The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) announced today the adoption of electronic notes (eNotes) for officers in Halton. The HRPS says they are the "first police agency in Ontario, and only the second in Canada, to transition their members from traditional paper-based notes to electronic notes."
Halton's eNotes application has been customized and optimized to contain features that the service says is key to their policing operations.
As a result, it provides "unparalleled efficiencies to officers on patrol." HRPS says officers are now more mobile, no longer constrained by limitations of paper notes or reliant on the computer in their cruisers.
"Note-taking in the policing sector has not evolved in over 100 years, and we are proud to be adopting technology that the newest generation of officers expect and want," says Deputy Chief Roger Wilkie. "This is just one of the latest ways the HRPS is striving to optimize effectiveness and efficiency by purposefully harnessing innovative technology."
Approximately one-third of HRPS sworn members have already received extensive training and successfully transitioned to eNotes using the "Smart Squad application by Faction Four Systems Inc on Service-issued cellphones," according to police. HRPS adds "all sworn members will be fully trained by early 2022."
Officers can now access and add to police databases and record systems from anywhere. Further, eNotes equips officers with a secure means to obtain audio statements and take supplementary photos or recordings.
HRPS touts that all of these new functions are "bolstered by heightened transparency and credibility to officer notes, with time-stamped entries and increased legibility."
"The HRPS strives to identify every opportunity to bolster the safety and well-being of each resident in Halton region. The efficiencies and time savings created by eNotes means officers will have more opportunity to focus on operations and community safety."
More information on this newly upgraded system is available on the Halton Police website.