Category: SmartForce®

Mariano Delle Donne
CEO

As a community and its police department grow, having a police intelligence unit may be beneficial or even necessary. The purpose of a police intel unit is to provide strategic, tactical, operational and administrative intelligence analysis of crime data to a law enforcement agency in a timely manner. If you are considering adding an intel unit to your agency, there are five concepts you should keep in mind for its success: focus, structure, technology, stats/tracking, and potential pitfalls.

1. Focus

Focus comes down to three basic issues: jurisdiction, scope of information gathered and scope of services provided. Understanding which areas your police intelligence unit is going to focus on is key to building the unit correctly from the ground up.

– Jurisdiction: If you’re creating an intel unit for a city police department, the jurisdiction is the city. But what if it’s a unit that is shared among several departments? It could end up serving several cities, or different parts thereof.

– Scope of information: The most successful intelligence units have a wide variety of sources from which to obtain case facts and crime related information. In addition to having direct communication with criminal investigators and surveillance teams, additional sources include:
– accurate local crime statistics and police records;
– local, state and federal crime databases;
– social media sources;
– business and commercial open source data; and
– government records.

– Scope of services: Services provided might include the creation of crime bulletins, tracking of patterns and prolific offenders, radio monitoring, support in operations, warrant workups, data analysis, and other services to assist the department.

2. Structure

The structure of an intelligence unit depends on the size of the agency or agencies that it serves. A typical model might include a manager or supervisor, three to 12 sworn intelligence officers and three to 12 analysts, who could be sworn or not sworn. Smaller agencies may have one or two sworn officers doing double duty as intelligence officers and analysts. Many agencies require that recruits for officers and analysts have college degrees, and it’s important for anyone in this unit to be able to work independently, be persistent, communicate well and, of course, have a complete knowledge of general police practices. In addition to this, analysts may be required to have post-graduate degrees and should have excellent skills in writing, research, critical thinking and computers. The challenge for anyone beginning such a unit is finding these qualified officers and analysts or allotting enough time and budget to train them.

3. Technology

The scope of operations affects the technology required. A surveillance-heavy intelligence unit may require cameras, microphones and other types of high tech surveillance gear. A unit geared more toward data collection may invest in data mining software and very powerful computers. In just about all cases, the unit will need standard police gear, especially radios, tablets and cell phones to stay in communication with other law enforcement partners at all times.

4. Stats/Tracking

When forming a police intel unit, you need to have a way to quantify your progress against your stated goals and focuses. It would be accurate to say that the goal of any intel unit is to solve crimes, so the increase in solved cases is the best measure, but this isn’t always the whole picture. Intel units also help to bring cases to trial and keep them from being thrown out on technicalities, so perhaps prosecutions are a more meaningful metric to use.

5. Potential Pitfalls

As with creating any new department or unit, there are challenges, and those challenges start with money. Hiring staff, training them and buying equipment and software all cost money. Another pitfall is that the need for rapid information sharing will require a platform, so one must be found or created. If roles are not clearly defined and communicated to stakeholders, that can be another challenge that affects the development and success of a police intelligence unit. Also, unfamiliarity or even distrust could cause officers outside the unit, other departments and other potential customers of the intel unit to be hesitant to ask for help or share information. This will require a good deal of trust building through demonstrated successes and positive results.

Source
https://www.ialeia.org/docs/Intelligence_Led_Policing-Getting_Started.pdf

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

Your agency may be focused on 1 or more Proactive policing strategies.  Learn more about the 4 types and tips through this white paper on PoliceOne.com from Drs. Rachel and Roberto Santos from the Criminal Justice Department of Radford University.

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

Hot Spot Policing is a proven, highly effective technique for agencies focused on a Place-based crime reduction strategy. The research from Dr. Chris Koper shows Hot Spots policing can positively deter and therefore reduce crime (if executed correctly) as well as enhance community trust and legitimacy.

The Police Foundation encourages police leaders to consider using the “Koper Curve” research and results to maximize their agency’s hot-spot policing strategy.  Click here to see the 5 Things You Need to Know About Hot Spots Policing & The “Koper Curve” Theory.

However, to execute correctly and make the most out of Hot Spot policing, I’d like to expand on the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th things you need to know about the “Koper Curve” Theory.  Officers must document their activity and crime analysts and supervisors must analyze what’s been documented.

This kind of accountability provides data that ensures the proper number of minutes of patrol (10-16) are executed randomly instead of at the same times.  It also shows whether officers are “running the right play” or conducting the right activities in the Hot Spot based on the type of crime they are hoping to deter.  And finally, this kind of accountability provides analysts and supervisors the ability to report on the effectiveness of these patrol ops and decide on whether resources are still needed in this area or should be moved to another Hot Spot.

