LEADS: Law Enforcement Activity and Data System
Law enforcement, like many government agencies, struggles with the rapid deployment of technology. Planning, funding and implementation creates a true dilemma for most government agencies since the technology revolution, by its nature, demands rapid change. Technology providers constantly update, enhance and change their products to meet increased user demand. Governments often spends hundreds of thousands of dollars or more to buy the “latest” and “greatest” technology, only to be outdated months, weeks or days down the road.
In 1997, at a time when many police departments were beginning to purchase and pilot expensive technology without a long-term strategic direction in mind, the Law Enforcement Support Agency (LESA) took a step back and decided to plan first, then implement – to ensure taxpayer money and law enforcement time were not wasted. We knew that a vision for the future included emerging technology; what we needed was a clearly-defined vision that could be shared with law enforcement, criminal justice, government officials and the public.
A consortium of agencies including LESA, the Tacoma Police Department, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department and the Puyallup Police Department, developed a strategy for a fully-integrated law enforcement system. The goals of the program were – and are – to increase community safety, speed the justice process and effectively use resources. We realized that in order for law enforcement to fulfill its public safety responsibilities, it needs to more effectively use its resources and be able to access current, complete and accurate information in a timely fashion. On behalf of its member agencies, LESA embarked upon perhaps the most ambitious effort seen in law enforcement at that time. What developed from that vision was the LEADS program and strategic plan.
LEADS is a consortium of member agencies (currently comprised of LESA, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, the Tacoma Police Department, the Puyallup Police Department and the Lakewood Police Department) who work together to provide strategic direction for an integrated law enforcement information management system that is used by approximately 90 percent of all Pierce County, Wash., law enforcement to provide timely, complete and accurate information to the justice community and our citizens. However, LEADS is not just a suite of computer programs. It is a perpetual, evolutionary vision that draws law enforcement agencies together to find mutual solutions and innovations to increase criminal justice effectiveness as a regional force. This enduring, ongoing leadership force is what truly sets LEADS apart.
LEADS sets an example for partnership and regionalization. An interoperable program such as this, allows agencies to analyze and research crime across multi-jurisdictional boundaries, while also providing the ability to team-up for the development of tools with less risk and cost than tackling such projects alone. LEADS’ consortium effort allows for agency ownership; each stakeholder is able to embrace the mission, goals and philosophy of LEADS as part of a shared vision for the future. The shared vision is detailed in the LEADS Strategic Plan, a plan that evolves as technology and business needs change – and this is reflected through biennial plan updates. The strategic plan is developed by the member agencies and it outlines the future projects and goals. Through this process, LEADS has produced over 100 applications since 1997, each designed to free officers and supervision from time-consuming, administrative, often repetitive tasks.
Of LEADS’ current 100-plus computer programs and support systems, significant improvements to the city and county’s justice system were made possible through mobile electronic reporting via Enforcer – providing timelier, accurate, and complete reports – and the speeding of the process by which arrest reports are submitted from the officer to supervisors, records, and to the prosecutor’s office in time for arraignments. LEADS converted an archaic system of hand-written reporting, copying, and delivering, to an electronic report that is electronically distributed through the proper channels in hours, instead of the days it used to take. This electronic, mobile environment is so widely used that approximately 90 percent of all incident and supplemental reports are submitted electronically and are searchable through a central “repository” – LESA’s “NetMenu.” The vast amount of information collected is then not only shared within Pierce County, but is available via LInX (Law Enforcement Information Exchange) Northwest to 146 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
Over the last four years, the LEADS consortium integrated that functionality into other criminal justice systems. One such example is TRACED (Tracking, Review, Approval and assignment, Case control, Electronic Distribution), a well-thought tool to automate the workflow of all formal reports from dispatch to review, approval, assignment, and distribution. TRACED ensures that “no report is left behind;” it provides an audit of all calls an officer responds to that requires documentation and possible investigative follow-up. More importantly, TRACED controls how well agencies keep track of situations in their jurisdiction and, combined with the standardization of data captured via electronic reporting, creates the power to see crime trends – despite limited resources. Communities can now be better-informed and agencies are more responsible to the communities they serve – thus, the data has become meaningful.
When sharing the Puyallup Police Department’s 2006 statistics, Deputy Chief Jim Collyer wrote, “[I] just came from a meeting with… the Chief where we were reviewing patrol stats and efficiencies. Bottom line is all our activity numbers in patrol were up last year, and yet we spent eight minutes less per call. I attribute the time savings in no small part to LEADS.”
The program’s results, though difficult to measure, can be shown in timelier report processing. For example, in 2005, officers submitted 75 percent of all arrest reports within four hours of arriving on-scene. In the same year, field supervisors reviewed 78 percent of all arrest reports within four hours of an officer’s submittal. This is a dramatic change from before LEADS, when reports were handwritten; it was difficult for officers to submit arrest reports before the end of their eight-hour shift – and sometimes days passed before reports were submitted.
The LEADS program has already made significant progress and achieved some of the plan objectives, but true to its nature, the LEADS Strategic Plan must continue to be reflected upon in order to effectively evolve. As LEADS progresses and the strategic plan evolves, new visions for the future emerge. The challenge is to remain focused on critical path projects that complete core functionality.
Download the LEADS Strategic Plan (PDF)
