Managing Incident Categories and Sub-Categories

The Incident Categories and Sub Categories feature allows administrators to accurately define and classify all incidents reported within the system. Its primary purpose is to organize incident types, control their visibility in reports, and enforce required checklists to ensure precise documentation. This article is intended for OPS-COM administrators responsible for managing incident configurations and reporting.

Setup and Configuration

This feature is a core administrative tool used to establish the drop-down options available to enforcement officers when logging an incident.

Admin Side: Administrators must have the appropriate system role permissions enabled to access the incident configuration menus and manage category lists.

Using this Feature

Administrators can use the following instructions to navigate the management interface to seamlessly add, edit, or manage both main incident categories and their specific sub-categories.

Accessing the Management Interface

1. Hover over System Configuration, click Incidents, then Categories.

Adding Categories

1. Click the Add New Category button located at the bottom of the page.

2. Enter the details for your new category into the Category Name field.

3. Enter a code into the GIS number field if your organization utilizes geographic location mapping.

4. Enable the In House checkbox if this category is strictly for internal tracking and administrative use.

5. Enable the Included in Reports checkbox if you want incidents of this type to actively appear in standard system reports.

6. Click the Save Incident Category button to finalize the addition.

The GIS number field is strictly optional and is only required for clients who utilize an external geographic location code system or mapping integration.

Editing Categories

1. Locate the desired category from the active list on the main management page.

2. Click the Pencil icon next to the entry you wish to edit.

3. Make the necessary updates to the configuration fields.

4. Click the Save Incident Category button to apply your updates.

Managing Sub Categories

Sub-categories provide a finer level of detail and granularity for incidents.

1. Click the Sub button next to a main category name to view its associated sub-categories.

2. Enter the new name into the Name field at the bottom of the list to add a new sub-category, or click directly into the text box of an existing entry to change its name.

3. Enable the Required checkbox if a specific checklist must be completed for incidents filed under this sub-category.

4. Enable the Include checkbox if this sub-category should be included in generated reports.

5. Enable the Archive checkbox to retire a sub-category that is no longer actively in use.

6. Click the Save Sub-Categories button to apply all updates to the list.

Best Practices and Considerations

• Establish a logical hierarchy: Create a clear and logical hierarchy between categories and sub-categories to ensure accurate incident classification. For example, using "Theft" as a main category with "Vehicle Theft" and "Personal Belongings Theft" as sub-categories makes reporting incredibly intuitive.

• Leverage checklists for consistency: Utilize the Required checklist option for sub-categories to ensure that all necessary information is collected consistently. This directly improves data quality and officer compliance for specific types of critical incidents.

• Manage report inclusion carefully: Carefully consider which categories and sub-categories should be included in reports based on your organization's analytical and compliance needs.

• Distinguish internal data: Clearly distinguish between In House categories meant for internal tracking and those intended for broader reporting or external sharing. Keeping sensitive internal HR or administrative incidents out of general reports maintains data security.

• Conduct regular reviews: Periodically review your incident categories and sub-categories to ensure they remain relevant. As your operational needs or reporting requirements change, your categories should be updated or archived to match.