Agencies Nationwide are Documenting Use of Force Incidents with LEFTA Systems’ SHIELD Suite

Law enforcement officials throughout the country are swiftly responding to new reporting standards for use-of-force. New requirements, such as those in place in Colorado, demand a considerable increase in data entry, including the recording of every field interaction. If agencies don’t have the proper tools to simplify data input and reporting, this extra task may be overwhelming.

However, thanks to certain modern software tools, resolving these issues may be far easier than police agencies think.

In today’s difficult environment, with the pandemic and national instability, law enforcement has a responsibility to have challenging or even unpleasant talks about the use of force. The profession must confront the truth of the issue head-on in order to move forward, promote good change, and preserve the purpose to serve and protect.

The majority of issues arise when a more significant use-of-force incident occurs, such as when the degree of force employed is deemed excessive. These are almost certainly going to result in civil litigation or other forms of liability. When such catastrophic occurrences occur, the requirement for appropriate police documentation appears to be self-evident. However, if there isn’t enough documentation, even little occurrences might cause difficulties.

This is because documentation ensures accountability, ensuring that good cops are protected while bad officers are filtered out. Agencies will be better equipped to examine any major or excessive events if a complete, automated recording system is created for even the smallest incidents.

A cloud-based software solution can assist in speeding up this process by allowing everyone to access it from any authorized device, allowing them to remain up to date on an event in real time and ensuring that reports don’t get lost in the mix.

LEFTA Systems SHIELD Suite applications can be used independently or can be combined to create a fully integrated system. All applications are highly user and in-the-field friendly. SHIELD software applications not only mitigate liability for officers in the field and their agency but can also be effective tools in bridging law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve. Numerous reports and hundreds of statistics are readily available and easy to access. When used collectively, the SHIELD Suite enables a fully integrated early warning system that alerts agency management to potential liability issues before they escalate.

Click here for more information about the SHIELD Suite and our FACTS Use of Force application.

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