Associate Magazine FBINAA Q2-2023

FBINAA FBI National Academy Associates, Inc. Strategic DIAMOND LEVEL Alliance 2023

FBINAA.ORG | Q2 2023

MOBILE TECH SPOTLIGHT: WICHITA KANSAS POLICE DEPARTMENT INSIGHTS FROM THE LARGEST AGENCY IN KANSAS

DALE STOCKTON, NA Session 201

A growing trend in law enforcement is to equip officers with smartphones and it’s driven by the sheer utility and empowerment that these mobile devices can deliver. The Wichita, Kansas Police Department is the largest police agency in the state, and it began issuing smartphones in October 2020, deploying them to all field officers, inves tigators, sergeants, special assignments, command staff, and support personnel. The phones came at a good time because they provided an effective way for Wichita Police Department to provide quality service as agencies across the nation were coping with pandemic concerns and the advent of social distancing.

U ntil a couple of years ago, smartphone issuance at Wichita Police Department was, like many agencies, limited to select command staff and special assignments. Officers in the field were using iPods to manage body camera videos and do basic photo captures in the field. But the devices relied on Wi-Fi and were limited in their functionality and efficiency. According to Baird, that all changed in October 2020 when the agency utilized the Connecting Heroes ® program from T-Mobile® for Government to issue 650 smartphones to all field personnel. Launched in May 2020, Connecting Heroes provides free, subsidized, and low-cost smartphone connectivity and technology assistance to state and local first responder agencies. “Without much of a technology budget, we had to improvise,” said Baird, referring to the use of iPods. “But Connecting Heroes changed that, and I don’t think our officers would have cell phones today if it were not for the program – the cost would be too high.” The phones provide a wide range of functionality, including audio and video recording, crime scene documentation, and support for managing body camera videos.

“We were able to send an officer out to a person’s home, then they could call the citizen from their phone and handle most situations without personal contact,” said Officer Tim Baird, who manages the smart phone program for Wichita Police Department. “This was great because the person-to-person communica tion was there, but without physical proximity. In 2020, that was very important to everyone.”

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