San Francisco, CA (near BART station)

Who is Telmate?
Telmate is a leading provider of secure technology that empowers inmates to break the cycle of recidivism. We are the fastest growing inmate communications provider in the US and the technology leader for video visitation, online education, mobile applications and an array of crime investigator tools. Our solutions provide inmates and their friends and family with video conferencing, SMS, academic advancement, social networking and more. The Telmate platform also offers law enforcement powerful management tools with features like identity verification and a host of powerful analytical and predictive modeling tools that help law enforcement officials, district attorneys and detectives reduce crime, solve criminal cases and reduce court costs. The Telmate systems are deployed in over 450 facilities throughout the US and Canada.

We are looking for a talented Proposal Writer.  A researcher who is a whiz on a Mac, extremely organized, and can keep a level head through deadlines. The successful candidate will work on a wide range of new business projects from our San Francisco office, including reviewing RFPs and formatting new business proposals. We’re hoping that you’ll have other technical, marketing or writing related talents because everyone here wears a lot of hats, and when there’s an urgent need, everyone who is able pitches in.

What you will be doing:

• Review RFPs and format new business proposals for government contracts
• Survey competitor material and present to internal stakeholders
• Be able to index answers appropriately for boilerplate response content
• Ability to write new unique technical and creative responses to RFP questions
• Help with printing and binding and shipping proposal documents
• Help Manage our New Business Master Calendar
• Come up with new ideas and suggestions for improving our process
• Act as a sales and marketing document librarian, ensuring that each department has the latest and most accurate material when material is requested

Experience you will need for this position:

• 5+ years of Technical Writing experience
• Bachelor’s degree in English or any writing discipline
• Able to handle and meet extremely strict deadlines
• Exceptional Organization Skills and an attention to detail
• Ability to multi-task and manage multiple projects
• Must have experience with Macintosh platform
• Desire and ability to work with sharp people in a fast paced start-up
• Bonus points for expertise with any of the iWork applications (Pages, Keynote, Numbers)
• Bonus points for Adobe InDesign Experience
• Bonus points if you have an eye for design and layout
• Bonus points for understanding the RFP/Procurement process

Top reasons to join us!

• We are a mature start up; and that means we are still fun but financially solid
• All of us are rewarded by the fact that everything we do serves an important purpose in society
• Competitive salaries, good benefits, lots of office perks
• An amazing office with stunning views of SF
• Our office is located in the Financial District with restaurants all around

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) May 19, 2015 – Inmate communications leader Telmate announced the issuance of a new patent (U.S. Patent No. 9,030,292) for Telmate’s secure inmate video visitation system that supports both onsite as well as remote visits. This mix of Telmate’s hardware and software technology creates a self-sustaining method to manage inmate visitation and efficient means for friends and family to stay in touch. For video visits, inmates remain in their pod and use Telmate Stations, custom wall mounted, kiosk-like devices used for inmate communications, which improve staff and inmate security, free up staff time for more pressing tasks, and provide a more efficient and high-quality alternative to traditional visitation.

Known as the ”Interactive Audio/Video System and Device for Use in a Secure Facility,” what the patent describes is a customized interactive audio/video platform for providing administrative services. The Telmate customized platform includes among other things, Telmate Stations at secure facilities that are interconnected via a central processing platform, providing enhanced security and monitoring services. The kiosks typically provide video visitation, bail bonds, voicemail, video messaging, kites (or grievances), tele-medical, commissary, religious and educational services, and entertainment.

With Telmate’s interactive video visitation system, friends and family must provide identification information that is verified by Telmate prior to enabling visitation, so facilities know exactly who is connecting with whom. Also, inmates must log in with a unique PIN. Additionally, while the visit is taking place, the system periodically extracts frames of the video and performs a biometric check, continuously verifying inmate identity.

According to Grant Gongaware, Telmate Chief Architect, and one of the co-inventors of the system, “What makes the Telmate Video Visitation Platform unique is our proprietary system called Telmate Verified that is an automatically maintained and searchable index of the verified identities for both parties involved in any given video visitation; as well as the quality and reliability of the visitation itself.”

This is the company’s eighth patent issued, in just the last 10 months. For more information about Telmate, visithttp://www.telmate.com.

Read full article here.

As a tribute to heroes this upcoming Memorial Day, Telmate Manager and Boise, Idaho native Tim Haus gave The Boys & Girls Club of Western Treasure Valley a glimpse of what true heroes are with his Hero Awareness class on May 20, 2015.

“Working for an industry that serves law enforcement, Telmate is no stranger to everyday heroes who put their lives on the line for the sake of public service,” said Haus. “My goal was to show these kids the true meaning of service and sacrifice and hopefully inspire them to choose a righteous path for themselves when they grow up.”

During his one-hour presentation, Haus got the kids to think about who their heroes are and why those individuals represent heroes to them. By showing the kids images of both male and female superheroes, and having them share various interpretations of hero (or heroine) qualities, Haus was able to get the kids to examine their own hero definitions, state who their heroes are, and why. Not surprisingly, most of them chose a family member. “I feel they got good understanding of why someone can be a hero and I think they felt empowered to be heroes for their families and friends,” observed Haus. In the end, the class left with a redefined sense of what it means to be heroic.

Haus is part of a growing number of Telmate employees that selflessly volunteer their time each month to teach or train a dedicated group of B&G participants as part of the “Telmate Cares” community outreach program. Each month, two volunteers like Haus lead similar classes as part of a program with topics like: Coding 101; Job Interview Basics; Information Technology 101, and Developing a Professional Brand.

