INTRODUCING

First Sign^® Early Intervention

Manage police force accountability and support officer Wellbeing

Precise, Predictive, and Powerful Early Intervention

First Sign Early Intervention is the most effective early intervention system (EIS) on the market. Grounded in our partnership with the University of Chicago, our solution goes well beyond standard early warning systems — establishing benchmarks that more accurately identify levels of at-risk behaviour. With First Sign’s technology, police agencies can deliver proactive, career-saving intervention and officer support.

The First Sign Difference — It’s in the Numbers

Benchmark has the world’s largest database on officer performance, and our predictive analytics have been validated through a standardized national model developed in partnership with the University of Chicago.

5+

Data Sources

Informed by In-Depth Data Points
Officer attributes
Arrest history
Use of force
Internal affairs
CAD/RMS

91

Model Variables

Driven by Complex, Nuanced Factors

Context of adverse incidents
Sequence of events
Patterns of behaviour
Peer comparisons

85%

Model Precision

Greater Accuracy Than Any Other EIS

2X more precise than most systems
Uses advanced research methodologies
Employs high-level predictive modeling

5%

At-Risk Average

Police Officers Truly in Need of Intervention

Identifies who will be involved in an adverse incident within 12 months
Findings show no more than 5% of officers at-risk
Clears officers often flagged incorrectly by most systems

66%

Incident Rate

Perpetuated by 5%
At-Risk Officers

Those inflicting most injuries on the job
Officers using disproportionate force

Take Early Intervention to the Next Level

Benchmark’s industry-leading EIS is helping prevent adverse officer events at agencies across the U.S. Find out what makes our solution unique.

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First Sign Early Intervention vs. the Competition

Traditional EIS offerings rely on often inaccurate threshold-based triggers to flag off-track officer behaviour. These false positives and false negatives result in inefficient use of resources, time, and money — all while negatively impacting officer morale. First Sign Early Intervention incorporates decades of evidence-based research, robust information sources, and sophisticated analytics to identify officers truly in need of intervention.

First sign

85% Efﬁcacy Rate

Got it Right:

17 Accurate Flags

Icon of a police officer in gray with an exclamation mark

First Sign is Your Clear Choice for a Transformative EIS Designed to:

Identify problematic officers within your department
Retain and boost morale of high-performing officers
Improve community relations and regain public trust
Reduce resource needs, administrative burden, and costs
Lower exposure to liability claims from increasing litigations

TRADITIONAL EIS

71% Fallacy Rate

Got it Right:

14 Incorrect Flags

Icon of a police officer in red with an exclamation mark

A Multi-Dimensional EIS Built on Six Key Pillars of Success

Research Legacy
Academic Credibility
Scientific Legitimacy
Iterative Learning
Compliance Ready
Reciprocal Officer Support

Research Legacy

Grounded in our partnership with the world-renowned University of Chicago— leveraging the high volume of data, research, analytics and longitudinal studies in the field of policing.

Features over a decade of in-depth research into detailed historical data about officer behaviours in policing
Includes a team of 20+ data scientists who have created a series of predictive models and algorithms that identify patterns of conduct that lead to problematic behaviour
Identifies the factors that truly matter in alerting problematic behaviour — significantly increasing the efficacy rate of First Sign versus existing trigger-based EIS offerings
Represents the world’s largest multi-jurisdictional officer performance database with over 70 million records

First Sign offers you the ONLY research-based, data-driven EIS available in policing today.

Academic Credibility

Facilitated by the dedicated work of the National Police Early Intervention and Outcomes Research Consortium – led by the University of Chicago – along with a team of public safety PhD academicians.

Includes support of The Joyce Foundation to accelerate research and best practices for early invention of police misconduct — and partnership with the American Institutes for Research
Draws on data from Benchmark Analytics covering virtually every aspect of police operations . . . e.g., organisational structure, training, use of force, complaints, internal affairs, discipline and more
Focuses on leveraging data captured to drive change and help inform outcomes, policies and processes
Assesses current interventions for effectiveness, behaviour modification and recommended improvements

Scientific Legitimacy

Uniquely positioned with one full patent* and one provisional patent filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Preserves key features of our groundbreaking EIS based on decades of evidence-based research in policing
Draws on data from Benchmark Analytics covering virtually every aspect of police operations . . . e.g., organisational structure, training, use of force, complaints, internal affairs, discipline and more
Focuses on leveraging data captured to drive change and help inPromotes customer confidence in our advanced, first-in-class and proven EIS platformsform outcomes, policies and processes

*Patent No.: US 11,915,180 B2

Iterative Learning

Provided by ongoing, cumulative analytics of all partner data to ensure the First Sign platform evolves — getting smarter and more efficient over time.

Uncovers trends and highlights best practices
Provides new insights and directs technological advancements
Supports recommended actions and platform modifications
Continues to optimise risk management and reduce exposure to rising liability costs

Compliance Ready

Configured to help police agencies comply with major policing organisation directives, recommendations and standards.

Supports agencies seeking accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA)
Includes best practices and elements of the ethics toolkit developed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
Aligns with performance guidelines on officer conduct recommended by the Department of Justice (DOJ)

Reciprocal Officer Support

Offered by C.A.R.E. — our innovative, proactive police officer support platform developed to help officers who have fallen off track get back on track.

Facilitates support plan with a template of actionable steps, guidelines and goals for implementation
Features research-based management modules for officer-specific interventions
Provides “benchmarks” of best practices proven to be most effective for different levels of intervention
Fully automates critical tracking points and follow-up measures to help secure successful support outcomes

Our 24/7 Analytic Machine

First Sign Early Intervention is the only research-based, data-driven EIS that tracks over 20 event markers shown to lead to truly at-risk, off-track behaviour. Supervisors can see a risk-level overview of their officers, as well as receive real-time alerts as out-of-policy, adverse, and at-risk events occur by officers on their team. It’s powerful data right at your fingertips.

Ready to See How Benchmark Cambridge Can Help?

Our experienced team can help you explore your unique challenges and how our AI-powered approach can act as a preventative tool to drive employee Wellbeing.

Contact our team

First Sign® Early Intervention