In the United States, radio frequency identification, or RFID, technology is most associated with uses like asset tracking and inventory management. That’s made it valuable in the retail and logistics/supply worlds. In other countries it’s also used for purposes like verifying children’s school attendance and paying fares for public transportation.
Law enforcement shares a key goal with other RFID users: ensuring tracking and accountability around large numbers of high-value items. These can include firearms, electronics, advanced gear, criminal evidence, lost and found property and more. As such, it is a field fertile for RFID growth. This article overviews the use and potential benefits of RFID asset tracking and RFID inventory management by law enforcement.
What is RFID asset tracking?
RFID asset tracking is the use of radio frequency identification technology to monitor and manage the location, status and movement of physical assets in near-real time. RFID is an automated, wireless system that can replace manual checklists, barcode scanning and paper logs and dramatically improve efficiency and accuracy around managing items.
Scanning RFID tags attached to items records and verifies them almost instantly. But while comparable methods like barcodes require individually scanning each tracked asset, RFID asset tracking allows mass scanning of hundreds of tags per second. That means entire evidence and property rooms can be scanned in minutes, and vehicles and the department property they contain can be thoroughly scanned with a simple walk around the perimeter. This can represent dramatic time savings for departments, as well as improving accuracy.
What is RFID inventory management?
RFID inventory management is the related concept of using radio frequency identification technology to monitor and track inventory items in near-real time. This can help prevent shortages and overstocks, inventory loss and product expiration.
RFID inventory management systems can generate regular reports to provide insight into inventory levels, movement and usage patterns. These inform data-driven decisions that support the safe and efficient functioning of departments.
Regular inventory management reports may include inventory summaries, movement reports, location tracking, usage and consumption, audit and compliance, forecasting and planning, receiving and user activity.
Combined with RFID asset tracking, RFID inventory management creates a comprehensive solution for managing both consumable inventory and durable assets in law enforcement environments.
What is required for effective RFID asset tracking and RFID inventory management?
Effective RFID asset tracking and RFID inventory management requires just a few components:
- Small RFID tags are adhered to assets. These contain unique identifiers and sometimes additional data such as serial or batch numbers, manufacture/expiration dates, and descriptive or condition information. Some tags can be updated. Tags may be passive (no battery, activated by a signal from the tag reader), active (battery-powered, with longer range) or semipassive (battery-powered but reader-activated). They contain small antennae that send radio signals to and receive them from the associated tag reader.
- RFID readers/scanners are devices that emit radio waves to detect tags and receive their signals in return. These can be handheld, mounted or embedded in other equipment.
- RFID asset tracking and RFID inventory management systems require operational software that logs, maps and manages asset data. This can produce useful dashboards, alerts and reports.
How do RFID asset tracking and RFID inventory management work?
RFID asset tracking and RFID inventory management can automate nearly every stage of the asset life cycle, from acquisition to assignment, movement and audit.
Items to be tracked must be given small adhesive RFID tags. With passive systems, tag readers emit radio signals that are reflected and modulated by the RFID tags to return identifying information. With active systems, battery-powered tags can initiate contact by transmitting their own information. Either way, the exchange allows the reader to capture details such as the asset’s location, time of movement or recording, and current status. If tied to user IDs, it may also record the personnel involved.
This information is relayed to the relevant software via Wi-Fi, Ethernet or cellular and added to a central database that contains detailed asset records. This software can generally be searched and used to conduct audits and produce dashboards, reports and alerts to keep personnel updated. Departments may wish to receive alerts for issues like unauthorized asset movement, missed deadlines and discrepancies in expected vs. actual locations.
RFID platforms may integrate with inventory systems, evidence management systems and other kinds of software. Benefits of RFID asset tracking include time-saving automation, improved accuracy and accountability, and real-time visibility.
What can police departments track using RFID?
Assets tracked by departments using RFID can include both items held indefinitely, such as evidence and property, and those checked in and out regularly for use. Common items include:
- Weapons and firearms, including less-lethal weapons.
- Personal duty gear such as radios, body-worn cameras, body armor, flashlights and restraints, etc.
- Evidence and property (e.g., narcotics, firearms, cash, digital media), supporting a secure chain of custody.
