Resource Center
With agencies striving to modernize their operations, many are faced with a daunting question: when is the right time to overhaul our records management system? At Axon Week 2024, leaders from early-adopting agencies shared their journeys by highlighting the challenges, successes, and insights gained from transitioning to Axon Records.
As public safety agencies face increasingly complex demands, the need for adaptable and efficient tools has never been greater. A recent survey revealed that 41% of agencies have been using the same records management system (RMS) for over a decade, underscoring the widespread need for modernization. Outdated RMS platforms often hinder efficiency with stagnant workflows, declining customer service, and limited adaptability.
For Virginia Beach Police Department, reliance on paper-based reporting meant critical data could take weeks to process, leaving leadership without timely information to address trends or make proactive decisions. Lafayette Police Department, meanwhile, needed an RMS that could offer robust customer support and a modern, integrated approach to meet the needs of their officers and growing community. These challenges ultimately drove both agencies to explore modern solutions, seeking tools that could streamline operations, improve efficiency, and provide data-driven insights.
Recognizing the importance of integration and intuitive design, both agencies turned to Axon Records, a system built to keep pace with today’s complexities and equip agencies for tomorrow’s growth.
Agencies today are facing a rapidly evolving environment, where the demands of modern policing require solutions that can keep pace. One significant driver of change is the exponential growth of digital evidence. With 76% of cases including digital evidence, ensuring that evidence is seamlessly integrated into every report is crucial to tell the full story of an incident.
This shift emphasizes the need for an RMS that doesn’t just manage records but is fully integrated with a digital evidence management system (DEMS). This integration connects records and evidence for enhanced transparency and operational efficiency. Axon Records and Axon Evidence offer this integration as part of a unified platform, designed to make evidence readily accessible while supporting compliance and accountability.
As Deputy Chief Zelms pointed out, agencies must think beyond today’s needs to account for the increasing volume of evidence and the long-term impact on their officers. The unlimited cloud storage that Axon offers helps agencies stay ahead of these demands to provide flexibility and peace of mind as their data grows.
For Lafayette Police Department, the ability to automatically connect evidence and reports into a single ecosystem transformed their workflows, saving time and reducing the administrative burden on officers. This seamless integration ensures that critical evidence, such as body-worn camera video, is always at their fingertips when it matters most, especially for evidence review purposes. As Captain Gossard explains, “It’s intuitive having a review system, whether it be in Standards for use-of-force or you’re in a case in Records, and having the evidence already be there for you associated with the case.”
By embracing digital transformation, agencies can build a future-ready foundation—one where records and evidence work together to tell the complete story, support operational efficiency, and deliver better outcomes for the community. Building on these foundational improvements, many agencies are now also exploring the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to further enhance their workflows.
As technology continues to reshape public safety, AI is emerging as a pivotal tool in helping agencies work smarter, not harder. For early adopters like Lafayette Police Department, AI solutions like Draft One are proving transformative. Acting as a force multiplier, Draft One significantly reduces the time spent on report writing by generating report narratives from body-worn camera footage in seconds. Integrated seamlessly with Axon Records, officers can insert generated, reviewed, and approved narratives directly into a report with just one click. As Captain Gossard shared, “It takes one report, you click on that body-camera audio, you say complete report, it spits it out in three seconds and then you have to pick the jaws up of the officer off the floor because it is mind blowing.”
For Virginia Beach Police Department, Deputy Chief Zelms noted the importance of collaboration with stakeholders, including prosecutors, when considering AI solutions to ensure accountability and transparency are maintained. Axon’s “officer-in-the-loop” approach requires officer review, editing, and approval before submitting any AI-generated narratives. These safeguards ensure accountability remains at the core of the solution.
AI-powered tools like Draft One represent more than just a time-saving innovation—they signal a future where agencies can leverage responsible AI to enhance efficiency, reduce administrative burdens, and enable officers to spend more time in the field. As this technology evolves, agencies have an opportunity to shape its development, ensuring it delivers on its promise to improve public safety outcomes.
The journey to modernization is not without its challenges, but the benefits of transitioning to a modern RMS and embracing innovative technologies are undeniable. For agencies like Virginia Beach and Lafayette, investing in integrated solutions like Axon Records, Axon Evidence, and Draft One has transformed their workflows. Learn more about how your agency can prepare for the future with adaptable, innovative technology like Axon Records and reach out to the Axon team any time here.