Law enforcement agencies today face increasing public scrutiny on the use of force during arrests and other incidents. Increasing demand for accountability, transparency and accurate reporting on these matters is coming from all corners: the public, elected officials, the media, and activists. With high-profile incidents grabbing headlines, protests and growing skepticism, police departments need to be able to accurately track and monitor such incidents.
Unfortunately, there is little to no commonality to the measuring or reporting of use of force incidents among law enforcement agencies and, in some cases, within agencies themselves. In some cases, there is a lack of automated, computerized record-keeping at all.
A New York Times article reported on the issues in great detail. When the Justice Department surveyed police departments on use of force several years ago, the results were troubling … not for the incidents themselves but for the vast inconsistencies and lack of standards in how to measure use-of-force incidents. Among the Times’ findings:
- Vast differences in tracking. Not all departments mandate tracking of use of force. Among those that do, some attach the information to related police reports, some use separate databases and others keep paper records.
- Reporting standards are nonexistent. Some departments track each incident separately. Others report the number of reports where use of force is indicated, which means the same incident may be counted multiple times via different officers’ reports. Some departments only report on incidents that occur during arrests.
- ‘Use of force’ is defined differently in different jurisdictions. In some cases, officers punching a person or throwing them to the ground was considered a use of force, but not in all cases. Some included incidents using less lethal weapons while others did not.
- Some departments are reluctant to report the information for fear that the data, without proper context, could lead to criticism.
With SmartForce™ by Adventos, agencies can solve these issues by bringing accurate tracking and reporting of use of force into a paperless world. SmartForce™ gives departments the ability to streamline processes critical to effective department operations; record, store and retrieve information; manage compliance with policies; and track training progress.
The SmartForce™ High Liability Management module helps reduce the risks and exposures of police departments in use-of-force incidents. The module’s Response to Resistance application sequentially tracks and reports on uses of force. The information is searchable and allows for real-time reporting for command staff or open-records requests. Body-worn camera footage can be included in reports. All the information is accessible on mobile devices, too.
SmartForce™ by Adventos is the solution for police departments wanting to streamline communication, reduce crime, manage workflows and improve reporting. With high-level dashboards, collaborative intelligence-sharing capabilities, and intuitive interfaces, SmartForce™ lets police departments improve operations and manage staff effectively.
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.
