The Dallas Morning News had a piece yesterday on Arlington, TX Police using a web based chat to allow citizens to talk to a police officer for things that don't require an officer to respond to the scene.
I think this is a really interesting idea. I'm glad to see more agencies experiment with technology such as this or social media to connect with the community they serve. Just like there are moves to allow 911 operators to communicate with text messages instead of just voice calls, we are probably going to see more agencies take advantage of technology to communicate with the people they serve.
And if it is more efficient to let a citizen speak with an officer on a web based chat, as opposed to sending him across town in a squad car, then why not?
What technologies do you see police using in the future to connect with the community?
