Have you ever taken a self-assessment exercise? Often times the first thing you're told is that there are no right or wrong answers – the objective is to become more aware of the totality of characteristics that comprise your identity. Makes sense, right? But unfortunately, that same principle does not apply to organizational self-assessment – there are right answers and there are definitely wrong answers.

Does your early intervention system allow you to identify potential problems and intervene with customized responses at the very first sign that something could be going wrong? Here are 6 must-haves to look for when evaluating how well your current early warning system is serving you and your department.

1. Research-based

We know that research and analytics play a major role in human capital management across almost all professions and industries. We should be looking outside of law enforcement to inform ourselves on best practices that can be applied to the unique needs and goals of police departments. That means considering an early intervention system that is grounded in research and fueled by an analytics engine.

When you look at the world of law enforcement technology today, it essentially falls into three specific buckets or categories. First, you have the hardware world, which we all know is very critical. These consist of products like sirens, radios, breathalyzers — things that police need to do their job every day. Second, there are record management systems (RMS) and other like-systems that help catalog, track and manage criminal incidents and follow-up on investigations. This is very highly evolved software in what is a highly competitive landscape. Third, we have the world of human capital management . . . and this is the part of law enforcement technology that has not been properly addressed.