The most common cloud-based apps in police departments include video streaming, document storage, crime reporting, investigations, mapping, 911 dispatch software, and records management. More and more law enforcement agencies are realizing the importance and benefits of using this technology which enables a more streamlined and efficient system while improving the safety of their officers. Here are the top reasons why departments are making the switch to the cloud for police dispatch software, computer aided dispatch systems and other software. 

Cost Savings

Cloud technology like public safety cloud uses the dynamic provisioning of hardware, software, or services over a network to increase productiveness, officer safety, and expandability.  The cloud can also reduce the costs over traditional in-house servers. As the police department’s budgets decrease, these digital technologies are providing officers with new, more cost-effective solutions to manage their investigations and operations. Many agencies are ramping up their use of dash-cams and body cameras in response to the public’s demand for improved accountability and transparency in their officers. While these innovations have an amazing potential to enhance policing efforts, many departments are quickly reaching or have reached the limits of their onsite data management and storage capabilities. By using a cloud-based system, police agencies can continue to collect data and store it securely at a fraction of the cost. 

Improved Collaboration

Cloud-based services can also facilitate improved collaboration between law enforcement agencies on a local, national, and international level. Information and evidence collection are the lifeblood of police work. Law enforcement officers need the most accurate and timely information to guide their decision-making processes. With the collaboration of multiple agencies working together using cloud technology and law enforcement software, there is a dramatic improvement in how police departments and other law enforcement agencies share and analyze data. This greatly improves the flow of information which in turn enables officers to more effectively manage multiple aspects of their operations and investigations.

Cloud computing gives officers the ability to share data in real-time amongst different agencies and labs, which provides a comprehensive and constantly updated view of ongoing investigations. Also, any evidence or data collected at a crime scene can be uploaded to the cloud. This offers quick and easy access to federal and state jurisdictions, greatly improving their collaboration. Authorities can analyze this integrated data promptly which helps streamline their investigations. 

Improved Public Safety

Most people wouldn’t think of improved public safety when thinking of the cloud. But, with the crime landscape in a constant state of change, law enforcement agencies are forced to evolve their digital capabilities to prepare for the next generation of public safety threats. Working in a cloud-based system for CAD and dispatch systems enables law enforcement to communicate with smartphones, tablets, laptops and other connected devices, unlike the previous landline or phone-based system. Besides giving the community a more convenient avenue to contact police, these mobile communications also enable the integration of various digital feeds. These feeds including 911 calls, local videos from a street surveillance camera or doorbell video camera, or a law enforcement officer’s body camera. 

Streamlined Data Management

By moving to the cloud, police departments will have a secure and flexible data platform for CAD and dispatch systems that can be configured to meet their specifications and be easily upgraded in the future.  These cloud-based data management systems enable law enforcement personnel to store and manage large amounts of data securely and efficiently. Evidence is the backbone of police work, and as crimes continue to become more complex, it’s time for police departments to make the move to the cloud for their CAD systems and law enforcement dispatch software which will help manage the volume of digital evidence. Here are a few examples of the type of data that can be stored:

• Video footage from the officer’s body cams
• Photos and videos from smartphones
• Driver’s License information
• CCTV data
• GPS coordinates and data
• Electronic citations
• Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR)

Sensitive and confidential data live in well-guarded evidence rooms across the world. Many departments have made the move to the cloud because they have realized that a cloud-based system using multiple layers of security and data encryption is just as secure and solves the problem of expensive storage. As more law enforcement personnel learn about the benefits of increased public safety, better collaboration among agencies and the cost savings of moving to the cloud, more and more departments will be making the move.