Houston Police headquarters, at 1200 Travis, photographed Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in Houston. Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

After $1.7 million in extra costs and more than a year of delays, the Houston Police Department's new records management system is set to go live this month, leaders confirmed.

The new, $31 million technology has been plagued by delays, but is meant to replace a system agency leaders have said is antiquated and played a major role in a sprawling 2024 scandal over cases investigators shelved.


 Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the new RMS (records management system) is planned to go live in mid-October,  Executive Chief Thomas Hardin said.

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READ MORE: Houston police delays launch of new records system indefinitely

The city council in 2023 inked a $31 million deal with Versaterm Public Safety Inc. on a 7-year contract for a new records management system. Initially planned to launch in late 2024, the start date was twice pushed back.


Facing delays, the council approved a contract extension worth up to $1.7 million with their existing vendor to run through November.

City officials said last year they needed to ensure the transition to the new system went smoothly. The department's officers and civilian staffers use the records management system to input essentially all department information, and it allows people across divisions and law enforcement agencies to view details about any case.

This is not the first time HPD has struggled to transition to a new records management system on time.

Houston signed a contract for the department's existing records management system in 2009, but it didn't go live until 2014.
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