Technology Talk: Web-Based Interface Supports Community Policing and Drives Crime Down

In today’s law enforcement environment, it is vitally important to give police officers as many tools as possible to get the job done efficiently. The key to successful community policing is communication. Information needs to be shared across all lines of the organization. The challenge becomes even greater for police organizations because of the 24 hours a day, 7 days a week operation with personnel assigned to patrol, investigations, gang enforcement, crime prevention, and so on. Another challenge involves 12-hour shifts where interaction between teams of officers is difficult. In order to meet these challenges, it is important to maximize the amount of resources available to officers in their mobile offices—commonly referred to as their squad cars.