The reality of the coronavirus’ impact on law enforcement is stark. Hundreds of officers have tested positive for COVID-19 and several have died. Police departments are seeing strains on already limited human resources and huge burdens on the healthy officers on duty. Inadequate protective gear and cleaning supplies are only magnifying the problem.
It’s evident that everyone – police included – need to get off the streets to combat the spread of the coronavirus and minimize further officer exposure risk. But in a profession that revolves around direct interactions with members of the public, this would require significant operational changes. How can agencies safely adapt to this new world of policing without sacrificing the mission?
Some agencies are prioritizing the arrests of serious and violent offenses over smaller misdemeanor crimes to limit responses to incidents. But other agencies are able to safely capture it all with CrimeCenter’s Online Citizen Incident Reporting platform.
During this outbreak, CrimeCenter’s Citizen Portal is free with unconditional general availability to all certified law enforcement agencies. It provides a process to protect officers from unnecessary citizen contact for non-emergency complaints that may or may not require a report, thereby adhering to the CDC’s social distancing recommendations. The platform allows information to flow directly between the agency and citizens, capturing everything in an electronic system to reduce inefficiencies and free up officers from answering non-emergency phone lines. Agencies can manage citizen submissions and assign these to the proper personnel for handling.
While the patrol force can focus on responding to and addressing any emergency as rapidly as possibly, officers who are quarantined (but not sick) can remotely support the reviewing of and follow-up on citizen submissions. In addition, citizens can report incidents such as illegal price gouging, businesses failing to adhere to closure restrictions, and other related COVID-19 matters.
The platform is cloud-based, secure and CJIS compliant, accessible 24/7 from any authorized device, and requires no software to install or extensive onboarding. Therefore, agencies can get up and running in one day. The Online Citizen Incident Reporting platform is an easy next step that would allow law enforcement to keep doing their jobs – but from the safe distance of more than six feet apart.
CrimeCenter’s Citizen Portal is more than just a form that citizens can report to. It allows law enforcement to include their community in the public safety conversation, continuing to build on the police-community relationship.
According to Michael Cunningham, Operations Manager for Crime Center:
“Citizens have questions – and part of our job of protecting and serving is to help keep their worry at bay. This platform allows you to improve citizen peace of mind in this time of extreme uncertainty, preventing mass panic and encouraging them to follow CDC guidelines. As leaders in our community, we must provide an example for citizens to follow. The Online Citizen Incident Reporting platform is an easy next step that allows law enforcement to keep doing their jobs – but from the safe distance of more than six feet apart.”
