Law-enforcementAlabama consolidates state law enforcement, IT agencies

A Republican-led effort to consolidate  government operations in Alabama was met with a bi-partisan approval as both  Democrats and Republicans  voted to merge law enforcement and information technology operations.

The structure of state government stays the same from one administration to the next for the most part, but tightening operations has been a priority for the Senate’s Republican leadership this session..

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Senate reached a unanimous 31-0 on a bill which would merge fourteen law enforcement groups into the new Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency. The Senate, by the same vote, passed a bill which would  consolidate information technology operations of all state agencies under one group.

The changes would transfer some of the work from state employees to private companies.

Another bill to set up a secretary of information technology in the governor’s cabinet also passed.

Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh (R-Anniston) sponsored the law enforcement legislation and said it would save $30 million per year by putting communications, accounting, and other support services one the same team.

“What just happened is huge,this legislation represents a more targeted and coordinated approaches that will better serve the people of Alabama.”  Del Marsh told theChronicle.

The governor will have to appoint the director of the new agency, and that person, when appointed, will have to pick who heads its major departments. According to Senator Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro), the success of the program depends on who the governor picks.

Legislators expect Governor Robert Bentley’s homeland security director and chief law enforcement adviser, former state representative Spencer Collier, to move into the new position.

“As always, we have to give a certain amount of faith to our elected officials,” Marsh told the Chronicle.

Bentley’s spokesman Jeremy King, said the governor’s primary concern is protecting secure information of Alabama citizens.

“Any time you look at merging so many systems and putting so much information under one roof, security has to be a top priority. We must make sure we have an IT secretary in place who is qualified to protect the citizens and the state itself,” King said.

Senator Phil Williams (R-Gadsden) said many state agencies operate their own computer systems and as a result may not know about methods that can cut costs.  Williams wants to set up an appointed board called the Alabama Technology Authority, which would take over the computer work now done by the Data Systems Management Division of the state Finance Department and will be able to bring more coordination to the state’s varied operations.

Williams said it would work much like the Alabama Supercomputer Authority, which serves educational programs from kindergarten to college.

A study done by Auburn University at Montgomery estimates state agencies spend $317 million a year on IT operations and with the legislation, the state could save between $32 million and $64 million, based on statistics from previous states.