Here is a story from Minneapolis about the destruction of police records some of them pertaining to confidential informants. In one case the records were destroyed by police and in the other as a result of public disorder.
The problem with paper records is that they are easily lost or destroyed. The article highlights some of the consequences of the loss of such records.
There are risks associated with computerizing records, particularly if the IT department don’t set an appropriate level of security. However computerized records can easily be backed up to the cloud, thus avoiding a catastrophic loss in the event of a fire or other incident. In addition it means that records cannot be destroyed by anyone with out the appropriate authorization to do so.
As computer technology advances paper records are increasingly becoming a thing of the past for any progressive law enforcement agency. There is rarely any need for them.
When it comes to managing confidential informants ( HUMINT, Covert Human Intelligence Sources CHIS , Confidential Human Sources) then computerized records are essential. Records pertaining to the management of confidential informants should be stored on a secure purpose built solution and NOT on the agencies records management system (RMS). Too often the agencies RMS does not have sufficient security to protect such sensitive data. If you are looking at a good system you may wish to look at Altia’s Covert Operations Solution which is a secure solution to manage all types of undercover/informant operations.
If your department is looking for a cloud based and secure solution for police notebooks then you will want to look at VeriSaas The verinote electronic notebook app can be used on IPhone, or android, tablet or desktop and provides a secure solution suitable for daily use by patrol officers or as a means to record meeting by officers involved in covert activities.
Both these companies are Microsoft partners. Both allow an agency to store their sensitive data including intelligence in a way that means it cannot be destroyed.
If you want advice about protecting your data relating to covert law enforcement activity please get in touch. We are always here to help.