As an active member of the community himself, he serves on the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Western Treasure Valley and regularly volunteers for other organizations such as the Owyhee Rider for Hunger, Rake Up Boise, Paint the Town, and Race for the Cure. “ I am very thankful to have the opportunity for the kids to get to know me in a different role,” he said, “and I felt that the presentation went well and the kids had a good time.”

“Heroes are prevalent in our world here at Telmate,” said Chief Marketing Officer, Jeff Hansen. “We build technology to empower them, create programs to recognize them (telmate.com/heroes) and hire quality employees who are heroes in their own right.”

 Local Hero Continues Family Legacy in Corrections Service

COCONINO COUNTY, AZ – JUNE 5, 2015 – Telmate’s June Hero of the Month, Matthew Figueroa, proudly hails from a family of correctional officers. He has been a public servant for over 19 years and currently serves as Detention Services Commander at the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona.

For Figueroa, the greatest benefit of Telmate’s technology is keeping inmates and their families connected while keeping the community of Coconino safe, both inside and outside their jail.

According to the commander, new technology like Telmate Tablets gives inmates something much more constructive and engaging to do than spend long stretches of time doing nothing, which can potentially create stress, tension and even suicidal thoughts. As a secure managed internet service provider, Telmate’s tablet platform provides white-listed news content, books, entertainment and self-improvement tools. “Idle time creates idle inmates who could potentially become a danger to themselves and to our facility staff,” said Figueroa.

Figueroa’s forward-thinking and innovative approach stems from the unique vision of the Coconino County Sheriff himself, William B. Pribil.  Like Sheriff Pribil,  Figueroa’s goal is to “think outside the box and continue to embrace new ideas with technology that ultimately keep the community safe and reduce recidivism.”

When Figueroa is not busy keeping Coconino safe, he can be found at sporting events, cheering for his athlete-filled family. He is married with three very active boys and is a resident of Coconino.

Each month, Telmate receives nominations from their 300+ facilities in recognition of the true heroes in corrections that use the company’s technology, day in and day out. Telmate recognizes these heroes by selecting and honoring one Hero of the Month for their dedication and leadership.

For more information about the Heroes program or to nominate your own hero, please visit www.telmate.com/heroes.

###

Telmate is one of the fastest growing inmate communications systems in North America currently providing service to hundreds of correctional facilities in nearly every U.S. State and four Canadian Provinces. From city and county jails to federal facilities, Telmate serves populations of all sizes—many exceeding 2,000 beds. Telmate is headquartered in San Francisco, California. To find out more about Telmate, visit http://www.telmate.com.

Ontario, OR

Who is Telmate?
Telmate is a leading provider of secure technology that empowers inmates to break the cycle of recidivism. We are the fastest growing inmate communications provider in the US and the technology leader for video visitation, online education, mobile applications and an array of crime investigator tools. Our solutions provide inmates and their friends and family with video conferencing, SMS, academic advancement, social networking and more. The Telmate platform also offers law enforcement powerful management tools with features like identity verification and a host of powerful analytical and predictive modeling tools that help law enforcement officials, district attorneys and detectives reduce crime, solve criminal cases and reduce court costs. The Telmate systems are deployed in over 450 facilities throughout the US and Canada.

What you will be doing:
The Call Center Manager is responsible for managing a growing team of over 70 employees in day-to-day operations of a fast paced inbound call center environment servicing customers in 40 states.

• Direct CSR Supervisors in oversight and coaching of customer service reps
• Provide coaching and development to a team of Supervisors
• Conduct periodic employee evaluations
• Identify and develop internal talent for future leadership roles.
• Maintain motivational CSR bonus program.
• Ensure continuing progress against goals and initiatives designed to drive the business forward.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with other Telmate leaders. Work collaboratively across departments and workgroups to identify and solve problems and achieve organizational goals.
• Develop and supervise a team of representatives and monitor team performance to ensure that the call center goals are met and support call center quality.
• Identify, recommend and support the implementation of various programs for the improvement of call center processes.
• Liaising with supervisor, team leaders, and other operatives to collect information and resolve issues.
• Monitor random inbound calls to improve the quality minimize errors and track performance.
• Promote a culture that encourages and ensures both staff and customer satisfaction.
• Motivate, coach, and retain staff as well as coordinates incentive schemes.

Experience you will need for this position:

• 3+ years of call center experience.
• 2+ years of management experience
• Call Center Management certifications and/or experience preferred.
• Bachelor’s Degree in business or related field preferred.
• Bilingual English / Spanish preferred.
• Ability to work flexible work/shift schedule and availability off hours for emergency resolution.
• Work evening shifts as necessary.
• Ability to effectively coach, manage, and motivate staff to achieve a high level of performance.

Top reasons to join us!

• We are a mature start up; and that means we are still fun but financially solid
• All of us are rewarded by the fact that everything we do serves an important purpose in society
• Competitive salaries, good benefits, office perks

San Francisco CA (Financial District)

Who is Telmate?
Telmate is a leading provider of secure technology that empowers inmates to break the cycle of recidivism. We are the fastest growing inmate communications provider in the US and the technology leader for video visitation, online education, mobile applications and an array of crime investigator tools. Our solutions provide inmates and their friends and family with video conferencing, SMS, academic advancement, social networking and more. The Telmate platform also offers law enforcement powerful management tools with features like identity verification and a host of powerful analytical and predictive modeling tools that help law enforcement officials, district attorneys and detectives reduce crime, solve criminal cases and reduce court costs. The Telmate systems are deployed in over 450 facilities throughout the US and Canada.

