Shopping for a better retail investigation system?

Overseeing a retail investigation is costly and time-consuming. Investigators or risk management personnel spend countless hours, and sometimes days, handling a case. You need to compile evidence from many sources and save each file in folders, often juggling many applications at once. You also individually manage each step to ensure proper chain of custody, so the evidence can hold up in court. Later, when your legal team, police department, or insurance company make requests for footage, your investigator might need to convert file formats and burn copies to share with others. For some, buying DVDs to hold evidence alone can amount to tens of thousands of dollars every year.

Shopping for a better retail investigation system

Today, many retailers like you are evaluating the use of digital evidence management systems. These solutions help loss prevention and risk management teams become more efficient at handling cases while also reducing costs. Below are five ways you can benefit from a digital evidence management system (DEMS).

1. Save time and money handling video requests. The cost of external storage devices and shipping fees can quickly add up. Instead, an investigator could import a video recording from their video management system directly into a digital evidence management system and provide access rights to specific users such as police officers, insurance adjusters, or other stakeholders. This could save you considerable amounts of money and staff time.
2. Securely share evidence and data with others. Only authorized users can view evidence within the DEMS. The lead investigator can set specific user permissions within a collaborative investigation management system. The solution automatically encrypts all important data and tracks when users have seen, shared, and downloaded files. This ensures proper chain of custody so that evidence always holds up in court.  
3. Quickly find evidence and data when it’s needed. Searching for evidence or case files has never been easier with Genetec Clearance™. Your loss prevention teams can tag incidents and files using keywords or store locations. At any time, users can use these tags or keywords to find case information and even analyze historical data or incidents affecting specific stores.
4. Compile all types of evidence in one place. You can collect evidence from many sources, using a central repository to store all information related to a case. This includes media from surveillance systems, mobile phones, or body-worn cameras. Your loss prevention team can also add insurance claims, incident reports, or snapshots of social media posts with page source information within the system.
5. Keep long-term evidence safe to mitigate liability. Whether it is for legal or corporate requirements, you can use the investigation management system to store video for the length of your retention guidelines. Admins can pre-define retention periods for certain types of evidence, so the system automatically keeps it for a specified amount of time. Or, users can place a hold on cases and files that must be kept for longer time frames. This saves you the time and hassle of having to burn and safely store disks in their archives to comply with your mandates. 

Save time and money on cases.

Handling a theft or liability case doesn’t have to be so time-consuming and costly. Find out how your loss prevention team can streamline the investigation process and boost your bottom line.