By Navin Nageli
We were having a conversation with a deputy police chief for a mid-sized agency. His agency has been struggling to track assets that are assigned to officers and vehicles. They used to have multiple spreadsheets but now they consolidated into one spreadsheet with multiple tabs. To complicate it further, they have different equipment managers for different equipment. One oversees firearms, another fleet assignments, another for taser and so on.
Responsibility for the many pieces of equipment is spread to over different hands, making property accountability difficult. The Chief looks at the spreadsheet and sees that there are items with an asterik. These items are missing, and the mystery begins to determine how long it’s been gone, where it went and who had it last. Last year, they accidentally realized that the many of the agency’s bulletproof vests were close to expiration. This caused a scramble at the last minute to get the budget and order the vests.
If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. It is an unfortunate reality that majority of public safety agencies are using some form of spreadsheets or antiquated tools when it comes to asset tracking and management. The Deputy Chief knew there must be a better way for different equipment managers to work on their assigned assets at the same time.
A better way - where instead of calling each person responsible for their information - it can be looked up on the system. A better way to be notified of expiring assets so that the budget can be planned, and the equipment ordered in time. A better way that is functional, cop-proof, user friendly, easy to use and efficient.
The Chief is right, there is absolutely a better way through NueGOV Public Safety platform and we are so glad to provide a solution that answered his agency’s needs.
So, If you’re looking to move towards an electronic, automated, and efficient system that builds more accountability, give us an opportunity to discuss your needs.