What you will be doing:
Telmate is seeking a Senior Instructional Designer, responsible for creating materials and programs to train our customers on how to use our products. You will be responsible for creating product tutorial videos, eL-learning modules, quick-reference guides, FAQs, inline help content and manuals . Your materials will be used to train facility staff, inmates, and friends and family; each audience requires special consideration, and we encourage the development of friendly, easy-to-follow materials.

You will need to observe the usage of, and make use of our products in the office to orient yourself on how to best develop training materials. This position requires you to teach yourself how to use our hardware and software so you can put yourself in the shoes of our customer. You’ll decide how to best develop training materials based on your experience with our technology. An eye for detail is a must, as is the ability to put yourself in the shoes of our customers. Keep in mind that you will be working with our product, development and technical writing staff in an Agile Scrum style.

Applicants must have an excellent combination of training and technical skills in order to successfully build materials and curriculum useful to our customers. Candidates should also be experienced in working with Learning Management Systems (LMS) and course authoring tools. You must be a self-starter and able to work with minimal supervision.

• Manage, design and create content for internal employees and external customers
• Evaluate training effectiveness and iterate as needed
• Keep all training resources up-to-date
• Be a resourceful, self-driven problem solver
• Drive how product training is done for our entire product line
• Create a training roadmap, and lead us down the best path
• Develop polished training materials
• Assist in the effort to define standards/style guides for training material
• Develop a certification program for those that complete training
• On occasion, demonstrate our product to potential customers
• Travel up to 15%

Experience and Requirements:

• 5+ years of experience designing training materials for a Software offering (SaaS or Enterprise software) or VoIP product
• Must have worked as an Instructional Designer or eLearning Specialist for at least 2 years in the last 5 years
• Skilled with Captivate, Articulate Presenter or similar presentation tools
• Experience in creating web-based training courses
• Experience with screen-casting tools, and basic video editing tools for the Mac
• Strong Mac skills
• Proven, demonstrable successes
• Passionate communicator who excels in written and oral presentation

Extra Credit

• Experience with VoIP or Video Conferencing product line
• Accreditation to a professional training body, TAP, IIT or CILD or other professional training body
• Experience working in support of government agencies and/or law enforcement
• Advanced editing, proofreading and composition skills
• Customer relationship management (sales, marketing and/or service)
• An eye for design and layout

Top reasons to join us!

• We are a mature start up; and that means we are still fun but financially solid
• All of us are rewarded by the fact that everything we do serves an important purpose in society
• Competitive salaries, good benefits, lots of office perks
• An amazing office with stunning views of SF
• Our office is located in the Financial District with restaurants all around

San Francisco CA (Financial District)

Summary
The Production Engineering Manager is a leader embedded in the production engineering team at Telmate. The Production Engineering Manager leads a team of Linux system administrators, software developers, database administrators, monitoring engineers and data center engineers working to:

• Build new pieces of highly available infrastructure
• Maintain and scale existing infrastructure
• Conceptualize, architect and build automated deployment systems, a containerized infrastructure, a secured network with isolations
• Work with developers to institute a policy of Continuous Integration with Automated testing and to institute systems and workflows which allow for rollback of bad deployments
• Clear all applications for deployment into production systems
• Build and maintain systems for maintaining database schema and database migration managements
• Maintain a 24/7 on-call rotation for issues in production including the establishment of an Incident Commander with post mortem follow and review for issues affecting production availability

Essential Functions:

• System Architecture
• Process Design and Implementation
• Programming and Scripting in Perl or Python, and Bash
• Web Application Deployment Systems
• Continuous Integration tools
• Establishing and enforcing:
  Network Security Policy and systems monitoring standards * Risk Assessment policies and standards * Architecture Review policies and standards * Documentation and Escalation policies and standards

Required Education and Experience:

• 4-Year degree in relevant field or equivalent experience
• 5 years of experience as Production Engineering Manager
• Experience with management of production systems deployed to AWS
• Experience with management of production systems deployed to customer owned equipment in leased data centers
• Understanding of CentOS and Ubuntu
• Understanding of IP Networks and Protocols
• Understanding of Shell Scripting / Linux command line
• Expert experience in building and maintaining enterprise software tools
• Experience in the infrastructure required to serve web applications
• Experience in Agile Scrum software development
• Experience in Chef and Jenkins
• Ability to respond to after-hours issues based on escalation
• Good teaching and coaching skills

Desired Education, Experience, and Skills:

• Experience in Security tools such as OpenVAS
• Familiarity with production level support of Ruby on Rails based Applications
• Experience in the tools and processes to build a highly availability web application at scale

San Francisco CA (Financial District)

Summary:
The Managing Senior Engineering Lead (MSEL) is both a senior developer and a senior member of staff who manages and leads an engineering team to build products, and works in close partnership with Product Manager(s) (PM), who own the products. At a high level, the MSEL is responsible for:

• The overall technical priorities and roadmap for his or her products.
• Technical leadership, including consensus building and conflict resolution on deep technical topics like architecture and implementation strategy.
• Managing an engineering team, including coaching, mentorship, appropriate HR functions such as vacation and sick time approvals, and participation in team member reviews.
• Individual contribution to code sufficient to maintain expertise for technical leadership.
• Due diligence, such as tech strategy, story decomposition, and estimation.
• The sprint-by-sprint deliverables of the engineering team.
• Identifying ambiguity and working with colleagues for resolution.
• Evaluating requests for changes in direction for any technical gotchas, and make sure those are discussed and resolved.
• Collaborating with the infrastructure team to ensure the smooth development, deployment, operation, issue resolution, and performance of products.
• Tracking progress and providing timely, clear, and concise updates to the relevant stakeholders.
• Full, iterative development lifecycle, including but not limited to dev, test, continuous integration, release, logging, monitoring alerting, analytics, and application reporting.

