There's a marketing piece over at Apple.com about how the Redlands, CA Police Department is using iPads and iPhones to make their officers more efficient in the field. While it is a marketing piece from Apple, it's interesting enough to be worth a look.
Whether on foot, on a bicycle, in a patrol car, or on a Segway in the downtown district, Redlands police officers use iPhone and iPad to access, send, and receive the rich stream of data they need to keep tabs on potential issues. “It allows them to look at satellite maps, access the Internet, send emails, and take photos of victims or potential suspects.” Bueermann says.
“Having all this information at your fingertips and being able to share it instantaneously with other officers in the field is invaluable,” Catren agrees. “We have had many cases where officers have been able to quickly identify perpetrators, or transfer video that's led to the capture of suspects.”
We're seeing quite a number of iPads, iPhones and other similar devices at my agency. Most of them are personally owned devices, but even so they are changing the way officers work. It's not uncommon for officers to email or text suspect pictures to one another, or to view emails and BOLO's in the field.
How is your agency integrating this kind of technology into it's operations? Are your officers encouraged or discouraged from experimenting with these types of devices?
Thanks to the ESRI.com News Room for the heads up.
