TV shows such as Law & Order and other media have told us investigations are raw, gritty paper trails and salacious busts. These retellings often involve either outdated or wildly unrealistic methods to conduct investigations.
The true future is up to us as a collective society – and it involves a way to consolidate big data into active intelligence.After all, there’s no point in giant paper files if you don’t have a strategic way to access and use them. Let’s dive into the future of investigation management, and how it’s making us more efficient and productive than ever before.
Technological Aid
By 2025, a basic computer will have the equivalent power of a human brain. This is a testament to our outpouring of innovation over the last decade or so. How does this translate into the way we conduct investigations, you might be asking?
Computers have gained the power to manage mundane tasks that once took up a workforces’ overall administrative time. This includes entering data into online software and sending email notifications about something being complete or ready for review.
With having the low-level housekeeping tasks taken care of, this allows investigators to focus on what really matters: closing cases, and helping bring justice to crooks and wrongdoers.
On-the-go Connectivity
For investigators who are out on the field, it’s important to be able to photograph evidence and clues they may discover. With smartphones and integrated software, this is now possible – no matter what your device or need.
The power of being able to update files in real-time with new pictures or notes can be invaluable to an entire team’s ability to stay informed. This was never previously possible before; think of how much more effective you could be with this “always on” capability.
Data-Driven Decisions
Imagine being able to immediately gather any analytics needed for your caseload. Criteria can range from date, team members involved, region – you name it, you got it. Investigation management is about being able to actively take inventory of what’s still being worked on, what the status of a case is, and how to spot any impediments that may be apparent.
Before this was monumentally difficult to ascertain without extensive digging. Now? It can take you minutes, rather than days.
The Power of Now
What we do now will inevitably affect the future of investigation management, but currently, technology looks to continue being a main driver for efficiency and innovation. Saved time and money for companies of all shapes and sizes is the end goal, of course, but it will take a while for adoption to be a mainstream factor.
The end lesson here is this: do your research, and understand what solutions are out there that can improve and streamline your current workflow. You may be surprised to know how far we’ve come from just a few years ago.
Learn about how you can harness the power of technology in your investigation management today using our Checklist below:
