The law enforcement profession remains a difficult and dangerous field due to the constantly evolving threats to public safety.

Because of these threats, law enforcement administrators must ensure that their first responders receive specialized and valuable equipment to protect themselves while also protecting their communities. However due to budget restraints, agencies may struggle with providing their officers with the necessary equipment.

The ever-growing cost of policing technologies is causing agencies to reevaluate their budgets as they shift toward modern, evidence-based practices. Having proper asset management systems allows law enforcement administrators to keep track of the condition and location of the equipment their staff uses and determine how to best utilize the budget for high-quality products.

As new technology surfaces, companies bring forth important, effective products for use in the field. These same companies are offering financially feasible solutions for digital evidence, fleet, and personnel management.

Digital Evidence Management

NICE Systems, Inc., a provider of software solutions headquartered in Ra’anana, Israel, aims to provide solutions to agencies around the world that are undergoing internal transformations. NICE Investigate, a cloud-based digital evidence management software platform, was created to help agencies overcome the challenges associated with managing digital evidence assets, thus boosting efficiency, reducing costs, and helping investigators solve cases faster.

The idea for NICE Investigate stemmed from the number of agencies who were struggling with new data problems. “The volume and variety of digital evidence assets have grown exponentially over the last decade, and the means to manage them have not kept pace with this growth, hindering investigations,” said Rod Guy, vice president of strategy and business development at NICE Systems, Inc.¹

Many agencies are looking to make the change from storing digital media in the same way they have stored physical evidence in the past—by tagging and storing multiple versions in various evidence rooms—to a more immersive and efficient software platform. According to Cambridge, Maryland, Police Department Retired Chief Daniel Dvorak, this traditional way of managing evidence has increased the amount of media, while also making it difficult to connect the evidence due to having separate data repositories.²

Rather than having investigators search for evidence to multiply, assemble, and transport, NICE Investigate provides a more efficient process by providing a single interface that investigators can use to access all the digital evidence on hand. The software can even apply analytics to all types of data and multimedia to uncover hidden connections and insights.

When using the digital evidence management software, investigators spend less time gathering and organizing evidence. Thus, they will have more time to solve cases with more valuable evidence to use in the courtroom. The three innovative application portals—the Community Portal, the Investigation Portal, and the Prosecution Portal—assist in organizing evidence throughout the entire life cycle of the investigation.

Alan Stringer, former digital evidence management system project manager at Merseyside Police, United Kingdom, said, “NICE Investigate has the ability to totally transform how departments manage investigations and digital evidence assets, improving case solvability, saving them time and money, and much more.”³

Fleet Management

To adhere to local, state, and federal regulations, departments may also look to improve their fleet management processes.

Looking to aid that change is Track Star International with the Track Star AVLS, a GPS fleet management solution designed to provide features and capabilities that are absent from other products in the law enforcement field.

“The product is best described as a ‘system’ which is comprised of software that we create and devices that communicate with the software,” said CEO and president of the Charlotte, North Carolina–based software company, Michael Hughes. “Our software is unique in that, unlike other systems, it is a private, exclusive, and on-premise product designed not only to provide agencies with powerful functions not available elsewhere but also to deliver the highest level of data security.”⁴

Evolving from a project in 1994, Track Star has integrated an array of devices into its AVLS system to allow users the ability to track vehicle assets and personnel, as well as suspect vehicles, aviation assets, and K9 officers. The software provides real-time situational awareness of mobile operations by indicating location and status of equipment such as weapons releases, sirens, K9 doors, and spike strip containers.

Once the information is received, it is decoded and stored in the on-premise database. The server also processes the incoming data for customer-specified notification triggers and makes the appropriate notifications on-screen or via text or email messages.

Before the advent of GPS and data communications, a great deal of work went into the process of recreating and analyzing events that took place in the field,” Hughes said. “Track Star AVLS has provided law enforcement with the tools necessary to address all of these situations by evolving the system in step with the evolution of technology.”

Personnel Management

Asset management encompasses not only the equipment and tools officers use, but also the officers themselves.

Due to the range in department size, companies must tailor their products to fit the needs of any agency. A Fargo, North Dakota–based software company brings a scheduling tool to the law enforcement profession that nearly any agency could utilize.

Administrators are able to keep track of their officers and staff through Atlas Business Solutions’ ScheduleAnywhere. “ScheduleAnywhere helps law enforcement agencies manage their most important assets—their officers and staff members,” said vice president and general manager of Atlas Business Solutions Jon Forknell. “This employee scheduling software streamlines the scheduling process and improves communication.”⁵

The software allows users to create and manage work schedules from any computer or mobile device at any time. Each schedule can be customized to show information and calculations that are important to a specific department.

ScheduleAnywhere automatically tracks the number of staff or hours scheduled, as well as skills and certifications to help ensure compliance. Agencies also have the ability to track assets assigned to individual officers, such as firearms, tools, and equipment.

When the need arises, Schedule-Anywhere enables officers to submit requests for a replacement/cover, swap, and time-off via the mobile app. Administrators can easily accept or deny the requests.

“ScheduleAnywhere saves law enforcement agencies time and money,” Forknell said. “It cuts the time spent on scheduling by up to 75 percent and gives managers time to focus on other responsibilities.”

Accountability is a powerful concept in the policing profession. It is important for criminals to be held accountable for their actions, just as the community holds law enforcement accountable for achieving resolutions. However, it is also necessary for law enforcement administrators to hold their own officers accountable for the equipment officers use so that money can be set aside for purchasing new and improved items—rather than replacing broken or lost ones. Asset management systems make that accountability easier for all involved.🛡

Notes:

¹ Rod Guy (vice president strategy and business development, NICE Systems, Inc.), email interview, January 3, 2020.

² Daniel Dvorak (retired chief of police, Cambridge Police Department, Maryland), email interview, January 3, 2020.

³ Alan Stringer (former digital evidence management system project manager, Merseyside Police, United Kingdom), email interview, January 3, 2020.

⁴ Michael Hughes (CEO and founder, Track Star International), email interview, December 20, 2019.

⁵ Jon Forknell (vice president and general manager, Atlas Business Solutions, Inc.) email interview, December 31, 2019.