Other Management Responsibilities:

• Perform regular, documented one-on-one’s and reviews.
• Employ management tools such as raises, promotions, and performance coaching as needed.
• Ensuring the engineers are able to perform well, with high output and morale.
• Identifying blockers and working with colleagues for resolution.
• Collaborating with HR to help set and follow relevant policies and procedures.
• Following up with stakeholders on team feedback, resolving issues as needed.

In partnership with the Product Manager:

• Ensure current status and sprint plans for the relevant features are clear to all stakeholders.
• Evaluate requests for changes in direction for any feature gotchas, and ensure those are discussed and resolved.
• Assess side effects and impact of any changes in direction on existing goals, plans, and sprints, escalating and resolving these as needed to ensure alignment and rational expectations with all stakeholders.
• After the above due diligence, incorporate changes in direction into our goals/plans/sprints appropriately (assuming gotchas and side effects are resolved).

The MSEL is the lead engineer on their team, using their knowledge of code to bring technical expertise to the features requested by Product Management, and guiding the whole team through the development of technical architectures, forming consensus and resolving disputes.

Essential Functions:

• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Attend formal and informal discussions with colleagues regarding features and functionality.
• Create charts, flowcharts, diagrams, describing system functionality and features.
• Organize, lead, attend and participate in meetings with Ownership and Executive Staff.
• Review and analyze programming code and system functionality.
• Assure coded features and functionality meet requirements are complete, including those related to system performance, response, redundancy, security, metrics, and tracking.

Supervisory Duties:

• Train employees on equipment and procedures.
• Ensure company policies are followed.
• Hire or fire employees.
• Enforce company safety policies.
• Record and maintain time sheets for non-exempt employees.
• Reading, writing and editing systems, process and code documentation in documentation systems.
• Reading, writing and editing user stories, product backlog items, and bugs in ticketing system.
• Reviewing, reporting and system metrics in internal and external reporting and metrics systems.
• Strong organizational and coordination skills along with multi-tasking capabilities to get things done in a fast paced environment.

Required Education and Experience:

• 4 year degree in relevant field or equivalent experience
• 5 years of experience as a software developer or equivalent experience
• 2 years of experience in a Sr. development role or equivalent experience
• Experience in building and managing enterprise software tools
• Solid understanding of the software development lifecycle (SDLC)
• Experience in the development web application
• Experience in Agile Scrum software development
• Excellent communication skills including written and spoken English with high attention to detail
• Experience with Project Planning software such as Microsoft Project

Desired Education and Experience:

• Ability to respond to after-hours issues based on escalation.
• Good teaching and coaching skills.
• Professional attitude and demeanor.
• Ability to work in a collaborative, team environment.

This position requires up to 10% travel.

San Francisco CA (Financial District)

What you will be doing:
The Business Analyst Manager is a senior member of staff who manages multiple business analysts in the development and interpretation of reporting production. You will engage in close partnership with Engineering Managers, Developers, Finance Controllers, Project Managers, and Executive Leadership. At a high level, the Business Analyst Manager’s responsibilities are:

• Manage a reporting team, including coaching, mentorship, appropriate HR functions such as vacation and sick time approvals, and participation in team member reviews.
• Perform regular, documented one-on-one’s and reviews.
• Employ management tools such as raises, promotions and performance coaching as needed to encourage employee performance.
• Ensure the team members are able to perform well, with high output and morale.
• Identify blockers and work with colleagues for resolution.
• Collaborate with HR to help set and follow relevant policies and procedures.
• Follow up with stakeholders on team feedback, resolving issues as needed.
• Create and maintain systems and processes which allow the team to efficiently receive and process reporting requests with thorough attention to accuracy and detail.
• Participate in the creation and analysis of reporting as a hands-on manager.
• Assist subordinate employees in performing specific duties.
• Attend formal and informal discussions with colleagues regarding features and functionality.
• Generate reports and analysis related to Revenue Assurance, Financial Variance, Competitive Analysis, Product Usage and Spend.
• Support reporting generated with Analyses, drawing conclusions based on trending over time.
• Prepare ad-hoc reports for account management, project management and other team members.
• Convert ad-hoc reports into automated managed reports using Telmate’s reporting software.
• Regular Reporting and Platform/Product Dashboards.
• Identify data inconsistencies, provide workarounds, and report them to stakeholders.
• Troubleshoot data issues, validate result sets, and implement process improvements.
• Generate tracking and monitoring tools to validate data.
• Attend meetings, and 1 on 1 discussions with stakeholders, developers, project managers and other team members to discuss reports needed, and/or possible analysis and conclusions from existing reporting.
• Discuss database structure and application data with developers and DBAs in order to best obtain results from data.

