Transforming law enforcement: Louisiana State Police’s digital revolution with Power Platform

The Louisiana State Police (LSP) needed to create a digital solution for statewide tracking of sexual assault kits to meet a legislative mandate while providing survivors with more privacy, transparency, and accountability.

In collaboration with the state’s Office of Technology Services, LSP used the low-code/no-code capabilities of Microsoft Power Platform to create an in-house app to track sexual assault kits.

LSP tracked 661 sexual assault kits in the first six months alone and expects to track 130% more kits than it originally anticipated. Its new portal for sexual assault survivors helps them privately check on the status of their kits.

Content Disclaimer: This article contains references to sexual assault kits and might include descriptions or discussions of sexual violence. Reader discretion is advised.

The Louisiana State Police (LSP) has transformed a fragmented, manual process for tracking sexual assault kits into a transparent, survivor-centric digital solution in just four months. In 2024, LSP worked closely with the state’s Office of Technology Services (OTS) and Microsoft to create a comprehensive solution that seamlessly tracks sexual assault kits using features in Microsoft Power Platform. LSP’s new tracking system provides more transparency and privacy to sexual assault survivors and gives the state more accurate tracking information. This successful collaboration between LSP, OTS, and Microsoft offers state government agencies a blueprint for reimagining work processes with in-house talent and low-code/no-code tools.

Improving accountability for survivors of sexual assault

Established in 1936, LSP handles highway patrol, investigations, and forensic services for the state of Louisiana. The agency’s Crime Lab serves more than 250 law enforcement agencies in southeast Louisiana, providing timely and scientific analysis of items of physical evidence. In mid-2023, the state legislature mandated the development of a statewide solution for tracking sexual assault kits, and the LSP Crime Lab began considering how best to fulfill this requirement.

Sexual assault kits pass through multiple phases, traveling from hospitals to law enforcement agencies and crime labs for analysis, but sexual assault survivors could not privately check kit status. The state’s existing tracking process for these kits relied on manual data collection and was plagued by inconsistent and incomplete reporting. The state mandated annual law enforcement surveys on the number of sexual assault kits, but the information collected in each kit varied from year to year. “The numbers were skewed because the submission data was inconsistent,” says Chad Guidry, Director of the LSP Crime Lab. “Some years, there were 400 reporting agencies, some years only 250. So, we never got complete data.”

LSP wanted to meet the legislative mandate with a new system that would streamline tracking, increase accountability for state agencies, and offer sexual assault survivors more privacy. The new solution would help employees of the LSP Crime Lab and external stakeholders, including hospitals and law enforcement agencies, track sexual assault kits in each stage of the evidence process.

Deploying a custom solution in only four months

LSP first considered two commercially available products, but the estimated timeline for rollout was too long for the agency’s needs. Instead, LSP investigated creating an in-house, custom solution with low-code/no-code tools in Power Platform to develop new apps for the agency without relying heavily on programming. The agency reached out to OTS for additional support, and the two groups started working with Microsoft, which was already a trusted ally. “The Microsoft team came on-site to kick off the project,” says Cassie Porche, IT Statewide Director, Applications and Data Management, OTS. “It showed us best practices, worked with us on the design, and demonstrated how to set up workflows.”

“The Microsoft team came on-site to kick off the project. It showed us best practices, worked with us on the design, and demonstrated how to set up workflows.”

Cassie Porche, IT Statewide Director, OTS

LSP and OTS used various Power Platform products that would address stakeholders’ specific needs. To track sexual assault kits, the LSP Crime Lab uses an internal app that is built on Microsoft Power Apps. For external employees at hospitals and law enforcement agencies in the state, LSP and OTS used Microsoft Power Pages to create a user-friendly site that initiates and follows sexual assault kits. The system enforces mandatory timelines for each stage, with automated notifications for approaching deadlines.

Helping protect the privacy of sexual assault survivors was at the heart of the new solution’s design. LSP built a separate portal where survivors can track their kit without revealing personal information. The agency is also using visualization tools in Microsoft Power BI to provide real-time statistics and analysis to the public, increasing visibility and accountability. “We have an external analytics dashboard to show the public how many kits are collected and by which law enforcement agency,” says Guidry.

Within four months, LSP and OTS moved from a concept to a fully developed digital solution. The agency began conceptualizing the solution in February 2024 and started internal testing at the end of April. By June, LSP was ready for a pilot with the New Orleans Police Department, one of its most complex customers, and a New Orleans hospital. The solution received positive feedback and was fully deployed on time in July 2024.

Gathering more accurate information on sexual assault kits in the first six months

LSP’s tracking solution is already providing more accurate information on sexual assault kits. In the first six months, 661 kits were tracked, and LSP estimates that it will track 130% more kits than it originally anticipated. External stakeholders have overwhelmingly positive feedback on the solution, appreciating the ease of use and the increased accountability. “Nurses who work with sexual assault survivors love the new system,” says Heather Furnas, Administrative Coordinator at the LSP Crime Lab. “It brings transparency so that nothing gets left behind.”

Creating the tracking system facilitated close cooperation between employees at LSP and OTS. By choosing to develop in-house apps with the low-code/no-code capabilities of Power Platform, LSP estimates it saved a couple hundred thousand dollars in initial costs and annual service contracts. The solution is easy to maintain, and developers at LSP can oversee the system with support from OTS.

Most importantly, LSP hopes that the new tracking system reassures sexual assault survivors that they have not been forgotten and that their cases matter. “Our survivors want to know that they matter, that someone is looking at their submission and cares,” says Guidry.

“This collaboration has been tremendously valuable. If we can build capabilities ourselves instead of using five different software solutions, we can save hundreds of thousands of dollars and keep everything on one consolidated, consistent platform.”

Chad Guidry, Director, the LSP Crime Lab

Building in-house capabilities for the future

The collaboration between LSP, OTS, and Microsoft has laid the foundation for future digital enhancements at the LSP Crime Lab. With a team eager to innovate and the support of senior leadership, the lab wants to incorporate tracking for blood-alcohol and postmortem kits and possibly develop an in-house case management system.

“This collaboration has been tremendously valuable,” says Guidry. “If we can build capabilities ourselves instead of using five different software solutions, we can save hundreds of thousands of dollars and keep everything on one consolidated, consistent platform.”

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