Streamlining Law Enforcement Communication with SmartForce for 21st-Century Policing

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

Unlock the Power of 21st-Century Policing with SmartForce:

Law enforcement agencies face numerous challenges in the digital age, including effective communication, data-driven decision-making, and strong community relationships. SmartForce, a state-of-the-art platform built on the principles of 21st Century Policing, offers a comprehensive solution that revolutionizes law enforcement communication, enhances decision-making, and fosters trust within communities. In this blog, we’ll explore the transformative features of SmartForce and how they can empower your agency to excel in the 21st century.

Real-time Communication and Collaboration:

SmartForce provides instant communication and information sharing, enabling seamless connections between crime analysis, command staff, patrol, and specialty units. With automated workflows and data-driven insights, SmartForce helps deploy resources strategically based on real-time data. The platform offers a collaborative space for analysts, command staff, front-line supervisors, specialty units, and patrol to work together on policing projects, streamlining communication and increasing awareness. SmartForce eliminates the need for a disjointed combination of email, spreadsheets, and disparate report systems, leading to better organization and deconfliction.

Anytime, Anywhere Access:

In our connected world, remote and mobile connectivity is essential. SmartForce ensures easy access to critical data, allowing agency-wide synchronization and empowering officers to operate effectively.

Enhanced Decision-Making and Performance:

SmartForce delivers valuable insights for informed decisions, improving performance at every level. By empowering law enforcement agencies with data-driven strategies, SmartForce contributes to more efficient policing.

Community Engagement and Trust-Building:

The platform supports community policing initiatives, fostering trust and collaboration with the public. SmartForce helps build stronger ties between law enforcement agencies and their communities through transparency and accountability.

Robust Security:

In an era of increasing cyber threats, law enforcement agencies must be confident that their data is secure. SmartForce’s CJIS Compliant solution protects your agency’s data from potential risks, giving you peace of mind.

Success Story: Carlsbad, NM Police Department

The Carlsbad Police Department’s experience highlights the transformative power of SmartForce. By leveraging the Shift Briefing feature, officers could quickly share information about a suspicious vehicle reported by a citizen. Two months later, an officer spotted the vehicle, verified the information using SmartForce, and arrested the suspect, who confessed to seven burglaries. The platform’s capabilities fostered collaboration, increased visibility, and streamlined information sharing, leading to the resolution of the cases.

Carlsbad Police Chief Shane Skinner noted, “Officers love the search engine. It is much better than email and makes searching for intel fast and easy.”

By aligning with the principles of 21st Century Policing, SmartForce enhances collaboration, increases transparency, optimizes resources, and fosters stronger community relations, positioning your law enforcement agency for success in the digital age.

Keep outdated communication methods from holding your agency back. Experience the benefits of SmartForce firsthand and schedule a demo today. Embrace the future of law enforcement communication and empower your team with the tools they need to serve and protect your community.

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How CitizenContact Empowers Law Enforcement Agencies to Make Informed Decisions

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

Harness the Power of Stop and Contact Data to Drive Strategic Decision-Making for Law Enforcement Executives

For Police Chiefs, Sheriffs, and Command Staff, making informed decisions about officer allocation, resource deployment, and policing strategies is crucial to the success of your department. One essential tool that can help you make data-driven decisions is using stop and contact data effectively. This blog will explore how CitizenContact can empower your law enforcement agency to make informed decisions that enhance community policing and improve public safety.

