Over the years of working in law enforcement, you’ve probably noticed how increasingly important technology is in your line of duty. Computers, internet and electronic record-keeping make the information more organized, easily accessible and, most importantly, help you do your work faster! In case your police department is still relying on paperwork in some areas, we’ve put together a list of the top software solutions that could greatly improve your performance and efficiency.
Performance Evaluation Software
You’ve seen the recruits your police department gets fresh from the Police Academy—they won’t make it in the field without prior training. A field training officer has an important job of helping recruits acclimate to the real police work environment. He or she also has a lot of paperwork to fill out and file on each trainee every day. Thankfully, this “busy work” can be minimized and streamlined with the help of automated performance evaluation software, such as our A.D.O.R.E. System. It allows you to upload and attach documents, photos and videos, as well as easily generate performance summaries and reports. Whether your PD uses the PTO or FTO training approach, there is software that can be customized to your unique needs.
Equipment Tracking Software
As a public safety administrator, you deal with many types of equipment. From uniforms, to bullet-proof vests, handcuffs and radios, everything has to be in the right supply and in a working condition. A gun that wasn’t repaired or serviced on time can put an officer (and public) at risk. Invest in robust equipment tracking software that will allow you to keep tabs on each item from the moment of purchase to the end of use. This way you can have all warranty, maintenance and usage information in one place. Giving someone a status on a particular firearm is as easy as a few keystrokes.
Employee Records Management Software
In order to become a police officer, one has to go through a lot of studying—you would know that! You also know that there are many job requirements, tests and certifications that each employee has to maintain. From psych evaluations to firearm licenses and weapons training, it’s difficult to keep track of the entire PD on paper. By using automated software, you can maintain all employee records in a digital format—no more time wasted searching through filing cabinets. Besides, the software allows you to restrict access for certain users, so the sensitive data will remain classified. Automatic notifications about expiring job requirements is another useful feature.
K9 Management Software
Dogs in police are more than pets—they are employees! They also go through training, get deployed, injured and retired just like police officers. However, the same software that you use to keep employee records straight might not work for the K9 unit due to its unique requirements. You might need specialized K9 management system to conveniently maintain the training activity, medical treatment and deployment logs for each animal.
The availability of various software for law enforcement is both a blessing and a challenge. You have quite a few products to choose from, but you need software that will work out the first time. Retraining your entire police department to use a new system only to have this system fail to meet your expectations in a few months is not an option. If you need help selecting the right software for the need of your PD, let us know and we’ll be happy to provide free demos of our software suite.
