Management and Technology within a Law Enforcement Agency - Case Study Example

Management and Technology within a Law Enforcement Agency Management and Technology within a Law Enforcement Agency Level of Knowledge Management and Technology The level of knowledge management and technology in a law enforcement agency is internal knowledge management (Gottschalk, 2007). Internal knowledge management is a level of knowledge management that involves providing staff members with the right to use to knowledge to support or improve their tasks and the overall organizational output. This type of access or right to use knowledge can entail different kinds of solutions and strategies. Modern law enforcement agencies use cutting-edge solutions and strategies for this level of knowledge management. Examples of such solutions and strategies include intranet tools, toolkits, research databanks, groups of practice, and knowledge brokering events. Contemporary law enforcement agencies employ nearly all of these solutions and strategies in their knowledge management models. Law enforcement agencies meet with police units, correctional facility training organizations, intelligence agencies, and even private police force and military centers the broker knowledge (Denning, Bennett, Mazerolle, and Stocks, 2009). These meetings may happen virtually or only attended by the leaders of the respective agencies. Accordingly, these events allow their organizations to learn about new toolkits, groups of practice, intranet tools, and various ways to access comprehensive research databanks. The focus of this level of management for law enforcement agencies is on both the agency and staff members’ needs for knowledge. In effect, this level enhances the staff members and agency’s performance by acquiring knowledge from the most recent study findings and investigation reports (Gottschalk, 2007). Internal knowledge management is the most widely used level of knowledge management outside the development sector and possibly in sectors that make up the strongest abstract foundation of practical work in knowledge management practice. A significant part of knowledge management in law enforcement concerns the transfer of knowledge and the development of viable local volume instead of simply providing a quality commodity or service. For policing services, this level of knowledge management may appear slightly shortsighted to concentrate merely on empowering law enforcement agents with the knowledge they require (Gultekin, 2009). In addition, it may also seem inappropriate to accumulate tremendous amounts of knowledge for their law enforcement agency alone because the agency acquires a lot of development knowledge from publicly financed operations. Similar to any other public or private entity, efficient knowledge management is a paramount matter in law enforcement. Law enforcement is an integrally knowledge-centric practice. As a result, the proficient and active utilization of knowledge is essential to improving a law enforcement agency’s performance (Gultekin, 2009). The utilization of knowledge relies not merely on properly set up IT tools, but proficiently overseeing the law enforcement agency’s assets as well. Consequently, multiple policing departments and agencies have established Internet tools and operating systems that manage knowledge professionally (Gottschalk, 2007). Management of this knowledge as to be at par with the level of knowledge management and technology within a given law enforcement agency. Methodology The methodology for managing information and knowledge within a law enforcement agency includes end-user gear. This type of gear allows law enforcement agents to access, store, systemize, scrutinize, and present data. Additionally, end-user gear allows law enforcement agents to handle computerized data without any time or space limits. This advantage is owed to communication media that are compatible with this gear (Gottschalk, 2007). For instance, a range of gadgets is accessible to police vehicles and precincts for the retrieval and implementation of the same data. The access and availability of these tools also allow law enforcement agents to combine this data with the data from other sources such as partnered agencies. Mobile technology is the best example of the methodology used by law enforcement agencies today to manage information and knowledge (Denning et al., 2009). Similar to numerous other kinds of practices, the advancement of a more and more mobile personnel influences knowledge management. Places of work today are mobile because of the nature of policing. As a result, mobile technology comes extremely useful and effective since they are defined by voice functionality, capacity to convey and receive short messages, and the ability to implement specific applications (Gottschalk, 2007). Comparison Different police agencies use different methodologies to manage information and knowledge. These methodologies have technology in common. For instance, police agencies in the United Kingdom use an innovative methodology known as HOLMES (Home Office Large Major Enquiry System) to manage their knowledge and information (Denning et al., 2009). HOLMES allows British law enforcement agents to put in the data about the location of an incident, its date and time, victims, lead investigator, and the commencement of the investigation remotely. The law enforcement agents can utilize this methodology as an end-user device at different stages of the investigation. During each stage, the agent can utilize HOLMES to compose a report on the status of the inquiry (Tien, 2014). HOLMES offers support for the input of different data aspects and the application of electronic knowledge as an end-user device. COPLINK is a knowledge management system that characterizes American police agencies. Set up by the University of Arizona’s AI laboratory, COPLINK aims to acquire, store, assess, and share police-related information. Officers can access COPLINK through an Internet browser with a simple interface. Additionally, COPLINK employs statistical procedures like co-occurrence scrutiny and grouping functions to function as a device for end-users who want to enter or save data (Tien, 2014). Like HOLMES, COPLINK enables law enforcement agents to compare connections between all likely pairs of ideas. COPLINK carries out this function by identifying pertinent words and their connection to each other in a single search. In the process, COPLINK unveils connections between and among various crime-associated organizations by scrutinizing five organization fields: individual, entity, site, vehicle, and type of crime (Gottschalk, 2009). Police agencies in Germany use BKA (Bundeskriminalamt) to manage their information. Local information hubs initially receive information, followed by state data hubs since Germany is made up of 16 states. This data is conveyed afterward to the BKA supercomputer data hub. The BKA uses a databank called Inpol to distribute information concerning criminal incidents across different police units. The BKA is different from COPLINK and HOLMES in the sense that it shares information with different law enforcement units (Tien, 2014). The BKA distributes some information nationally while some information stays at the state level. An officer who puts in information into Inpol determines whether it will be accessible nationally or statewide. When a state requires information, it must refer the BKA supercomputer because it gathers and stores all information within the supercomputer server (Gottschalk, 2007). Australian police agencies use PROMIS (Police Real-time Online Management Information System) as its innovative methodology for managing information and knowledge (Denning et al., 2009). PROMIS is an Internet-created databank that operates through safe Internet providers. The AFP (Australian Federal Police) built PROMIS in Canberra where they also handle it even though police officers in different states can utilize it to search for required information. Officers can access PROMIS through PCs in local stations and bureaus. Neighboring states units might also utilize PROMIS by requesting required data from the core body of the AFP. On approval, the AFP will release the requested information and convey it to the requestor’s local station and Bureau (Gottschalk, 2009). Lastly, Canada’s methodology for managing information amongst its no enforcement agencies involves a self-reliant approach (Tien, 2014). This methodology is unique from Germany’s, the United States’, the United Kingdom’s, and Australian methodologies for managing information within law enforcements agencies. Every Canadian state has its individual police units that gather and build their individual data distribution systems. The federal government provided each state with its individual intranet framework for the efficient communication of security-affiliated data. The federal government has its individual police force known as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that operates a data-distributing databank (Gottschalk, 2009). This databank allows all law enforcement entities across the nation to access information collected by the federal government through an intranet computer framework. References Denning, R., Bennett, S., Mazerolle, L., and Stocks, B. (2009). Serious Violent Crime Investigations: A systematic literature search and technical report to the National Policing Improvement Agency. Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security (CEPS), pp. 155. Gottschalk, P. (2007). Knowledge Management Systems In Law Enforcement: technologies and techniques. Hershey PA: Idea Group Publishing. Gottschalk, P. (2009). Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement and Corrections: Policing the Police: Knowledge Management in Law Enforcement. New York, NY: Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Gultekin, K. (2009). Knowledge management and law enforcement: An examination of knowledge management strategies of the police information system (POLNET) in the Turkish National Police. ProQuest LLC, pp. 195. Tien, I. (2014). Law enforcement services without law enforcement officers. Journal of California Law Enforcement, 48(3), 16-22. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1626170434?accountid=458 Read More