We provide professional public safety information management consulting and training services in the fields of IT, UCR, NIBRS, CJIS, records management and FOIA compliance.

PRI Management Group

P.O. Box 142151
Coral Gables, FL.

305.460.0096

We're Hiring

PRI is hiring the following:

- Executive Assistant

Miami, FL

- Part-time Training Instructors

Nationwide

Click here for details.

Please share with someone you know that may be interested.

Ed Claughton

PRI Management Group

Electronic and Digital Signatures:

what's the difference and why do we still sign with a pen!?!

Going paperless. A noble cause, but...

When I worked in the police department, I always wondered why we had memos, printed them out, and signed them with a pen. Why did our SOP once say that official agency communications were to be submitted via memorandum, printed out, signed and sent via inter-office, and email as well? Does that make sense? No, it doesn't, especially when this is still happening today, in the 21st century. It's inefficiency at its best.

So many agencies talk about going paperless but at the same time still operate this way with these archaic policies. Technology AND the law enable documents to be signed electronically or digitally and have the same force and effect as if it were signed with a pen. What's the difference between the two?

Electronic signatures are an electronic indication of intent to agree to or approve the contents of a document.The U.S. Federal ESIGN Act defines an electronic signature as an "electronic sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a contract or other record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record." It may be a digitized image of a handwritten signature or even something as simple as a symbol which identifies the author.

Digital signatures are based on Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology which guarantee the identity of the signer as well as the intent and integrity of the information within the electronic document. They can be validated without the need for proprietary software. They involve having an electronic "certificate" on your computer which is used for identifying who you are.

Adobe Acrobat, a software that most of us use, has e-signature functionality. I encourage you to check out how it works.

Legal? Yes, electronic documents and signatures carry the same weight as their paper counterparts; here is a good page with the legal details.

Benefits. Well, the benefits are many. Imagine having no more of those paper forms which require all of those chain of command signatures, no inter-office snail mail routing, and being able to simply type your name on the form and have it count as your signature! It's easy, legal, and smart. Think about having electronic:

-FTO forms

-Evaluations

-Inventory forms

-Memos

-Overtime slips

-Leave slips

-Public records request forms

-Any paper form requiring a signature!

PRI specializes in resolving these types of issues. Our consulting services involve, among other things, getting these kinds of things in place for you so you can keep working on your daily duties. We'll get you paperless- if you let us. Remember, change can be good!

Cheers,

PRI Inisghts

Management by e-mail

Does your agency engage in management by email? This is the practice of sending information via email which should be delivered in person. It's easy to fall into the management by email trap; you send something out to a wide audience carrying important information and voila, you think your job is done.

In law enforcement, this bad habit is particularly damaging when important intelligence information like BOLOS, crime bulletins and crime analysis info is sent this way and gets lost in the tide of emails we all get daily; it's not a good way to share crime info.

The Tampa PD stopped sending crime info via email in entirety and opted instead to utilize NC4 Street Smart.

Here's a great article on management by email.

PRI at Louisiana Sheriff's Conference

Kudos to the Louisiana Sheriff's Association for its annual conference in Destin this past week. It was one of the best PRI has been to! As I have said many times, folks from Louisiana are some of the nicest around. The level of hospitality we experience when working in Louisiana is truly amazing.

In fact, LA was just reported as having 5 of the happiest cities in America. Thanks Trisha!

Dallas PD RMS Project Riddled With Problems

The Dallas PD recently implemented its new RMS and has had major problems including the improper release of prisoners, unprocessed reports, software errors and, training which occurred too far in advance of the system being in place.

These are the reasons businesses like PRI exist- we prevent these kinds of issues from happening and can fix them when they do. The investment in professional consulting services can save more money spent on the overall project than the cost of the services.

Unfortunately, DPD is spending countless man-hours and additional dollars on the vendor that didn't need to be spent. See the multiple news articles and videos that the department has been subjected to here.

Upcoming Police Records Training Seminars

Building a Model Police Records Unit

A 2 day class for all police records personnel. $375

The only one of its kind, this two day course was developed by current law enforcement personnel and has received excellent reviews. Learn how to minimize liability, improve performance, empower the records function, build professionalism, and increase customer service. Designed for records managers, clerks and supervisors, this course teaches you how to run the records unit as if it were a business: efficiently, legally and customer focused. Learn practical techniques that will improve the operations of this critical support component.

Develop a records management plan
Gain compliance with UCR standards
Developing efficient report correction workflows
How to legally correct reports after the fact
Disposing of records legally and efficiently
Reviewing and approving reports
Developing a report writing manual
Developing a records unit manual
Developing performance and accountability standards

Many new locations!

Details & Registration Here

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Managing Police Records

All you need to know about the release and retention of public info. $195
For PIO, Records, Executive Staff:

This class provides the information you need to ensure your agency is in compliance with public records law. Do your personnel understand what information can really be released and when it should be destroyed? Learn how long to keep records, in what format, and what the requirements are for managing information:

What can be released to the public and when
Keeping track of what was destroyed and when
What records are permanent?
Records retention schedules and procedures
Police reports, email, financial records, supporting documentation, and more.

Details and Registration Here

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Crime Stats & UCR for the Police Executive

Everything you need to know about your agency's numbers

$145

. For Records/UCR staff, CID, Executive Staff

Reading a UCR report is one thing; understanding what the numbers represent and how to explain them to those who ask is something entirely different. We teach you how. UCR is highly misunderstood and this class will provide the police executive or other interested employee a very practical understanding of the program. This class will give you the tools you need to understand, review and report your crime statistics and UCR numbers correctly (2 different things!). Learn about what UCR is for, how it works and why it's done.

How crimes are counted and cleared
The real difference between persons crimes and property crimes
Why your analyst's numbers are always different than Records
When can you really exceptionally clear a case?
Avoid the most common pitfalls to accurate stats
Keep your agency out of the headlines
Are your officers reporting multiple crime incidents correctly

Details and Registration Here

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100% of attendees at our last class rated it as "excellent".

Read actual course reviews here

Attendees receive course material electronically, a certificate, and great training that is hard to find.