Situation

• A Regional Police Service in Western Canada relied on two-way radio and relatively slow CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data) wireless connections for communications between dispatchers and its officers on patrol
• Radio communications are not secure, limiting the amount of information that can be shared
• Interference can mean dispatchers and officers need to repeat radio messages a number of times
• When reporting incidents, officers would have to manually input the same information onto multiple documents

Approach

• The Regional Police Service was transitioning to new hardware and had been considering switching to 1X wireless communications
• Almost simultaneously, the TELUS wireless high speed (EVDO) footprint was extended to the area
• The Police Service considered one other wireless vendor, but switching networks would have required different hardware
• With access to the EVDO network available as part of its SafetyNet™ portfolio of solutions for public safety, TELUS was the only provider that met all their needs
• The Police Service also chose TELUS to provide BlackBerry handheld devices to its senior members

Business benefits

• Information is transferred directly to laptops in police vehicles, dramatically reducing the need for dispatchers to repeat any messages
• Officers have direct access to all information on the Service's system, allowing them to work extensively from their vehicles
• When an officer keys new information into the system, it becomes available immediately to all other members of the Service
• Officers can new easily transfer duplicate information such as names and addresses between multiple documents
• The time saved on administrative tasks frees officers to devote more of each shift to working for and with citizens
• Senior members use BlackBerry handheld devices to check email outside the office, allowing them to spend more time policing and mentoring younger members

Solution

Like police officers around the world, members of a Regional Police Service in Western Canada rely on their two-way radios when there's an emergency.  Radios are ideal for communication information quickly and succinctly.  But when more information has to be collected and shared between officers on the street and dispatch, radio has its limitations.  Security cannot be assured, interference often means messages have to be repeated, sometimes more than once, and information gathered on the street by officers has to be entered into the system manually, usually at the end of a shift.

That's why the Regional Police Service had been using TELUS CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data) service to transmit some data between dispatch and its members.  however, when the Service began transitioning to a new application and hardware, they also began looking at moving to a 1X cellular network.  Then they learned that TELUS was extending the footprint of its Wireless High Speed (EVDO) network to their area, and making access to it available as part of its SafetyNet™ portfolio of solutions for public safety.  "It was a natural progression," says the Service's Manager of Information Technology.  "We looked at another vendor, but that would have meant changing hardware to be compliant.  TELUS had the only offering that met our needs."

Today, every one of the Service's vehicle is equipped with a ruggedized laptop, fitted with a high speed wireless air card that allows it to connect to dispatch via the TELUS EVDO network.  "It's made life easier for everyone," says the IT Manager.  "Information is transferred from dispatch directly to the officer, so there's very little need for repeating it."  There's also virtually no limit to the amount of information that can be sent to an officer.  Complete details of a person or a vehicle can be transmitted - and because it's encoded and sent digitally, there is little risk of security breaches.

For the officers on the street, having data available means being able to work from their vehicles, accessing all the information they need.  They can also update information in real time, making it available to dispatchers and other officers within seconds.  In addition, the system reduces their administrative workload.  Previously, an officer might have had to fill out the same information manually on multiple reports - sometimes as many as 10 of them - but now, the same information is easily transferred.  Most importantly, though, the system allows officers to spend more time policing.  "They don't have to come back to the station as much to do their reporting," says the IT Manager.  "That's a definite benefit to our citizens."

Senior members of the Service have also benefited from advances in technology.  Today, they use BlackBerry handheld devices and TELUS wireless connectivity to communicate and to check email when they're out of the office - and they're also finding that they have more time to devote to policing and to mentoring younger members of the service.