CitizenContact: A Game-Changer for Law Enforcement Decision-Making

CitizenContact is a powerful tool designed specifically for law enforcement executives like you. By harnessing the power of stop and contact data, CitizenContact provides insights that can help you make better-informed decisions about officer allocation, resource deployment, and policing strategies. Here’s how CitizenContact empowers law enforcement agencies to make informed decisions:

  1. Identifying Hot Spots and Problem Locations: CitizenContact enables you to analyze stop and contact data to pinpoint areas with higher police-public interactions. Combined with crime data and calls for service, this information helps you allocate resources and officers more strategically, focusing on areas with the most significant needs.
  2. Informing Problem-Oriented Policing: With CitizenContact, you can dive deeper into the reasons for stops, outcomes of interactions, and demographics of the individuals involved, gaining insights into the underlying problems contributing to crime and disorder. This information helps you develop problem-oriented policing strategies to address these issues.
  3. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Policing Strategies: CitizenContact allows you to monitor changes in the frequency, nature, and outcomes of police-public interactions, helping you assess the effectiveness of your department’s policing strategies. This information enables you to adjust strategies and resource allocation as needed.
  4. Enhancing Community Engagement and Trust: Regularly collecting and analyzing stop and contact data with CitizenContact can improve transparency and accountability within your law enforcement agency. Sharing this information with the public and engaging in open dialogue about police-public interactions helps build trust and fosters productive partnerships with community members and organizations.
  5. Addressing Disparities and Biases: CitizenContact helps you identify and address potential racial, ethnic, or other biases in your department’s interactions with the public. By analyzing this data and taking corrective actions, you can work to ensure that your policing practices are fair and equitable for all community members.
  6. Influencing Training and Professional Development: CitizenContact enables you to identify areas where officers may require additional training or support. This information can inform the development of training programs and professional development opportunities, ultimately leading to more effective and responsive policing.

Unlock the Full Potential of Stop and Contact Data with CitizenContact

Integrating CitizenContact into your law enforcement agency’s decision-making processes allows you to leverage stop and contact data to make informed decisions that improve officer allocation, resource deployment, and policing strategies.

Don’t miss the opportunity to revolutionize your community policing efforts and enhance public safety. Click the link below to schedule a free demo and discover how CitizenContact can empower your law enforcement agency to make informed decisions while staying at the forefront of modern policing practices.

Request a demo of CitizenContact today!

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Using Stop and Contact Data to Enhance Community Policing

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

Empowering Police Chiefs, Sheriffs, and Command Staff to Strengthen the Bond Between Law Enforcement and the Communities They Serve

Community policing has become an essential aspect of modern law enforcement. As Police Chiefs, Sheriffs and Command staff, you are constantly striving to find ways to build trust, enhance communication, and foster positive relationships with the communities you serve. One powerful tool to help you achieve these goals is the effective use of stop and contact data. This blog will explore the benefits of leveraging this data and provide actionable steps to improve community policing.

Understanding Stop and Contact Data:

Stop and contact data refers to the information collected during law enforcement interactions with community members, such as traffic stops, pedestrian stops, and field interviews. This data includes demographic information, reasons for the stop, and outcomes. By systematically collecting and analyzing this data, you can identify patterns and trends, providing valuable insights to guide your community policing strategies.

Identifying Disparities and Biases:

Analyzing stop and contact data can reveal disparities in how different community members are treated by law enforcement. Identifying these disparities is the first step towards addressing them and ensuring fair policing practices. Regularly monitoring the data enables you to track progress and make adjustments as needed, demonstrating your commitment to equitable policing.

Enhancing Transparency and Accountability:

Sharing stop and contact data with the public is a powerful way to demonstrate transparency and foster trust. Engaging in open dialogue about this data, and the actions taken to address any disparities can strengthen relationships between law enforcement and the community. By being proactive and transparent, you can build credibility and show that your department is dedicated to serving and protecting all community members.

Implementing Data-Driven Training Programs:

Using stop and contact data to inform officer training programs can lead to more effective and responsive policing. Data-driven training helps officers understand the impact of their actions on community relations and equips them with the knowledge and skills to engage with community members more positively. This can lead to fewer negative interactions and an overall increase in public trust.

Leveraging Community Feedback and Partnership:

In addition to analyzing stop and contact data, soliciting community feedback is crucial to understanding the lived experiences of community members. Regularly engaging with community members through forums, surveys, and other channels can provide invaluable insights into their perceptions of law enforcement. This feedback can inform your department’s practices and policies, leading to more successful community policing.

