Committee wrestles with how Merit investigators and non‑consortium agencies will access RMS data

Several members raised the operational problem of granting Merit investigators or non‑consortium agencies access to consortium records during active investigations. Using Oak Brook and Naperville as examples, participants described prior arrangements that treated outside agencies as separate tenant accounts with limited access. "Naperville... they function as their own agency," one member said, noting the existing model uses independent licenses paid for by Merit for a small number of seats.

Committee members debated options — requiring all merit supplementals to be done in Mark 43, creating task‑force accounts, or continuing independent licenses — and flagged the unresolved question of who pays license fees when an investigator needs access to another agency's RMS (for example, an Axon license). "To pay for that license cost money. So then the question becomes, does who pays for that?" a member said. The presenter emphasized the value of Mark 43's audit trail to limit inappropriate sharing and said the group should resolve these operational questions before they arise during active investigations.