- Vehicles and vehicle and patrol equipment (laptops and MDTs, naloxone/AEDs/first aid kits, road safety gear).
- Facility assets (keys/keycards, tactical gear, surveillance/recording equipment, evidence containers).
- Training resources.
What are the benefits of RFID asset tracking and RFID inventory management?
Benefits of RFID asset tracking and RFID inventory management include:
- Real-time visibility: Knowing where every asset is 24/7.
- Loss reduction: Prevention of misplacement, theft and unauthorized use.
- Audit efficiency: Automation of inventory counts and compliance checks.
- Maintenance monitoring: Tracking maintenance schedules and usage patterns.
- Chain of custody: Ensures accountability and creates a traceable asset history.
- Process automation: Elimination of manual logging, reduced human error.
What are the challenges and drawbacks of RFID asset tracking and RFID inventory management?
While the benefits of RFID asset tracking and RFID inventory management are clear, departments must navigate several operational and technical challenges:
- The initial cost of implementation, especially for active RFID.
- Interference in metal or liquid environments.
- Tag durability in outdoor settings.
- Integration with existing systems, such as evidence management.
- Data security and user access control.
Can single RFID asset tracking and RFID inventory management tags be used on boxes of many items?
Yes, single RFID tags can be used on boxes, bins and containers of numerous smaller items.
Single RFID tags per box – also known as pallet- or case-level tags – may be appropriate when items are shipped or used as a unit (e.g., sealed boxes of gloves or uniform shirts), there’s no need to track individual items within, or there’s only a need to track the movement or location of the container as a whole.
Drawbacks of this approach may include requiring a packing list to know what’s inside, inaccuracy if contents change and no way to perform item-level auditing or tracking.
How much does RFID asset tracking cost?
The costs of establishing a law enforcement RFID asset tracking/inventory management system can vary with decisions like tag type, system size, reader infrastructure and software complexity.
A review of publicly available pricing information suggests general estimated price ranges of:
- Passive UHF tags: $0.10–$0.50 each (bulk)
- Active tags: $5–$50+ each
- Handheld readers: $1,000–$1,500 each
- Fixed/portal readers: $2,000–$8,000 per portal
- Antennas: $100–$250 each
- Basic software: $1,000–$5,000 upfront or annually
- Advanced software: $10,000–$50,000+ depending on features and integrations
Installation and deployment may run from $1,000 to $20,000 or more, depending on complexity. Ongoing hardware maintenance, software support and tag replacement typically cost around 10%–20% of the initial system cost each year.
What should I look for RFID equipment and tracking software?
The unique demands of law enforcement make the selection of RFID software especially important. Departments should seek features that meet their needs for security, accountability and efficiency. Look for these key qualities:
- Chain of custody support: Every interaction should be logged with a time stamp and user ID, ensuring comprehensive audit trails. Software should be able to restrict and document who accesses what and support CJIS and other regulatory standards.
- Asset management features: Real-time inventory tracking, check-in and check-out capabilities, maintenance and service logging and expiration alerts.
- Ease of use in the field: Compatible with smartphones and tablets as well as readers; support for bulk scans; easily used with minimal training.
- Integration and interoperability: Systems should integrate with CAD, RMS and inventory systems and be flexible in connecting with other tools.
- Security and role-based access: With data encryption and audit logs.
- Reporting and dashboard tools: Built-in report templates for inspections, missing items, etc.; customizable dashboards; automated alerts for overdue returns, missing assets or expirations.
- Scalability and configurability: Systems must support growth in the number of assets tracked, multiple locations and substations, and varying asset types. Custom fields should allow tracking of department-specific data.
- Cost transparency: Clear pricing (SaaS vs. one-time license), price structures that match department size, no hidden fees.
- Customer support: For public safety this should be 24/7.
- Public safety experience: Prior deployments in police departments, with references from comparable agencies and support for public safety-specific use cases like evidence rooms, armories and patrol vehicles.
Learn how the Traka key and asset management solutions, designed for law enforcement, provides controlled access to assets while automating tracking, and offering curfew alerts and fault logging.
Police1 is using generative AI to create some content that is edited and fact-checked by our editors.
