The use of computer-aided dispatch (CAD) in law enforcement is far from a new technology. However, agencies are finding data driven solutions to common issues when organizational plans include quality CAD systems for policing. The rapid exchange of information between officers in the field and 911 dispatchers using computer aided dispatch software can literally be a matter of life and death. The exchange of data between public safety professionals has come a long way since the use of a two-way radio was the only means of communication. Today, the use of a police dispatch software and its mobile components is essential to ensure data is both timely and accurate.
Mobile data terminals equipped with effective law enforcement software have proven benefits in data collection and management. For instance, in spite of audio recordings, traditional police radios do little in terms of detailed data organization. A key piece of information broadcast over a radio can easily get lost in the high volume of transmissions which occur during a major incident. Tasking an employee with listening to audio recordings and trying to find these elusive but important pieces of information can be expensive in terms of man-hours and lost productivity. CAD system software can help police agencies alleviate problems related to data management. Modern mobile technology can provide data on demand, at any time.
Police CAD System Data: Value Comes with Accessibility
Information relayed through a patrol car’s mobile data terminal (MDT) or via 911 police dispatch software can have a huge impact on a rapidly developing emergency scene. For example, vehicle and suspect descriptions, the last known location of a lost child, or the identity and history of an armed assailant who just entered a sporting event. The value of this and similar information to incident commanders, patrol units, SWAT team members, and 911 police dispatchers, cannot be understated. All of these entities can use mobile technology as part of a CAD law enforcement system to solve problems in real time, on-scene, when seconds count.
Regardless of one’s role during a critical incident, data’s instant availability in the field and on the go is vital. Incident commanders must be able access the police cad system to know how many officers are available, to what task can they be immediately assigned, how traffic and weather conditions come into play, and what other resources are available. Patrol officers and supervisors will use their MDTs to set up perimeter coverage, determine the last known contact with a subject, and check call history for prior violent encounters with law enforcement. SWAT teams equipped with CAD and a mobile police dispatch software can use it to help with strategy and tactics as well as briefing team members while responding to an emergency. Finally, 911 police dispatch software and public safety software can allow emergency communication centers access to data which can easily and quickly be exchanged with units in the field. Importantly, during and after an active scene, all the new and valuable data is being memorialized in a modern, state of the art, law enforcement dispatch software.
Law Enforcement’s Top Executives Benefit from Mobile CAD System Software
The currency of information has a nearly incalculable exchange rate to police chiefs, sheriffs, and other policy decision makers. Critical information can be compiled with real time precision through the use of 911 police dispatch software, law enforcement CAD systems, and mobile data terminals. As such, chief executives in public safety agencies enjoy a type of reliable data accessibility few CEOs in the private sector will ever know.
Information from patrol units is instantly integrated into CAD system software. When combined with information from each mobile data terminal in an agency’s fleet and 911 police dispatch systems, policy makers get a clear picture of what is happening in their jurisdiction. Response times, call volume and type, clearance rates, and a nearly endless list of valuable data can be obtained for executive use.
This information allows top law enforcement officials to prepare and justify budget proposals including personnel allocations and equipment needs. Law enforcement dispatch software can help reduce decisions based on, “the way we’ve always done it.” For instance, the antiquated process of using what feels right, or more specifically, what felt right to previous chiefs, in determining the number of patrol zones. Modern law enforcement executives utilizing mobile CAD system software can have accurate statistics to determine how best to identify patrol sectors and utilize manpower.
Finally, and certainly not the least of law enforcement dispatch software’s benefits to agency command staff, is its use in civil liability matters. Having accurate data from a proven, reliable mobile and 911 police dispatch software system, means an agency is armed with the powerful tool of information. Any organization’s legal council would welcome the ability to retrieve precise statistics about an individual call for service or major case. Being able to do so consistently, over time, with each incident an agency handles, has benefits far beyond liability protection.
Law Enforcement Dispatch Software Can Prevent and Solve Crime
The data maintained by a records management system integrated with police dispatch software is critical to the work of detectives as part of their efforts in successful criminal investigations. Data analysis through law enforcement CAD systems can be beneficial for detectives, crime analysts, members of the records section, 911 police dispatchers, and additional positions in an agency. Preventing and solving crime are paramount to law enforcement agencies worldwide. From predictive analytics, to crime mapping, to online research, the information gathered from and disseminated to units in the field is vital. It can not only play an immediate role in solving crime, but with successful data management software, its value can extend months, years, and even decades into the future. The collection and maintenance of data in a CAD integrated records management system is a necessary tool for 21st century policing.
