App finds Finest
Tells brass in real time where every NYPD officer is
A new police smartphone app will let NYPD commanders at a moment’s notice know where officers are located, and who can respond to demonstrations and other incidents, department brass said Thursday.
“It’s a significant seismic shift in terms of how we account for people, and it gives us ability and a flexibility we didn’t have before,” Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said.
The app shows in real time where every cop in the city is posted, said NYPD Deputy Commissioner Matthew Fraser, the department’s technology guru.
The app will also show the locations of those performing administrative duties or doing other nonpatrol tasks so that if needed, they can be reassigned quickly.
It could also help commanders quickly locate officers who speak foreign languages or have other skills that might be useful in dealing with crimes, demonstrations and other police matters.
Police stretched resources were thin during the
pandem mic and the demonstrations s over racial equality, NYPD leaderseaders saysay.
“What we found during the height of the pandemic was the department needed more agility with how we positioned our resources,” Fraser said.
The department already has systems to track each officer’s location, said Shea. “But it takes time, and it’s relying on, in my opinion, antiquated methods to gather that information,” he said.
The new system “takes all the guesswork out of it. This is real data, right now.”
“We are very proud of our tech hnology, using data — I thin nk we do a good job,” said She ea. “But we had much roo m to improve in terms of how w we account for people on a day-to-day basis.
“It’s a significant seismic shif ft in terms of how we acco ount for people, and it gives give us ability and a flexibility we didn’t have before.”
The NYPD also said it is making its website more user friendly and that it has two new data dashboards.
One provides a breakdown of its officers by race, gender and rank, and another that details hate crimes across the city.