Benefits of speech enabling law enforcement RMS systems

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You Have the Right to Speak and Not Type

The one aspect that is never shown on police-themed TV shows or action-packed movies is actually the one factor police departments across the nation struggle with the most: Paperwork. According to a recent survey, police officers estimated they spent 3 or more hours per shift on incident reporting and other paperwork.

Moreover, a mid-size police department in the Northeast recently reported they spent more than $96,000 in a year on third-party transcriptionists. Another police department stated they pay, on average, 15 hours of overtime per officer per week on paperwork. In this article, we will discuss how you, as a Value-Added Reseller, can help your law enforcement clients achieve cost- and time-saving measures.

…a mid-size police department recently reported they spent more than $96,000 in a year on third-party transcriptionists

The Problem with RMSs

Incident reporting is essential in keeping the wheels of justice moving, but the amount of time police officers, their department heads, and the clerical staff spend typing records can put the very same cases in jeopardy. Before we get to the benefits of speech-enabling law enforcement Record Management Systems (RMS), let’s take a brief look at the challenges of manually written records.

  • A typo or erroneous report can cause a case to be thrown out of court.
  • Missed deadlines can force the district attorney to not be able to file charges in time.
  • If the incident report is not written in a timely fashion, the officer runs the risk of relying on memory and omitting information.
  • Trying to decipher handwritten notes can lead to factual errors.
  • Manual reporting while in the patrol car forces the police officer to twist and turn to enter data into their laptops, making them oblivious of their surroundings and susceptible to ambush.

Benefits of Dictating Law Enforcement Records

  • Using speech-recognition technology is 3 times faster than typing, and Dragon Professional Anywhere Law Enforcement (DPALE) provides up to 99.9% accuracy.
  • To use, officers and support staff place the cursor where they wish to dictate. They navigate between fields by voice command for increased speed of data entry. However, law enforcement officers might need to look up information elsewhere, which would then move the cursor, and, thus, disrupt the dictation. With the Anchor Speech Focus modality, the cursor remains in the document allowing the user to dictate while looking at other information.
  • DPALE reduces officer/staff burnout. By decreasing the amount of time they spend typing (usually overtime), they can leave at the end of their shift. Furthermore, by speaking and not typing, work-related injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, will be reduced as well.
  • It adapts with most, if not all, RMS and CAD document management systems. And since it is available (24/7) from any authorized device, officers on PTO, out sick, or spending all day in the courts, for example, can access the document and not be left out of the loop.
  • Uses secure and encrypted methods throughout the workflow. DPALE runs on a Microsoft Azure-hosted cloud (a HITRUST CSF-certified hosting infrastructure). It’s easy to install and maintain. Users can begin dictating in less than five minutes after integrating the program into the system.
  • Officers can improve the immediacy and accuracy of arrest reports and capture more thorough notes when they create incident reports. Digital text is not prone to misinterpretation as happens with handwritten notes.
  • It creates a centralized system for document management. Documents can be handed off with ease through the chain of command and to outside parties, such as the District Attorney’s Office. Collaboration between agencies becomes faster.
  • By spending less time on reports, law enforcement officers can have an increased presence in the community. Less time at the station means more time in the streets protecting and serving.
  • The program contains a specialized law enforcement vocabulary and database, including car and truck models for the United States, Mexico, and Canada, as well as North American cities, provinces, and states. Plus, the program offers the capability to add terms to the vocabulary.
However, there is one exceptional and outstanding benefit that Dragon Law Enforcement brings, and that is:

License Plate Lookup by Voice Command

When patrol officers run a license plate number, they need to receive the information quickly and accurately—their safety depends on it. However, trying to look up a plate while driving puts the officer at risk as it is a driving distraction.

While in plate lookup mode, the patrol officer can accomplish this task simply by using voice commands, which keep the officer safe, situationally aware, and free from distractions. In this situation, speed and accuracy are of the utmost importance.

Dragon® Law Enforcement recognizes the phonetic alphabet, so when the patrol officer commands, “enter plate,” followed by “Alpha Bravo Charlie one two three,” the program will respond accordingly. And all the while, the patrol officer has both hands on the wheel and is fully aware of all surroundings.

The Power of Nuance Dragon Anywhere Mobile App

Dragon Professional Anywhere Law Enforcement works with Nuance hardware, such as PowerMic 4, or with the Dragon Anywhere Mobile app—paired to a smartphone, tablet, or preferred mobile device—to give users the freedom to navigate, dictate, edit and file their documentation—at the station, in the patrol car, or from the scene of the crime or accident.

Other benefits of Dragon Anywhere Mobile app include adaptability to iOS or Android, access to customized words and auto-text across all devices, a correction menu, continuous dictation with no word limits, and sharing documents by email, Dropbox, and more. It enables greater mobility, boosts productivity, improves documentation, and enhances security while offering users the flexibility to fit it into their schedule. It’s a digital world and Nuance’s cloud-based solutions keep them connected.

The Benefits for the VAR

The list of benefits the Value-Added Reseller receives from offering DPALE speech recognition software is long and numerous, let’s look at the top four:

  1. One-click Installation – It takes a few minutes and requires very few resources since the application is cloud-based.
  2. Easy Online Administration – easily manage all of your installations via our online administration portal, the Nuance Management Center.
  3. Quality of Service – Empower law enforcement professionals with a high-quality documentation experience across multiple devices and platforms, including mobile.
  4. Earn Recurring Income – With a subscription-based model, you will have the potential to earn unlimited recurring revenue.

Another useful tool for you is to present your law enforcement clients with a case study, like the Watertown (Mass.) Police Department, where officers reduced report turnaround times from as long as a day and a half to only 45 minutes.

Watertown Police Detective Dave MacNeil discusses how they integrated speech recognition into their general patrol and investigative units. MacNeil shares how report automation fosters creative solutions to administrative challenges, and explains its overall impact on officer safety, morale, and job satisfaction.

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