FBINAA - May 2022 catalog

THREE TOP TECHNOLOGY CAPABILITIES FOR COMMUNITY POLICING

MARCUS CLAYCOMB

For those committed to protecting and serving, having the right technology is not a luxury; it is an everyday necessity. As police departments are asked to performmore services with increased staffing challenges and with fewer resources, adopting and de - ploying the right mobile technology is critical to enabling officers to maintain efficiency on the job and giving back time to interact with the communities they serve. H aving spent more than two decades on the force, I understand first-hand the importance of having the right mobile tools at your disposal. Here are three technology capabilities agencies should consider to best support their current workforce and prepare their departments for the future. 1.NO-LAG CONNECTIVITY FOR DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING Connectivity is a lifeline. Police officers depend on rapid, uninterrupted access to critical programs and data to carry out their work, whether at the station, at home, in a squad car or while patrolling. Even a few seconds of downtime waiting for a connection or signal is valuable time lost. To support officers on the move, reliable connectivity must be a priority. Therefore, any mobile solutions or devices deployed should have multiple cellular and connectivity options. This includes 4G LTE and 5G with dedicated first responder networks and dual-SIM capabilities. Having immedi - ate access to information such as criminal history, vehicle information and call logs helps an officer respond to a situation with all available intelligence at their fingertips. With a mobile device in hand, officers can swipe, click or tap a screen to access secure databases and retrieve pertinent information while en route or on-scene so they’re appraised of a situation before they even arrive. Connectivity is also an important part of an agency’s digital transformation as capitalizing on increasing amounts of data requires strong, consistent bandwidth. While examining an accident

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