Challenge

Could an online community help cops solve crimes?  That’s what LexisNexis sought to find out.  The company, which provides a suite of investigative tools, recognized that law enforcement professionals depend on information exchange, but are often isolated by jurisdiction, location, or agency.  To break down these barriers and promote peer-to-peer collaboration, LexisNexis envisioned an online community that would enable federal, state, and local law enforcement to share tips, information, and crime fighting resources. To make its vision a reality, LexisNexis partnered with Leader Networks.

Solution

Together, we built the LexisNexis Investigators Network, a secure online community for law enforcement analysts and investigators.  Here’s how we did it, from strategy through launch:

• First, we conducted extensive user research. Users reported a tremendous desire for an online community that would promote information exchange and help them forge connections.
• We conducted a strategy workshop with LexisNexis stakeholders to understand its business and stakeholder needs, map those needs to digital features, and define a business case.

• We participated in the vendor selection process to match the business requirements with the possible solutions. Once a software provider was selected, we worked with technical experts to ensure that the community would deliver a secure, confidential experience that would promote collaboration while enabling undercover agents to use the system anonymously.
• Then, we designed and launched a beta group, facilitating discussions among early users for the community and developed specialized content to help law-enforcement share their best practices.
• We populated the community with crime-fighting resources including sexual predator information, policing tactics, information about new technology, investigation best practices, and Amber Alert support information.
• We also trained LexisNexis’ law enforcement subject matter experts and community managers on best practices and how to run the community
• Finally, we supported LexisNexis’ efforts to grow a large membership base, build awareness, increase retention for existing customers, attract prospects, and augment offline relationships by strengthening them online 24/7 within the community.

The end result is a true cop-on-the-street, peer-to-peer exchange of perspectives and experiences – driven by case studies, interviews, and discussions among law enforcement professionals and experts.

Results

The LexisNexis Investigators Network delivers a powerful way for investigators and analysts to develop their leads and investigations:

• It includes more than 6,500+ members comprising 1,700 state, local, and federal agencies in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
• Members can join specialty topic groups based on the crimes they’re investigating – such as homicide or gang activity.
• The average member visit is 11 minutes, 40 seconds (twice the average of other similar communities).
• Analysts from Gartner recommended that law enforcement managers, “leverage the at-large community for access to more information.”
• The community was awarded a Groundswell Award by Forrester, one of the most influential research and advisory firms in the world.

With the online LexisNexis Investigators Network, I was able to pinpoint another member across the country who assisted me with information on a 10-year-old case, saving me days of time and effort. I see great value in this community and use it often.– Law enforcement professional