BLUF
- Prioritize data migration capabilities equally with core CAD/RMS features during vendor selection—poor migration planning leads to lost information, compromised investigations, and significant cost overruns
- Demand contractual guarantees for data integrity with proof-of-concept testing using your actual data, transparent pricing, and standardized export formats for future transitions
- System transitions happen more frequently than expected due to budget changes, vendor consolidations, or technology evolution—agencies must plan for eventual migration from day one
- Most data conversions fail because vendors structure data differently, leading to corruption, loss, or incorrect mapping of critical law enforcement records
- Enforsys leads the industry with normalized data conversion as a core architectural principle, providing guaranteed data integrity and seamless import/export capabilities
Discussion
Most law enforcement agencies approach CAD/RMS vendor selection by focusing on immediate operational needs—dispatch functionality, user interfaces, and upfront costs. This shortsighted approach creates serious long-term risks because system transitions happen more frequently than expected due to budget changes, vendor consolidations, or evolving technology requirements.
The consequences of inadequate data migration planning are severe. Police departments must preserve decades of incident reports, case files, evidence records, and dispatch logs for ongoing investigations, court proceedings, and public records requests. When data transitions fail, agencies face lost information, compromised case integrity, operational disruptions, and expensive legal complications.
The Migration Challenge
Agencies typically have two options when transitioning systems: maintaining separate legacy access (creating operational inefficiencies) or attempting full data migration. The former can be costly and depending on the vendor’s status, may not be available. The latter seems ideal but rarely succeeds because CAD/RMS platforms structure data differently. Field formats, naming conventions, and data relationships vary significantly among vendors, leading to the “garbage in, garbage out” problem where critical information becomes corrupted or lost during conversion.
Essential Evaluation Criteria
Smart agencies incorporate these data migration requirements into their initial vendor selection:
- Contractual guarantees for data integrity with specific remedies for failures
- Proof-of-concept testing using the agency’s actual data samples
- Reference validation from clients who completed similar migrations
- Transparent pricing that won’t change based on discovered complexities
- Future exit planning including standardized export formats and clear contractual terms
The Enforsys Solution
Enforsys has built its CAD/RMS SQL-based platform around normalized data conversion as a core architectural principle rather than an afterthought. Their approach includes structured data import that eliminates mapping errors, standardized export capabilities for future transitions, and PDF report generation with searchable functionality. This methodology ensures agencies can confidently implement their system knowing their critical information will remain accessible and transferable throughout the operational lifecycle.
The company provides transparent conversion processes, contractual data integrity guarantees, predetermined pricing, and ongoing support for data accessibility—addressing all the critical factors other vendors often overlook.
For agencies serious about long-term data stewardship, prioritizing vendors like Enforsys who understand the complete data management lifecycle isn’t just good planning—it’s essential risk management in an era where law enforcement data spans decades and regulatory requirements continue evolving.