Mobile Devices Inspire Effective and Efficient Law Enforcement

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

In an effort that started as a well-designed pilot in April 2013 and has expanded into daily practice, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is embracing mobile technology—specifically iPhones and iPads—in an information-centric approach to police work that has helped deputies become more effective and efficient. In the past few years, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department’s has trained deputies in the power of Information Led Policing , which relies on crime maps and other data and records to proactively protect public safety, so they were already philosophically and practically primed to incorporate technological tools when the smart device pilot begun. But the effort has been even more successful than expected, with deputies accessing traditional databases but also using facial recognition software to quickly identify uncooperative arrestees in the field and the device’s camera to record and share images and video. Most importantly, since personnel are more efficient and effective in the field, they can spend more time serving the public. When coupled with the inventiveness and ingenuity of sheriff’s deputies and a program of careful testing and policies, smart devices can be a force multiplier for deputies in the field.