Helpful Articles
Transforming a police agency one record at a time
Edward Claughton, President PRI Management Group November 2017 Collaborative reform. Consent decrees. The need for these is often based on issues that run deep within and throughout the agency, not on isolated problems that are one dimensional. They are matters which...
Applying for NCS-X Grants
Edward Claughton, President PRI Management Group February 2017 Print .PDF In the past year or so, PRI has received several calls from agencies seeking grants related to converting to NIBRS through the NCS-X initiative. Accordingly, we are sharing the guidance we...
On report writing: who is “this officer…”?
PRI Management Group August 2016 It's 2016 and we're still talking about police reports written in the 3rd person. After reading literally thousands upon thousands of police reports in our work as police records consultants and auditors, we've seen our fair share of...
Why Quality Control is So Important in Police Records Operations
Print .PDF Edward Claughton President, PRI Management Group July 2015 “No Records Clerk is going to tell me how to write a report!” That’s what one sergeant recently said to me during a records management assessment I was conducting for the agency. Resisting the...
Leadership in law enforcement (and technology) still an issue
Ed Claughton August 2013 In a recent edition of The Records Room I mentioned an article about a failed police technology project in Pennsylvania in which the Chief displayed utter disregard for the concerns of his police officers. Granted, maybe there's more to the...
Is Records Management Taken Seriously At Your Agency?
Edward Claughton July 2012 Print .pdf Is your police records unit undervalued? Are the employees who work there appreciated? Is the records management function one that is taken seriously? If not, then it's time to take an inventory of this important area of your...
Are your crime stats accurate?
PRI Management Group Print .pdf Yes, crime stats and UCR are two very different things (more on that in a minute) and now more than ever it's time to be sure yours are correct. Has the media knocked on your door yet? Have your numbers been called into question even...
Police records accuracy and efficiency
PRI Management Group Print .PDF When police departments produce crime statistics which are inaccurate, whether through UCR or in-house reports, the impact can be felt on various levels (that is if the inaccuracy is discovered). Questions may come from the public,...
Leadership in Police Records Units
PRI Management Group Print. pdf If you have attended my Building a Model Police Records Section seminar you know that I am a fan of change. Change is a good thing so long as it makes sense and is needed. However problems can arise when change is made simply for the...
Today’s records management is everyone’s business
PRI Management Group Print .pdf There is no doubt technology is the driving force of law enforcement today. Information led policing and the use of advanced software programs has been the approach for some time now. Yet with it has come an unintended and not always...
So just how long should you keep your records?
PRI Management Group Print .pdf How long should you keep records and data? While the simple answer is refer to your state’s records retention schedules, the reality is there are several things to consider before destroying your agency’s information. This includes...