Author: The SmartForce® Team

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

At Adventos, one of the most common questions that we see IT departments and law enforcement agencies face time and again comes down to whether to build an on premise infrastructure or go with a cloud-based solution for all of their agency management system needs. While both have their fair share of advantages and disadvantages, the true answer to this question requires you to take a deeper look at the specifics of your own organizational objectives and needs to help guarantee you’ll have the service you need when you need it the most. The good news is that SmartForce runs both on premise and on the cloud

Security and Compliance

One of the major benefits that a cloud-based solution has over an on-premise alternative is one of security and compliance. According to a study recently conducted by IJIS, companies that used cloud-based solutions had 45% fewer incidents of data loss, 45% less security-related downtime and a staggering 93% fewer audit deficiencies – all of which are hugely important qualities for law enforcement agencies in particular.

None of this is to say that there is a “one size fits all” answer to this particular question. For some, an on-premise solution will be the only way to guarantee the level of control over their data and processes that they need on a daily basis. For many others, however, a cloud-based solution is the single best way to control costs, guarantee scalability, security and compliance and deploy as quickly and as efficiently as possible

Time to Deploy

Picking the right solution is one thing – getting that solution up and running across an agency is something else entirely. Setting up your own on-premise infrastructure allows you to maintain complete control over your environment, but it also takes time. If the time to deploy for an in-house solution is a month, you’re looking at a months of salaries for IT employees, two months of overtime when issues arise or when things don’t go as expected, etc. With a cloud-based solution, you have none of these concerns – an agency management system like SmartForce can typically be deployed in a manner of hours, not months, and can then be further customized to fit the precise way you like to work.

Maintenance and Upgrades

Many people don’t realize until it’s far too late that when they decide to set up their own on-premise solution, there is a large amount of responsibility that comes with the control they’re trying to hold onto. This most commonly takes the form of maintenance and upgrades. If something goes wrong, you need to fix it – or find the person who can and schedule their service. If something needs to be upgraded, it isn’t going to happen automatically – you need to find the right person to get the job done, which means labor costs, downtime and more.

With a cloud-based solution, however, regular upgrades are built into the cost of the solution in the first place. You don’t have to worry about updating as much as a single piece of software – as everything is delivered in an on-demand capacity, you always have access to the latest tools at all times. Maintenance and upgrades aren’t just easier – they’re literally things you don’t have to worry about any longer.

Scalability

One of the most important qualities that law enforcement agencies need to consider when deciding between cloud vs. on-premise solutions is one of scalability. Always having access to the resources you need when you need them is key to operational success, but the reverse is also true: paying too much for resources you aren’t effectively utilizing is one of the most efficient ways to waste money today.

Cloud-based solutions like SmartForce are inherently scalable as storage, processing and other requirements are served up in an on-demand manner. Essentially, you’re paying one fixed price for whatever you need, whenever you need it.

Costs

This was purposely listed last. After careful consideration of the first four factors and your particular agency and goals you are in the best place to determine the true cost of deploying the solution on-premise or via the cloud.

Parties interested in the SmartForce™ Agency Management System and how it improves intelligence and community collaboration, click here. After watching the demo video, you are invited to request a free trial of the agency management system to try for yourselves.

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

For Law Enforcement, the word “security” is taking on new meaning.

Today, security is as much about protecting information as it is about traditional policing definitions.

With an increasing amount of Law Enforcement information being stored in the cloud, department and public leaders are understandably concerned that the data is secure and protected.

With the SmartForce™ agency management system, you can be confident that your department’s vital data and documents are safe, secure, and compliant. Our commitment to security and protection of customer data is paramount, and SmartForce™ is fully compliant with federal data security regulations.

The need for security

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division issued updates to its security policy in October 2015. Also in 2015 the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) issued its own guidelines recommending the use of cloud computing resources. The 12 IACP principles in short, are:

1. Services must be CJIS-compliant.
2. All criminal justice information (CJI) storage systems should use the highest common denominator.
3. CJI storage and collection can be separated.
4. Agencies should retain ownership of CJI.
5. Service providers should not analyze stored data unless authorized by the law enforcement agency.
6. Service providers should regularly audit, or allow law enforcement agencies to audit, use, access, performance and compliance with terms of agreements.
7. Data stored in service provider solutions needs to be portable and interoperable with other systems without compromising security or data integrity
8. Service providers must maintain data integrity of agency data and maintain access records that establish an accurate chain of custody.
9. Service providers must ensure continuity of operations in the case of organizational changes to the service provider.
10. Service providers must ensure confidentiality of stored data.
11. Reliability, availability and performance must adhere to agreed-upon metrics. For critical services such as computer-aided dispatch, higher levels of availability and performance may be necessary.
12. Departments should consider the total cost of ownership.

