Why Do Police Services Trust Agile Records Over Competitors?

When it comes to managing criminal record checks, efficiency and security are top priorities for police services. The sheer volume of requests, coupled with the need for fast, accurate processing, creates operational challenges that many police services across Canada are familiar with. 

Enter Agile Records, a trusted partner in law enforcement that’s revolutionizing how criminal record checks are processed, offering the only end-to-end record request workflow solution on the market.

If you’re considering upgrading your system, you might already know about Agile Records and how it could impact your police service. In this post, we’ll explain why Agile Records stands out from the competition and how our system is designed with the specific needs of police services in mind.

The Difference: Automation That Transforms Police Services

Let’s start with the core of what sets Agile Records apart: we automate the police record request service itself, not just the front-end experience for applicants.

While many competitors offer an online presence where applicants can submit their record check requests, the bulk of the processing still falls on the police staff. Competitors provide a hosted dashboard for managing incoming requests, but police still need to manually process each response, entering data across multiple systems.

At Agile Records, we’re different. Our system is fully integrated with police workflows, handling the process end-to-end, which minimizes data entry and automates critical steps. 

This means:

• No manual data entry: Police staff no longer need to manually enter information across systems. Our system automatically allocates requests, processes multi-query options across naming conventions, and provides real-time updates to applicants.
• Automated decision-making: Query results are automatically analyzed, scored, and flagged, allowing police to focus on the cases that need human review, while everything else is processed seamlessly.

With Agile Records, your police service is fully in control of the entire workflow—from application to decision-making to result release.

Agile Records is easy to use, with lots of time savings and efficiencies gained from auto-querying of databases.

Record Unit manager, Ontario Municipal Police Service

Full Integration with RMS 

One of the most significant differences between Agile Records and its competitors is our integration with your internal police records management system (RMS). This integration enables us to pull from both local and national databases, including inter-jurisdictional queries, ensuring that all information is up-to-date and comprehensive.

Our competitors, on the other hand, often rely on systems that aren’t integrated with RMS due to security concerns. This means they can’t pull from local police data directly, limiting the scope of information available to you during the record check process.

“Police Eyes Only” – Data Ownership and Security

Perhaps most importantly, only the police see and own the requests. We do not store, access, or manage any request data on external servers. With competitors, sensitive public information is stored on third-party servers, which has raised privacy concerns and led to complaints to regulatory bodies like the Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. Agile Records ensures your police service has full control of the data, maintaining the highest level of confidentiality and security.

We ensure that results are stored securely within police networks and can be released to applicants via digitally signed, tamper-proof documents. This guarantees that sensitive information remains safe throughout the process.

Conversely, many of our competitors require police to upload results to third-party FTP sites, where applicants then have to download their information. This increases the risk of data breaches, raises privacy concerns, and makes it harder to ensure the integrity of the results.

In-Person Requests Integrated Seamlessly

Another key differentiator is how Agile Records manages in-person requests. Not all criminal record check requests are done online, and many applicants still prefer or require in-person visits to police stations.

We are the only vendor offering an in-person workflow that harmonizes with online requests. This unified workflow makes it easy for police staff to manage both digital and in-person requests efficiently, without needing separate systems or processes. Our competitors, by contrast, leave in-person requests up to the police service, which can result in a fragmented workflow and inconsistent data handling.

Automated Workflow for Criminal Record “Hits”

Handling a “no hit” result is straightforward for most systems, but when a criminal record is detected, the process becomes far more complex. At Agile Records, we’ve developed a solution that automates both no hit and hit workflows.

This means when a criminal record is flagged, the system automates the disclosure process, saving your staff significant time. Our competitors, however, leave hit results to be manually processed by police staff, adding a layer of inefficiency and potentially leading to delays.

Fingerprinting and Scheduling: A Fully Integrated System

When a criminal record check requires fingerprinting or additional verification, it often leads to delays and complicated scheduling logistics. Agile Records solves this by offering built-in fingerprint and appointment scheduling. Applicants can seamlessly schedule in-person visits to complete the process, fully integrated with the record check workflow.

Most competitors don’t offer this functionality, leaving police services to manage these appointments manually, often resulting in mismatched data and uncoordinated workflows.

Tailored Solutions for Each Police Service

No two police services operate in exactly the same way. That’s why we’ve designed Agile Records to be highly configurable, with over 700 customizable components. We tailor our solution to meet the specific needs and workflows of each police service, while still adhering to provincial standards.

In contrast, our competitors often use a one-size-fits-all approach, which doesn’t account for the unique internal processes of each police service. This lack of customization can lead to inefficiencies and a system that feels more like a burden than a benefit.

Help Desk Support

Agile Records support is responsive and quick to resolve any concerns or answer questions.

Police Records Specialist, Ontario Municipal Police Service

Finally, Agile Records offers a full help desk for both the public and police services. Our tier 1 technical support handles general inquiries from the public, while tier 2 support is reserved for police staff to escalate more complex issues. We record all inquiries and provide complete transparency in how requests are handled.

With competitors, most support requests—both technical and status-related—are left for the police service to handle, adding extra strain on internal resources.

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At Agile Records, we’re proud to be the solution trusted by police services across Canada. Our focus on automation, security, and customization makes us uniquely positioned to meet the growing demands of today’s criminal record check processes, while safeguarding the integrity of sensitive data. If you’re ready to transform how your police service handles record checks, contact Agile Records to book an introductory demo!