Page 37 - PCPA Winter 2024 Bulletin Magazine

THINK TWICE BEFORE SIGNING THAT RMS CONTRACT: 5 THINGS NOT
TO OVERLOOK WHEN PURCHASING AN RMS SYSTEM
fooled by RMS vendors who try to discourage you from
converting and migrating that valuable, historical data into
your new RMS!
Because most RMS providers lack the know-how and
expertise with data conversion, they tend to overcharge
and undervalue this service, claiming that data in your
legacy RMS is ‘old’ and will just ‘clog’ your new system
and encourage you to ‘start fresh’. But, law enforcement
professionals know better than anyone that access to
legacy RMS data could prove essential and vital down the
line.
In many cases, RMS providers that DO sell this service
often do so at astronomical rates and don’t actually convert
any data, but rather leave your new system clogged with
PDFs instead of real, searchable, actionable data.
What to Ask: Just because the vendor claims to provide
a data conversion, dig deeper to find out what you will get
as the actual, final product. Do they convert all your data
and make that available in your new RMS or just a subset?
Do they actually convert the data or do they merely take
snapshots of your legacy RMS data and fill your RMS with
PDFs (rather than actual data) that will yield rather useless
when conducting searches of your database?
Does the data conversion process include ‘data clean-
up’ practices as standard (duplicate name recombination,
consolidation of records, etc.)?
Be sure to find out if they have experience with converting
data from your existing system to their RMS and ask for
references!
What to Ask: Departments should remember to ask
about their ability to define code lists and create
custom identifiers that align with their local procedures/
ordinances without extra fees or vendor involvement.
Code lists should be agency-defined not limited to a
vendor’s predefined list, even in a multi-agency, shared
system context.
3.  Data in and Data out: Custom Searches
and Reporting
Ease of data entry into your new RMS is only half of the
equation. Having access to YOUR data and being able
to extract that information for both simple to complex
reports is equally important. However, many RMS systems
come with a limited set of pre-configured searches and
reports that may not address your department’s specific
needs. Many RMS systems lack the flexibility to allow a
department to create their own custom searches and
don’t provide agencies with access to all the fields in
their RMS database that might be relevant to a specific
report.
Over and over again, departments find themselves
wading through vast amounts of data, taking days to
compile a report that should take about 5 minutes to
build, execute, and export, given the right tools are in
place.
What to Ask: Find out if there are pre-built queries only
or if your agency can access the RMS database fields to
create custom queries without additional fees or vendor
involvement. Don’t settle for an RMS that limits your
ability to search or report. Ensure the system is user-
friendly, intuitive, and offers flexibility in querying data,
with multiple export options to assist you in presenting
that data in myriad, meaningful ways. Make sure you have
the tools to run your own reports without the need for
vendor fees and intervention.
2.  Your System, Your Way: Customization and
Configuration Options
A one-size-fits-all solution may seem appealing because
it promises quick deployment, and within a shared system
it makes sense. That said, it often leaves agencies with
a rigid, inflexible system that doesn’t meet their unique
needs.
Don’t be fooled! You can participate in a shared system and
STILL have a system that YOU maintain, YOU administer,
and YOU have control over. There are options out there
for counties, regions, and multi-agency consortiums that
provide individual agency control over your system – both
the administration of the system and what is shared across
the broader sharing ecosystem – but that still provide the
data-sharing and cost-saving aspects that make a shared
system so appealing.
Customization isn’t limited to custom field labels,
mandatory fields, and the ability to modify workflows.
4.  Support Policies: Personal support in the
technological age is paramount
No matter what technology system you might use – from
an iPhone to a gaming system, to a records management
system – we all run into challenges from time to time
that require technical support. For law enforcement, this
support isn’t a ‘nice to have’ it is a ‘HAVE to have’ as police
deal with critical and time sensitive issues throughout the
course of normal business.
An RMS system acts as the data hub and its performance
directly affects the operations of a police department.
When they encounter an issue, law enforcement and
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WINTER 2024 BULLETIN