Remaining compliant

At Adventos, we take the issue of security compliance seriously. Our SmartForce™ agency management system runs on the Microsoft Government Cloud, a set of servers that is CJIS-compliant and has additional security features. In addition, Microsoft has signed the FBI CJIS Security Policy in more than 25 states (and the number is growing) that require information agreements. Finally, our contractual agreement includes Microsoft’s attestation to compliance with the CJIS guidelines.

As a company, we take several other steps to ensure that the data of customer agencies is secure. For example, we do not keep CJI on site. All employees are required to complete training on CJI and background screening is done on those employees with access to CJI.

We understand Law Enforcement’s need to keep and maintain the trust of the communities they serve. With SmartForce™, Law Enforcement can be confident that the data they store is protected, compliant and secure.

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

Smartphones are being handed out to officers to enable them to work smarter and safer while policing our streets. Using smartphone technology is not new but the issue of departments lacking a strategy for implementation is widespread. Pilot programs are long over and yet officers and departments are not aware of the full capabilities of smartphones. Consider these elements as smartphones strategies are revamped in police departments.

1. Improve Communication and Officer Safety with Life-saving Apps.

Smartphone applications, such as those through SmartForce™, connect public safety agencies internally and to the community at large. Applications can make it easier and faster for officers on the streets to get the information that they need. The New York Times wrote on the smartphone initiative in Harlem. Officer Tom Donaldson was able to type in a street address in a housing project and pull up names of every resident with an open warrant, arrest record and police summons, apartments with prior domestic incident reports, residents with applicable orders of protection, registered gun owners, and arrest photographs of all parolees in the building. This information will provide valuable intelligence and will help officers be more prepared when dealing with subjects on a daily basis. Detailed SmartForce™ apps offers higher-level intelligence to agencies that is user-friendly and potentially life-saving.

2. Enable Roll-Call Pass-On.

One of the first features to be made available within the SmartForce™ Agency Management System, is used to improve internal communications, such as sharing vital information to the team (Bulletins and be on the lookout, photos and video) in memorable ways, assigning accountability for activities, and spending more time on decision-making and tactical strategy during meetings. All of these electronic entries are searchable and can be filtered for robust reporting.

3. Focus on Agency and Community Collaboration.

An Agency Management System (AMS), is a secure environment created to foster a real-time, two-way culture of information exchange within the department and with the community at large. Possible ways to implement AMS include:

• Scheduling meetings in real-time to enable community programs to benefit from the increased speed of secure information sharing.
• Establishing secure collaboration sites with key organizations, such as businesses, schools, mental health facilities, HOA’s and other local law enforcement agencies.
• Collaborating with leaders, business owners and officers.
• Sharing success both internally and to the public.

There is a huge push towards information-sharing with the public and SmartForce™ complements local crime enforcement efforts. Providing officers with a secure platform to contribute within a collaborative communication platform can be a major factor in achieving up to a 25% increase in productivity and engagement. Departments control the type and level of information-sharing available on the SmartForce™ Agency Management System.

4. Help with Body Worn Camera Programs.

An AMS system helps departments implement the Body Worn Camera Program with a streamlined management system of policy drafting, submissions, auditing, and reports. SmartForce™ is capable of including video evidence and uses temporal sequencing technology to record events in a Use of Force report. It highlights effective responses and de-escalation techniques used during an incident. In addition, citizen complaint tracking, training management, video storage, open records requests, and Public Information Officers are supported with the software solution presented by SmartForce™.

Smartphones and a tailored SmartForce™ AMS system enable collaboration and compliance within the department and outreach to communities. Find out more about a FREE trial at www.adventos.com.

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

We live in an age where the volume of data available to us has amassed to such a degree that it presents a unique set of challenges for law enforcement. When dealing with the huge volumes of data, getting the RIGHT information to the RIGHT people as quickly as possible can be a huge undertaking on the best of days. On top of this, the speed at which our environment demands, makes real-time information sharing extremely important and valuable. Many challenging decisions must be made without having all the information needed so having the most up-to-date data plays a huge role in the outcomes of decisions that must be made.

Most law enforcement agencies have multiple data bases and personal email folders they are using to store the volumes of data they are receiving and producing. Since data is housed in disparate data bases and folders, it is very challenging and time consuming to search and access the relevant data that needs to be a part of critical decision-making. From this information overload problem, a solution has emerged that is quickly proving to be an important addition to law enforcement’s arsenal for making communities safer and better places to live.

Illustrating the Challenges of a Big Data World

To understand just how difficult managing massive volumes of data can be, consider the example of a Special Operations Task Force fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq. In the “Situational Awareness Room” you essentially have a perfect visual metaphor for big data – a dozen flat screen televisions, each with their own live feed of some far off location, rooms equipped with communications equipment constantly bringing in new pieces of intelligence, and data and information portals providing updates and “need to know” information that changes by the minute.

How do you cut through all the noise and find what you’re really looking for? How do you keep organized and manage the various moving parts of a fluid situation while it is in the process of unfolding? How do you process this data to make not just a decision, but the most appropriate decision to positively alter outcomes vs. just reacting?

