Currently, interoperability and information-sharing standards are two of the most common buzzwords in law enforcement technology; like so many others, they may seem easy to brush aside, especially when the technology employed can vary within an agency almost as much as it does among agencies. Such terms can also imply a need for new equipment or software, making the process seem daunting. As a result, many law enforcement leaders are asking some version of the following question: “What’s in it for us?”

This is not a silly question—it is one that every leader should ask. With budget cuts the norm and agencies forced to prioritize between what they need and what they need right now, it can be difficult to break from traditional purchases when it is easier to see the benefit in, for example, a new and improved bulletproof vest rather than a new records management system (RMS) or computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system.

CAD systems and RMSs are extremely powerful tools for law enforcement agencies and have evolved a great deal since their inception. For these reasons, the Law Enforcement Information Technology Standards Council (LEITSC) has developed the following two documents: Standard Functional Specifications for Law Enforcement Records Management Systems (RMS) and Standard Functional Specifications for Law Enforcement Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) Systems