The Mission-Critical Resource Center

The Impact of Records Management System Technology Trends on Law Enforcement Agencies

In Summary:

• Records management systems (RMS) are the backbone of recordkeeping for law enforcement agencies
• They enable agencies to capture, store, retrieve, analyze, and leverage data and information to support operations from incident and crime data to personnel files and information
• RMS technology has evolved substantially over the last several years
• To meet the demands of law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve, RMS providers have implemented myriad new capabilities

The Lean ECC: A Way to Make ECCs Better at What They Do

In Summary:

• The emergency communications landscape is changing rapidly and emergency communications centers (ECCs) have adapted the way that they handle 911 calls and support emergency responders
• Today, technology and science play a much larger role in the way ECCs operate — resulting in new approaches that are not only effective, but repeatable and scalable
• One such approach, known as the lean ECC, focuses on removing extraneous steps in a center's workflows to help meet national standards 
• This does not mean reducing staff — rather, this approach leverages an ECCs existing resources more efficiently to enhance the quantity and quality of what is being accomplished

The NIBRS Deadline Is Fast Approaching—Here's What You Should Be Doing

In Summary:

• Law-enforcement agencies nationwide are grappling with their migrations to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), an initiative to intended to improve the accuracy, timeliness and transparency of the nation's crime statistics, which could be used to help identify crime patterns and trends, and ultimately, prevent crime.
• Numerous challenges stand in the way of NIBRS compliance, and some agencies are at risk of not meeting the January 2021 deadline.
• This whitepaper identifies the benefits of the migration and explores tactics that could help them meet the deadline.

NIBRS is expected to foster greater consistency in the data that is being collected for each incident that occurs because it has defined standard ways of describing an incidentand collecting the data, so that apples-to-apples comparisons can be made at the national level. There are several challenges that exist for law enforcement agencies, including the need to retool their RMS to comply with the new rules that have been established, cost, and organizational change. This whitepaper discusses the following:

Why Body-Worn Cameras Should Be on the Radar Screen of Every Law Enforcement Agency

In Summary: 

• A concept that is gaining considerable traction in the law-enforcement community today is that of the "connected officer," which has at its core a plethora of mission-critical technology
• Citizens are demanding more in-depth investigations into how field personnel interact with the public and apply force.
• According to a study that involved officers on all shifts being issued body-worn cameras, 60 percent fewer incidents and 88 percent fewer citizen complaints about officer misconduct were reported
• This whitepaper provides a close examination of the body-worn camera implementation process, including the necessary steps for a successful deployment of this technology

The body-worn camera has become a critical tool for law-enforcement agencies. This whitepaper discusses the following:

White Paper: Pandemic Continuity-of-Operations Plans

Continuity-of-operations plans (COOP) represent significant time and resource investments, but also are essential to maintaining the ability of an organization to continue to deliver mission-critical services during, and immediately following, a crisis. 

Whitepaper: Don’t Take Shortcuts When Developing NG911 GIS Data

Geographic information system (GIS) data is a foundational component in the migration to, and continuing operation of, Next Generation 911 (NG911) systems. But developing local GIS data so that it aligns with NG911 standards is a laborious and time-consuming process that can take months or years to complete.

Tips for Improving Building Health and Safety

In Summary:

• As the COVID-19 pandemic has caused organizations across the country, including public safety agencies, to to revise policies and change the way they do business in order to protect staff members and the community
• The current public health crisis shines a light on the need for public safety agencies to plan and prepare for contagion or widespread illness as part of the continuity-of-operations planning process
• From small changes to operational policies, to large building design and development considerations, there are a number of actions agencies can take to protect personnel inside the facility

Maintaining Operations Remotely During a Public-Health Crisis

In Summary:

• As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, public safety, law enforcement and other mission-critical organizations need to prepare for the possibility of remote operations
• There are a number of options available to agencies for remote call-handling, computer-aided dispatch (CAD), and radio dispatch
• Which option makes the most sense for your agency to protect staff members from viral illnesses, like COVID-19, with minimal interruption to operations?

Enhancing Law Enforcement with Actionable Data

In Summary:

• Thanks to public safety broadband communications, a tremendous amount of data can now be implemented into emergency response
• Data analytics and artificial intelligence are not new, but they are constantly evolving
• How do law enforcement agencies harness this data in order to improve the way they serve and protect their communities?

Implementing a Successful Public Safety Radio System Upgrade

In Summary:

• Every year, an estimated 240 million calls are received by 911 dispatchers across the United States. Once those calls are placed, the fast and accurate operation of two-way radio communications is essential to support the response. Often saving lives.
• As traditional technologies begin to reach end of life, it is critical that agencies take steps to implement new technologies to enhance their current emergency response operations.
• The process for upgrading or replacing an existing land mobile radio (LMR) system can seem daunting, but it does not have to be.

Developing an RFP for Your Radio System Upgrade or Replacement

In Summary:

• A radio system upgrade or replacement project does not need to be daunting or overwhelming
• Obtaining a new system through the request for proposals (RFP) process allows agencies to select a best-of-breed solution, ultimately yielding better results
• Any RFP should have the same standard elements, but not customizing your RFP to your project could result in proposals for unnecessary work, extra costs and, ultimately, a project that does not meet goals or expectations

The Prescription for Thwarting Public Safety Cyberattacks

In Summary:

• The FBI advises that it is no longer a question of if, but rather when, any individual public safety communications network is going to be attacked.
• There is a lot that public safety agencies can do on their own to increase the difficulty of hacking their networks and lessening the effects of cyberattacks.
• This whitepaper outlines a six-step treatment regimen, and discusses continuity-of-operations and disaster recovery.

A lot can go wrong with public safety communications networks from a cybersecurity perspective.