"Law enforcement needs timely and secure access to services that provide data wherever and whenever for stopping and reducing crime."
This powerful statement from the FBI's CJIS Security Policy captures the essential challenge: balancing immediate information access with stringent security requirements. For budget-constrained state and local governments handling massive volumes of sensitive data, legacy systems like fax servers and physical paperwork create inefficiencies and security risks.
From Arkansas Game & Fish officers working quickly with state police when needed, to Georgia probation officers securely transmitting warrant information from the field, to New York county officials coordinating sensitive data across 23 departments — forward-thinking law enforcement agencies are embracing secure communication.
Here's how corrections, justice, and law enforcement agencies are using Virtru to transform CJIS compliance from a potential roadblock into a catalyst for more effective public safety operations.
Columbia County faced the challenge of managing sensitive data across 23 different departments, from healthcare to law enforcement to the courts. With over 450 staff members regularly exchanging sensitive information, Chief Technology Officer Richard Juliano needed a solution that would ensure CJIS compliance without hindering productivity.
"HIPAA and CJIS are serious stuff, bringing the risk of hefty fines," explained Juliano. "Now that the whole county uses Virtru, we're confident we have the solution."
The county implemented Virtru's encryption solution, which automatically examines subject lines, email content, and attachments to detect sensitive information such as credit card numbers and social security numbers. When such data is detected, Virtru can either automatically encrypt the email or display a warning message to the sender.
What sets Virtru apart for Columbia County is its educational aspect. "Virtru isn't complacent—it actually educates our staff on HIPAA and CJIS compliance requirements as they do their normal work," Juliano noted. The system highlights keywords included in emails, prompting senders to simply click for encryption when necessary.
Serving nearly 900,000 citizens, Hidalgo County's IT team faced a unique challenge: they needed to build encryption into custom application workflows to automate the secure delivery of sensitive criminal justice information reports.
"CJIS compliance standards require that inbound email containing criminal justice information be encrypted at all times," explains Jesus Rodriguez, IT Application Developer for Hidalgo County. "We initially turned to Virtru to secure our Gmail messages and attachments containing CJI. Fast forward a few years and we were working on new custom app scripts that would access our information system, auto-generate a report, and email it to certain individuals."
The county leveraged Virtru's Data Security Platform and SDK to embed encryption directly into their custom applications—getting up and running within a single day, without requiring cryptographic expertise. This allowed them to automate reporting processes while maintaining strict CJIS compliance, significantly improving efficiency in sensitive law enforcement operations.
"The added layer of security that Virtru provides has the potential to be used time and time again within Hidalgo County's apps," Rodriguez noted. "At the end of the day, it's about improving our services and there isn't always an off-the-shelf app available that meets our needs."
The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission (AGFC) represents an unexpected leader in secure government collaboration. Their unique challenge involved equipping park rangers, field officials, and law enforcement officers with the ability to securely share CJIS data with various state agencies while maintaining compliance.
As AGFC increased its usage of cloud-based tools like Google Workspace, they needed to ensure that sensitive information remained secure. Their solution was multifaceted:
Officers, park rangers, and field staff can now easily exchange sensitive information without any security or compliance gaps. The automated security layer provides peace of mind, while staff can continue using familiar Google Workspace apps without added friction.
The Georgia Department of Community Supervision (DCS) faced perhaps the most complex challenge: maintaining CJIS compliance across a distributed workforce of 2,000 staff members who supervise approximately 180,000 adult offenders through probation and parole services.
For DCS, the stakes were extraordinarily high. Field officers needed to share warrants and sentencing information. HR teams had to transmit employment data to job candidates. District Administrators required secure channels to communicate with courts and other state agencies.
Their solution comprised:
The impact was immediate and far-reaching. Field officers could securely share case information from any location, knowing their communications were automatically protected. The Gateway eliminated the risk of human error while supporting eDiscovery and compliance requirements.
Most impressively, Georgia DCS achieved this security without sacrificing usability. External partners could easily access protected information without creating new accounts or installing software, while internal workflows remained seamless.
While each agency's implementation is unique, several common public safety benefits emerge from these success stories:
Across all case studies, Virtru's ability to automatically detect and encrypt sensitive information allows law enforcement personnel to focus on their primary mission—protecting communities. Officers don't need to become cybersecurity experts; the system handles compliance automatically, detecting sensitive information like names, social security numbers, and case details, then securing them appropriately.
Whether integrating with Gmail (as in the AGFC and Hidalgo County cases) or with Outlook (as in Columbia County), Virtru's solutions work within existing email systems without requiring officers to learn new platforms. As Juliano from Columbia County noted, "The installation process was a breeze because Virtru integrates seamlessly into Outlook, Google Apps, and Gmail." This seamless integration means officers can share critical information instantly, potentially saving lives when time is of the essence.
As demonstrated by Hidalgo County, Virtru can extend beyond email to secure custom applications that handle sensitive criminal justice information. "At the end of the day, it's about improving our services," explains Rodriguez, highlighting how agencies can build security into automated reporting systems and specialized law enforcement applications without requiring extensive cryptographic expertise.
In modern law enforcement, cases frequently span multiple jurisdictions and agencies. The Georgia DCS case demonstrates how secure sharing of case information can occur from any location, with external partners easily accessing protected information without additional software. This means state police, local sheriffs, and federal agencies can collaborate on cases in real-time while maintaining full CJIS compliance.
By automatically encrypting sensitive data, agencies can better protect the identities of witnesses, victims, and undercover officers. This enhanced protection builds community trust and encourages cooperation with law enforcement, ultimately making investigations more effective.
The success stories of Columbia County, Maryland; Hidalgo County, Texas; Arkansas Game & Fish Commission; and Georgia DCS demonstrate how agencies can enhance their operations while maintaining strict CJIS compliance. Now trusted by 17 states across the country, Virtru has become a critical partner in public safety.
In today's mobile-first world, criminal justice professionals need secure access to sensitive information wherever they are. Virtru makes this possible through its suite of platform-agnostic products:
As Richard Juliano from Columbia County observed, public safety personnel now take comfort knowing Virtru is "always safely by their sides–serving as a personal compliance companion and confidant."
For law enforcement and corrections professionals balancing public safety responsibilities with information security requirements under tight budget constraints, that peace of mind is invaluable.
We are running a special offer on Enterprise packages for new state and local government customers. Contact our team for a demo to see what Virtru can do for your organization.