We are very proud of the PublicEye implementation in Lowell, MA. Over 80 active devices, including iPads, iPhones, and Android and Windows 8 tablets, have made a tangible impact on response times, situational awareness, and department costs. The detectives, family services team, vice squads, patrol officers, and administration all use PublicEye in daily operations, as do the Lowell Fire Department and neighboring EMS operations.
Our Creative Director, Matt Henry, and I visited Lowell to learn how everyone in the department uses it. We started with Superintendent Taylor, who has PublicEye on his smartphone and tablet. Click below to view his 2-minute clip.
PublicEye has freed Superintendent Taylor to view department happenings right from his home. Truly a mobile data fusion portal, he has access to live calls, real-time unit locations, sex offender residences, structure details, hazards, and even Twitter feeds overlaid on an easy-to-use map.
In order for software like PublicEye to be effective, it needs to be used by everyone in the department. Lowell’s multiplatform deployment includes a variety of devices communicating on the same platform. With the help of
Craig Withycombe, head of IT at Lowell, we checked out the squad car lot, nearly every vehicle and cruiser having a mounted tablet on the center console.
Before PublicEye was available, Officer Alex Ramos relied on the bolted-in laptop and radio for critical communications. Although central dispatch information was accessible, it wasn’t engineered for a mobile environment. For example, a lot of radio traffic was used to confirm officer locations, details of the call for service, and hazards at that location. What if the actual call ended up being across the street? Officers may have little or no information about that new area. Is it important if there’s a registered gun owner at the location, or a myriad of previous calls there? Yes!
While seated in the cruiser, Officer Ramos describes the setup before PublicEye, how the iPad helps in day-to-day operations, how it's used on a call, and more. Click the photo below to watch his 4-minute clip:
As with any productive meeting, we also came away with suggestions for improvement. We will be adding two new icon types into the system: one for
mobile Segway units, and one for canine cars. Lowell continues to add mobile phones into its PublicEye ecosphere, and has big plans for the coming year. We look forward to supporting their department and helping them make the most out of their 21
st century mobilization!