Mobile technology is changing the way public safety agencies and their officers communicate with dispatch — both in the field and back in the station.
Public safety agencies are increasingly embracing a mobile-first approach where the smartphone becomes the singular computing device for officers in the field, in their vehicles and at the department. This strategy not only enhances situational awareness, but can also streamline capital and operating expenses for public safety agencies.
At the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference earlier this year, I had the chance to speak with Public Safety Network’s TJ Kennedy about what this shift means for a public safety department. No surprise: Cost savings was a huge factor.
“One of the things we looked at was how much public safety really spends when it comes to technology in a police car or in a fire engine and what do they do when giving technology to officers in the field or firefighters and paramedics,” Kennedy said.
“And when we looked at the kind of money [public safety agencies] spend today on desktop computers or hardened laptops, smartphones and police radios, we found that there’s a lot of money being spent, but it’s not necessarily being done in the way that [best serves] police officers, firefighters and paramedics.”
From there, the Public Safety Network realized that with the Samsung DeX platform for in-vehicle and in-station computing, there is a significant cost savings that can be found in every single department. Those operational savings can have positive impacts on a department’s overall budget, but there are positive impacts for the officer, too, when it comes to their effectiveness and safety.
Public safety personnel need devices that are made for them and their unique operations. Highly mobile devices fit seamlessly into their work styles — so when that device or solution is a smartphone, there’s no learning curve, and they can immediately get to work.
Learn how Samsung DeX works in police cars as a cost effective replacement for laptops.