But many agencies fall short on documenting, organizing, and reporting on their Hot Spots because they do not use an agency management system designed specifically for pro-active policing.  Instead, they rely on email or other less effective methods and fall short on their potential for preventing and reducing crime.

The Hot Spot Solution

Enter SmartForce™, the first and most widely used software solution designed specifically for Hot Spot Policing and all other proactive policing strategies.  SmartForce™ provides a mobile and officer-friendly interface for patrol to document their Hot Spot activity and for crime analysts, detectives, and supervisors to receive real-time updates and reports in one singular environment.

Agencies who have converted to SmartForce™ have seen dramatic improvements in the execution of their Hot Spot and other crime reduction strategies as well as increased job satisfaction from catching more criminals and clearing cases faster.

The Grand Junction Police Department in Colorado is one such agency.  GJPD officers, detectives, crime analysts, and supervisors have worked collaboratively on Hot Spots in their jurisdiction using SmartForce™.  On one such Hot Spot Op, self-initiated officer activity increased by a massive 75% and calls for service in this over-indexed area plummeted.  To see and read more about their success, click here.

Leading your agency to reach its crime reduction potential through Hot Spot policing is more possible today than ever with the advent of proven cost-effective tools like SmartForce™.  Best wishes adding accountability and real-time communication to the “Koper Curve” theory and watch your Hot Spot policing efforts deter and reduce more crime this year!

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

If you’re like most agencies, breaking through to a new level of success with your crime reduction strategies can be challenging.  Read this case study at PoliceOne.com to see if you are facing similar challenges that this Fusion Center overcame.

Mariano Delle Donne
CEO

At Adventos, our commitment to proactive, collaborative policing environments where crimes are not only solved but prevented entirely is well documented by this point. We’ve taken great care to build the SmartForce Agency Management System (AMS) around this very idea, putting the necessary tools in the hands of the people who need them the most to help keep our communities safe from harm.

We also like nothing more than a good success story – which is why we’re happy to report the following experience from the Castle Rock Police Department.

The Castle Rock Police Department

For years, the Castle Rock Police Department embraced the idea of a data-driven, intelligence-led policing strategy.. They could see the winds of time changing right in front of them and knew they had to change with it. Unfortunately, though, they lacked the central hub to really pull it all together.

They were facing an environment where sergeants could look at crime analysis products and crime reports but getting the information to the officers wasn’t getting done nearly as effectively as it needed to. The department lacked the centralized tool to really shatter the silos of information and intelligence once and for all. They needed a single platform that helped them generate a true data-driven approach and they needed it sooner rather than later.

Additional complications stemmed from the fact that Castle Rock is a growing community and the department was growing right along with it. In the past six years alone the community has grown significantly and current trends reveal that there is no end to that in sight. The department was seeing communication issues that were negatively impacting how data and intelligence information was shared with department employees.

Enter: SmartForce

From the beginning, SmartForce seemed to address the department’s pain points. Department officials loved the fact that everything they put into the system immediately became mobile, so officers had access to the entire system at their fingertips 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

They also loved the fact that all information, which used to be spread out across a number of different solutions, was suddenly in the same place at the same time in a way that was easy to take outside of the building. Bulletins that were talked about in shift briefings could be immediately sent out to officers in the field. If something important happened, everyone who needed to know about it DID.

SmartForce was also able to help the department deal with the challenges of a growing community that was growing at a significant rate. Six years ago, Castle Rock had 49,000 residents. Today, it has 64,000 and a thousand new homes are being built every year. SmartForce made it easier to address a higher volume of community concerns, all while bringing communication to one place so that everyone is on the same page at the same time.

Jason Lyons, the Patrol Commander from the Castle Rock Police Department, said “after a lot of research on [communication and collaboration], we landed on SmartForce. It seemed like the same kind of platform that would achieve both of those things, but it had the ability to grow with us as our business practices changed.”

Preparing for Tomorrow, Today

Initially, the Castle Rock Police Department started rolling out SmartForce slowly. They knew that such a dramatic shift in their technical foundation would naturally come with a bit of skepticism, so they wanted to make sure that they were able to get the support from their patrol officers that they needed to justify moving forward. They found support for SmartForce came easily, and above all else, they enjoy the fact that it actually does a lot more than what the department is asking for right now. Because of this, it’s a platform that offers the ability to grow as the department does, adequately addressing the challenges of today while making room for the needs of tomorrow and beyond, too.

