ForceMetrics Case Study: Winston-Salem Police Department

"All the Info You Need, Right When You Need It": How Winston-Salem PD Uses ForceMetrics to Respond Faster and Investigate Smarter

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Overview

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The Winston-Salem Police Department began using the ForceMetrics Velocity™ platform to give officers and investigators real-time access to information that would otherwise be buried in separate systems. For Sergeant Bradley Richardson and Senior Crime Analyst, Travis Swain, Velocity™ has become a vital part of daily work, supporting everything from frontline response to complex casework. The platform makes it easy to pull up call histories, search by nickname or keyword, and surface patterns across people, places, and events.

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Challenge
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Before ForceMetrics, officers had no easy way to search across systems. Patrol relied on dispatch for quick background, while detectives had to dig through CAD, RMS, or investigative databases, each with limited functionality. Officers often checked one system and still felt like they were missing something. This slowed down response and created blind spots in investigations, especially in cases with repeat individuals or locations. As Swain noted:

"You’d run a name in one system and find nothing, then someone else would check another system and pull up five reports. It felt like you were always just hoping you were looking in the right place."

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Solution
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ForceMetrics provided Winston-Salem PD with a single, intuitive interface that brings together data from multiple sources. Officers can:

• Instantly search people, locations, and vehicles- even with partial details or nicknames
• Review call notes, flags, and history in plain language
• Identify repeat addresses or individuals involved in multiple calls
• Filter by date, location, or call type to spot patterns and trends

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Impact

• Patrol Response: Officers use ForceMetrics immediately after dispatch to understand who and what they’re walking into. In one case, the platform revealed a past standoff at the same address: vital information that changed how officers approached the scene.
• Investigations: Detectives use ForceMetrics to revisit cases, link individuals, and uncover insights that would otherwise remain buried. A keyword search or note reference can unlock a new lead. In Q1 and Q2 of this year alone, ForceMetrics has been used in over 70 investigations
• Briefings and Planning: Officers use the platform before shift meetings to surface recurring issues or locations worth flagging. It makes briefings more actionable and collaborative.
• Time Savings: Instead of relying on dispatch or toggling between systems, officers now have one place to search. That efficiency saves time and improves safety.
• Regional Data Sharing: Sharing data and records with their neighbor to the east, Greensboro, the two cities are making it easier to track suspects who operate across city lines. In the first half of 2025, ForceMetrics was used in nearly 50 different workups for various cases and units–helping identify persons of interest and their past involvement with the police department, their criminal history within Winston-Salem and Greensboro, their affiliated addresses, and known associates.

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The 5 S’s Sergeant Richardson summarized the platform's benefits using five key attributes:

1. Simplicity – The platform is easy to learn and use, even for officers with limited tech experience.
2. Speed – Information that once took hours is now available in seconds.
3. Support – The ForceMetrics team is responsive to feedback and continuously improves the tool.
4. Success – Officers are better equipped to respond, investigate, and solve problems.
5. Scalability – The platform supports a wide range of functions, from patrol to investigations, and grows with department needs.
   
   

“ForceMetrics gives us that ‘aha’ moment every day. You go in looking for one thing and find three more that make your job easier or safer.”

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This case study is based on a live interview and Q&A with Sergeant Bradley Richardson and Senior Crime Analyst, Travis Swain. Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity.