Law enforcement is facing an increasingly complex set of challenges as a profession, so identifying and selecting the right candidates for leadership roles and specialized assignments is paramount for advancing organizational justice and elevating police legitimacy within the community. While traditional methods of candidate identification and selection have long been relied upon by law enforcement leaders, the integration of body-worn camera (BWC) data analytics offers a transformative approach. Here we explore the benefits of incorporating BWC data analytics into the candidate identification and selection process for law enforcement promotions and specialized assignments.

Unbiased and Objective Assessments

One of the most significant advantages of incorporating BWC data analytics into the candidate identification and selection process is that it provides law enforcement leaders with a clear view of the behavioral attributes and technical skills routinely demonstrated by their officers in the field. Unlike outdated legacy performance evaluation systems and traditional candidate identification and selection methods which are subject to numerous biases and arbitrary interpretations, BWC data analytics supports law enforcement leaders by providing credible, unbiased, and precise intelligence about their officers’ positive interactions with the community every day. As a result, law enforcement officers and leaders can be more confident that the candidate identification and selection process is being administered more consistently and fairly.

Enhanced Transparency and Accountability

By leveraging BWC data analytics in the candidate identification and selection process, law enforcement leaders can gain deeper insights into each officer’s strengths through objective evidence of their exemplary performance, fostering greater transparency and accountability in the overall process. This additional layer of transparency and accountability can provide a counterbalance to any deliberation processes occurring behind closed doors which are often viewed as returning partisan and unfair results. By bringing every law enforcement officer’s exceptional performance to the forefront for full consideration a more level playing field is created that all candidates benefit from. Moreover, this new process can instill greater confidence amongst all candidates and the community through the demonstration of a law enforcement leader’s commitment to organizational justice.

Mitigated Liability and Risk

Selecting officers for leadership positions or specialized principal assignments carries inherent risks, as their performance—or lack thereof—can have far-reaching consequences for the law enforcement agency and community alike. By integrating BWC data analytics into the identification and selection process, law enforcement leaders can be assured that they will more efficiently and accurately identify candidates who regularly exhibit high composure, steadfast professionalism, and a commitment to building relationships with the community as evidenced by their individual performance.

Conclusion

Incorporating BWC data analytics into the candidate identification and selection process for law enforcement promotions and specialized assignments represents a paradigm shift in the way leaders handle these processes. By harnessing the power of the objective and unbiased information provided by BWC data analytics, law enforcement leaders can identify candidates who exemplify the highest standards of professionalism with far more efficacy. From enhancing transparency and legitimacy to rewarding high performance and mitigating risk, the benefits of this new approach are profound and far-reaching. As the law enforcement profession strives to cultivate its next generation of leaders, all stakeholders need to ensure that those selected are capable of navigating the complex challenges of modern policing. To accomplish this, the integration of BWC data analytics into the candidate identification and selection process is not just advantageous—it's essential.

TRULEO is a CJIS-compliant SaaS solution, built on a proprietary audio analysis engine that automatically categorizes all of your department’s BWC data enabling leaders, trainers, and public information officers to highlight positive interactions and promote exemplary performance. Our mission is to improve trust in law enforcement by leveraging state of the art BWC data analysis technology to streamline operations, mitigate risks, enhance legitimacy, and facilitate individualized recognition to increase morale, ignite performance, and promote police professionalism.

About the Author

Greg Sheehan is the Director of Training at TRULEO.

He retired from law enforcement as an Inspector of Police after twenty-seven years with the New York City Police Department, having served in multiple capacities including Program Director of the Police Academy. He is a graduate of the Police Management Institute at Columbia Business School and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University where he was the Richard L. Gelb scholar in public administration. His interests include public safety training and body-worn camera analytics, topics that have allowed him to identify and deploy scalable solutions to today’s toughest law enforcement recruitment, training, and retention problems. For questions or comments contact him at greg@truleo.co.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-sheehan/