Advanced technology enhances present-day officer safety by helping them more rapidly assess a scene, communicate with emergency personnel and interface with their station. But these devices must maintain connectivity and functionality so they might help to improve officer safety. The technology must not only maintain connectivity and function quickly—but they must also outpace the technologies that criminals use so that the police can remain at least one step ahead.
What specific technologies help keep police officers safe?
There are several ways connected technology enables police officer safety:
- Location-based platforms such as Intrepid and Z-access technology allows for officer location to be clearly detected and displayed to command personnel and other officers. Innovative routing software enhances location tracking and optimizes dispatch frequency, while in-vehicle routers can help course-correct an officer's route to quickly adapt to changing conditions.
- Communication technology like Mission Critical Push to Talk (MCPTT) and voice-to-text allow officers to communicate in high-intensity situations. MCPTT affords users of legacy systems to leverage 4G and future 5G cellular networks, whilst retaining their existing operational capabilities for mission-critical group communication.
- Internet of Things (IoT) connected sensors can provide up-to-date information on the human and physical environment where officers are operating and can help with false alarm assessments. False alarms are calls where no danger actually exists, and they take officers' time away from community engagement and other directed patrols. Examples include wearable biological sensors, GPS location sensors and door alarm systems.
- Police drones have become more popular as a lower-risk form of surveillance and evidence collection. These unmanned aircraft can also take pictures of crash sites or help track perpetrators on the run. Drones can help to keep officers safer by providing another set of eyes that prepares them for what they may encounter ahead.
- Vehicle pursuit darts, which can be deployed onto a moving vehicle, transmit real-time GPS tracking data to officers to help them identify and track a criminal's vehicle electronically. This can help to keep other travelers safer and officers stay one step ahead and avoid unsafe surprises.
Modern policing: enhancements that help promote officer safety
Modern policing requires officers to stay connected to help prevent crime, keep communities peaceful, and ensure citizen health and safety. As traditional crime activities are going high-tech, law enforcement officers’ skills are expanding and adapting to include cyber investigation and the use of technologies that are equipping law enforcement agencies with new capabilities to protect and serve. For example, a modern day patrol car is more like a mobile command center than a means to get from station to crime scene. Connected vehicles will be equipped with numerous computers and tools that an officer will be able to use while in transit to share their location, stream near real-time video and images, transmit tactical data, all of which will help to elevate officer safety. The ability to increase situational awareness across squad cars, task forces, and back to HQ can help raise the ability to respond with a more informed view of the entire situation.
Enhanced connectivity allows officers, Incident Command (IC) operations and others to receive and transmit critical and tactical information in multiple formats, irrespective of location, weather or other factors that previously would have caused limited communication.
Reliable network coverage and faster internet speeds allow for greater functionality in location-based, communication and sensor technology, which also promotes improved teamwork between officers.
Officers work in high-stress and dangerous environments, meaning that they need robust, easy to use and secure technology like the ones above to continue keeping them safe. Utilizing connected technology on the current 4G LTE network can help protect police officer safety by transmitting information rapidly. This speed lets them react quickly to a situation and can help improve the quality of the vital work they perform every day.
Future 5G use cases with the potential to help increase officer safety
5G solutions offer the potential to help eliminate the dividing line between the office and the field by providing near real-time access to historical, operational and tactical data for enhanced situational awareness, faster and better decision making, and the ability to increase analytics capabilities. This could help provide officers and decision makers with an enhanced view of a scene during an emergency. Situational awareness is a key component to officer safety and these solutions should help empower and protect the police officers who protect our communities.
Verizon is committed to researching how 5G and other innovations can increase police officer safety and functionality. Verizon’s 5G Lab works with startups, academia and enterprise teams to help build a 5G-powered world. This includes 5G trials, programs like the 5G First Responder Lab, hackathons, industry partnerships, prototyping challenges and more.
Learn more about Verizon's solutions for police officer safety in the public sector.
The author of this content is a paid contributor for Verizon.