Breaking down silos to connect agencies, communities, and technologies

• When leaders democratize data within their department, they benefit from more team members’ intuition and expertise.

• Data integration makes interagency collaboration smoother, ultimately increasing public safety.

• Law enforcement leaders must embrace two-way communication with their communities. 

• Interoperability, data ownership, and connected tech are key to breaking down internal and external silos.

Public safety is in the midst of a monumental shift, as leaders work to build an interconnected landscape designed around evidence-based strategies and driven by meaningful data. During this transition, leaders must identify and break down long-standing barriers to create safer, more connected communities.

When agencies share information and resources, they can develop more informed, holistic strategies that address the root causes of crime. Leaders who commit to transparency and open dialogue with their communities create more trusting environments. And all personnel become more efficient when their agencies invest in open, interoperable technology.

In a recent webinar we co-hosted with Police1, public safety leaders shared strategies for building better relationships with other organizations, neighborhoods, and technology partners. Our speakers were: 

• Matt Melton, Peregrine (moderator)

• Maj. David Hill, field operations division commander, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO)

• Capt. Shannon White, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)

• Retired Chief David Rahinsky, Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD), now senior advisor for law enforcement strategy at Zencity

• Capt. Jonas Baughman, Kansas City Police Department (KCPD)

Keep reading to discover the benefits of connection, how to overcome common roadblocks, and what you can do today.

Effective collaboration creates safer communities

“We all have tons and tons of data, but being able to get in one place and see it is really difficult." —Maj. David Hill, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office

Data is the foundation for collaboration: Agencies need specific, actionable intelligence on what’s happening in their communities to inform their public safety efforts. But gathering data isn’t enough; the right people need to be in the room to add context and determine strategies.

At the LCSO, Maj. David Hill used to operate with a highly directive approach: looking up crime stats and telling his personnel what to do. But he’s seen the benefits of democratizing data, sharing information with his team, and trusting their intuition.

“We hire a lot of smart men and women in law enforcement. And if we can push data into their hands and give them what's going on, they can make the right sense of it and know what to do about it,” Hill said. “They're going to have that street sense and intuition … that the numbers aren't going to have.”

DOWNLOAD THE E-BOOK: 21st Century Policing

However, law enforcement is just one piece of the public safety puzzle, Hill said. For instance, an incident reported to the LCSO’s domestic violence division likely affects the county’s family services department. Identifying connected incidents — including an individual’s prior interactions with county agencies — means those agencies can get attuned quicker and respond more effectively. 

Even when agencies are willing to collaborate, it can be complicated to find, share, and compare data due to incompatible technologies, different data analysis methods, and unclear data sharing policies.

“We all have tons and tons of data, but being able to get in one place and see it is really difficult,” Hill said. 

To build a common operating picture with its partner agencies, the LCSO invested in a collaborative data integration platform. Now, the LCSO can seamlessly gather data and securely share it with its partners, such as emergency management, community corrections, probation, the health department, and child protective services.

“We could actually start sharing data in a meaningful way and start sharing with other law enforcement partners within the region,” Hill said. “I think that's really going to be the next evolution, and we can make some lasting impact.”

Community engagement is a two-way street

“Once we recognized and saw what their issues were, we took proactive steps to make sure we addressed those issues, that their priorities truly became our priorities, and then reported out to them what the results of those initiatives were. That's truly what built the trust, was knocking down that traditional silo that had become such a barrier.” — Chief David Rahinsky (ret.), Grand Rapids Police Department

Today’s agencies face heightened scrutiny within their communities, especially when it comes to data gathering and usage. Distrust causes rifts between law enforcement agencies and the neighborhoods they serve.

“The largest solid silo I found through my career was the ability to hear from community,” said Retired Chief David Rahinsky. “In terms of being able to hear from community and make sure that we were aligned and reporting back on what was most important to them, not what we felt was most important, that was the silo I really took personally.”

For decades, police agencies have passed down information in one direction, sharing crime statistics and trends through reports, press conferences, and news articles. But times have changed, said Capt. Shannon White. By the time agencies publish their quarterly or annual reports, the data is already stale. And when agencies don’t communicate quickly and transparently with their communities, residents will make assumptions about what’s going on.

