All audio and video evidence must be transcribed for it to be useful to law enforcement. Even though technology has improved the process, there are still time and cost concerns for law enforcement agencies, public defenders, and prosecutors. The more a piece of evidence is handled, the more likely it is to be lost or damaged beyond any real use. New security advancements are being developed every day, and the best right now is digital uploads onto secure servers.
This internet miracle makes it possible for a law enforcement agency to retain any originals while keeping an eye on exactly who is able to access the server to do the work. The economy is in bad shape everywhere you go, and law enforcement suffers right along with the rest of us. After budge cuts, it is hard to justify paying for the extra cost of outsourcing transcription.
Many transcription services charge by the line or by the page. It is nearly impossible to accurately assess how many pages a particular video or recorded interview could be. This is a difficult quoting process for law enforcement. It is a great benefit to them when a transcription company quotes them by the minute of audio. That way, it is known before the work begins how much the total cost is going to be.
Another problem for law enforcement agencies is time. After the transcription process it is necessary to check for quality. When it is done in-house the agency must devote some of its manpower and management personal to take the time to double check that a transcription is done right. The scheduling of this time and manpower is one of the major hurdles that outsourcing can jump.
The actual cost that a law enforcement agency will pay for keeping the transcription in house might be much higher than they may initially calculate. Some of these factors include:- Salaries/Wages
– Management Expenses
– Cost of Information Technology
– Overflow and Delay Costs
It isn’t too hard for law enforcement to find relief in the form of transcription and translation services. There are many skilled services available to do the work and it is often cheaper to use such services. The list of benefits includes:- Reduced man hours of on-site personnel
– Elimination of the need to hire and train additional personnel to meet demands
– Improved quality of the transcribed content
– Reduced delays in transcription (rapid turnaround)
Law enforcement agencies don’t have the time or money to waste on such a vital, but easily delegated task. We want our prosecutors focusing on their primary duties. It is important for them to trim to cost of their operations by outsourcing to responsible, skilled and efficient forensic transcription and translation companies.