2020 was a year for the history books. And while it may not be a year we would soon relive, it has taught us so much about our customers, our communities and our industry. Public safety personnel have continuously demonstrated their dedication and commitment to progress, rising to the occasion among new, challenging and stressful situations. It’s never been a secret that public safety is essential, but this year gave a whole new meaning to the word. Ultimately, 2020 demonstrated an ever-present truth: Our communities need us and we need our communities.
Pandemic Protocol
We’ll kick things off with the most prevalent headline of the year: COVID-19. Here at Lexipol, like so many people, governments and companies around the world, we rapidly pivoted our 2020 plans in response to the pandemic. This meant thinking through the things you – the public safety professionals diligently serving your communities – needed most. We considered how we are uniquely positioned to support agencies and individuals with policy, training, grant help and news as we quickly developed and implemented our response plan.
The result? Our Coronavirus Policy & Learning Center which offered (and continues to offer) free resources to all public safety agencies and professionals. Tens of thousands of users have accessed the site, downloaded policies and completed courses! Simultaneously, we hosted live and on-demand webinars and created a wide variety of content, including news, updates and opinions through our digital communities’ platforms (Police1, FireRescue1, Corrections1, EMS1 and Gov1) and newsletters, dedicated to providing tangible tools for first responders to not only serve their communities through the pandemic, but also care for themselves. It’s no surprise public safety professionals across the country responded with courage and dedication to the onset and spread of COVID-19, and Lexipol was glad to be able to provide support to you and your communities.
One last footnote on COVID-19: We were excited to be presented with a silver Stevie Award in the annual International Business Awards program for our Coronavirus response! It is a true honor to be recognized and encourages us as we continue to serve public safety in every way we can.
Important Conversations
The in-custody death of George Floyd and the resulting civil unrest that began halfway through 2020 brought many important conversations in public safety, and specifically in law enforcement, to a boiling point. As we have been engaged for nearly two decades in the challenging and inspiring work of creating law enforcement policies, we knew it was crucial for us to be involved in and contribute to the advancement of these discussions, focusing on the safety of community members, officers and agencies.
These conversations inspired us to create a website dedicated to police use of force policy: We outline our policy positions, provide insight into how the policy was developed and offer our national use of force policy for download to engage with law enforcement and their communities with the ultimate goal of improving safety. Alongside our use of force site, Police1 has continued to offer coverage of use of force, community policing and more. We look forward to continuing to work together with all stakeholders to advance the conversation in 2021.
While 2020 brought unparalleled challenges and losses, the commitment and excellence of first responders around the country was equally unparalleled.
The Year of You
This year, we wanted to focus even more on YOU. We hosted our first ever Connect User Group Conference (online, of course), where we were able to discuss hot topics in public safety and (virtually) meet many public safety professionals and industry leaders. We had thousands of attendees join us for a half-day conference on an interactive platform for sessions on the Five Pillars of Organizational Success, police use of force, policy, training, grants and more. The conference was an incredible success and we can’t wait for Connect 2021!
We also introduced the Connect Customer Recognition Program. This program recognizes and honors Lexipol customers who excel at staying up-to-date on issuing policies, processing policy updates and issuing Daily Training Bulletins (DTBs). Our customers work diligently to ensure professionalism and consistency, which is often directly tied to solid policy and training. You are the reason we do what we do, and we are so excited to have a program to showcase just a few of the ways you work to serve your communities.
The Lexi-POLLS Are In…
…And we’re not talking about the election! This year, our digital communities continued to offer daily coverage of events and news in public safety, while also listening to and sharing the perspective of our readers. Through several in-depth surveys, we worked to determine public safety sentiment on key issues, including marijuana legalization, face mask policies, COVID-19 vaccinations and more. We are dedicated to connecting with public safety professionals and connecting you with each other. Measuring widespread perspectives helps us know how to better serve you and provides insight for professionals into how colleagues across the country view the issues.
And that’s not all! The coverage our digital communities provide is timely, accurate and relevant to those in public safety and local government. This year, Police1 and EMS1 were recognized by Folio:’s Eddie & Ozzie Awards for Best B2B Newsletter and Best B2B Column!
It’s never been a secret that public safety is essential, but this year gave a whole new meaning to the word.
New & Noteworthy
As 2020 drew to a close, we made a BIG announcement: We acquired Cordico! As a provider of proactive and preventive wellness support for first responders and others in high-stress professions, Coridco’s product offerings are a perfect match with Lexipol. We are so excited to include Cordico’s mental health and wellness applications into our risk management offerings for public safety agencies and professionals. While our integration is just beginning, we know big things are to come from this acquisition!
Despite the uncertainty 2020 has brought, we have continued and expanded our efforts to improve user experience across our products and services. This year, Lexipol released several new products and features to improve ease of use and functionality for our customers. Some of the high points include:
- CorrectionsOne Grants Platform: Provides access to the most extensive grant listings database for correctional facilities, as well as grant writing services and free sponsored assistance.
- Law Enforcement Procedure Guide and Framework: Offers an effective way to outline procedures and connect them back to related policies. This “do-it-yourself” kit offers expertise and guidance for efficiently developing an effective procedures manual that aligns with policy, as well as agency and community values and goals.
- New functionalities for our online learning academies: Integrates new capabilities for a seamless user experience. The Inventory Manager feature efficiently tracks items and equipment assigned to officers and personnel. The Events Manager is an add-on that allows for easy scheduling of in-person events, including across locations and departments.
We are always looking for ways to better serve our customers and are looking forward to more exciting product launches and updates in 2021!
More to Come in 2021
While 2020 brought unparalleled challenges and losses, the commitment and excellence of first responders around the country was equally unparalleled. Thank you to all the first responders, public safety personnel and local government officials for your dedication and self-sacrifice.
As 2021 comes around the corner, we are excited to continue to support public safety professionals in new ways, improve and expand our products and services, and build relationships with our customers. Here’s to the end of 2020 and the start of a new year!
