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Support center

How-to help for running Patrol Forge.

Use this support center to set up your company, add users, configure properties, dispatch calls, train officers, manage GPS, support clients, and fix common issues.

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First steps

Recommended setup order

Follow this order for the smoothest rollout.

1Create your core usersAdd company admins, supervisors, dispatchers, and officers before assigning work.
2Build ranks and permissionsSet up ranks, permissions, supervisor chains, and approval routes.
3Add clients and propertiesCreate clients, service locations, contacts, GPS coordinates, and patrol radiuses.
4Configure field operationsSet dispatch statuses, GPS settings, approval workflow, schedules, vehicles, and equipment.
5Test officer workflowsHave an officer test login, location permission, time clock, patrol hit, incident report, and dispatch alert.
6Open the client portalAssign client users only after approved records and property access are configured correctly.

How-to library

Step-by-step guides

Open the guide that matches the task you are working on.

Users and activation Ranks and permissions Clients and properties GPS and location Dispatch calls Officer mobile app Reports and client portal Billing and subscriptions

Add a new officer or staff user

  1. Log in as a Company Admin.
  2. Open the company admin panel and go to Users.
  3. Select Add User.
  4. Enter first name, last name, address, phone number, and email.
  5. Choose the user role, such as officer, supervisor, dispatcher, or company admin.
  6. Save the user. Patrol Forge sends an activation email so the user can finish setup and create their password.
  7. If the user does not receive it, open the user record and choose Resend activation email.

Use a real email address the officer can access from their phone. If Gmail does not receive mail, test another address and verify domain SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.

Create ranks and assign permissions

  1. Go to Ranks & Access.
  2. Create company-specific ranks, such as Officer, Lead Officer, Supervisor, Field Manager, or Dispatcher.
  3. Assign a rank level. Lower or higher level rules should match your internal chain of command.
  4. Open permissions and select what each rank can access.
  5. Assign users to ranks from the user rank assignment screen.
  6. Create supervisor relationships if approvals should follow chain of command.
  7. Test with a non-admin account to confirm users only see the screens they should see.

Avoid giving every user admin access. Use ranks and permissions so officers, dispatchers, supervisors, and client users each see the correct screens.

Add clients, properties, and GPS coordinates

  1. Create the client first from Clients.
  2. Go to Properties and select Add Property.
  3. Enter the property name, address, city, state, ZIP, property type, and active status.
  4. Use the address lookup/map tool to find coordinates when available.
  5. Move the map marker if the pin is slightly off.
  6. Set the patrol radius. This controls how close an officer should be for GPS patrol verification.
  7. Decide whether the property should be client-visible.
  8. Add property contacts and notes if supervisors or officers need site details.

Coordinates should be decimal latitude and longitude, such as 35.119886 and -106.496768.

Set up GPS and location rules

  1. Confirm the company's plan includes GPS features if GPS tools are needed.
  2. Open Company Settings.
  3. Enable or disable GPS for the company. Only a Company Admin should control this setting.
  4. Set default patrol radius rules for properties.
  5. Have officers allow location permission in the browser or Android app.
  6. Use the GPS map to confirm active officers show correctly.
  7. Review stale GPS, disabled permission, geofence, or speed alerts as needed.

Patrol Forge is intended to use GPS while the user is logged in and actively using the app. If location permission is blocked, GPS-based features may be unavailable.

Create and assign a dispatch call

  1. Go to Dispatch from the company admin or dispatcher screen.
  2. Select Create Call.
  3. Enter the call type, priority, caller information, location, property, and description.
  4. If the address is not tied to a property, use the free-form location fields.
  5. Use the closest officer tool if location data is available.
  6. Assign the call to an officer.
  7. The officer app checks every 10 seconds and alerts when a new assigned call appears.
  8. Monitor status changes such as acknowledged, enroute, on scene, and cleared.

If a call does not appear for an officer, confirm the officer belongs to the same company and is assigned to that exact dispatch call.

Use the officer Android app

  1. Install the Patrol Forge Android app on the officer's phone.
  2. Log in with the officer's Patrol Forge email and password.
  3. Allow location permission when prompted.
  4. Use Clock In at the start of the shift.
  5. Use Nearby Properties to find property IDs and patrol locations.
  6. Use Submit Patrol Hit when completing a patrol.
  7. Use File Incident Report for incidents that need documentation.
  8. When a dispatch call is assigned, the app plays a loud alert and shows the call on the dashboard.

If an officer is typing an incident report, background dispatch checks should not erase the form. The alert still plays so they know a call was assigned.

Approve records and share reports with clients

  1. Have officers submit patrol hits, incidents, maintenance issues, post checks, and DARs.
  2. Supervisors review records from approval queues or module screens.
  3. Approve, reject, or request correction as needed.
  4. Only mark records client-visible when they should appear in the client portal.
  5. Assign client users to the correct properties.
  6. Client users can then view approved client-visible activity for authorized properties only.
  7. Use reports and exports for PDF or CSV records when needed.

If a client cannot see something, check three things: property access, approval status, and client-visible status.

Manage plan usage, add-ons, and cancellation

  1. Company Admins can view current plan usage from the usage screen.
  2. Review included officers, supervisors, dispatchers, and client accounts.
  3. Use add-ons when the plan allows extra users above the included amount.
  4. For upgrades, Patrol Forge can calculate prorated credit for unused time on the current plan.
  5. For downgrades, choose whether the downgrade happens now or at renewal.
  6. For cancellation, review the cancellation screen and submit the reason.
  7. Cancellations are designed to take effect at the end of the paid term unless otherwise configured.

Plan limits and performance settings are controlled by Patrol Forge. Company Admins can view usage but cannot change platform plan limits.

Troubleshooting

Common fixes

The officer app is not showing a dispatch call.

Confirm the officer is assigned to the call, belongs to the same company, is logged into the app, and has network access. The app checks for dispatch updates every 10 seconds.

The app makes noise but the dashboard does not show the call.

Rebuild and reinstall the latest Android app. The app should refresh the dashboard every 10 seconds when the officer is on the dashboard, but only alert quietly when the officer is inside a form.

GPS is unavailable on the phone.

Make sure location permission is enabled for the browser or Android app. If the company has GPS enabled but the user blocks location, admins may receive a GPS permission alert.

An activation email did not arrive.

Check spam, verify the email address, resend the activation email from the company users screen, and confirm the domain mail settings are correct. Include SPF, DKIM, and DMARC checks when Gmail is affected.

A client cannot see a report.

Confirm the client user has access to the property, the record is approved, and client visibility is enabled for that record.

The website still shows old content after uploading files.

Run the Laravel cache clear command after uploading updates: php artisan optimize:clear.

Helpful links

Policies and account pages

Privacy Policy Terms of Service Acceptable Use Policy GPS Acknowledgment Plans and Pricing Customer Login

Contact support

Send the details and we can help faster.

When requesting help, include your company name, user email, what you were trying to do, what happened, and any screenshots or error text.

Email Patrol Forge Support