Transitioning to 'Mobile First' as a Reality in Public Safety: Three Keys to Adoption

Officers are equipped with all the tools to accurately document observable evidence and record testimonies; the problem is that many of these tools are independent, physical items.

Investigators rely on a toolbox that includes digital audio and video recorders, digital photography, graphing pads, and pen and paper to account for the many components of a scene. They then push information through the chain of command appropriately before finishing with an official investigative report.

This workflow has been the essence of investigations for generations, but as precincts across the country continue to struggle with inefficiencies presented by the process, they’re starting to look for more innovative solutions.  

According to a 2015 survey of 1,400 law enforcement officials by Motorola Solutions, 86 percent of respondents recognize the need to improve how they manage their crime data so command staff can make more informed decisions. However, organizational culture is a barrier to adoption of new technologies.

For many, the perception is that the downsides do not outweigh the benefits. Agencies must learn new solutions that allow them to analyze, organize and act on the growing amount of data available to them today.

Indeed, the public safety market is ready to embrace mobile technologies like smartphones and tablets, and while that may not sound like news, there are incredible considerations made by public safety agencies when moving to devices like these for daily operation.

Agencies that have made a successful transition to a mobile workforce have done so by focusing on three key areas:

1. Identify use cases. Every forward-thinking CIO, administrator, police chief or sheriff should start by asking the basic question: “Can we deploy these devices properly and effectively to realize a true gain in productivity?” After all, if agencies are evaluating mobile infrastructure to simply make calls and email, then they are missing the boat.

The power of handheld devices, be they smartphones or tablets, is unleashed when an application ecosystem enhances and optimizes business process, thereby making the device and the application(s) it delivers a cornerstone to agency operations.

This means the first step in adopting mobile technology is identifying primary use cases for mobile devices and what those core applications should be to gain the appropriate pull through for adoption.  

2. Research the options. Once agencies understand, for example, that they want to use smart devices to document crime scenes, they then have to figure out the best device(s) for their organization. 

Should they use 10-inch or 7-inch tablets, or 4-inch or 5-inch phones? In law enforcement, we are seeing the frontline officer benefiting from the smaller form factor of a smartphone, but larger devices present perhaps a more optimal screen to fully leverage technology and new apps designed specifically for mapping, sketching, diagramming, reporting, etc.

Then a very real decision needs to be made about leveraging off-the-shelf software versus expending resources on building custom applications. I'll take the words from Mark Cuban, "Know your core competencies, and focus on being great at them."

3. Pilot and operationalize. Once the hardware has been selected and one or two software applications have been chosen, agencies need to pilot and operationalize—a responsibility that can very quickly take on a life of its own.

For our customers, we put a lot of energy into ensuring a structured pilot framework and process that garners plenty of customer feedback, which is a huge key to driving adoption and buy through from top to bottom. 

A plan must also be in place that covers end user training, train-the-trainer and milestone meetings to understand what’s working and what’s not. Creating paradigm shifts in any business or industry is hard and takes time and careful planning.

Also keep in mind we like to say “this is a contact sport,” and our customers have really benefited from a collaborative approach to piloting. The idea of using the pilot to assess viability, usability and measuring value puts both parties in a position to make decisions based on empirical evidence. 

Conclusion

Policy also helps support the change, as it inevitably gives users the framework of the new ways of operating. We stress to our customers how important it is to enforce and reinforce the use of the new technology as the only way of doing business.

With one of our early-adopting customers, the use of SceneDoc was an optional tool for the officers, and we saw that only 20 percent of the officers had made it part of their daily operation. In a similar agency, where policy supported the change, we had nearly 100 percent adoption, and the results of a "mobile first" operation have been paying dividends ever since.