Marcus Claycomb is the business development manager for the public sector for Panasonic Connect North America. He is responsible for creating connections, networking, and opportunity in the fields of law enforcement, fire/rescue, and medical. He works with internal and external partners to increase and enhance existing technologies – as well as working with those same partners to create new technologies & products to fill the “need void” in those fields. Marcus started in medical & fire/rescue and just retired after a 30-year career in law enforcement. He earned a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Bellevue University in Nebraska, an associate degree in computer network administration, and is a proud graduate of the FBI National Academy Session #273.
Mission Critical Magazine sat down with Claycomb to discuss the industry.
What are law enforcement leaders prioritizing in 2024?
Enhancing efficiency is a continuous priority for law enforcement leaders to deliver the best level of service to their communities. Finding new efficiencies has been especially important in 2024, and technology has a big role to play.
A recent industry survey found that departments dealing with increasing crime rates are placing a higher priority on assessing and investing in technology to support officers. As the industry looks to future-proof operations with AI or improved mobility, departments must first turn to devices that can fill in the missing workforce gaps, streamline manual tasks, boost situational awareness, and enhance communications.
What are the major challenges that first responders are facing?
Law enforcement agencies are continuing to face staffing shortages, a continued pattern over the past few years. Panasonic Connect’s recent survey of law enforcement leaders found that 94% view staffing as their primary concern. These shortages lead to longer response times and hinder effective coordination for emergency situations and community policing. Faced with fulfilling existing responsibilities and fewer staff members, departments are turning to technology to streamline manual workflows.
While technology can’t complete all of an officer’s daily workflows, it can help create efficiencies. The challenge is really about identifying the right technology for a better officer experience. Working with a technology partner, departments can determine the right devices and solutions customized for their needs. This could include increased deployment support with flexible pricing models, device repair support, streamlined device monitoring, and seamless software integration.
How does technology help law enforcement serve?
Technology helps officers identify important patterns in data to make more informed decisions. It also enables the automation of manual processes which saves time and resources while also delivering better situational awareness and improved real-time communication. Mobile devices like laptops, tablets, and 2-in-1 devices are key to any department’s technology deployment.
Specifically, rugged laptops and tablets designed with officer needs in mind, can help deliver a more coordinated response. Modular devices offer the flexibility to swap out ports and device functionality post-purchase, such as switching authentication readers and adding external features like DVD drives, without needing to deploy an entirely new device. These modular components, along with innovations like colored backlit keyboards, screens with glove-touch and rain-sensing technology, and hot-swappable batteries, ensure officers can access mission-critical information on their devices regardless of their environment.
Devices with strong connectivity drive continued communication with peers and provide law enforcement officers with access to mission-critical information wherever they are, including remote or rural areas. Easy information sharing between officers, including pictures and videos, helps enhance situational awareness so officers can strategize a response before they even arrive at the scene. Devices also must support the administrative needs of officers as they can spend more than 3 hours each day on reporting and paperwork. Within these significant periods of time, officers have their heads down to focus on the paperwork and 86% of law enforcement professionals are concerned that in-car documentation leaves them vulnerable. Laptops with speech-to-text capabilities allow officers to file reports by dictation, so they can stay aware of their surroundings.
Deploying new technology will not only help current officers be more efficient. It will also help attract new officers to the force. As with many other fields, technology has become crucial to the officer experience to streamline manual tasks so officers can spend more time on strategy and supporting their communities.
What are some obstacles departments may face when deploying technology?
In addition to identifying the right hardware, departments need to consider software deployments. 83% of law enforcement leaders want seamless software integration. That makes it all the more important to work with a hardware company that partners with software providers for the best possible user experience.
This desire for seamless software integrations also speaks to the challenge of deploying technology amid the IT staffing shortage. Globally, 64% of tech leaders are facing a shortage of qualified, experienced candidates for IT and tech jobs. Without the talent to integrate technology into existing workflows, it becomes harder for departments to reach their digital transformation goals.
To implement new technology without complicating IT workflows, departments need to prioritize tech partnerships that offer IT services in addition to hardware and software solutions. This way, limited IT teams can focus on more strategic initiatives while devices enter the hands of officers faster. This is where partners can play a big role in filling the gaps. Departments should seek out a technology partner that can support grant writing, flexible pricing models, and even temporary staffing.
What does the future of law enforcement look like?
The future of law enforcement is set to transform with the integration of new technologies, such as AI, VR, AR, and digital twins to streamline workflows and boost situational awareness. AI for instance could be used to analyze crime data, predict future incidents, and support in strategizing a more coordinated response without being on-site. But to fully leverage the benefits of AI and other tech solutions, departments need to set themselves up with a strong tech foundation - that means implementing mobile devices that can streamline data capture in the field.
