The IACP’s cloud computing principles address new data collection technologies

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) recent update of the group’s cloud computing principles fits in with findings from recent Penton E-surveys of local government officials.

The IACP 2015 principles address the increase in locally collected data through body-worn cameras (BWCs) and other means, and the need to reliably secure that data in the cloud and elsewhere. The IACP 2015 principles, in fact, state, “Law enforcement agencies should generally store all collected data at the highest level of security, which will often be the FBI CJIS standard.”

Cloud computing and security were among the top 4 finishers in our mid-year 2015 Keating Report survey of American City & County and GPN readers that covered new technology buys in local governments over the next 18 months.

A recent BWC survey among readers of American City & County and IWCE’s Urgent Communications shows almost 30 percent of responding local government agencies have already deployed BWCs and another 47 percent are in the BWC pre-procurement stage.

GPN reached out to Paul Rosenzweig, senior advisor to the Washington, D.C.-based Chertoff Group, for his views on local government technology and the IACP principles. Michael Chertoff is one of the founders of the firm and is a former secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security. Below are Paul Rosenzweig’s views.

GPN: Are there major changes in the new 2015 IACP principles compared to the 2013 version? How are data collection and storage and recent technology, including BWCs, addressed in the 2015 IACP principles?

Paul Rosenzweig: Increasingly, law enforcement agencies are collecting a wide array of data about their interactions with citizens.  What began with dashboard cameras has now grown to include body-worn cameras and fixed CCTV stations.  We can imagine a future in which data from other platforms (such as drones) are widely collected as well.

The vast quantities of data being collected will, inevitably, be stored in cloud storage systems — the most efficient and cost-effective method of storage.  As storage moves to the cloud, law enforcement agencies must consider the security of the data they collect. If the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) can be hacked, so can a local police department — with potentially catastrophic results.

GPN: How do the 2015 IACP principles address cloud computing and data storage in law enforcement?

PR: The newly revised IACP cloud data storage principles make two important points that will directly impact law enforcement cloud data storage:

—  First, as a default rule, law enforcement should adopt cloud storage security practices that meet the highest common denominator of security. This will meet citizens’ expectations, and, in the end, reduce costs by eliminating the need to distinguish between levels of data security.

— Second, law enforcement agencies should be mindful that storage technology can be disaggregated from collection technology. Vendors may sell stove-pipe solutions of storage bundled with collection. Note, however, that efficiency and security may often be enhanced if storage is considered a separate service.

GPN: Thank you, Paul Rosenzweig of the Chertoff Group, for your views.

Editor’s note: To his job at the Chertoff Group, Rosenzweig brings knowledge of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), having served previously as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and as acting Assistant Secretary for International Affairs. In his four years at the Department of Homeland Security, Rosenzweig developed policy, strategic plans, and global approaches to homeland security, ranging from immigration and border security to avian flu and international rules for data protection.

Since leaving DHS, Rosenzweig provides legal and strategic advice on cybersecurity, national security and privacy concerns to individuals, companies, and governments. Before his tenure at the Department of Homeland Security, Rosenzweig was a senior legal research fellow in The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, where his specialties included civil liberties, national security, and criminal law.

Michael Keating is Senior Editor at Government Product News, an American City & County sister brand.

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