Make Sound Technology Investments: Avoiding The ‘Technology Trap’

While the basic premise of law enforcement – ensuring public safety, investigating crimes and bringing offenders to account – has not changed over the last few decades, technology has transformed the operating landscape. Gone are the days of pins in maps, carbon paper and white-out. Officers now have in-car computers, smart-phones and multitude of other technical systems to support them in their daily mission.

Today’s officers and police agencies are drastically different from the ones that came before them. They are collecting voluminous amounts of data, and utilizing systems with sophisticated analytic algorithms to convert this data to actionable information – which can help identify trends and solve crimes. Detailed reports, charts, maps and dashboards are now available to law enforcement personnel at the push of a few buttons or clicks of a mouse, so they can solve cases quicker and with fewer resources. There are a plethora of technical solutions available for nearly any and every challenge law enforcement faces, so much so that the question of what or when to buy has become a minefield for law enforcement leaders.

All of this means today’s leaders need to be more “tech-savvy” than their predecessors. With only two to three percent of annual budgets available for technology investments, leaders need to sharpen their focus on their organization’s technical platforms, systems and needs.

Too often technology purchases are crisis or impulse-driven and therefore made with limited perspective. They are the result of narrow or personal agendas, or simply made in pursuit of the latest “buzz” or “en vogue” initiative. As a result, organizations wind up with fragmented, disparate systems that may serve a singular purpose, but don’t work well together. Organizations become hampered by their technology solutions, and new technology can often have the opposite of its intended effect, reducing productivity or even worse, undermining workforce confidence and morale.

Due diligence before buying

The starting point for any technology assessment is to first accurately identify and define the problem or need. Next, time should be taken to develop a vision and understanding of how a proposed solution aligns with and furthers the organization’s mission and purpose. Technical solutions should always be looked at with an eye toward how they can improve the organization’s operations, outputs and working conditions. Technology decisions should not be made in isolation – they need to be carefully reviewed, vetted and understood by all tiers of the organization – from the front line up to the chief executive. 

Also, when evaluating individual solutions, leadership needs to consider how that technology will interconnect with and function with the agency’s other technology systems and platforms. I have seen, and experienced myself, several instances where a newly implemented solution created more work for users either because 1) the system’s input or output formats were inconsistent with other organizational programs and software, or 2) the additional data collection and entry required benefitted one department while reducing productivity and demanding more resource time from others. In other words, the cure was worse than the disease.    

In another case, an agency approved the purchase of a new multimillion-dollar records management and computer aided dispatching system believing the new platform would provide them with enhanced features, capabilities and improved efficiency. After consulting with the system administrator and IT team, the executive decision team discovered that the existing system they were replacing was just as capable, if not more capable, as the new multi-million dollar replacement. How did this oversight happen? It happened because the executive decision team was under-informed, ill-informed and unwilling to listen. They did not take the time to complete a thorough due diligence review and did not understand their organization’s needs. They also didn’t fully understand or compare the capabilities of both old and platforms.

Furthermore, while it sounds like common sense, leadership should always pose the question: will the new technology alleviate or create more work for personnel? For example, when digital evidence silos are added, users often do repetitive searches in siloed databases because the new system doesn’t integrate with the organization’s other technology solutions.

If your employees make comments like, “I don’t know why we needed this…” or “now it takes more time to do such and such,” then you may have unwittingly wandered into a technology trap.

Why are mistakes happening?

Most police officers and police leaders don’t come into their positions possessing technical degrees or having vast experience in information technology systems. More likely they come into their roles as self-taught technology enthusiasts, and some may have taken an introductory level technology course or two. Regardless, they often lack (through no fault of their own) the broad and detailed knowledge about law enforcement technology platforms needed to make sound technology purchase decisions. 

With agile development of technology programs and platforms, vendors are bringing solutions into the marketplace faster than ever. Technology providers are continuously revamping and expanding their platforms to stay abreast of new challenges and to match competitive offerings.

Despite their best intentions, vendors create technology solutions that may serve a particular purpose well, but in the process of doing so also create new data silos that make it even more difficult for law enforcement agencies to manage, correlate and analyze digital evidence. When systems don’t work well together, efficiency and productivity are diminished.

Even when quality products are brought forward for consideration, decision makers sometimes make ill-informed or short-sighted decisions because they are not looking at technology holistically or because they receive bad advice. And those decisions will last through the life cycle of the product which could be up to a decade.

The key to managing digital change

Not all underperforming technology investments are the result of poor purchasing decisions. Good platforms can fail to achieve envisioned results because of other factors – some examples include unforeseen technical incompatibilities, lack of user buy-in or the product simply failing to meet the needs of the agency.

Issues often arise because leaders are looking at technology in a microcosm instead of how their technology could and should all work together. Leaders must understand that the key to unlocking greater technological results is not simply a question of programs and outputs. They need to consider the organization’s overall strategy, establish a clear and easily understood vision, and look at technology holistically in terms of how it can empower the organization to achieve these goals. 

Leaders, decision makers and IT teams must come together as partners to drive innovation and develop an effective technology strategy, and this strategy must be supported and clearly communicated from the top of the organization down.

Questions to consider asking

If you are considering new technology for your department, here are some considerations to make sure you’re on the right track:

• Look beyond solutions that only solve a single problem or need – does the technology align with and support your department’s overall mission, goals and objectives?
• Does the solution solve one problem but in doing so create others? Will it create new challenges down the road? If so, how will you address these new challenges?
• How will the new technology fit into your overall environment? Is there is a need for the new technology to interface with other information systems and platforms, and if so how you will accomplish that?
• Consider how the new technology solution will impact processes and workflow across all departments within the organization. Will it solve a problem for one group but create new challenges for others? If so how will you address those challenges?
• Will the solution streamline workflows, and improve efficiency, effectiveness and productivity? Can you calculate the value associated with any improved capabilities and processes? 
• Carefully consider the development capabilities of the vendor(s) you’re evaluating. What is the vendor’s level of understanding of your environment, challenges and work processes? Does the vendor have an ability to innovate, change and stay relevant? Does that vendor’s technology integrate with other key technologies in your environment to support your department’s vision and mission?
• Procurement is understandably easier when there is a current contract, business relationship or cooperative purchasing agreement. However, focusing strictly on vendors that have current contracts and agreements will limit your agency’s options and choices. Consider issuing an RFP instead.
• Is the solution “user-friendly” and have the troops had a chance to give it a test drive and provide feedback? If the system or platform is difficult to use its utility will be undermined.
• Finally, will the vendor consider a pilot project with you so you can test the new solution in your environment? 

Keep in mind that as technology development accelerates, your department will become increasingly entangled in a quagmire of technologies which may solve specific problems – but won’t necessarily all work well together. Making sound technology decisions means adopting an overarching strategic vision that ensures the technologies you invest in today will all work together to address your department’s short and long-term mission, goals and objectives.  

About the author:

Daniel Dvorak, Subject Matter Consultant, Law Enforcement & Public Safety, NICE Public Safety

Chief Daniel A. Dvorak (Ret.) has 25 years of law enforcement experience with the Newport, RI and Cambridge, MD police departments. He holds a Master’s Degree in Administration of Justice and a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice/Political Science. He is a strong advocate for using technology in the police profession to enhance effectiveness and efficiency. Dvorak always enjoyed advancing forensic sciences in his departments and was an adjunct professor in Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics at Salve Regina University, Bristol Community College, and the Community College of Rhode Island.