA/HRA responds to an estimated 12,000 complaints regarding substandard housing conditions; conducts neighborhood surveys; and monitors properties under consideration for condemnation. In all, DCRA/HRA conducts more than 38,000 inspections and re-inspections.
