Lock-Up Law Enforcement Equipment Audits Using an App

Whether you work in the law enforcement field or you’re an equipment supplier, the number of tools and equipment necessary to protect and serve is surprising. Because law enforcement relies primarily on tax dollars, equipment audits are frequent – and they can be quite frustrating, too. Fortunately, using a simple app that allows you to store and retrieve information using QR codes makes things easier. Here’s how.

Impeccable Inventory Management 

Law enforcement equipment inventory is always on the move. Officers carry equipment in their cars and on their persons, which can make it difficult to track things when faced with an audit. QR codes can make it easy to know exactly what a particular department or precinct has on hand at any time, including equipment that is out in the field. For example, if you’re counting the number of batons in the entire force, you can scan a simple code in the inventory room and find out the total. You can even see which officers have batons issued to them at any given time. Although some counting is still necessary during an audit, these codes relieve much of the headache and stress involved.

Review Maintenance Schedules 

When it comes to many different types of law enforcement equipment, including things like handcuffs and firearms, regular testing and maintenance is necessary to ensure that the equipment is safe and in good working order. Although it’s possible to keep a written log or use a spreadsheet to keep track of that maintenance, these methods are often difficult to utilize and allow for a large margin of error. When you use QR codes, instead, you can simply scan a piece of equipment to see when it was last maintained, and once the maintenance is completed, you simply note this inside the app. That’s really all there is to it – and you can even get alerts on your smartphone whenever maintenance is due.

Reduce Loss and Theft

Believe it or not, law enforcement officers lose equipment to theft or simple misplacement quite often. This can cost the department money and it also results in equipment getting into the wrong hands. When you use an app combined with GPS tracking, it’s possible to locate that equipment on demand, from anywhere you have access to the internet. If an officer misplaces a piece of equipment, or if he or she believes that the equipment was stolen, it’s possible track its location, which improves the odds of retrieval. The less equipment a department must replace each year, the more taxpayer money it saves, and the more money that can be spent on new technologies designed to offer protection.

Law enforcement equipment audits are necessary, and they help taxpayers better understand how their money is being spent. With a simple smartphone app, QR codes, and GPS tracking, it’s possible to complete those audits more quickly and more accurately than ever before. This leaves more time for doing what law enforcement officials do best – protecting and serving their communities.