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2011 HCSS User’s Conference, November 16-18, 2011 at the Inn of the Hills in Kerrville

There will be a lot to go over including legislative updates and new software features and functionality. We look forward to visiting with you and getting your input on how we can better serve you.
As always, there will be a block of room available until October 21, 2011. For reservations at the Inn of the Hill’s, call 1-800-292-5690. Be sure to tell them you’re part of the conference so they can get you in the block of rooms.
Room rates are:

  • $84 for a single or double room
  • $94 for a triple
  • $104 for a quad

Remember that the block is being held until October 21 so make your reservations now.

Here’s the tentative schedule for the conference…

  • Wednesday – November 16, 2011
    • 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM HCSS Staff available for consultation
    • Evening On your own
  • Thursday – November 17, 2011
    • 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM General Assembly
    • 10:00 AM – 10:30 AM Refreshment Break
    • 10:30 AM – 11:50 AM Group Meetings
    • 11:50 AM – 1:00 PM HCSS Sponsored Luncheon
    • 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Group Meetings
    • 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM Refreshment Break
    • 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM Group Meetings
    • Evening On your own
  • Friday – November 18, 2011
    • Morning Golf; Departure


Download the flyer and registration form here.

There is a $75 registration fee per attendee. This fee is refundable until November 9th and does not apply to spouses or significant others not attending the sessions or luncheon on Thursday.

We’re looking forward to another great conference! See you soon!

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County & District Clerks… OCA is ready for your reports!

In a letter dated May 6th, 2011, The Office of Court Administration notified its courts that it was finally ready to accept the new monthly reports. OCA will start accepting their new monthly reports on Thursday, May 12th, 2011.

As a recap, OCA adopted new rules for reporting that were to take affect September 1, 2010. Unfortunately they were not completely ready to accept those new reports.

HCSS has had the new reporting requirements in place since September of last year, so the submission of your new reports should go smoothly. Remember that unless OCA grants a waiver for good cause, the clerk must submit the reports by electronic means —by entering or uploading the data directly into the Court Activity Reporting and Directory System. Since they haven’t been accepting reports since September of last year, each court will have to submit their reports for the past 9 months. OCA also requires each report be submitted in order, starting with September 2010.

OCA has made several changes to dispositions and sentencing information and IADT accurately tracks the status of all of the cases and their Active or Inactive status as required. There were also changes to offense classifications that added several new categories. Those categories have been in IADT since September so if you haven’t already made those changes to your offense codes, you will need to adjust those categories in order to get a correct OCA report. While making these changes is necessary, we’ve made the process very quick and simple.

When  you’re working on your reports, make sure that you have the latest update installed on your system. If you have any questions on how those requirements are handled in IADT, please call our tech support line at 1-800-422-1982. You can also find some help in our new online help system HERE.

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COPsync and HCSS sign distribution agreement

COPsync Inc. (COYN.OB) announced that the company has  licensed Hill Country Software and Support, Inc., an information technology vendor to state and local government and law enforcement, to be a distributor of the COPsync  fieldbased reporting and information-sharing network. Hill Country  sells and supports county and municipal government  accounting,  court management,  tribal  court  management, CJIS  reporting, vehicle inventory tax, and law enforcement systems.

“We  welcome Hill Country to our existing network of distributors and resellers,” said Herbert Severin, Vice President for Strategic Business Relations of COPsync.  “COPsync  is dedicated to building a nationwide network of the best  of the estimated  2100 vendors  supplying  information technology  to the law enforcement industry. We plan to integrate our service with the  information systems of these select vendors – to produce a nationwide network of distributors committed to real time data interoperability. Hill Country has a broad product set, robust technology and a substantial customer base in key industry sectors, making them an obvious choice for inclusion in our distributor network.”

“The integration between Hill Country and COPsync will produce a complete and powerful law enforcement package that we are excited to offer agencies in Texas and beyond,” said Jim Stateczny, President of Hill Country Software and Support, Inc.  “The new features will not only increase safety in the field for the officers, but will also increase efficiency and accuracy  in reporting and managing the data collected.”

“Lack of information sharing among law enforcement agencies is a well-documented problem in the United States,” said Ronald A. Woessner, COPsync chief executive officer. “Hill Country’ssubstantial customer base in Texas further solidifies our position as the information sharing network of choice among law enforcement agencies in Texas. The nationwide network of distributors that we are building, who are committed to real-time data interoperability, will help us  leverage our success in Texas to extend the company’s geographical footprint throughout the United States.”
Click here for the full press release