Technology e-Kit

The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services has available a collection of resources to address technology advancements and how they assist law enforcement. The COPS Technology e-Kit includes the comprehensive Law Enforcement Tech Guide, which serves as a blueprint to assist agencies in all aspects of introducing new technology. The COPS Technology e-Kit also includes a similar guide for small and rural police agencies, and the Tech Docs CD, featuring more than 50 documents and resources related to law enforcement and crime-fighting technology.

Information Systems Technology Enhancement Project (ISTEP)
The Information Systems Technology Enhancement Project (ISTEP) document examines the uses of information technology and its application to community policing in America. It documents the information technology planning and acquisition processes, while contrasting the various applications of the technology to community policing in five police organizations.

Information Systems Technology Enhancement Project: ISTEP Phase II Case Studies
This series of case studies continues the work started in the original Information Systems Technology Enhancement Project. Each case study examines the uses of information technology and its application to community policing in America. It documents the information technology planning and acquisition processes, while contrasting the various applications of the technology to community policing in four police organizations.

Law Enforcement Tech Guide for Communications Interoperability
Building a voice or data communications system that allows police, fire, and emergency medical service agencies to communicate with each other within and across jurisdictions is a complex and costly effort. The Law Enforcement Tech Guide for Communications Interoperability is a comprehensive, user-friendly guidebook that provides strategies, best practices, and recommendations for public safety agencies seeking to develop or already engaged in interagency communications projects. It explores current and emerging technologies in voice and data communications, and provides planning tools to help achieve interoperable communication initiatives. It serves as a companion to the COPS-funded "Law Enforcement Tech Guide: How to plan, purchase and manage technology (successfully!), A Guide for Executives, Managers and Technologists".

Law Enforcement Tech Guide for Creating Performance Measures that Work
Performance measures can help law enforcement agencies assess and report on the impact of their policing efforts, whether those efforts include adopting a new technology or new community policing initiatives. This guidebook will help agencies develop the necessary performance measures that can be used to improve individual programs and initiatives and can be integrated into broader performance management frameworks. It includes a six-step process for measuring performance, practical real-life examples, templates, recommendations, and checklists. It is a companion to the COPS-funded "Law Enforcement Tech Guide: How to plan, purchase and manage technology (successfully!)."

Law Enforcement Tech Guide for Information Technology Security
As public safety agencies continue to adopt new and complex information-sharing technologies, securing sensitive and mission-critical information has become an essential part of information technology (IT) planning. This guidebook offers agencies a step-by-step process for developing IT security policies. It includes strategies and best practices, as well as self-assessment and risk-assessment tools that will help agencies systematically identify where IT security risks exist and determine the most effective way to mitigate those risks. It is a companion to the COPS-funded "Law Enforcement Tech Guide: How to plan, purchase and manage technology (successfully!)."

Law Enforcement Tech Guide for Small and Rural Police Agencies
This practical and user-friendly guidebook is geared to the small and rural police agency, providing strategies, best practices, recommendations, and ideas for successful IT planning and implementation. Agencies with minimal personnel and financing can learn how to implement IT projects from preliminary project planning and project plan creation to technology acquisition, implementation, and maintenance. This guidebook complements the Law Enforcement Tech Guide: How to plan, purchase, and manage technology (successfully!). When used together, they make an impressive toolset for technology implementation.

Law Enforcement Tech Guide: How to plan, purchase, and manage technology (successfully!)
The Tech Guide presents best practices in strategic IT planning and procurement, reveals pitfalls to avoid, and consolidates and expands upon various sources of relevant information currently available. It reviews best practices to help create a user-friendly product that will provide law enforcement with the tools they need to successfully achieve their IT goals.

Policing Smarter Through IT: Learning from the Chicago CLEAR System
A report on the first findings of a COPS-funded evaluation, conducted by Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Chicago, of the Chicago Police Department's Citizen and Law Enforcement Analysis and Reporting (CLEAR) System examines "launch procedures" toward developing an integrated criminal justice information system powered by the CLEAR data warehouse and lessons learned on the design, development, and use of automated systems and police management applications. The Automated Incident Reporting Application (AIRA) will streamline the reporting process, provide accurate, timely information, and attain NIBRS compliance. Other police management applications include the Automated Arrest, System Crime Mapping, Digital Mugshots, eTrack (evidence tracking), Gang and Juvenile Arrest, Personnel Suite, and Automated Rap Sheet.

Policing Smarter Through IT: Lessons in Enterprise Implementation
A companion piece to Policing Smarter Through IT: Learning from Chicago's Citizen and Law Enforcement Analysis and Reporting (CLEAR) System, this report provides the reader with practical strategies and cautions to consider when developing an integrated criminal justice information system. Its process review covers issues of funding and vendor management, hardware and operating system decision-making, in-house development vs. outsourcing, physical capacity and infrastructure needs, and what to do about "scope creep" and "information silos." Information security and privacy, ensuring user buy-in and proper training, use assessment, and other IT issues are discussed using real-life examples. The lessons learned are applicable to criminal justice organizations seeking to expand the boundaries of external and internal information sharing.

Tech Docs: Technology Resources for Law Enforcement CD-ROM
This CD-ROM provides more than 50 documents and resources related to law enforcement and crime fighting technology. Topics included on the CD-ROM are IT guides and reports, crime mapping/crime analysis, interoperable communications/information sharing, surveillance video/in-car cameras, and 311 non-emergency call systems.