You might have gone digital and switched to software for police training, but what about your K9 unit? Accurate K9 record keeping is just as important and is now mandatory in most modern police departments. It helps ensure compliance, reduce liability and provides a wealth of statistical data that can be used to improve your K9 training program. But if you still use a paper-based system or a cumbersome piece of software, you could be missing out on some great things you can do with well-designed K9 tracking software.
Track Incidents
Specialized K9 tracking software makes it easier to track any incidents involving police dogs, whether it was a drug search, assault, alarm or disturbance. You can enter all the information in one place, including the date and summary of the event, the responding team and their district, images and diagrams, as well as the use of force report.
Whenever the agency management needs to pull information or compile a report on the quality of deployments, they don’t need to dig through files and folders! These records can also be easily exported in a variety of formats and admitted to court as evidence. Court dates associated with a specific incident can also be entered in the system and reminders set to help police officers better manage their workflow.
Track Training
Wouldn’t be nice to have an electronic database with easily accessible training record for every dog/handler team? Such records are often requested in court when the use of force or suspect apprehension techniques are being questioned. K9 tracking software will allow you to access and share this data with a click of a button. Such systems are often also able to alert you when the training is due, so that you can make necessary appointments. It also helps when you can see at a glance how much time is spent in which training areas.
Besides the training itself, training aids can also be documented and tracked within the same system. Because some aids go through extreme wear and tear, it’s important to place timely orders for replacement with your training aid vendors.
Track Medical Costs
Just like people, dogs require routine health checkups, vaccinations and may need additional medical care if they become sick or injured. It’s important to have all those trips to the vet documented for many reasons. For example, having an accurate representation of the cost of K9 healthcare is crucial for police budget planning. It is also a good idea to have medical records of all dogs in one place where they won’t get lost, misplaced or mixed up. You can even get reminders about vet appointments to make sure no routine checkup is missed.
At MdE, Inc., our goal is to help law enforcement and other public safety agencies simplify and streamline their records management. Working in cooperation with Eden Consulting Group, we provide software solutions for K9 record keeping too, and it does all of the above and more! Feel free to get in touch with us for more information.