As Police Chiefs, Sheriffs, and Command staff, you have the opportunity to utilize stop and contact data to enhance your community policing efforts. By understanding the data, addressing disparities, promoting transparency, implementing data-driven training, and engaging in community partnerships, you can foster stronger relationships and trust between law enforcement and the communities you serve.

Unlock the Power of Stop and Contact Data with CitizenContact for 21st Century Policing:

Embrace the future of law enforcement by integrating CitizenContact into your 21st century policing strategies. This cutting-edge software solution is specifically designed to help Police Chiefs and Command staff like you make data-driven decisions, create impactful change, and meet the evolving needs of today’s communities.

By utilizing CitizenContact, you’ll be better equipped to understand stop and contact data, address disparities, promote transparency, implement data-driven training, and engage in community partnerships. These key elements are crucial to fostering stronger relationships and trust between law enforcement and the communities you serve in the 21st century.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to revolutionize your community policing efforts! Click the link below to schedule a free demo and discover how CitizenContact can help you strengthen the bond between law enforcement and the communities you serve, while staying at the forefront of modern policing practices.

Schedule Your Free CitizenContact Demo for 21st Century Policing Now!

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CitizenContact v1.6

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

As the Colorado DCJ prepares to release final contact and use of force reporting data requirements, the team at CitizenContact by SmartForce® has been working on the latest release.

CitizenContact v1.6 has a couple of significant improvements that will save Officers time when reporting a contact. The notable improvements are:

Auto Complete List Choices

Auto complete allows the user to begin typing the list choice they are looking for (eg. Assault). Auto complete searches by content, so as the user starts to type “Assault”, CitizenContact will identify all choices in the list that match the spelling, starting at the first three letters the user starts typing. List options that allow multi-select will still be allowed using autocomplete in v1.6.

People Picker to choose officers involved in incidents and auto-population of Officer information

When adding an Officer to a use of force incident, start typing the name of the Officer. After the first 3 letters of the name are typed, a people picker will appear with the closest matches based on the first 3 letters that were typed. The People Picker only searches by name, not by email.

As the user/Officer continues to type the name of the officer being added to the incident, the name match in the People Picker will narrow the names to choose from.

Once the user picks the Officer from the People Picker, the name, POST number, race and ethnicity, gender, age, height, weight, years of service, and full or part-time employee indicators are auto-populated using the data from the Officer’s user profile in CitizenContact.

Thank you for everything you do to ensure the safety of your community.

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How to Report Contacts and Use of Force in Complex Scenarios in CitizenContact

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

Have you ever been part of an incident involving multiple officers, multiple locations and multiple uses of force? While not frequent, it happens. Using a robbery as a scenario we share what you need to know from a data collection requirement (State and Federal), who reports it and how contacts and use of force are reported in CitizenContact.

In the scenario below, Officers will be required to report the following:

  • Multiple contacts at four locations
  • Use of force at three locations
  • Unannounced entry at one location
  • A show-up (eyewitness identification) at two locations
  • Search and seizure of property at one location

Let’s dive into the robbery scenario.

One Officer at each location will complete the contact and use of force report for a total of four reports. Reports are completed in this manner based on the data structure published by Colorado DCJ and the detailed data structure required by FBI use of force reporting.

Scenario

Officers respond to the report of a robbery at a convenience store.

Three Officers are dispatched to the convenience store. The two suspects fled the scene in a vehicle driven by a third suspect.

Officer 1 locates the suspect vehicle while en route to the call. Officer 2 responds to assist.

Officers 1 and 2 follow the Citizen’s vehicle, and the vehicle crashes.

The three citizens run from the vehicle on foot in different directions.
Officer 4 arrives at the vehicle crash.

Officer 1 and Officer 4 chase Citizen 1 on foot and catch him a few hundred yards away.

Officer 1 uses a taser.