Experience you will need for this position:

• 4 Year College Degree in Business or Mathematics.
• 3 years in Business Analysis role.
• 3 years in a Management role.
• Strong familiarity with Business Intelligence and BI Software (JasperSoft preferred).
• Solid analytical and organizational skills, with ability to analyze processes.
• Intermediate ability to write SQL queries.
• Familiarity with the command line (Windows CMD or Linux Shell).
• Familiarity with running SQL queries on the command line.
• Ability to read and analyze financial and management reports.
• Expert user in Excel.
• Advanced experience with Microsoft Office Suite.
• Experience in analyzing data using SQL and statistics is highly preferred.
• Must be accurate and detailed oriented in a fast faced environment with multi responsibilities.
• Work quickly with a sense of urgency and flexibility to adapt changes resulting from a dynamic and growing environment.
• Ability to handle confidential information with diplomacy and tact.
• Ability to respond to after-hours issues based on escalation.
• Good teaching and coaching skills.
• Professional attitude and demeanor.
• Ability to work in a collaborative, Scrum team environment.
• Experience maintaining or working with an Online Web-Based Application.
• Experience working on an Agile Scrum Team.

Top reasons to join us!

• We are a mature start up; and that means we are still fun but financially solid.
• All of us are rewarded by the fact that everything we do serves an important purpose in society.
• Competitive salaries, good benefits, lots of office perks.
• An amazing office with stunning views of SF.
• Our office is located in the Financial District with restaurants all around.

Baltimore, MD (PRWEB) June 23, 2015 – Inmate technology leader, Telmate will showcase its game-changing, smartphone-based, GPS monitoring solution for community corrections at this week’s National Sheriff’s Association (NSA) Annual Conference and Expo. Attendees interested in learning more about the monitoring solution can test drive and explore the Guardian app, attend a demo, or sign up for a pilot.

Telmate Guardian provides individuals enrolled in community corrections programs like parole, probation, pre-trial, and work release, an alternative to costly and burdensome alternatives like the ankle bracelet or traditional face-to-face meetings. With the Guardian app, enrollees can “check-in” with their case managers anywhere, anytime, from the convenience of their own phone. The app is compatible with both Android and Apple smartphones, and requires no additional hardware or equipment for case managers and enrollees.

“We are excited to welcome attendees at the expo and introduce them to the latest innovation from Telmate,” said Telmate Chief Marketing Officer, Jeff Hansen. “With the ever-increasing demand from state and federal laws to get people out of jail due to budget constraints and overcrowding, the need for an app like Telmate Guardian is essential for sustainability.”

According to a 2014 Bureau of Prison study, “The Federal Prison Population Buildup: Overview, Policy Changes, Issues, and Options,” it is increasingly more expensive to incarcerate an inmate in a federal prison, yet prisons must continue to operate within the same annual appropriation approved by Congress. Additionally, the study confirms the myriad challenges facing the federal prison system due to prison overcrowding.

The benefits of Telmate Guardian extend to both case managers and enrollees, Telmate reports. It offers case managers efficient, real-time monitoring, reports and check-in controls, which add an unprecedented human touch to GPS monitoring for community corrections. Case managers can see enrollee photos and hear voice check-ins that let them know not only where they are, but how they are. And because Guardian is smartphone-based, if there is any concern, a phone call or text connection is immediate. With features like voice detection, facial recognition and geo zones (inclusion and exclusion zones), Guardian makes it simple to actively pinpoint and supervise enrollees. For enrollees, it offers a low-cost, discreet, and far less embarrassing and less intrusive solution than an ankle monitor, while fostering a more effective reentry alternative.

“Telmate is proud to lead the way with the introduction of this new technology at NSA,” Hansen said. “With Guardian, case managers get a simple, powerful way to add a layer of monitoring while enrollees get a modern, familiar and dignified solution that supports them getting out and staying out of jail.”

Guardian app demos are available in Booth 1009 at the National Sheriff’s Association this week in Baltimore, Maryland.

For more information about Telmate’s participation at NSA, or to sign up for a private demo, please visit http://www.telmate.com/partners.

Read full article here.

ONTARIO, OR – May 15, 2015 – Telmate Network Integrator, Sam Valdez was more than happy to take an afternoon to bring his anti-bullying message to the students of the Boys & Girls Club of Western Treasure Valley. Sam is part of a growing number of Telmate employees that eagerly volunteer their time each month to teach or train a dedicated group of B&G participants as part of the “Telmate Cares” community outreach program.

But it wasn’t talking about the details of network troubleshooting out in the field, and in the cloud that Sam was excited about. Rather, it was the opportunity to teach the kids a class in anti-bullying, a subject that’s very real for him.

“I have personal experience with being bullied in school when I was younger,” said Valdez, “and I thought it would be an easy way to connect with these kids.” During the class, he introduced himself with a live, “Draw My Life” session, using stick figure storytelling. After that he showed a Cartoon Network video called “Stop Bullying: Speak Up Special,” followed by a Q&A session.

Valdez was interested in volunteering at the Boys & Girls club because he worked there before becoming a part of the Telmate team and wanted to share something valuable to help the kids grow — in the same way he was helped. “It’s a safe environment to be themselves and learn right from wrong,” Valdez said.

He was impressed by how they reacted to the class. They seemed to know how to navigate around bullying. And that’s a positive thing. Because when Valdez was their age, he had nowhere to turn to.