The Castle Rock Police Department is just one example of an organization that has increased its efficiency and effectiveness once they’ve deployed SmartForce. There are many more examples, and at Adventos, we wouldn’t have it any other way. To find out more about our continued commitment to proactive policing, or to learn more about what the SmartForce Agency Management System can do, please contact us today.

Mariano Delle Donne
CEO

At Adventos, we couldn’t help but notice that there are many dramatic – and important – shifts that are happening in public safety. These are changes both in terms of how work is done and the impact that it is having on our communities.

Public Safety Organizations are becoming increasingly transparent to the community, allowing them to be more flexible in terms of the invaluable services and attention they provide. At the same time, work is increasingly virtual – it’s occurring anywhere, at any time, thanks to the power of smartphones and other mobile devices.

Adventos believes deeply in helping not one thousand people, not one million people, but one billion people through improved public safety and by harnessing both the power of people and the power of software at the exact same time. This is a large part of the reason why we believe that human collaboration through technology isn’t just important today, but will grow even more pressing in the not-too-distant future.

The Shape of Things to Come

As more and more millennials enter the public safety workforce, talent will need to engage on an aligned purpose – no longer just on hierarchy. Social and external collaborations are poised to make leadership more horizontal, shared and (most importantly) collective. Boundary-less work partnerships need to exist and networks will augment capabilities and redefine how agencies achieve success in crime reduction.

Just as importantly, analytics, algorithms, big data and artificial intelligence will create new work at the intersection between humans and automation. Menial tasks previously performed by humans will be abolished, freeing up their valuable time so that they can do more of what they do best – keeping our communities as safe as possible.

At Adventos, this is the future we believe in and it is the one that we are working hard to help create in any way that we can.

Chris Arvayo
Head of Government Compliance Initiatives

Human trafficking, child exploitation, and similar major crimes are unfortunately all too common in the modern era. According to the Polaris project, the national human trafficking hotline has received more than 22,191 reports of sex trafficking cases in the United States since 2007 alone. It is estimated that as many as one in six endangered runaways likely become sex trafficking victims. Globally, there are approximately 4.5 million people trapped in these types of situations, according to the International Labour Organization.

As industry leaders, Adventos takes our commitment to law enforcement and public safety agencies around the country and the communities they serve very seriously. Therefore we’re so pleased to announce that, as a result of our partnership with Microsoft, Adventos is rolling out a Major Crimes Investigation Management System that will integrate effortlessly into our existing SmartForce™ Solution.

Introducing: The Major Crimes Investigation Management System

This system was built in collaboration with investigators across the country. This will help agencies manage, organize and conduct complex investigations such as human trafficking, child exploitation, homicide and organized crime more efficiently. Adventos designed, built and deployed the system, which is now available for nationwide use by Law Enforcement, to guarantee the maximum positive impact to public safety. The system will be hosted as part of the Microsoft Azure Government Cloud, which is CJIS compliant, allowing it to grow organically via their vast networking capabilities. This will instantly link federal, state, local, tribal, and campus law enforcement agencies in a powerful and secure way.

Managing tips and leads in a major investigation can be a challenging process.  Law enforcement agencies commonly use web based software to intake tips from the public.  Unfortunately, utilizing a non-CJIS compliant digital workspace to manage tips and leads is not a viable option.  A CJIS compliant, web based environment is required to properly store, track, assign, and collaborate during a major investigation.  The Major Crimes Investigation Management System created by Adventos does just that.

Some of the features included in the new Major Crimes Investigative Management System are:

• A centralized, secure location for tracking ALL investigations.
• Complete visibility, allowing investigative units and command staff to track and assign leads as they are investigated.
• Unique views for leads by status and assignment.
• Investigative supervisors can add or remove internal or external members of an investigation as the need arises.
• Tasks and action items can be assigned to the right people instantly, allowing everyone to take important actions as quickly as possible.
• Activities and follow up can be managed and organized so that the appropriate resources can be allocated appropriately.
• Tracking and linking of investigative assets such as witnesses, suspects, associates, anonymous tipsters and media assets.

Many innovative features have also been included that are designed to make these types of major crimes investigations easier and more efficient than ever before. Templated forms and document libraries help save precious time in a situation where every second counts.  Law enforcement agencies at every level can now easily collaborate with one another in a secure and effective way, tracking complex investigations that are constantly changing. It even includes the ability to link to specific investigations with rich text and all other forms of relevant media.

At Adventos, we want nothing more than to do our part to help the hardworking men and women of law enforcement keep us safe each day and we believe that our new Major Crimes Investigation Management System will do precisely that.

If you have any additional questions about the Major Crimes Investigation Management System, or if you’re eager to learn more about the SmartForce Agency Management System (AMS), please don’t delay – contact Adventos today.