Recently, I was scanning through Linkedin and came across an article about technology in law enforcement and the future of policing. Since this is near and dear to our hearts, I enthusiastically read on. I learned about innovations that are shaping law enforcement such as “virtual patrol”, and “augmented reality glasses” and “autonomous drones” on patrol.
These are exciting and amazing features for law enforcement, but are they a reality? Police Departments across the US are faced with budget shortfalls and must find ways to keep up with the ever changing technology. Giving these agencies technology that will help them do their jobs each day while balancing costs is a must.
Things such as MDTs that can access NCIC, read back query results and notify officers of danger with audible and visual cues is a must. The ability to scan licenses and auto populate electronic tickets is a necessity. Sharing RMS data from disparate systems, allowing officers on the road to get a full picture of the situation is key to their situational awareness. These technologies should be basic in ALL agencies across the country.
The reality is many LE agencies across the country don’t have laptops in their cars and can’t afford aircards. Vendors need to realize this fact and develop real pricing alternatives to help these agencies afford these basics. Augmented reality Google Glasses are great, but for who? The few agencies with the budget to afford these luxuries?
Gold Shield understands today’s reality and works to bring real technology to law enforcement in the field. Offering “outside the box” payment options allows agencies to get on board and finally obtain the technology their officers in the field need to do their jobs.