Enterprise Records Management System Improves Coast Guard Efficiency

The Challenge

As the premier maritime investigate arm of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) investigates and prosecutes crimes, such as drug smuggling, human trafficking, and illegal pollution caused by ships, as well as criminal internal affairs investigations of Coast Guard personnel.

Previous processes around case records were inefficient and cumbersome to navigate. CGIS personnel used paper-based and redundant data entry methods to manage records, limiting the amount of data readily available and making the data mining and reporting process tedious and time-consuming.

To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of how it managed criminal case information, CGIS needed an enterprise records management system that would streamline the collection, sharing, and reporting of criminal investigation data.

The Solution

CGIS selected a records management system from Hexagon's Safety & Infrastructure division to replace the agency’s paper-based information management processes.

Powered by a cloud-deployable, web-based enterprise information management system, the agency has been able to improve productivity, reduce redundant data entry, and provide key metrics to guide decision-making. It has replaced all paper reports, providing a secure, tablet-compatible platform that ensures critical information reaches field personnel and supervisors quickly.

The system allows easy sharing of records and tasks. No matter where agents are located, they can access reports and get updates in real time. Hexagon’s solution has also decreased the time from inception to approval of cases. Agents now spend more time doing follow-up activities and less time preparing reports or entering data into outdated IT systems. CGIS agents can also establish patterns and links with relational database elements, enabling easier identification of possible criminal activity, which enables CGIS to be proactive, instead of reactive.