How the Newark Police Department streamlines grant reporting with data integration

KEY IDEAS:

• The Newark Police Department needed a more efficient way to collect and analyze data for grant applications and reporting.
• Police personnel often spend hours manually gathering information from disconnected systems like computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and records management systems (RMS).
• Data integration platforms unify siloed police systems, enabling fast, accurate analysis and reporting.
• With unified data, Newark PD streamlined reporting workflows, reduced manual effort, and freed up time for higher-priority work.

💡 NEWARK POLICE DEPARTMENT (NPD) AT A GLANCE:

Location: Newark, California

Established: 1956

Population: 46,254

Sworn count: 59

Total personnel: 85

Sources: NewarkCA.gov, NPD, U.S. Census

NEWARK, Calif. — Public safety agencies rely on data to make informed decisions, but law enforcement faces unique challenges when accessing and analyzing that information. But agencies are often overwhelmed with data in siloed systems, from legacy technologies like computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and records management systems (RMS) to newer technologies like automated license plate recognition (ALPR) systems.

These systems generate more data than ever before, but agencies often lack a way to unify that information and quickly answer critical questions. This creates significant challenges for departments that rely on data to complete grant applications and reporting requirements. For Newark Police Department, collecting and analyzing data for critical grants required hours of manual effort each quarter, taking time away from serving the community.

Newark PD turned to data integration to bring together its previously siloed data sources and streamline reporting. Now, personnel leverage Peregrine to supercharge the department’s ability to apply for federal and state grants, which provide vital resources to local public safety agencies across the country. Read on to learn how data integration reduces reporting time, improves data accuracy, and enhances grant reporting capabilities.

🧠 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

• Why police agencies struggle with manual, time-consuming grant reporting
• How data integration streamlines grant reporting workflows
• How Newark PD reduced reporting time and increased data accuracy
• Why faster reporting helps agencies secure grant funding and increase public safety

Why law enforcement agencies need data to support grant applications

The Department of Justice’s 2023 budget included billions of dollars for law enforcement and community safety. In states like California, there are hundreds of millions of dollars in additional grant funding available. Applying for these grants rightly requires a lot of data. Facts and data help ensure the dollars are being allocated to the agencies that truly need the grant funding to make a material difference in their community.

However, without a data integration platform, public safety agencies do not have a way to bring all their data together to quickly and efficiently get answers to their questions. This fundamental problem exacerbates any challenge involving data, including both fighting crime and applying for grants.

🔑 KEY TAKEAWAY: Siloed police data makes grant reporting slow and inefficient because…

• Police data is stored in disconnected CAD and RMS systems, real-time intelligence sources, and partner agencies’ databases.
• Personnel must gather and analyze data for grant reporting requirements.
• Time-consuming manual analysis takes time away from police priorities.

How siloed police data slows grant reporting for law enforcement agencies

Grants are an essential component of Newark PD’s budget, but gathering the right information is a time-consuming, manual process. Previously, personnel spent hours tracking down and analyzing data from siloed police systems.

For some critical grants, including the Office of Traffic Safety’s (OTS) STEP (Selected Traffic Enforcement Programs) grants, that process had to be repeated on a quarterly basis. Newark PD depends on STEP grants, which center on “enforcement and education programs focused on deterring unsafe roadway behaviors and promoting safe roadway habits” in order to mitigate “traffic violations that increase the risk for crashes.”

🔎 WHY IS GRANT REPORTING DIFFICULT FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES? Without data integration, police personnel must manually track down, collect, and analyze data to meet grant reporting requirements. Grant reporting is often inefficient, taking hours away from other agency priorities. Data integration streamlines reporting by providing an easy way to view and assess all police data at once.

Lt. Brian Simon of Newark PD says the STEP grants are “exceptionally important for the safety of our officers and community.” They help:

• Fund overtime for police officers
• Fund integral equipment like better lighting at DUI checkpoints
• Ensure the safety of officers and motorists alike

As Simon explains, “one of the requirements to receive this significant grant is to file a quarterly report based on a detailed query received from OTS. The report requires us to categorize our traffic collision, injury, and fatality reports.”

Before using Peregrine, Simon and Newark PD’s records supervisor, who compile the report, would spend hours every quarter manually collating every traffic incident and reconciling that data into clear narratives for the grant application.

🔑 KEY TAKEAWAY: Manual data collection limits agencies’ ability to secure grant funding. Completing a single grant report could take hours each quarter, reducing agencies’ capacity to complete grant applications and protect their communities.

How data integration and automated analysis streamline police grant reporting

“Everyone’s time is critical — saving eight hours of my time on compiling statistics is eight hours I can spend elsewhere, on field training or other forward-looking programs.” —Lt. Brian Simon, Newark PD

Newark PD turned to data integration to unify its police systems, helping personnel quantify impact and increase grant reporting efficiency. With unified police data, personnel can:

• Quickly analyze data across previously siloed data sources
• Identify emerging trends
• Create dynamic data visualizations
• Automate reports

READ MORE → Maximizing Insights Through Effective Data Integration

With Peregrine, the process of pulling relevant data for grant applications goes from hours to minutes. And it’s so easy that anyone in the department can do it. Simon says it best: “Peregrine frees me up to do a lot more.”

💡 HOW CAN POLICE DEPARTMENTS STREAMLINE GRANT REPORTING? Data integration solutions harmonize agencies’ disconnected data sources, allowing personnel to quickly access and analyze unified information. With automated data analysis, personnel can quickly identify key information and create user-friendly reports to meet state and federal grant reporting requirements.

Today, Newark PD can easily apply for funding like STEP grants to better serve and protect their community and ensure all its sworn officers are focused on the highest value activities — not paperwork. That extra time is critical for Newark PD, which prides itself on being a full-service agency.

“The expectation is we can do everything other departments can with 60 sworn officers. Everyone’s time is critical — saving eight hours of my time on compiling statistics is eight hours I can spend elsewhere, on field training or other forward-looking programs,” says Simon.

🔑 KEY TAKEAWAY: Data integration and automation reduce grant reporting from hours to minutes.

• Unified data enables fast analysis across police systems.
• Automated data analysis highlights key facts and streamlines reporting.
• User-friendly platforms allow all personnel, not just analysts, to generate reports efficiently.

How data integration improves grant reporting and decision making in policing

Data integration helps agencies make better decisions in every moment that matters to drive better outcomes in their communities, like reducing violent crimes or improving calls for service for quality of life issues. Unified data enables police agencies to ask better questions, identify gaps, and streamline reports that support grant requests.

CASE STUDY → How the Newark Police Department Uses Data Integration To Improve Crime Analysis and Community Engagement

Using Peregrine, a data integration solution, Newark PD was able to:

• Increase grant reporting efficiency using police data
• Democratize data analysis capabilities
• Allocate more time to serving the community

“Peregrine, and the ability to do the kind of research and data-driven work the platform supports, has been a game changer for us,” says Simon. “Honestly, it’s so easy to work with Peregrine. We explain what we’re looking for, and the team and platform can translate that and make it happen. It’s been exceptional.”

As Simon put it, “the Peregrine platform and team are what we were looking for.”

To learn how Peregrine can help your agency streamline reporting to unlock additional grant funding, contact us today.

Peregrine is built on AWS GovCloud.