Officer 4 uses a baton on the same citizen and arrests him.

Officer 4 reports the contact for Citizen 1, including use of force. In this instance, the data would be state reportable only. The data would not be FBI reportable because:

  • There was no serious physical injury or death
  • There was no discharge of a firearm at or in the direction of the citizen

Officer 2 waits with the crashed vehicle. He contacts a witness who can identify the three suspects.

Officer 2 reports contact with Citizen 4, which includes reporting of a show-up (eyewitness identification) as required by the State.

Citizen 2 runs to a local school and hides on campus. Citizen 5 calls the police when they see Citizen 2 run to the school and hide. Three Officers respond to the school and locate the citizen.

Citizen 2 brandishes a firearm at the three Officers.

Two Officers discharge their firearms at Citizen 2, who is now deceased.

Officer 6 reports contact with Citizen 5, including a show-up (eyewitness identification).

Officer 5 reports contact with Citizen 2, including the use of force report for this location. In this instance, the data would be state and FBI reportable.

Citizen 3 runs to the home of Citizen 6. Citizen 6 hides Citizen 3 in the house.

Police K-9 tracks Citizen 3 to the house.

Citizen 6 allows the officers to search the house unannounced and they locate Citizen 3.

Two officers use force and arrest Citizen 3. Citizen 6 is arrested for Obstructing.

Officer 11 reports contact with Citizen 6 and Citizen 3, including the use of force report for this location. In this instance, the use of force would be state reportable only.

CitizenContact meets mandatory reporting requirements for the State of Colorado and FBI use of force. Utilizing a complex scenario sets the stage for how the report is completed and by who.

To see a demo and get started for free contact us at info@smartforcetech.com

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Data Dictionary Available for Colorado Senate Bill 217 Solution

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

The deadline for law enforcement agencies in Colorado to collect and submit required contact, use of force, and complaint data, is April 1, 2022.

The framework for what data should be collected is laid out under Colorado SB 217, HB1250, HB 1142, and FBI use of force reporting requirements

Data elements provided by the Colorado Department of Criminal Justice were compared to the detailed use of force data collection requirements provided by the FBI.

As a result, we created a JSON data dictionary and export example for your agency to reference HERE.

SmartForce®, headquartered in Colorado, is offering its latest application, CitizenContact for free to Colorado law enforcement organizations to meet regulatory compliance related to SB 217, HB 1250, HB 1142, and FBI use of force reporting.

To see a demo and get started for free contact us at info@smartforcetech.com

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My Reports and Agency Reports redesigned + Officer Card by SmartForce®

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

On Monday 02/21/22 we released v1.1 of CitizenContact.

Here’s what’s new:

Officer Card by SmartForce®
Share your digital business card.
You can share this QR code as many times as you want.
It does not expire.

My Reports and Agency Reports
We completely redesigned both sections.
Now, you can see the full submitted report.

Check out the revised CitizenContact officer/owner guides for more information.

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CitizenContact | Offline Reporting

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

You start working, log in to CitizenContact, keep up with your squad, and start your shift. Later you stop a vehicle but your device is offline. You told us about this problem and we addressed it. That’s why we developed Offline Reporting. Now, even with no internet connection, the app starts working offline. So, all the contact reports will be saved locally. After your connection is restored, you can submit them.

Create Contact Report

Later, submit it

Sound simple and it is.

Visit citizencontact.app

If you want to learn more, check this out

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Colorado Agencies’ New Contact Collection Timeline Moved Up 8 Months and SmartForce® is Helping to Meet Fast Approaching Deadline

Mariano Delle Donne
CEO

Law enforcement organizations manage change and comply with new laws all the time and it’s not always easy. In Colorado, Senate Bill 217 requires all agencies to report citizen contact collections originally slated to be in effect in January of 2023. A more recent bill, House Bill 1250 from the last legislature moves that deadline to April of 2022. That means local jurisdictions have about 3 months to be ready for full compliance, 8 months sooner than originally expected. To support local law enforcement, SmartForce® built a brand-new tool called CitizenContact for the specific purpose of collecting contact data and submitting it in the required format to the state. If you are a Colorado Chief or Law Enforcement leader, here are 3 reasons CitizenContact is right for your agency:

  1. We’ve taken the guesswork out of compliance for you.
  2. It’s FREE!
  3. It’s a tool that simplifies data transparency and helps build community trust.

