Forrest Kieser spent 26 years wearing a gun belt for the Dubois County Sheriff’s Department in Indiana. Retiring as a Sergeant, his experience in a rural agency meant he had to handle a little bit of everything. “From a law enforcement standpoint, I have helped investigate just about everything that you could think of,” Forrest recalls. Today, he brings that exact frontline perspective to his role as a Customer Support Specialist for Caliber Online RMS. His journey highlights a core truth about public safety software. Agencies need tools built and supported by people who have actually done the job.
Forrest remembers the shift from paper and pencil to computers vividly. As one of the few officers who had an interest in technology, he became the resident expert and trainer for his department and others in the county. When his agency first adopted mobile dispatch and records management software, the initial reaction from officers was resistance. However, the real value of the technology became clear just six months later. Forrest had to collect the patrol computers for a system update, and the officers immediately complained about losing access.
“Once you have the technology in your hand and you are able to start working with it, you see the work you can get done quicker, and puts more information at your fingertips,” Forrest explains. “It immediately helps everybody.”
His transition from customer to Caliber employee happened naturally. During his time at the Sheriff’s Department, Forrest frequently called Caliber support to ensure his agency’s system was operating correctly. He asked so many detailed questions that the support team joked they hired him just to pay him back and show him what it was like on the other side of the phone. Now, Forrest uses his administrative and patrol experience to help other agencies navigate their own challenges.
That focus on making the job easier drives how Forrest supports Caliber Online RMS today. He points to the versatility of the platform as a major advantage for agencies. The system can go beyond basic report writing and can include such modules as crash, citation, fleet management, field arrest, and other modules. This means officers can handle a wider variety of incidents within a single, familiar system. Furthermore, the software actively walks users through the reporting process to ensure NIBRS compliance. By guiding officers to enter the correct data from the start, the system ensures accurate reporting to state and federal repositories while significantly reducing administrative rework.
When an agency calls Caliber for support, they are not talking to a generic help desk. They are talking to former law enforcement professionals who understand the specific abbreviations, shortcuts, and daily pressures of the job. Forrest notes that trying to get a massive, general software company to fix a specific problem is often frustrating. At Caliber, the support team listens to customer requests and understands the real-world impact of those needs. They know that a software issue is not just a ticket number; it is a roadblock keeping an officer away from the community.
“I will put our responsiveness to customer requests and our support up against any in the market,” Forrest says. “Which one would you rather have? I think we will come out ahead on every one of them.”
For Forrest, the mission has not changed since he took off his badge. He views his support role as a direct extension of his law enforcement career.
“My first loyalty will always be to law enforcement, no matter what,” he shares. “I want to help agencies get their reports done, secure convictions, and keep bad guys off the street.”
Discover how law enforcement RMS software supported by former officers can serve your agency. Contact our sales team today to request a demo, get a quote, or ask any questions about Caliber Online RMS.