Law-enforcement technologySFPD announce new mobile application for police in the field
Earlier this week Mayor Edwin Lee of San Francisco joined the San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco Citizens Initiative for Technology and Innovation (sf.citi) to announce a new mobile application which will enable police officers to report remotely from the field and share reports in real time, improving police department efficiency for officers by an estimated 40 percent daily
Earlier this week Mayor Edwin Lee of San Francisco joined the San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco Citizens Initiative for Technology and Innovation (sf.citi) to announce a new mobile application which will enable police officers to report remotely from the field and share reports in real time, improving police department efficiency for officers by an estimated 40 percent daily.
“This project combines two of my priorities for the city: supporting our innovation economy and improving public safety,” said Lee. “This initiative makes our police department one of the most innovative in the world, allowing officers to utilize cutting edge 21st Century technology built right here in the ‘Innovation Capital of the World’ to keep our City and our residents safe.”
“I am grateful and pleased at the efforts of private companies to invest in the safety of San Francisco,” said Police Chief Greg Suhr. “It’s estimated that it takes up to 40 percent of officers’ time to return to the station to do follow-up report work. Using this new technology will keep more officers out on the streets.”
“Working with civic leaders to identify ways in which the San Francisco tech community can improve the City is the mission of sf.citi, and this project is a perfect example of that partnership,” said sf.citi’s Ron Conway. “The City’s tech industry has drawn on its own talents and resources to find an innovative solution to save our police department time and money, which will in turn make San Francisco a safer place to live.”
Named the Michael J. Homer Initiative in honor of the San Francisco innovator, this pilot project will be funded through a $100,000 donation by sf.citi. Hewlett Packard has donated sixty top-of-the-line HP Ultrabook laptop computers immediately to begin training officers on new hardware, providing SFPD officers in the field direct access to the new SFPD Crime Data Warehouse, while sf.citi member ArcTouch will design and develop a new mobile SFPD field reports application, providing officers with a mobile version of the Crime Data Warehouse and enabling compatibility for multiple mobile platforms to be released.
“Making a positive impact within the communities in which our employees work, live, and play matters to HP,” said HP director of Worldwide Community Engagement Caroline Barlerin. “Improving SFPD’s access to innovative technology solutions will dramatically improve officers’ productivity and allow them to do what they are well-trained to do – protect San Francisco residents.”
ArcTouch, one of San Francisco’s leading app development studio with more than 150 apps created for Fortune 500 enterprises and major brands, will design and develop software to streamline note taking and field reporting and fully leverage the capabilities of today’s cutting edge mobile devices such as GPS, audio and image recording, and touch interfaces. The app will connect with the Crime Data Warehouse, SFPD’s new state-of-the-art computer system and enterprise data warehouse. This Internet-based portal is now being used by SFPD to solve, manage, and prevent crime implemented at all precinct stations.
“Mobile devices and app solutions are ideal for field reporting and incident tracking allowing officers to connect real-time and maximize the full potential of the Crime Data Warehouse,” said ArcTouch founder Adam Fingerman. “Our app designers and developers live and work in San Francisco. We love this city and are thrilled to partner with SFPD and sf.citi, and commend them on their forward thinking.”
The San Francisco mayor’s office said that SFPD will use this opportunity to maximize their modernization program making SFPD paperless citywide. While the ArcTouch mobile field reports app is in development set for future release, HP’s donation today of sixty new HP Ultrabooks will immediately provide officers direct access to the Crime Data Warehouse from anywhere at any time, providing most of the capabilities of a police district station to officers in the field. Officers will be able to write reports, identify suspects, instantly check on crime patterns and alerts, and view crime videos — even while crimes are in progress, drastically improving upon this current 40 percent time deficiency. SFPD officers will now train on HP Ultrabooks with a goal of never again using stationary desktops, providing a necessary bridge to the soon-to-be released ArcTouch mobile field reports software.
