Unlocking the power of law enforcement record management system data

Leveraging Record Management System Data for Advanced Insights  

In the state of Utah, some law enforcement agencies have come together to use the same RMS, allowing them to share data across jurisdictions to help improve criminal investigations using data from throughout the state. Now, for example, a police department in one city that is investigating catalytic converter thefts could check data from a neighboring city, determine these thefts are being conducted at a larger scale, and change their approach to the investigation to better protect citizens’ property.  

Although integrating the RMS is a huge improvement for law enforcement agencies in the state, the record management system only allowed for basic automatic analytics or labor-intensive manual analysis. Because of this, the public safety department PVM partnered with either had to spend hours creating connections between cases or patterns across jurisdictions. They also struggled to find important insights from data that wasn’t clean – for example if a person’s name is Sophie, but the system has their name spelled 3 different ways (Sophie, Sophy, and Sophi) the search function wouldn’t automatically connect those records, causing the users to potentially miss important patterns. They also had no way to visualize data, and if they wanted to see a pattern based on location, they would have to manually create their own map based on addresses.  

Without the ability to automatically create complex analysis, this police department was missing an opportunity to improve investigations, make important connections, and overall unlock the power of their data to protect public safety.  

Integrating the RMS data For Better Analysis to Quicker and More Informed Decision Making 

PVM partnered with this agency and successfully integrated the RMS data into an enterprise advanced analytics platform, providing the department with a powerful platform to assist in their police work. PVM completed the data integration, including indexing all of the imported data, enabling analysts to conduct efficient searches using specific phrases, nicknames, or similar-sounding names—like in our Sophie example above. By resolving different objects and linking related records, the platform helped consolidate information about individuals involved in various crimes, even when they were referenced differently in different datasets. 

This integration also enabled the department to automatically create maps that show where offenses occurred across a timeline. This allows users to visualize the data and spot patterns they wouldn’t be able to see with a list of addresses and times, empowering them to make conclusions quicker and protect public safety.  

If we go back to our catalytic converter example, now not only can this police department check data across the state within the RMS system, but they can also see this data visualized on a map, with the data indexed so they can search for similar records that might be spelled inconsistently, surface key information from plate registries. In this case, the police department will have more information to help them address this offense quickly before more catalytic converters are stolen.  

Additionally, during the integration, PVM partnered closely with this police department to ensure data privacy and compliance. Any private or sensitive information present in the RMS was carefully handled to ensure that only anonymized and non-privatized data made its way into the data system. In cases where data was expunged from the RMS, a systematic mechanism was implemented to purge the associated information from the integrated repository, thus maintaining data integrity and privacy. 

Finally, PVM has developed a template that we can leverage to help other departments in the state of Utah to integrate their RMS data into advanced data platforms. As a result, PVM has helped police departments in Utah meet their missions by making better use of their data.  

Unlocking the Power of Data to Protect Public Safety 

PVM’s work integrating RMS data with this police department has enabled the organization to enhance their analytical capabilities, improve investigative processes, and discover invaluable insights. By unlocking the power of record data, PVM has enabled this department to better protect citizens and create a safer community. 

If you’re looking to get more from your data, contact PVM today to learn how we can help you unlock the power of your data for good.