Big Data and Law Enforcement

One agency that is paving the way in terms of both crime prevention and reduction through real-time information sharing and the human factor is the Port St. Lucie Police Department. Here, a team of crime analysts, agency leaders, detectives, and patrol officers fuse information into a centralized forum to contextualize and prioritize incoming crime data. They organize the crime information into patterns, problem locations, major crime, and neighborhood/traffic that they are focused on preventing or reducing during un-committed time. Crime bulletins are crafted to contain the right amount of information and context. Agency leaders decide on which responses to employ based on severity of crime. Detectives, patrol districts, and specialty units are sent information in a targeted manner where it goes to the specific groups of individuals that are best suited to act on it.

Once new information emerges or the context of that data changes, their crime analysts snap into action. They post in real-time updated crime analysis products in their secure SmartForce™ agency management system for the necessary personnel to review. Officers are no longer drowning in emails, but empowered with real-time information targeted to their beats and roles. All police personnel involved in the response see and participate in real-time data sharing and problem solving activities in an organized forum. Information and activity does not fall between the cracks, rather it is collaborated on through the human factor and more speed is achieved in clearing cases, finding missing persons, and resolving “hot-spots.”

The SmartForce™ Approach

The SmartForce™ agency management system allows an agency to organize the massive volume of information, target the information to those who need it most, and facilitate the human factor of real-time dialogue of emerging information and intelligence to speed the achievement of an agency’s crime prevention and reduction goals. What is even more impressive about this agency management system is that it is housed in a CJIS compliant environment and can be used on any mobile device whether in a patrol car, on a smartphone, or back at the station.

We know that technology does not prevent or reduce crime, officers do. SmartForce™ compliments your CAD, RMS, and analytics tools. But the real magic with the SmartForce™ approach is that it combines the human factor in your agency with easily accessed critical data for higher levels of public safety.

For more information or to get a FREE 30 day trial of SmartForce™ contact us at 303-800-5044 or visit our website at www.adventos.com.

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

One of a crime analyst’s most important roles is to distribute information to fellow law enforcement officers. Getting this information into the hands of officers on patrol, responding to calls, or actively working cases is critical to effective police work.

While email has its place in distributing information, crime analysts have told us that using an agency management system has distinct advantages. With so many daily emails coming to officers, they may overlook critical information they need from crime analysts. A quick delete of an email can make it difficult to find at the moment it’s most needed.

Email and agency management systems are both needed in modern police departments, but they should be used, particularly by crime analysts, in very specific circumstances.

Occasions When Crime Analysts Should Use Email

There are a number of times when sending information through email is the best choice, including:

• Sending an official department memo that goes to all personnel.
• Requesting specific information from one person or a small group of people.
• Notifying a group of people where to find information that has been recently posted.
• Responding to a specific request made by one person or a small group of people.

By limiting use of email to these functions, officers will know the types of information to expect from crime analysts via email.

Advantages of Disseminating Information through an Agency Management System

For distributing regularly produced or one-time-only crime analysis, an agency management system has many distinct advantages over email. Here are some the best reasons to use agency management systems for sharing crime analysis information:

• Real-time communications: With the ability to communicate in real time through discussion boards or threads, law enforcement personnel can discuss what further crime analysis is needed, what areas need more examination or what other products need to be created. All personnel involved in an investigation can keep up to date on its status, including notifications when a crime is solved, an arrest is made or a suspect provides new information that needs further investigation.
• Organized information: Pertinent Information about an investigation can be stored and organized in one place. This alleviates the need for individual personnel to create their own organization system and for information to be distributed consistently and accurately. This allows relevant personnel to access information specific to their own investigative needs. For example, information can be organized by district, type of product or other self-created categories as needed by the department.
• Searchable archives: With archived reports, personnel can use keyword searches or phrases to locate and retrieve needed information. Officers do not need to search through old emails or request a crime analyst to locate and resend information.
• Large files are easily accessible: Photos, graphs, maps, charts, videos, BOLOs and other data are often large files that can be cumbersome and eat up storage on mobile devices. Agency management systems make such files easy to access, retrieve and use immediately.
• Pop-up alerts: When information is particularly important, such as a crime pattern bulletin or video of a crime in progress, an alert, much like a website pop-up ad, can be posted. These pop-ups provide a helpful alert to personnel who access the agency management system, keeping them apprised of vital information as quickly as possible. When the crisis is over, the alert can be removed and archived.

With SmartForce™ by Adventos, law enforcement agencies can provide crime analysts with the right tools to effectively communicate about key information and updates. With practical storage, retrieval and alert functions, officers who need information can access it quickly.

Parties interested in the SmartForce™ Agency Management System and how it improves intelligence and community collaboration, click here. After watching the demo video, you are invited to request a free trial of the agency management system to try for yourselves.