Craig Newell, Vice President of Sales & Business Development, Traka Americas argues why key cabinets and asset lockers are the new standard in law enforcement efficiency.

Futureproofing technology

According to a 2024 survey conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum, there was an increase in the amount of sworn police officers in early 2024 after a steady decline the previous three years.

As the population in the US continues to grow, so too does the need for law enforcement to ensure safe communities for residents to live.

As many departments are renovating, expanding and building new facilities, there’s an ongoing need for them to implement futureproof technology that will help them operate efficiently and scale to meet the growing needs of the people they serve.

There are several critical solutions that fall into this category and, regardless of the size of the department, should be considered as invaluable supplements to their daily efforts.

Unlocking efficiency for law enforcement

When evaluating efficiency with law enforcement, it’s important to consider the assets or workflows that impact the most amount of people.

For most law enforcement entities, that starts with keys.

They’re often the most central asset that nearly every officer and staff member touches and because of what they protect, keys should be stored and guarded accordingly.

However, many law enforcement departments continue to operate with outdated resources like pegboards and logbooks, which are susceptible to mismanagement that can lead to lost or stolen keys.

It’s an inherent security threat and financial risk that departments continue to operate with daily.

Fortunately, intelligent key cabinets are becoming more common within law enforcement as many departments are realizing their multifaceted benefits.

In a March 2024 Security Journal Americas article, Wylie (TX) Police Department Jail Manager Bryce Thompson noted that managing their keys through an intelligent key cabinet “is one of the most important things we do.”

Thompson saw the impact of a similar cabinet when he worked at a county sheriff’s office and when it was time for Wylie to build a new facility, he was adamant that they install a key cabinet.

The use cases for such a solution include basic access control, where the cabinet can be integrated into a station’s overall access system so that when an officer scans his or her credential at the key cabinet, they know which keys they have access to.

This can cut down on the likelihood of a key being checked out by an unauthorized user.

If that key isn’t returned by a certain time, a manager can be notified so they can contact the person who checked it out last.

This instills a sense of accountability within a department, which is especially valuable when onboarding rookie officers.

Managers can have a comprehensive view of key usage from a remote location, which is helpful for larger agencies and for those with multiple locations and cabinets.

It also removes the necessity of having a staff member be responsible for maintaining a logbook and manually checking out keys.

Another clear benefit of implementing intelligent key cabinets is in fleet management.

Many departments have a variety of cruisers, trucks and specialized vehicles that must be fully operational at a moment’s notice and key cabinets serve a critical role towards that need.

Officers can be assigned to certain vehicles which helps limit access to only the vehicles they need.

If there’s an issue with the vehicle, they can input that fault (i.e. flat tire, oil change, check engine light) into the key cabinet interface when they return the key, which can then restrict that key and vehicle from being checked out until the fault has been corrected.

This can help extend the life of a fleet and help minimize unnecessary replacement costs.

Leveraging lockers

Many of the same benefits that come from using an intelligent key cabinet can be seen in implementing modular asset management lockers, which, like cabinets, are growing in popularity in law enforcement.

The use cases for them are even more extensive, which speaks to their flexibility and adaptability to a variety of settings.

Just like certain keys are shared within a law enforcement department, oftentimes, so too are assets like radios, scanners and tasers.

The secure storage and charging of these devices are necessary for officers to perform their daily duties and when they’re not managed properly, it can cause disruptions in normal workflow.

Modular lockers can be customized to house and charge individual devices instead of keeping them on an exposed charging platform.

The lockers can be programmed to prioritize assets that have been charging the longest so that when an officer goes to check out a device, he or she has one that’s fully charged, instead of finding out its battery is drained midway through a shift.

Lockers can also be used to safely store firearms in individual compartments rather than a user having access to an entire armory.

Similar to keys and shared assets, weapons can be RFID-tagged to track their usage and be equipped with digital curfews to make sure they’re returned to the locker by a certain time.

On an expanded level, a larger compartment could include an entire kit, like a vest, weapon, taser and radio, which can further consolidate the need for multiple storage solutions.

If the law enforcement department is spread across a large geographic footprint like in a university setting, multiple lockers can be used to decentralize access, while still maintaining a comprehensive view of all usage with all access being tracked through a central system.

Yet another valuable use case for lockers within law enforcement lies in maintaining a secure chain of custody.

When evidence is brought in from a crime scene, it’s imperative to preserve its delicate nature until further processing is needed.

Intelligent lockers are an advanced solution that can help reduce the physical footprint of storing evidence in multiple rooms, drawers or cabinets, either temporarily or permanently.

Lockers can provide clear auditing of who has had access to the evidence, which can reduce the possibility of tampering or contaminating evidence, which could ultimately render it inadmissible at trial.

As in with the key cabinets, these lockers can be integrated with overall access control so if an officer leaves or is terminated, he or she won’t be able to access the locker once their credential is deactivated.

The future is now

Intelligent lockers and cabinets are tangible examples of how law enforcement agencies can invest in themselves to improve efficiency and protect the most critical physical assets.

Their extensive uses speak to their flexibility and scalability, which is important to consider when introducing new technology.

Officers may be initially reticent to abandon previous methods, so by implementing solutions on a smaller scale, a department can identify how best to utilize it.

Once a clear benefit has been experienced, then a larger adoption typically occurs.

Departments continue to see such a progression through key cabinets and asset management lockers which may, and should, soon be standard equipment, regardless of agency size.

This article was originally published in the special February Influencers Edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.