According to Executive Director of the B&G Club of Western Treasure Valley, Matt Sorensen, “Each individual can make a far-reaching difference in another person’s life.” By providing positive volunteers like Valdez, Telmate consistently works on boosting the morale of the Boys & Girls Club and its members, and ultimately, taking the extra step to help reduce recidivism at its core.

BALTIMORE, MD, JUNE 29, 2015 – A Lake County Indiana Jail panel of experts will introduce how they are leveraging smart jail technology today as part of an interactive panel discussion called, “Enhancing Security and Control with Mobile Technology” at the National Sheriff’s Association (NSA) Conference. Smart jails like Lake County use the latest in corrections technology from companies like Telmate to address security and control issues and increase operational efficiencies.

“This panel is about how jails are working smarter, and not harder, using mobile access technologies like the Telmate Tablet,” said Telmate Chief Marketing Officer, Jeff Hansen. “We hope to showcase Lake County’s innovative approach, so others can learn from their success.”

The interactive session will demonstrate how Lake County leverages technology to address their facility’s growing needs for enhanced security and control. Correctional and security experts include: Jail Administrator, Mark Purevich; Detective Sergeant, Jamie Harris; and Lake County Mental Health Director, Dr. Shaun Wehle. Moderating the panel is Telmate Chief Marketing Officer, Jeff Hansen.

“I can do investigative work on the fly with Telmate’s suite of investigator tools,” Harris said, “and paint a picture of what is going on in an inmate’s life.” According to Harris, he can connect the dots between accomplices, partners, friends and even enemies. This helps Lake County prevent criminal activity, detect the entry of contraband into the jail, and thwart inmate violence (to others and themselves).

For Dr. Wehle, the introduction of mobile technology for inmates has had a significant impact on their behavior and well-being. “It’s imperative for us to detect behavioral tendencies to prevent inmates from doing harm toward themselves or others,” said Wehle, “but more importantly, Telmate allows us to be more proactive in managing inmate behavior with its wide range of communications tools, entertainment content and information resources.”

Jail Administrator Purevich noted that automated features like inmate grievances and requests, along with content such as a law library, help eliminate cumbersome and time-consuming staff administrative tasks. This ultimately creates a more efficient and less legally vulnerable system for his staff. He added: “At Lake County, we pride ourselves in having the synergy and strategy needed to sustain our growing needs, and Telmate technology has been the catalyst for us to manage our jail safely and effectively.”

For more information about Telmate’s participation at NSA, or to sign up for a private demo, please visit www.telmate.com/partners.

Lafayette Jail Goes High-Tech, Thanks to Local Hero

JULY 1, 2015 -LAFAYETTE, LA – Telmate’s Hero of the Month, Jeremy Lantier, feels proud to have been part of building a new, 29-acre, innovative Public Safety Complex (PSC) for the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office.

For Lantier, who has been in corrections for the last 8 years, and currently serves as a Facilities Management Deputy, it was an opportunity to do something very unique in his career — a role that started as just a job but turned into a fulfilling, high-tech career in corrections.

According to Lantier, one of things he’s done in this role is to replace an antiquated visitation center and video visitation system with Telmate’s automated video visitation system. Now there is far less inmate movement and more security. “When a visit would happen, staff had to go into the housing unit and escort inmates to a secure area outside the housing unit, which was very labor intensive, not to mention a security issue,” Lantier recalled. Additionally, inmates talked over a telephone and a monitor with a video camera, putting extra burdens on the staff.

Lantier said that using Telmate technology plays a significant role in supporting Sheriff Mike Neustrom’s vision to, “reduce recidivism, rehabilitate offenders and reintegrate them into society, to have them be productive, and to teach them life and job skills.”

There are other unforeseen benefits as well, said Lantier. “A while back, we had an offender watch his wife give birth over video visitation, it was a C-section. They took a tablet into the delivery room to watch the child being born.”

Lafayette started off with Telmate stations, recently adding tablets and now have approximately 200 stations and tablets at various facilities in the complex. This includes the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center, Community Program House, and Public Safety Complex, which is home to transitional housing facility for work release offenders and the future location of a secure housing facility for road crew offenders.

Yet another Lantier achievement was transforming Lafayette to a completely paperless inmate request system, resulting in reduced staff workload. Currently, the facility has over 40 grievances in the Telmate system including all general requests, program applications, and non-emergency healthcare requests. Lantier says this digital system not only helps staff, but the offender population too. “I’m not going to speculate on how long this used to take,” Lantier said, “but it was quite a few days, compared to this new, instant, efficient way.”

When he’s not busy pushing Lafayette into the next technological sphere by adding new features and making the Lafayette system work smoother and smarter, Lantier likes to fish and spend time with family and friends.

Every month, Telmate receives nominations in recognition of heroes just like Lantier, who use the company’s technology, day in and day out. Telmate recognizes these heroes by selecting and honoring one Hero of the Month for their dedication and leadership.

For more information about the Heroes program or to nominate your own hero, please visit www.telmate.com/heroes.

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Telmate is one of the fastest growing inmate communications systems in North America currently providing service to hundreds of correctional facilities in nearly every U.S. State and four Canadian Provinces. From city and county jails to federal facilities, Telmate serves populations of all sizes—many exceeding 2,000 beds. Telmate is headquartered in San Francisco, California. To find out more about Telmate, visit http://www.telmate.com.

Telmate: a video-chat system is becoming more common for prisons and jails across the country and here in southeastern Idaho.

