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New Technology to Help Your Department Stay Safe and Efficient

A close up of a drone flying with the sunset in the background.

It is very important in law-enforcement to keep up with technology and use it to your advantage. Today, technology is constantly being updated and improved. It can be hard to keep up but this article will help you learn what kind of technology other departments are using to save them time and keep their officers safer on the job.

This article will cover:
  1. Drones
  2. GPS Tracking
  3. Cloud Technology
  4. Facial Recognition
  5. Social Media

1. Drones

Drones are one of the newest and fastest growing technologies in the law enforcement industry. They allow you to monitor what is happening and create a plan for yourself while staying a safe distance away.

Drones make search and rescues easier than ever before. They can hover over large areas and detect people who may be stuck or trapped. You can then save the person quickly because you are given the exact coordinates and know the barriers that you may face.

They are also very useful when you are investigating an active shooter from a distance. You can hover the drone over a building or open space and see exactly where they are in a building and the layout of the space the building or open space. This allows you to view the scene quickly and come up with a plan.

Crowd monitoring is a large advantage of drones. Having a drone allows you to hover it over a large group of people and look for suspicious behavior. If you see any, you can then be ready for an issue and possibly prevent it from happening. If someone passes out or is hurt, you will know immediately.

Click here to see which drones are best for law enforcement.

 

2. GPS Tracking

While GPS itself is not new technology, new uses for it are constantly being publicized. Officer and vehicle tracking are one of the many uses of GPS in law enforcement. If an officer needs backup or is hurt, with the use of GPS, an extra person could be there quickly without the officer needing to know exactly where they are. It can also be useful when trying to track a stolen patrol car.

GPS allows the department to have information on each car at every moment of the day. If a car is stopped for a long period of time, where it was, how fast it was going, etc. This information can be extremely helpful when in court.

One of the newest GPS technologies that is not widely known yet is the use of GPS darts. You can install a cannon like device on the front of your car and if you get into a high speed chase, you can easily shoot an adhesive foam dart to the back of the car that you are chasing so that you can track it wherever it goes. This allows you to slow down and avoid being an accident while still keeping track of the suspect.

You can look at a system like Sundance to get GPSs for your cars!

 

3. Cloud Technology

Cloud technology allows departments from all over the country to share information on suspects and citizens in one place. It prevents you from having to go through hundreds or even thousands of papers to find information on one person. It can also keep you from needing to reach out to other departments to get basic information.

Some examples of cloud technology include: records management systems, computer aided dispatch, scheduling software, vehicle management software, etc.

The use of cloud technology gives you access to files from anywhere you go. It can eliminate the need to print the files and save you money that you can spend on your community instead.

Lastly, cloud technology makes training a breeze. Having data and information readily available online can save you time and money when it comes to training officers. If they need to complete a training, having the information online can eliminate the need for a person to teach them. This can also make the training quicker, allowing your officers to be on the job more often to help keep the community safe.

 

4. Facial Recognition

Police departments are slowly beginning to move away from the use of traditional large fingerprint scanners or even the old ink pad. Now, they are adapting facial recognition and handheld fingerprint scanners to make it easier than ever to know who someone is the moment they are caught. These systems are more accurate and quicker than the traditional ways of doing this.

According to PoliceOne, one-in-two American’s faces are in a facial recognition system, and this number is continuing to grow.

 

5. Social Media

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can aid in the prevention of crime. With over 2 billion people on some type of social media, you can be more aware of potential threats. People post hateful comments or suspicious posts on social media and you are able to track them down fairly quickly. If somebody posts a threat against someone else, you can know quickly and be able to prevent anything from actually happening.

Facebook has implemented a system that allows a person to say they are “safe” if they are in a location where there was a disaster or a dangerous major event occurred. This feature can help police know who is safe and who may need rescued.

 

Technology is constantly changing and enhancing. Keeping up with the latest industry technology is important for your department and your community. With the use of social media, facial recognition, cloud technology, GPS, and drones you can stay safe and prevent crimes from happening.


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About Us

PlanIt Police scheduling software is extremely powerful yet easy-to-use. It is meant to simplify scheduling and enhance communication for law enforcement agencies. PlanIt was developed by Ragnasoft, Inc who have specialized in public safety scheduling solutions for over 10 years.

Contact Us

PO BOX 4903
Lancaster PA 17604
sales@planitschedule.com
1-866-471-2001
717-925-3908 (fax)
Contact Us
PlanIt Police

PlanIt Police is an online scheduling system for police departments. PlanIt is developed by Ragnasoft, Inc which has specialized in public safety scheduling solutions for over 10 years.

Our Contacts

PO BOX 4903
Lancaster, PA 17604
Phone: 1-866-471-2001
Fax: 1-717-925-3908
Email: sales@planitschedule.com