“I think we have to recognize that the discussion, the ecosystem, isn't just our traditional media outlets,” White said. “It's going on at all times around us, and it's contributing to how the community views our agencies and our efficacy.”

Today, communities expect transparency on police initiatives, crime trends, and new technology. Capt. Jonas Baughman emphasized the importance of proactively engaging neighborhoods, explaining the logic behind the KCPD’s actions, and asking for citizens’ perspectives. This approach invites community members to provide more context around the crime trends in their neighborhoods.

“It’s instantly saying, ‘Here's what we see. Can you validate that or give us insight that we may not have for whatever reason?’ ” Baughman said. “I think that instantly creates not only a two-way conversation and problem solving, but trust along the way.”

Two-way communication gives agencies an opportunity to understand community sentiment — a critical data point that informs strategic decisions. In Grand Rapids, those insights revealed that certain neighborhoods felt over-policed but under-engaged, Rahinsky said. Residents didn’t feel safe, even though the agency was seeing historic decreases in crime. That signaled a need to improve communication with community members and ensure local law enforcement was addressing residents’ priorities and concerns.

“Once we recognized and saw what their issues were, we took proactive steps to make sure we addressed those issues, that their priorities truly became our priorities, and then reported out to them what the results of those initiatives were,” Rahinsky said. “That's truly what built the trust, was knocking down that traditional silo that had become such a barrier.”

Connected tech goes a long way

When agencies break down technical silos, they’re better equipped to bridge gaps within their departments, with partner organizations, and with their communities. New technology investments are a great start, Rahinsky said, “but it's equally important that that data flows throughout a department, and then more and more, continues to flow to community as well.”

Many agencies navigate fractured data that’s trapped in incompatible systems. The key to eliminating these silos? Interoperability. Interoperable tech allows information to flow freely to and from third-party software solutions. It opens the door for effective data integration, which merges disparate datasets so personnel can easily access, move, and action their data in a unified context.

“It’s the way of being able to look at what's next in law enforcement and public safety, being able to integrate data in a timely fashion, being able to align that with community sentiment, to be able to push it out to your personnel so that they're able to see it and make it actionable,” White said.

When adopting new technology, public safety leaders must ensure that their agency — not the vendor — retains ownership of their agency’s data. Hill put it simply: “If it's your data, it's your data. You should have access to it.”

DOWNLOAD THE E-BOOK: Interoperability and the risks of vendor lock-in

But not all vendors have clear data ownership policies, and not all are committed to interoperability. Some restrict the flow of an agency’s data by making it complicated or expensive. The LCSO has had to pay extra for APIs that permit data integration. So far, the agency has been able to afford the added cost, but that shouldn’t be the norm — and it’s not the future, Hill said. 

“I think as we continue to see data integration become a bigger feature, those walls will break,” Hill said. “Those companies are going to get left behind because they're going to be on an island.”

Investing in interoperable tech goes a long way for agencies, especially with the added value of data integration, Hill said. Peregrine, a data integration platform, has been the catalyst for breaking down internal and external silos in Loudoun County.

“With Peregrine, it enables you to ask questions,” Hill said. “It lets you get away from those base functions to that higher-level critical thinking. And that leads to that agileness, the responsiveness to your community. And that's where I think the magic really happens.”

One step closer to a more connected community

When agencies break down their internal silos, democratize data, and prioritize interoperability, they’re able to collaborate with partners and build safer communities. But it’s crucial to choose the right vendors — companies that truly act as strategic partners with the right priorities.

“Technology is great,” Hill said. “There are plenty of cool toys, but it's about making our community safer. It's about making our workplace better for our people, and leading. And if you're going to lead and you don't know what's happening, you're bound to make mistakes.”

The more information you have, the better choices you’ll be able to make, Hill said. Before entering into any new contracts, make sure to ask the right questions about interoperability and data ownership.

To learn more about how technology supports interconnected departments, agencies, and communities, watch the full webinar on Police1’s website.