Crimestar is a quality product:
Crimestar software has been designed, architected and supported by former law enforcement officers with a combined 112 years of Law Enforcement experience who fully understand what the public safety market needs and demands. Feature for feature, we offer as much, and in many cases more, functionality and capability than other products on the market. Many RMS vendors go to great lengths and expense to create a “perception of superiority" regarding their products. If the product is good, it will speak for itself, and we believe our product does just that!
Crimestar is a proven system:
The idea that "larger" or higher priced systems are somehow better, is simply a sales tactic perpetuated by those companies who financially benefit from that myth. The fact is that Crimestar is a simple to use yet powerful system that works! The product has evolved and improved over time, thanks to great suggestions from the law enforcement community. The product has been licensed, and is used daily, by hundreds of law enforcement agencies across the country. Very few vendors can make such a claim, so we must be doing something right!
Crimestar USA, LLC is a solid, reputable company:
Crimestar is a small company but that is a good thing, because we know it! Established in 1989, providing software for law enforcement and public safety is what we do, and that is all we do. The staff at Crimestar has over 112 years working in day-to-day Law Enforcement. Additionally, the staff has a combined 48 years with Crimestar! Yes, Crimestar is small, but we see that as a good thing. As we point out on our Company Information page, Crimestar has no debt, public or private, we maintain very low operating expenses and as a result are never under pressure to make a sale or make false promises just to get business.
Crimestar costs less to buy:
If there is one thing that Crimestar's business suffers from, it is a "perception of value"! If it costs more, it must be better, right? Too many people think that in order to get anything that's any good they must spend a lot of money. Many software vendors who want to charge you top dollar for their system will tell you that their product is "superior", "high end" or "industrial grade" and that is why it costs more. All RMS software is just a computer database software program! The fact is, they charge more money because they know agencies, and people in government often operate under this perception of value and will pay the higher prices under the misbelief that it is a "safer decision" because they are getting something bigger or better. The fact is you are often not getting anything bigger or better you are just getting something more expensive! Having said all that, why is Crimestar less expensive? The full answer is in the roots of our sales & marketing philosophy. But here are 4 primary reasons:
Crimestar costs less to own:
The cost of buying or licensing software is only one consideration. The more important question is what will it cost you to own and use it over time? This becomes increasingly important when grant funds are used to license computer software. If a generous state or federal grant provides all or most of the funding required to license a product, there is a temptation to spend beyond your organizational means. The problem is "When is Free not Free?". Most grants only cover capital expenses and expressly do not cover ongoing operational costs. Most vendors charge 15% to 20% of the product license fee on an annual basis for product support. In some cases that support does not include software updates. Obviously the more a system costs you, even when it is being paid for by grant money, the higher your annual support fee will be. We have seen many smaller agencies get drawn into a “regional” system and suffer severe sticker shock when the 3rd or 4th year comes around and they get the bill for Support! Ask yourself if you can afford the annual support costs after the grant money is gone? Crimestar is committed to having the lowest annual support costs possible. This applies to not only the relative percentage of the license fee charged, but the lowest in terms of REAL ($$$) dollars. We also care about trying to offer a great product at a very affordable price so that all agencies large and small can get a powerful and reliable system with great functionality without getting ripped-off. Even the smallest of law enforcement agencies with the smallest of budgets have a place to go to get a quality product that they can afford.
Flexible options:
- Small departments with 30 or fewer officers
- Large departments with over 30 officers