What’s your roadblock to getting a new police technology implemented at your LEA? Chances are it’s one of the following common challenges.
Budgetary constraints
Any new technology incurs costs, and going with the most modestly priced option isn’t always the answer. It’s important to ask a few bigger picture questions before going through the lengthy process of a technology purchase, like what safety issues will it solve and what other capacities the technology has.
Data governance
Data must be safeguarded and stored. This isn’t as big of an issue in extra duty software as the data doesn’t typically require as much space as, say, bodycam videos. However, it’s important to make sure any data adheres to your LEA's data governance protocols. If your LEA currently doesn’t use an off-duty solution and also doesn’t catalog or store the data and documentation associated with extra jobs, that's another reason to embrace technology to help manage the process.
Resistance
Agency resistance is one of the most difficult challenges to overcome. Change is difficult, especially for coordinators, administrators or LEOs that have been doing something a certain way for a number of years. It’s important to make agency adoption a priority to help mitigate and ease some of those growing pains early in the process.
Integrations and Security
Lastly, any new technology should work hand-in-hand with your current technology. This also extends to meeting the security requirements of your agency. Technology providers need to adhere to the same security standards as your agency to keep officer, agency and public information safe.
A little preparation goes a long way as agencies move towards more and more tech solutions to streamline processes and ultimately, create safer communities. Identify roadblocks before they start so your agency can get ahead of the technology curve.