2013 was marked by experiences at opposite ends of the spectrum for the nation’s crime labs.

Multiple jurisdictions – including Kansas City, Nashville, Mississippi, and Washington DC – have built new crime labs. Many of these have state of the art technology and facilities. Still other jurisdictions, such as Cincinnati and Memphis, are seeking responsible solutions for much needed improvements in their crime lab facilities. This signifies that communities across the country consider these labs and services to be a priority even in these fiscally constrained times.

On the other hand, 2013 also included numerous instances of labs either being under suspicion of having or being found to have a variety of significant problems. Continue reading →

It took only a glance into the Exhibit Hall of the Pennsylvania Convention Center last week to get a sense of modern policing. Booths of hundreds of exhibitors at the 2013 conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police filled the hall, with the air pierced routinely with bursts of simulated gunfire and sirens. Vehicles from the latest in patrol cars to high tech helicopters and mobile command centers drew lots of attention. Even more common than these “big ticket” items were firearms, the latest software applications (including CrimePad®), uniforms, and other gear.

Whether it is a million dollar mobile command center or a hundred dollar backpack, all these products have one thing in common – somebody in the organization needs to know or figure out how to buy it. It might seem that getting the buy-in to make the purchase might be the hard part. In some cases that’s true. Unfortunately, sometimes it easy the easiest part! Continue reading →

Data security is essential. If you are in the business, it’s important for your customers to know the data security you offer them. Unfortunately, there’s a really important question that often goes unasked, even by companies that make significant financial investments in these data security activities: Are the data worth protecting? Continue reading →

Law enforcement agencies, like organizations throughout all sectors of the economy, are faced with ongoing budget constraints. Departments all over the country are confronting reduced staffing levels; in many cases being unable to replace officers that retire. Funding for civilian personnel is similarly constrained. Of course the purchase of goods and services has also taken a hit as departments try to find savings elsewhere so that as many officers as possible can stay out on the streets.

Unlike other sectors of the economy, law enforcement cannot sustain a “do less with less” philosophy in the face of these constraints. Citizens cannot tolerate a reduction in public safety. Thus, the question is “what can be done to offset or mitigate the budgetary limitations faced by so many agencies?” Continue reading →