Lessons from the pandemic are shaping the future of public safety
The COVID-19 pandemic forced a seismic shift in how public sector organizations engage with their communities and constituents. Technology played a crucial role in keeping agencies open and able to serve the public—through greater reliance on virtual meetings, more accessible online portals, and AI-based chatbots to help the public find answers to their questions quickly, to list just a few examples. This is true of public safety organizations as well.
Law enforcement agencies have leveraged remote and cloud-enabled tools not only to meet their mission needs during the pandemic, but also to accelerate their digital transformation to better respond to the specific needs of the community. As we look to the future, what lessons can we draw on to build upon these successes, and how can we support the men and women in uniform both on and off duty?
For many years law enforcement agencies have used Microsoft solutions as part of their technology infrastructure. Over time agencies and the solution partners that support them began using Microsoft capabilities in their operational solutions, and in 2014 Microsoft first participated at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference. Our subject matter experts—some of whom are former law enforcement officers themselves—have never taken for granted the need to continually learn from those on the front lines.
Microsoft is currently collaborating with police and justice agencies all over the world, from Western Australia to the United Kingdom to Los Angeles to North Carolina, helping them develop an effective technology roadmap that addresses their most critical challenges. By focusing on the technology that public safety agencies already own, we are committed to developing solutions aimed at driving positive outcomes, whether they come from law enforcement or social service programs.
At this year’s IACP conference, Microsoft is building on this commitment by hosting a thought-leadership session titled “Response and Resilience—Safety and Wellness for All.” This session seeks to promote dialogue on two critical topics: alternative response models; and officer wellness and resilience. The session will bring together experts to discuss how cloud and analytical tools can help public sector organizations identify the right resources to address certain issues and meet the needs of officers and the communities they serve.
We look forward to helping the IACP shape the future of law enforcement at the 2021 IACP Conference and look forward to seeing you at our session, “Response and Resilience—Safety and Wellness for All”
In future blogs and thought-leadership sessions, we will discuss our thoughts on how to effectively merge advanced technology capabilities with human expertise and processes to help address the most critical challenges facing law enforcement and the communities they serve.
