Common Operational Picture Technology in Law Enforcement: Three Case Studies December 2019 Zoë Thorkildsen, Emma Wohl, Bridgette Bryson, Jennifer Lafferty, and Jessica Dockstader This project was supported by Award No. 2015-IJ-CX-K002, awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Justice. This document represents the best opinion of CNA at the time of issue. Distribution Unlimited distribution. Other requests for this document shall be referred to [email protected]. Photography Credit: Shutterstock. Approved by: December 2019 James R. “Chip” Coldren, Jr., Director Center for Justice Research and Innovation Institute for Public Research Copyright © 2019 CNA Abstract CNA performed case studies of common operational picture (COP) technology use in three law enforcement agencies. Our goal was to address the paucity of research in this field by providing practitioners and researchers with examples of how these law enforcement agencies have implemented and use these technologies. To do so, we conducted on-site qualitative data collection at the three sites, which revealed common themes among the sites regarding stakeholders, COP technology implementation, and the use of certain COP technology features. This report lays the groundwork for future work by law enforcement agencies and researchers in exploring COP technology use and implementation in law enforcement settings. Researchers and practitioners must further study the efficacy of COP technology in achieving law enforcement goals, such as improving community response, reducing injuries, and preventing or reducing violent crime. This report is not intended to rank or evaluate the products listed. We did not test or evaluate the products. The report’s sole purpose is to provide the law enforcement community with information about how three agencies implemented and use COP technology. CNA Research Memorandum | i This page intentionally left blank. CNA Research Memorandum | ii Executive Summary Despite the documented importance of common operational picture (COP) technology in helping public safety response parties achieve situational awareness, little available research discusses which COP technologies are currently in use or the rationale for their adoption. The goal of this study was to collate examples of law enforcement implementation and use of COP technology, focusing on agencies with robust COP technology use. Practitioners will find this report useful for peer learning and to identify examples of challenges and paths to success based on the experiences of the three case study sites. Our primary research questions were: how have several law enforcement agencies implemented COP technology, and what can we learn from their experiences? Although COP has many definitions, this report relies on the following definition developed with the National Institute of Justice: COP is a presentation of relevant information (e.g., the location and what is known about a criminal incident, the location and operational status of an agency’s patrol units, the duty status of officers) that is shared by the different components and levels of an agency or partnering agencies. COP technology gives law enforcement and public safety response partners the capacity to develop shared situational awareness during large- scale, serious, or critical incidents to support effective, efficient, and timely coordination and decision-making. For this study, CNA conducted interviews across three locations: the Baton Rouge Police Department, Camden County Police Department, and Chicago Police Department. Although each police department incorporates COP technology in their jurisdictions in a unique way, common themes emerged regarding stakeholders, COP technology implementation, and the use of certain COP technology features. We explore these themes in detail in our cross-site analysis. This study provides examples of current COP technology use in US law enforcement, and it identifies challenges and successes that other agencies may find useful to their own missions. However, additional research is needed. Researchers and practitioners must further study the efficacy of COP technology in achieving law enforcement goals, such as improving community response, reducing injuries, and preventing or reducing violent crime. Additionally, stakeholders, including law enforcement executives and personnel, researchers, and local government, must further study the COP technology features and implementation strategies that contribute to the successful use of COP technology and officer buy-in. CNA Research Memorandum | iii This page intentionally left blank. CNA Research Memorandum | iv Contents Introduction..........................................................................................................................................................1 Common operational picture technology ............................................................................................ Review of the literature.............................................................................................................................. Study goals and objectives............................................................................................................................ 1 2 Methods ..................................................................................................................................................................4 3 Case study approach.................................................................................................................................... Interviews................................................................................................................................................ Technology demonstration ............................................................................................................. ... 4 4 Case Studies...........................................................................................................................................................6 .. 5 Baton Rouge Police Department.............................................................................................................. Use of COP technology .................................................................................................................. ....... Camden County Police Department..................................................................................................... 6 Use of COP technology ........................................................................................................................ 6 Chicago Police Department ................................................................................................................. ...,,8 Use of COP technology ...................................................................................................................... ...81 Cross-site analysis...................................................................................................................................... 19 Stakeholder buy-in ............................................................................................................................ 10 Implementation .................................................................................................................................. 11 COP technology integration ............................................................................................................ 1 Impact .................................................................................................................................................... 24 ..19 Conclusion and Next Steps........................................................................................................................... 26 3 Appendix A: References................................................................................................................................ 27 Appendix B: Acronyms .................................................................................................................................. 28 Appendix C: Research protocols ............................................................................................................... 29 Semi-structured interview questions ................................................................................................. 2 Qualitative coding structure for interviews...................................................................................... 3 9 1 CNA Research Memorandum | v This page intentionally left blank. CNA Research Memorandum | vi Introduction This report provides practitioners and researchers with a summary of three case studies of COP technology implementation and use in law enforcement agencies. CNA researchers conducted on-site qualitative data collection about the use and implementation of COP technology in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Camden County, New Jersey; and Chicago, Illinois Police Departments to develop the narratives and findings in this report. The report begins with introductory material, describes our methods for data collection and analysis, summarizes each agency’s use of COP technology, describes our cross-site analysis, and closes with conclusions and next steps. Common operational