The Changing Face of Police Services

Millennials and Gen Z are impacting the workforce in both the private and public sector. The ages of these generations now fit into a broad spectrum with millennials ranging between 23 and 37, while Gen Z is between the ages of 8 and 22 with the oldest members graduating college and entering the work force. According to Pew Research Center, millennials are now the largest generation in the workforce after surpassing Gen X in 2016.

These younger generations have set expectations that brands and companies must meet in order to adhere to their needs and be a desirable brand when considering purchasing products, but also in the work environment. They desire nimble and modern technology solutions that allow them to perform their daily tasks in a more efficient manner. Not only do they prioritize seamless technology experiences, but they want to know they are positively impacting the general public as well. Police services teams must consider the expectations of these generations as they dominate the workforce and influence purchasing decisions for their organizations.

Millennials are digitally savvy and Gen Z cohorts are digital natives; therefore, they expect a seamless experience when using digital assets to complete daily tasks. According to Forbes, “Many Gen Zers are used to interacting with their devices via touch or increasingly via voice, since many grew up with smart home speakers or have been bossing Siri around for years.” Yesterday’s technology will no longer fulfill the needs or expectations of the younger workforce.

The BLUE Digital Evidence Management Solution (BLUE DEM) by Panasonic offers the connectivity that next generation officers expect with capabilities that easily connects officers to the public or to headquarters while effortlessly collecting and managing data while in the field. BLUE DEM allows front-line officers to collect richer digital evidence, obtain witness statements and it features notes with tags that go directly to the RMS. Not only is digital evidence easy to collect, but the metadata orchestration simplifies data management once the digital assets are uploaded into the infrastructure. When the data is uploaded, the digital evidence management system will automatically store each piece of information based on the metadata associated with each file. Simplifying these tasks not only make police officers’ everyday tasks more streamlined and efficient, but it specifically appeals to the younger officers on the police services teams.

Gen Z has made it clear they prioritize being socially responsible, especially when it comes to their careers. According to Inc., sixty percent reported that having a job that makes a positive impact on the world is a major priority. Police services teams are there to help the public, but they are required to fulfill other administrative tasks in order to properly organize the evidence they have collected in the field. BLUE DEM creates efficiencies and increases productivity for police services teams; therefore, officers can now spend more time connecting with the community. Digital evidence management systems automate processes that were once very time intensive. For instance, the evidence sharing feature ensures a secure and quick way to have the Crown Attorney access information for a specific case. The evidence and everything related to the specific case can be found in one link.

Not only does BLUE DEM integrate with legacy record systems, it also customizes solutions for specific work processes. The Gen Z police officers find value with the increased productivity to streamline their workflow as well as feeling like they are actually positively impacting the community by spending less time with administrative work and more time out in the field.

Millennials and Gen Z are now making a significant impact on expectations in the workplace. BLUE DEM creates more efficiencies when managing digital evidence, but also makes the police services teams using the digital evidence management system more appealing to millennials and Gen Z. The seamless technology makes the entire experience smoother for the police services teams, but can now capture the attention of the individuals who identify with the up-and-coming generations.