Major Case Management: Integrating Practice & Technology Software: X-FIRE—Agnovi Corporation (Details)

Name of province/ territory:

Manitoba

City/ Region:

Winnipeg

Description of Initiative:

Adopt Major Case Management (MCM) principles for all investigative areas across the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS). This will enhance the management, collection, analysis and disclosure of investigation events.

Initiative Key Objectives:

Identify test technology platforms and introduce training concepts to all investigative sections.

Section Responsible for Implementation:

Criminal Investigation Bureau

Key Contact:

Winnipeg Police Service / Service de police de Winnipeg

Groups/ Agencies/ Key Partners Involved:

• other police services
• private agencies/corporations
• civilian governing authorities
• other government departments/agencies

Level of Involvement (consultative - information sharing) and/or cooperative - direct involvement):

Other police services/agencies were consulted during the research process; however, most of the cooperative work was done by internal IT and the corporate IT department, in addition to the vendor company (Agnovi Corporation).

Amount of Time Initiative has been in Place:

Research began in September of 2011 and a pilot project began in May of 2012.

Reason for Undertaking the Initiative:

This project was undertaken to keep pace with industry standards surrounding case management and address efficiency around disclosure of investigative events.

Resources Required to Implement this Initiative:

The pilot project required a budget of $150,000 for software, software licences and support for three years.

Method of Implementation:

Pilot project.

Key Outcomes of the Initiative:

The pilot project is still ongoing; however, it is clear that the use of MCM principles is benefitting middle managers in assessing resources, time and case load. Case disclosure is much quicker and requires fewer overall resources. The pilot ended in September 2012 and was extended one year to September 2013.

Availability of a Communication Strategy:

Yes

Key Messages used to Publicize the Initiative:

Internal key messages succinctly explained what was happening, why it was happening, who was impacted and how people could contribute to change. We re-worded these themes in various training packages, presentations, intranet communications, video streaming and face-to-face meets. Our target messages appeared on the WPS intranet homepage with visuals and informational videos.

Key messages were:

• MCM is an industry standard that is being applied in both criminal and civil courts.
• Risks of not adopting these concepts are both personal and institutional.
• MCM highlights many areas of investigative work we already do and brings them into print.
• The MCM process and integration of a technology tool contribute to stress reduction and prosecution success, and allow personnel to plot roadmaps for attacking unsolved or difficult-to-solve files.

Forms of Evaluation by which the Initiative will be Assessed:

• internal
• qualitative
• quantitative

Evaluation Completed or Community Feedback Received:

Yes

Summary of the Outcomes:

WPS did conduct a survey two months after the pilot began, which served as a baseline (the survey will be redone later in the pilot to compare results). The initial feedback has been positive. The survey set out to evaluate the technology (interfacing), operational impact, accountability, training/support and future considerations. (This survey was undertaken after two months of use. WPS will redo the survey again later in the pilot.)

Highlights are as follows:

Technology:

Existing integration of the MCM Information Technology Tool (ITT) was rated as fair to good. The migration of entities and evidence between systems was highlighted as a priority from more than 90% of those surveyed. 50% indicated that the ITT was replacing a personal task management system that they were employing to track investigations. Technology features scored positively as follows:

• string search abilities—78%
• tasking—68%
• timelines & Charts -52%
• auto disclosure—77%

• More than 77% of those surveyed indicated that the MCM concepts and ITT were likely saving money and time compared to past practice.
• 83% indicated that court preparation was eased.

• More than 66% of respondents indicated that the concepts and tools helped them be more systematic in collecting evidence. 87% said that they were more accountable using this system and concepts.
• 59% indicated that business rules could be refined further.

• 39% of respondents said training could be improved. Improvements were identified in the concept training area.
• 75% said the technology training left them prepared for a live environment.
• 60% said clerical support would be an important long-term enhancement to the MCM and ITT process.

Summary of the Performance Measure Data Collected:

N/A

Economics of Policing Pillars:

• Efficiencies within Police Services

Further Details:

The investigation of both small- and large-scale crime is a core service that is a signficant draw on resources and budgets. Having a technology tool that streamlines tasking, resource management and information flow makes economic sense. The solving of crime in tandem with the prevention of crime are the cornerstones of public safety and crime reduction. This initiative fits into pillar one as identified in the preamble of this template.

Additional Comments or Suggestions:

Further details and a business evaluation is available.

Record Entry Date:

2013-08-01