Page 36 - PCPA Winter 2024 Bulletin Magazine

THINK TWICE BEFORE SIGNING THAT RMS CONTRACT: 5 THINGS NOT
TO OVERLOOK WHEN PURCHASING AN RMS SYSTEM
Think Twice Before
Signing that RMS Contract:
5 Things NOT to Overlook When
Purchasing an RMS System
So, you are on the verge of signing a contract to upgrade
your Records Management System (RMS). You find
yourself in the same boat as many departments across
the country, as older systems are reaching end-of-life.
Purchasing a new (RMS) is one of the most significant
and challenging decisions a police department will make.
Not only are RMS systems vital for managing and storing
critical data, but they also inform and in some ways dictate
the workflows of a department, based on the available
feature-set and functionality, or lack thereof. While many
departments do their due diligence regarding feature-set,
modules, and overall system capability, but, beyond that,
it is at times overwhelming to know the right questions to
ask and too often essential factors are overlooked, leading
to frustration and buyer’s remorse.
Here are five critical follow-up questions every police
department should ask after they have narrowed down
their selection based on RMS feature-set.
PA CHIEFS OF POLICE ASSOCIATION
1.  Don’t shy away from keeping your legacy RMS
data: Exorbitant fees to convert data simply
indicate a lack of expertise
Many agencies find themselves with an RMS system that
contains, in some cases, 20+ years of case data. Don’t be
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