New Orleans Police Department Enhances Community Safety with Modern Cloud-Native RMS
The Challenge
The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) faced substantial challenges, including a shrinking workforce and concerns about officer retention. Previous attempts to modernize outdated record management systems (RMS) encountered significant obstacles, resulting in delays and skepticism about transitioning to a new system. In addition, even a successfully mitigated cyberattack in 2019 was disruptive to agency operations and costly. These difficulties highlighted the department’s need for a comprehensive and secure technology upgrade.
Identifying the Right Partner
The NOPD was committed to finding a modern solution to streamline redundant report writing processes, with the potential to save thousands of officer hours annually and improve agency operations. As Jessica Nezat, Director of Analytics at NOPD, notes, “One of the biggest difficulties from an officer perspective is that you are so busy doing the job and taking care of people, then you have to come back to the station and write a report—making this process more efficient will make officers more available in the community.” (Fox 8 Live Online)
After thorough discovery and research, the City of New Orleans and NOPD identified Mark43 as the clear vendor to get the job done. Gilbert A. Montaño, Chief Administrative Officer of the NOPD, stated, “We conducted a thorough nationwide search to identify the best possible solution for the New Orleans Police Department. Mark43 emerged as the clear leader, offering a platform that strongly aligns with our department’s needs. We are confident that this investment will significantly enhance public safety and operational efficiency. The men and women of the NOPD were instrumental in this process, and their valuable input was essential in selecting the right partner.”
“Public safety is our top priority, and this partnership with Mark43 represents a significant commitment to providing our officers with the best technology available.”
– Anne Kirkpatrick, Superintendent of New Orleans Police Department
The Solution
In August 2024, NOPD announced that cloud-native Mark43 RMS to replace its on-premises legacy systems. “Safety is a cornerstone of a thriving city. This investment in cutting-edge technology demonstrates our unwavering commitment to equipping our brave officers with the tools they need to protect our community,” said New Orleans Mayor. “This is a major step forward in our efforts to create a safer New Orleans for everyone.”
Mark43 RMS will address ongoing manpower challenges while providing NOPD with unparalleled resilience and security. Key benefits highlighted by NOPD include:
- Reduced paperwork for officers, allowing them to re-engage with the community.
- Enhanced crime data collection through the NIBRS-compliant solution.
- Resilient and secure reporting practices; the cloud-native solution ensures data accessibility and system availability even during disruptions.
- Improved collaboration with federal agencies like the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives via Mark43’s NIBIN/NESS and eTrace DIRECT interfaces; and smarter data analysis for quicker identification of connections between cases.
- Stronger investigative capabilities and officer safety.
- Accurate crime statistics reporting to the FBI, increasing eligibility for federal grants.
Through Mark43 RMS, the NOPD is making an investment in both their officers and community members. This initiative will enhance officer job satisfaction, productivity, and retention—essentially serving as a force multiplier. “This software is going to be a miracle, in essence creating time for police officers. Right now, manpower is our biggest obstacle,” said Lieutenant Rebecca Gubert of NOPD (Nola.com). Anne Kirkpatrick, Superintendent of the NOPD, said, “Public safety is our top priority, and this partnership with Mark43 represents a significant commitment to providing our officers with the best technology available. The new system will not only save officers valuable time currently spent on paperwork, but also equip them with better tools for investigation and collaboration with federal partners.”
Maintaining accurate, secure, and real-time crime data is critical to effective public safety. Mark43 RMS is not only modernizing NOPD’s outdated reporting systems but also integrating essential third-party applications to ensure all data is centralized. “This will make operations much more streamlined and efficient for officers today and down the line,” Nezat explains. “It also improves our data quality, accuracy, and full compliance with federal and state regulatory guidelines.” (4WWL).
By investing in Mark43’s cloud-native RMS, NOPD will also enhance its ability to share data with the public. “The new technology will increase transparency and improve public safety,” said Nezat. “Having the data in one environment increases our ability to be more transparent with the community. The public can now see the stats and the trends at any time.”
The Impact
By implementing Mark43 RMS, NOPD is set to revolutionize the report-writing process. This technology upgrade not only aims to significantly reduce the time spent on paperwork but also empowers NOPD officers to engage more proactively with the community.
This partnership underscores NOPD’s commitment to delivering efficient and effective law enforcement services while advancing public safety initiatives and strengthening community relationships across the state. The technology rollout is expected to be deployed next year, marking a transformative step forward for the department.