We’ve taken the guesswork out of compliance for you. There are plenty of new requirements to be aware of in SB 217 and other laws. We built a system that complies to the letter of the law. Our team is made of former law enforcement officers, compliance experts, and knowledgeable computer engineers. SmartForce’s products are the result of these expertise, ensuring they meet your needs. For example, CitizenContact© is made so that the data your officers collect is the right data as mandated by SB 217, accessible while they are still on site and shareable with the citizen contact they made. Most importantly, the data is exported to the Division of Criminal Justice in compliance with their format (JSON, Flat file, shared securely, etc.). We are in the weeds with you to navigate through these complex changes and will do it right.

It’s FREE! Law Enforcement Officers are constantly doing more with less – meeting new mandates with no new resources. Regardless of the size of your agency, chances are you don’t have enough resources to quickly bring your whole department in line with all the requirements the way you would want. That is why we are offering CitizenContact for free. You have plenty of updating to do, let this advanced tool be the easy decision for contact data collection. We believe every agency should have access to the best technology that helps them fight crime and become more data-driven.

It’s a tool that simplifies data transparency and helps build community trust. With so many details to worry about and managing organization-wide change, it is not always easy to see how this change can serve your agency. Data can be a powerful tool to communicate about policing with the public, as well as combating crime. After all, submitting the new contact data in a specific way and format to the state really is about being able to see the picture of what is happening on the ground with officers. Those pictures include how hard officers work and the community members they help.

When SB 217 was originally passed, we along with you thought we had until January of 2023 to figure out new solutions to the mandates. Then, HB 1250 moved that timeline up and our deadline moved up along with yours. I’m quite proud of how agile our team was in responding to this new timeline and got the application ready and tested by local jurisdictions. The team has had to monitor changes in laws through the development process and will continue to do so. The more Colorado agencies we have using CitizenContact, the more we believe the state will be ready to meet not only the requirements, but also the call for more transparency and public trust.

The CitizenContact application has already been piloted in dozens of Colorado Law Enforcement agencies. Chief Jack Cauley of Castle Rock Police Department endorses it for his neighboring jurisdictions because it is “very easy to use and streamline[s] citizen collection per Senate Bill 217.” This kind of close collaboration with local jurisdictions is what our team thrives on. We believe our software products like CitizenContact have a vital role to play in the larger context of ethical policing that engages the community as partners. These are the larger conversations that SmartForce wants to be engaged in with you in the coming weeks.

For now, we know CitizenContact is saving jurisdictions time and we are curious to learn exactly how much time. Have you tried using another method in your agency to collect contact data? How much time and what challenges have you run into? What other functionalities are you wishing you had? We have already gotten requests for use of advanced use of force tracking, complaints management and more. We always want to learn about what’s going on in your agency, so we can better meet your needs.

To get started with CitizenContact please contact us at info@smartforcetech.com

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SmartForce® 2021.2

Gonzalo Cervantes
Product Manager

Good news everyone,

We are excited to present a major upgrade for Reporting.

In this release, we included Complaints, Commendations, Pursuits, and Crashes.
You will be able to filter your complete reports and view them in a unified way with Viewer.

Viewer by Smartforce® is the result of months of work. It makes it easy to view and print reports.
For now, is connected to Reporting but we are just getting started.

Furthermore, we included a lot of enhancements and performance improvements to our apps to make your hard work easier.

 Thanks for all you do to help keep us safe!

The SmartForce® Team.

Link to the user guide

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