By Jacob Cramer PhD
Public safety leaders face mounting pressure to make strategic decisions that maximize public safety while efficiently allocating limited resources. For decades, CompStat meetings have been the primary forum for addressing these challenges, but they demand hours of manual preparation, are reactive in nature, and offer limited ability to explore actionable data in real-time.
At ForceMetrics, we believe that effective public safety requires tools that not only monitor and surface relevant data but actively enhance decision-making. That's why we're introducing FMStat: a powerful evolution of CompStat that transforms how agencies understand and respond to emerging trends, built on the ForceMetrics Velocity™ Platform.
At ForceMetrics, we believe effective public safety starts with having easy access to the right information available at the right time.
CompStat has been a cornerstone of law enforcement management for decades, helping agencies maintain accountability, track crime trends and coordinate strategic responses. But as the pace and complexity of public safety challenges grow, agencies need tools that can keep up in real time and adapt to evolving priorities.
FMStat builds on the core principles of CompStat while removing its biggest limitations. Instead of relying on static reports and manual prep, FMStat provides a dynamic intelligence center, powered by real-time data and designed to surface analysis-driven insights as decisions are being made. It gives leadership a clearer picture of what’s happening, why it's happening, and where to act–so they can direct resources with intent and precision.
With FMStat, public safety leadership can:
FMStat transforms how agencies approach policing strategy, decision-making and resource deployment through three key innovations:
Traditional crime tracking often focuses primarily on incident counts and categories. FMStat expands this view by offering multiple perspectives–top crimes, calls, locations, and individuals–that help agencies understand not just what's happening, but why.
FMStat doesn't just count the numbers, it enables leaders to instantly explore the context and underlying data. For example, if an agency notices a rise in burglaries, FMStat can surface patterns showing that many of the incidents are clustered around storage facilities. With a few clicks, leadership might spot that the targeted units tend to belong to individuals who haven’t visited in months, often due to being out of town or behind on payments. FMStat can also then highlight repeat offenders showing up across multiple locations, or flag one facility where the trend suddenly dropped–prompting a closer look at what changed.
While just an example, it illustrates how FMStat can help teams move beyond surface-level stats to develop narratives that break down what’s really happening and where to focus next.
As part of the ForceMetrics Velocity™ Platform, FMStat connects directly to the same data sources that power patrol operations. The system automatically synchronizes with CAD, RMS, and other existing agency systems, continuously refreshing to provide the most current view of activity across the jurisdiction. This eliminates the data silos and barriers between strategic planning and tactical execution, ensuring that insights at the command level flow seamlessly to officers in the field.
By automating the reporting process, FMStat shifts meetings from data presentations to strategy development. Analysts are freed from hours of manual preparation, and command staff work with complete, current information. This creates space for more productive conversations about the underlying causes of issues and trends, shifting from a focus on reporting, to a focus on collaboration and proactive impacts and problem solving.
Stay tuned for future updates, including robust social network analysis and location analyses to support focused deterrence and place-based strategies, customization of visuals and reports to be responsive to unique local priorities, and enhanced tools for exporting and analyzing trends.
FMStat represents our commitment to helping agencies work smarter, not harder. By combining real-time data access, intuitive visualization, and multi-dimensional analysis in one platform, we're enabling command staff to make faster, more informed decisions that drive better outcomes for officers and communities alike.
For departments ready to move beyond static reports to dynamic, actionable intelligence, FMStat provides the tools to transform how leadership teams understand, communicate, and address public safety challenges.
To learn more about FMStat or schedule a demo, contact ForceMetrics today.