Connected Officers, Connected Service
Chief Danny Smyth
Computer technology has changed our lives. Regardless of whether you are from the baby-boom generation or a millennial just coming of age, the convergence of the Internet, smartphones and computer software applications guarantees continuous and rapid change. Foundational to these changes is the ability to harness digital information and process it as evidence. The Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) is currently leveraging innovative technologies in two specific initiatives:
WPS Virtual Police Response
Simply put, virtual police response (VPR) enables officers to use video technology to connect with citizens to report incidents virtually. The WPS began to explore this initiative in 2019 as a way to reduce response times.
Let’s use the report of a break-in as an example. Someone wanting to report a break-in (after the fact, not one that is in progress), would normally call the WPS Communication Center’s non-urgent line. A call for service would be generated and placed in the queue for dispatch to a dedicated report car. Depending on the time of day and the workload waiting to be dispatched, a person may have to wait until the following day for a police response. Once the reporting officer arrives, they take details of the occurrence and perform a cursory examination of the scene to determine whether a more comprehensive forensics examination is warranted. If a forensics examination is warranted, a second call for service is generated and placed in the queue for a forensics unit to attend. Again, depending on the time of day and the workload waiting to be serviced, a person may have an additional wait time. Needless to say, it can be a prolonged and frustrating process.
VPR enables police to reduce the processing time considerably. Here’s how it works. The WPS recognizes that most people have a smartphone or a tablet. Leveraging the use of these devices, the VPR Unit scans the dispatch queue looking for incidents that can be diverted out of the queue. The complainant is contacted and an offer is made to take the report virtually. If the complainant agrees, an officer from the VPR Unit connects with their smartphone or tablet and takes advantage of the video link. Two things are accomplished using this method: First, the complainant is usually connected with the VPR Unit within a few hours. Secondly, using the video link, the complainant can walk the VPR Unit officer around the break-in scene in real-time. The VPR Unit officer can then assess whether the break-in requires a forensic examination. This allows the complainant to make a timely report, and more importantly, allows them to preserve evidence, or clean up and secure their area. The feedback from those that have opted to report virtually has been overwhelmingly positive.
What we didn’t know in 2019 when we were developing our procedures for virtual reporting was that a global pandemic was around the corner that would require lockdowns and restricted movements. The ability to respond virtually was happening at the right time to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. The WPS has since expanded virtual reporting to handle a wider range of non-urgent calls including minor assaults, robbery incidents not in progress and where the suspect is unknown, as well as other minor property crimes.
VPR has proven to be an effective way to connect with victims of crime. It allows a personal connection to be made with a police officer who can facilitate the report and scene examination more quickly, and refer people to other resources, like victims’ services or insurance adjusters, so they can get back to normalcy as soon as possible.
Technology is changing policing like never before.
Today I introduce a piece from Inspector George Labossiere regarding a new initiative about how we plan to use mobile devices to enhance service delivery and effectiveness.
The Connected Officer
George Labossiere, Inspector
Forensics, Intelligence, and Technology Division
The nature of policing often requires officers to complete their duties in the field, away from their police stations, their desks, databases, and the computer systems they depend upon to complete the work at hand.
The remote nature of the job can in fact impede attempts to effectively serve the public’s needs or to efficiently manage investigations.
The Winnipeg Police Service’s desire to realize greater efficiencies and enhance customer service influenced the launch of the 2021 pilot project called Connected Officer.
The officers selected for the pilot were assigned a mobile device programmed with a variety of innovative applications and tools, which allowed them to maintain constant access to the Service’s record management systems.
The devices also introduced a number of exciting new options designed to create workplace efficiencies and enhance the Officer’s ability to serve the public’s needs.
One of these new features is the ability to record audio statements from victims or witnesses.
Police officers routinely capture the essence of an offence by way of a written statement, (a detailed account of what transpired), obtained from the victim, witness, or complainant.
On average, a written statement requires roughly 30 minutes to complete.
In comparison, those participating in Connected Officer were able to record audio statements in as little as three to five minutes.
The new process not only eased the burden felt by victims or witnesses, the recorded statements typically contained greater levels of detail, and inevitably included the raw emotions felt by those impacted by the crime or event. Both of which positively impact the quality of evidence available to crown prosecutors.
“Connected” officers also used mobile devices to take photos and videos at the scene. This evidence was immediately transmitted to police databases, making it accessible to fellow officers and investigators throughout the service.
“The Connected Officer technology really transforms the way I can do my job and the service we provide our citizens,” said Constable Jean-Paul Landry, a 13-year member of the WPS who participated in the project while in Foot Patrol in Winnipeg’s downtown. “The fact that I can take pictures and videos at a crime scene and obtain audio statements is amazing. My notes are so complete that I can eliminate most narrative reports, and that's a huge time saving, added Landry.”
Connected Officers found the new digital notes option to be easier, faster, and more accurate.
The efficiency, clarity, and enhanced detail generated through digital notes, enabled officers to eliminate the need for the more traditional handwritten notes, and in many cases the need to author an additional police narrative (report).
The results of which created significant time savings and eliminated unnecessary redundancies in the reporting and disclosure processes.
“The Connected Officer program was an incredible benefit for my daily investigative activities. Having the ability to access our records database whenever I needed it from my pocket in order to assist with an ongoing investigation was a tremendous advantage, and one that freed me from my cruiser car,” said Detective Chad Swenarchuk.
The overwhelming success of the pilot has prompted the WPS to expand the Connected Officer program. More than 100 Officers in the Central District will be outfitted with devices and related licenses later this year.
In addition to the new devices, these officers will be among the first to utilize a digital evidence management system, (commonly referred to as DEMS) that the service will be testing.
This highly secure system provides cloud-based storage of digital evidence, contains ease-of-use pathways to capture photo and digital evidence at a scene, and provides the public with a highly efficient means of sharing digital information directly with the police.
The financial impact of Cloud-based storage is cost neutral at the moment, but the motivation to move in this direction is twofold. The first of which is that the overwhelming increase of digital evidence cannot be sustained through the on-premise servers the WPS currently utilizes.
The second reason to transition to cloud-based storage is that it effectively creates the necessary platform for the Connected Officer Program, in addition to countless other innovative options the Policing community will need to consider in the not-so-distant future.
Change is inevitable, which is why we must continue to explore and evolve in ways that continue to serve the needs of our community. The Connected Officer Program is a positive step in that direction.