According to a study by the Trace in 2018, “Nearly half of the stolen law enforcement guns identified … were taken from [police] cars.” In some cases, the same study discovered “at least a dozen incidents in which an officer drove off with a firearm resting on the hood or bumper of a car.” With RFID tags attached to firearms, we can track when and where firearms leave the vehicle in real time, preventing this kind of loss or aiding in quick recovery.
More and more public safety departments are turning to IoT technology to manage their police forces. Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) still presents largely untapped opportunities for public safety. With this technology in place, public safety departments can know what pieces of equipment are in the field or the storeroom and who is in charge of it at the moment.
Technology Promoting Accountability
In the public safety sector, complete visibility of assets matters. It’s hard to have a reliable grasp on your high-value and high-risk pieces of equipment when you rely on manual processes. Human error can cause severe losses of firearms, riot gear, ammunition, and more. EAM systems that use satellite positioning can make sure public safety departments know precisely when something leaves that’s not supposed to with real-time custodian alerts and notifications whenever an RFID-tagged item leaves an established grid. This knowledge brings about greater accountability in all members of a police force.
The number of rounds fired from a firearm can be tracked in real-time with EAM systems.
Valuable Data Prevents Wasted Funding
Having real-time, moment-by-moment intel on everything from firearms, ammunition, and ballistic vests is priceless data. Enterprise asset management solutions transform this data into real-time informed management decisions. In everyday practices, this looks like more accurate inventory restocking and improved maintenance for longer equipment life. And these are just a few examples!
Giving Back to the Community
When using EAM technology, leaders can know precisely how many of each tagged item is in a warehouse; they can make informed decisions on inventory management without relying on force members to spend their work hours in cycle counting. And with the time saved from spending in storerooms, police departments can put more of their officers back into the community.
More efficient management of assets, funds, and time will give public safety departments opportunities to give back to their communities through improved personnel training, affording higher quality equipment, and ensuring preparedness when lives are on the line.
Valuable equipment goes into keeping people safe in any city. Keeping an eye on it can save lives.
Email us at info@apptricity.com to see how this would look in your city.