Convenience. It’s become the back bone of our fast-paced high tech world, and now, you can even find it in prisons and jails.

It’s called Telmate.

However, unlike Skype, FaceTime or any other video chatting service it’s specific to communication for inmates.

“It’s less staff, jail-staff intensive. Before, when we were doing face-to-face visits, we had to escort inmates down to the visiting area,” said Brian Covert, jail lieutenant of the Bonneville County Sheriff’s office.

The old system also didn’t allow much time for visitation either.

“Before, we’d have a block of time for a housing area, and it may or may not work for the family and friends. This system, it opens up a lot of different visiting times so they can visit in the morning or evening,” said Covert.

Here’s how it works: visitors go to the jail to get verified through the system. With a photo ID and entering some general info, they’re good to go.

Visitors can then access the system from their home or by coming to the jail.

Telmate also allows people to leave voicemails, text messages, and send photos to inmates as well.

Bonneville County isn’t the first jail to adopt a system like this. They were one of the last ones in the area to do so.

Bingham and Bannock counties both use similar programs.

Read the original article here!

Telmate Guardian Gives Parolees a ‘New Leash on Life’ with Smartphone-Powered GPS Technology for Community Corrections

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (PRWEB) July 22, 2015

Long gone are the days of indiscreet anklet bracelets and expensive tracking devices thanks to Telmate Guardian: the first innovative, smartphone-based, GPS monitoring solution for community corrections.
Prior means of tracking offenders in community corrections was the use of anklet bracelets, which were expensive and cumbersome, reported early adopter, Tommy D. Payne, President of Intertech Probation, Inc. A Georgia based company, Intertech has been serving Superior Courts, Probate, Magistrate and Municipal Courts since 1995. According to Payne, one of their challenges has been getting more enrollees in the program.
According to Telmate, with Telmate Guardian, the possibility of expanding those programs is enhanced by simplifying it for both user and case manager without compromising enrollee monitoring and control. Compatible with both Android and Apple smartphones, the Guardian app requires no new hardware or equipment for case managers and enrollees, making it a low cost, robust, and easy to use monitoring solution. Guardian offers case managers real-time monitoring, reports, and check-in controls, along with features like voice and facial detection, and geo zones, making it simple to actively pinpoint and supervise enrollees.
Case managers simply set up a new user online and provide a unique PIN to the enrollee. Next, enrollees download the app and sign up. Based on their program, enrollees are prompted to check in by reading a random series of numbers. Voice and facial detection then confirm the check-in as successful. All check-ins are reported and delivered to the case manager, thus adding a new level of human insight as to the state of the client.

“Telmate Guardian is a win/win for community corrections,” said Telmate Chief Marketing Officer, Jeff Hansen. “Case managers get a simple, powerful way to add a layer of effective monitoring, and enrollees get a modern, familiar and dignified solution that supports them getting out and staying out.”

Payne agrees. “I know there are options out there, but they do not seem as simple to the user as Guardian,” he said. “Guardian gives us a reliable monitoring device for a fraction of traditional costs while keeping our community safe.”
For more information about Telmate Guardian, watch this video at http://www.telmate.com/guardian-video/.

Read the original article here at prweb.com

Telmate allows correctional facilities and inmates benefits via their video visitation system. The system provides a high quality, safe, and convenient alternative to face-to-face visits. Inmates can visit with their loved ones without ever leaving their pod. This provides security for staff, and closes off a key avenue for contraband. Video-only communication ensures that staff members see everything that the inmate sees, which means that an inmate can’t use their body to shield hand signals or written messages from wall mounted cameras. Scheduling can easily be done online, so staff will no longer need to manually schedule visits, thus freeing them up for other tasks. A single web-based application allows staff to review inmate calls, video visits, set alarms, control access, and more from any Internet web browser or smartphone.

Telmate video visits automatically use a proprietary identity verification system called Telmate Verified so staff always know who’s visiting whom. Video visits also incorporate facial biometrics and monitoring, which flag inappropriate behavior such as inmate extortion (passing the visit to someone else) or inappropriate conduct.

Telmate offers three types of video visits: on-site, remotely using personal computer, and remotely using mobile devices. Since so many facilities are remote, friends and family can get immediate and personal communication without hassle and expense of traveling to the facility. Telmate offers friends and family with bilingual customer support 24 hours per day, seven days per week as well as an online help center to answer any questions.

Read full article here.

Breaking a tablet isn’t something you ever want to happen. Unless of course, you get to break them on purpose! That was exactly the point of a recent “How to Fix Tablets” class taught to the Boys & Girls Club of Western Treasure Valley on July 1st. Each month, a few enthusiastic, dedicated Telmate employees volunteer their time and teach a small group of B&G kids as part of the “Telmate Cares” community outreach program.

“All the tablets were broken in the same way so everyone was able to follow the step-by-step directions on how to fix them,” explained Telmate’s Call Center Manager, Tim Haus. “We have some very smart kids, and at times they were helping each other which is always nice to see.” Haus led the hour-long class that was taught by Jon Robertson and Spencer Roundtree (both work on the Telmate installation team). The duo worked with the high-tech fledglings on the fundamentals of technology repair — as a way to promote technological prowess and confidence they can carry with them into the future.

Not only were the kids excited to dissect a tablet and discover what’s inside, at the end of the class there was a tablet giveaway and three grateful youngsters walked away with fully “intact” tablets. Game on!

