Alberta Justice is releasing the cost of development of a police information system that was killed before it came into use.

Almost $69 million was spent on a program that would have allowed the province's police departments to share information.

Justice Minister Jonathan Denis said the various police services weren't interested in the program.

"They did not want to continue with this so we made the decision to put the money towards boots in the street ... rather than throwing good money after bad."

The opposition said the government should have tried to find out if the program was going to work before spending the money.

But the minister said when the program was started in 2006, things were more optimistic.

"It may have seemed to have made sense at the time," he said.

The province saved $8 million by cancelling the project this year, Denis said.

The province spent more than $14 million on staff, $13 million on equipment and more than $41 million on software.

The police chief in Calgary, Rick Hanson, said Monday his counterparts in Edmonton, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge have agreed to find an alternative plan.

"A great deal of work was done by the province at their expense and now it's up to us as heads of police services in this province to take it to the final step."

The police departments have agreed to link their individual data bases instead of setting up one separate system for everyone.