11.4.24 – Government Technology
New emergency dispatch tools that offer automated services are more important than ever amid staffing shortages in law enforcement and emergency call centers.
As police and emergency dispatch agencies fought to hire and retain employees in 2024, technology took away some of the burdens and headaches that come with ongoing staffing shortages.
An example came from North Carolina, which fully transitioned to next-generation 911, or NG911. Those upgrades reflect changes in how people communicate in the 21st century, including during emergencies, and are designed to provide backups in case one part of the system fails, as can happen during natural disasters.
Meanwhile, government technology suppliers unveiled new emergency dispatch tools that offer automated processes — helping to ease the workload for call takers — and connect to various data sources. RapidSOS, for instance, debuted a tool that plugs into building sensors and can determine which calls are false, potentially reducing confusion and response times. Expect more of that as emergency call software continues to plug into the Internet of Things.
That’s not to say significant problems don’t exist in public safety. Reliable radio communications stood as one big area of concern in 2024, with police, fire and medical personnel worried about working with gear that is old and outdated. Such problems promise to drive tech innovation and demand in the coming years.
So, too, does the need of law enforcement for access to ever more precise data, information that can give investigators relatively quick and deep looks at crime trends. That was the case in Laredo, Texas, in 2024. The police department deployed software that helped them shut down a violent rivalry between two families and reduced gun-related incidents in the city by 19 percent.
Department officials in Laredo acknowledged that training on the new systems didn’t always go smoothly but they, along with officers from other areas, are certain that cutting-edge technology will not only help attract younger police candidates but also will be embraced with enthusiasm by a generation that was born into a digital world.
Moving to the digital, of course, is not a simple matter of flipping a switch or waiting for older officers to retire. It’s a long process that will continue to play out in 2025 on various levels, including when it comes to digital IDs. While the mainstream has embraced such IDs for a variety of tasks in the consumer, travel, financial and public-sector areas, Government Technology found that only a limited number of police agencies accept them — a potential case of policing falling behind the rest of society. Even so, the efficiency of the technology, like so many other tools coming to market, will all but certainly drive more adoption in 2025.
This story originally appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of Government Technology magazine. Click here to view the full digital edition online.
Thad Rueter writes about the business of government technology. He covered local and state governments for newspapers in the Chicago area and Florida, as well as e-commerce, digital payments and related topics for various publications. He lives in Wisconsin.