Telmate believes this community initiative helps to reduce recidivism at its core by providing disadvantaged youth with positive resources. Western Treasure Valley Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Matt Sorensen agrees: “The kids benefit from the monthly consistency of a familiar face, plus it helps steer them away from negative teenage pressures.”

Telmate Cares’ mission is to establish a positive brand in the communities we serve, aid in the recruitment of talented employees who want to make a difference, and enhance corporate culture into one that embraces a sense of community.

El Centro, California – The Sheriff’s Office is proud to announce Telmate as the new Inmate Telecommunications provider for the Imperial County Sheriff’s Jail. Telmate brings a wide variety of products and solutions for inmates, friends, and family; Inmate phones, Video Visitation, Messages/Photo sharing, Deposit options, Education, and Paperless grievances and requests.

Monday the 20th marked the first day going live with the new system from Telmate. Video Visitation has been introduced to the jails along with its many benefits: reduction of staff time, increased safety and security, reduction of contraband, elimination of hidden/shielded communication, and face to face unprotected communication, easily monitored by staff at any time. Video visitation offers both onsite video visits and remote visits over the internet via web browser.

Telmate has also installed its tablet devices in the Sheriff’s Office Correctional Facilities and serves inmates through a secured wireless service and detention-safe operating system. This new technology includes a number of features that benefit both the Inmates and Correctional Staff-at no cost to taxpayers. Access to paperless requests and grievances and monitored messaging with friends and family are currently offered on tablets. In the weeks to come, the Sheriff’s Office intends to offer self-improvement, skill training, and educational applications through the tablets to transform “wasted time” into “productive time” for inmates.

Read the full article here.

Inmate communications leader Telmate announced it has received a new U.S. patent which provides for novel phone call rating mechanisms that, in accordance with recent federal initiatives, advantageously reduce the cost of long distance inmate calling rates.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (PRWEB) AUGUST 05, 2015

Inmate communications leader Telmate announced it has received a new U.S. patent which provides for novel phone call rating mechanisms that, in accordance with recent federal initiatives, advantageously reduce the cost of long distance inmate calling rates.

Entitled “Residence-Based Calling Rates, System and Method,” U.S. Patent No. 9,088,671 is the latest patent that Telmate has received on this invention disclosure. According to Chief Marketing Officer, Jeff Hansen, “The new rating system will enhance the accuracy of inmate call charges so that rates will be based on more than just a caller’s area code.”

The new patent is based on three main methods of determining the location of the called party: the geotagged phone location; the GPS-determined phone location; and the IP-address phone location. All these methodologies result in improved billing for Telmate’s friends and family customers.

The patent is Telmate’s ninth in just over a year.

Read the full article here.

San Francisco CA (Financial District) 

Summary:

The Sr. Ruby on Rails Developer is proficient in web development, mentoring others, excellent communications, API development, and software architecture. As a Senior Rails Developer you will use your development and leadership skills to build applications and systems that will help

inmates across the country reinsert themselves into society.

Your skills:

• Development of new features for Telmate’s platform.
• Development and maintenance of automated testing and deployment systems.
• Frontend Development: JavaScript, CSS, HTML, XML
• Utilize skills to experiment with, and drive the adoption of, new technology
• Maintain responsibility while working efficiently and proactively
• Share and use expertise in test driven development
• Engage in project planning and task estimation
• Generate, enhance, and promote new ideas
• Respond to on call production support and escalation when systems go down.
• Use software design best and pragmatic practices
• Takes responsibility for successful delivery of the solutions.

What we need you to bring:

• 5+ years of overall software development experience with 3+ years in service-based software development experience
• 3+ years of Ruby development (Ruby on Rails preferred)
• SQL development skills (preferable with MySQL)
• Multithreaded development
• Frontend Development: JavaScript, CSS, HTML, XML
• Experience in building and managing enterprise software tools
• Solid understanding of the software development lifecycle (SDLC)
• Experience in web development.
• Experience in Agile Scrum software development
• Excellent communication skills including written and spoken English with high attention to detail
• Experience with project planning.
• Strong communication skills
• Good knowledge of JavaScript

Extra points:

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline
• A professional foundation that includes strong C programming skills
• Experience working in a small (ideally startup) company where every individual’s contribution is key to the company’s success.
• Java development experience
• Asterisk Dialplan / AEL experience
• Multilingual desired
• Ability to think creatively

What do our Devs get to work with here?

• Test Driven Development (R-Spec)
• Agile Scrum
• Pair Programming
• Pure Ruby Hardware Applications
• Unpure Ruby Applications w/ C
• Scaling Ruby on Rails (MySQL plus Non-blocking)
• Asterisk Integration
• Flash video transport
• Development across multiple devices and platforms
• BREW recipes
• ActionScript (w/ Flex Monkey)
• JavaScript (w/ Jasmine)
• Database sharding w/ Master-Master replication and mesh linking
• Custom GEM repositories
• Chef
• Ruby DSLs
• Organically developed software stack
• Data mining
• Face Matching
• Voice Prints
• Web Services
• iOS and Android development
• ElasticSearch
• AWS
• Distributed computing (TorqueBox)
• JRuby
• Big data
• Information Security

Top reasons to join us!

• We are a mature start up; and that means we are still fun but financially solid
• All of us are rewarded by the fact that everything we do serves an important purpose in society
• Competitive salaries, good benefits, lots of office perks
• An amazing office with stunning views of SF
• Our office is located in the Financial District with restaurants all around
• A Jam Room overlooking SF