https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Commentaries


Commentary

Empowering local law enforcement with a single view of the citizen

Empowering local law enforcement with a single view of the citizen

An-Chan Phung, CTO at master data management solutions company VisionWare, explains how breaking up data silos can help police provide better law enforcement.
  • Written by contributor
  • 4th October 2017

By An-Chan Phung
 

As of 2015, there were more than 12,000 local police departments in the United States. They  collectively employ an estimated 605,000 men and women; 477,000 are sworn police officers, according to a report1 from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Additionally, the report notes that since 1987, the number of full-time local police employees has increased by about 156,000 (35%).

Those nearly half a million sworn officers are the men and women protecting the citizens in their states, counties and cities across the country. They ensure traffic safety, handle domestic disturbances, help underprivileged youth and uphold laws. The more information they have about the citizens  they serve—and the more organized and accurate that information is—the better the police force can be at keeping their communities safe.

One common problem with local governments is that the data they keep on citizens—criminal records, use of government services, property and tax records, health information and more—is split up into silos, divided by department. This means that the information about any given citizen that an employee in one department is seeing could be completely different that information someone else is seeing in another department about the same citizen.

There’s no shortage of data to give state and county justice departments and the officers on the ground the information they need—but the data is often siloed, fragmented between departments in a way that renders it ineffective. For police officers—whose job it is to ensure the safety of their citizens—understanding who those citizens are, how they relate to each other, the types of services they consume, and how they prefer to consume them, is key.

Understanding the high-utilizer citizens (those members of the community who use the most services, and/or use services most often) is particularly important. High-utilizers are individuals with complex behavioral, physical, and/or social needs who are frequent users of a broad range of social services and may have a high number of contacts with emergency medical technicians and law enforcement. Knowledge is power, and the more knowledge local law enforcement workers have, the more power they have to keep peace in their communities.

For optimal efficiency and cost-effectiveness, local justice department employees and police officers need access to a Master Data Management solution that can offer a single view of the citizen, and can help answer the following questions:

  • Which citizens (or demographics) consume which services?
  • Which citizens use the most services, and the most often?
  • What are the most commonly requested services we provide?
  • Are current services effective in meeting the state’s budgetary and long-term care goals?
  • How can we meet collections targets in a fair and responsible way?
  • How can we ensure we protect the vulnerable through early intervention?

Without the proper data management in place, an incomplete view of the citizen leads to critical and possibly even dangerous gaps in information, especially for the police force. When a police officer makes a traffic stop, for example, or intervenes to help a child in a potentially abusive situation, it’s critical for them to know whether the person stopped for speeding has a criminal record, or whether the family of a child in need has had previous experience with the local department of health and human services.

Much like a doctor who must take a holistic view of a patient to offer the most effective treatment—taking into account socioeconomic status, age, previous medical history, lifestyle habits, and so on—police need a complete view of each of their citizens in order to understand them holistically and serve and protect as effectively as possible. 

 

An-Chan Phung is the chief technology officer at VisionWare, a provider of master data management solutions for the government and healthcare industries.

 

_____________

To get connected and stay up-to-date with similar content from American City & County:
Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter
Watch us on YouTube

Tags: Public Safety Commentaries Commentary

Most Recent


  • FirstNet Authority CTO highlights coverage-extension efforts as initial Band 14 buildout nears completion
    With AT&T almost done deploying the initial contracted FirstNet 700 MHz Band 14 infrastructure, the FirstNet Authority increasingly is focusing on solutions that will let public-safety users access the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) when outside of terrestrial system, according to FirstNet officials. FirstNet Authority CTO Jeff Bratcher said that NPSBN contractor AT&T repeatedly has […]
  • Bipartisan group of local leaders, NLC send letter to Congress calling for gun safety legislation
    In the aftermath of several horrific mass shootings, legislators in Washington, D.C. are locked in a familiar debate over gun safety legislation. On Wednesday, survivors and victims of gun violence testified about their experiences to Congress, calling on lawmakers to take action. “I don’t want it to happen again,” said Miah Cerrillo, a fourth-grader at […]
  • Mayors call for peace, gun control legislation at annual conference
    The U.S. Conference of Mayors kicked off its 90th annual meeting Friday in Reno, Nev., with a call to action on gun control—a topic the advocacy organization has taken a strong stance on following recent mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y.; Uvalde, Texas; and Tulsa, Okla. “It’s more important than ever that we recommit ourselves to […]
  • Texas community to form holistic mental health crisis response teams
    For decades, the responsibility of helping those experiencing a mental health crisis has fallen to police departments, and communities across the United States have grappled with the safety and effectiveness of this distribution of duties— wondering if there’s a better way to get constituents the help they need. When it comes to fielding mental health […]

Related Content

  • How governments can keep employees safe as they return to work
  • Preventing cyber-attacks needs to be a priority for local governments
  • Building community and officer wellness through data sharing
  • California city combines advanced technology with dedicated public safety team for comprehensive emergency management

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Report: Local and state governments are facing a retention crisis; the worst could be yet to come dlvr.it/SSnmS7

24th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Amid an unprecedented increase in federal spending, cities and counties stand to benefit from partnerships dlvr.it/SSkGBn

23rd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Governments using technology to harness data and improve decision-making dlvr.it/SSk3H0

23rd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Infrastructure highlighted by city leaders as top priority in analysis of 60 mayoral addresses dlvr.it/SSgBck

22nd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Oklahoma City puts the focus on employees when implementing changes in office technology dlvr.it/SSfyns

22nd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

We want to hear from you! Please take this brief survey and let us know how your organization is managing your budg… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

22nd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Buying smart solutions: Technology is now part of (almost) every government purchase dlvr.it/SSbj3Z

21st June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Amid tech labor shortage, outsourcing digital services could provide relief dlvr.it/SSbj23

21st June 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X