Technology Equipment

May 7, 2020

Beware Before Building

The decision to build your own customized in-house software or to buy commercial off the shelf software (COTS) is challenging. This infographic identifies factors that should be considered before making such a tough decision. Know the facts to reduce your risk and make an informed decision.

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May 5, 2020

How State and Local Agencies Can Tap Into Federal Buying Power

Some federal programs give responder agencies money, goods, or training to further their stated mission. Others, like the Cooperative Purchasing Program put forth by the General Services Administration (GSA), allow the same organizations to benefit from federal spending power, giving them greater flexibility in when, where, and how their dollars are ultimately spent. Highly useful overall, this option may be of particular value where technology purchases are concerned.

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Feb 11, 2020

Responder Agencies, It’s Time to Replace Your Ad Hoc Tech Infrastructure

Productivity. Finances. A happy public. These things are often impeded by ad hoc technical infrastructure — computer systems built in piecemeal fashion, as needed. But the fix is surprisingly simple.

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Jan 7, 2020

Cellphone Challenges for Law Enforcement and Corrections

Cellular phone technology has fundamentally changed the way people communicated since it hit the mass market in 1984, and its effects on overall public safety were nearly as dramatic. Today’s public safety agencies utilize mobile devices better and in more ways than ever, but that does not negate the unique challenges they pose — especially for personnel in the law enforcement and corrections fields.

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Nov 19, 2019

Drones: A Legislative Wild West With Serious Concerns for Public Safety Agencies

Unmanned aerial vehicles, more commonly known as drones, have gained a somewhat unsavory reputation, both for their ability to enable such illicit behavior as prison smuggling and for the extreme difficulty lawmakers face in effectively legislating their use. From “lawful” behavior with gaping loopholes to clear-cut illegality, here’s what agencies need to know about the ever-popular device class — and what they can do to defend against them.

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Oct 7, 2019

For LE, Innovation in Houston Could Bring a Revolution in Handgun Sighting

Last year, the Houston Police Department did something no department of its size had before: allowed officers to train for and — at their own cost — purchase red dot sights for their service weapons. Following this (and similar changes in the civilian firearms world), will the rest of law enforcement follow suit?

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Jun 4, 2019

Inaugural Acadis Readiness Summit Highlights National Collaboration

Initially conceived as an opportunity for state public safety training academies to share information on training management practices, the Acadis Readiness Summit in Edneyville, N.C., bloomed into an event of national significance in its field.

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May 22, 2019

Can Your Region Benefit from a Centralized Law Enforcement Organization Database?

Once the domain of federal agencies and major software vendors, centralized regional databases have become a growing trend among small and midsized agencies since 9/11: powerful, cloud-based tools designed to track a variety of criminal justice, strategic, and administrative data. While not without challenges, the technology offers great promise to organizations with neighbors willing to participate.

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May 6, 2019

The Golden State Killer Arrest—and the DNA Questions it Provokes

The arrest of the alleged Golden State Killer drew mass fanfare—but the methods used to get there have been the subject of substantial criticism. The “DNA profiling” technique at the core of the controversy has a long way to go before widespread adoption, and the courts will likely decide its future.

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Apr 10, 2019

How Cloud, Smart Devices, and Other Innovations Are Changing First Response

As a combined industry, agencies providing emergency response services have enjoyed a long, fruitful history of technological innovation. Today, four contemporary advancements underscore just how much these organizations stand to benefit when tools are adapted to their specific needs and challenges.

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