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 **Arlington Police App Streamlines Internal Communication** December 2018 | Volume 11 | Issue 12
  *The Arlington (Texas) Police Department (APD) received a 2015  Community Policing Development Microgrant award for the project “Arlington  Police Department Mobile Phone App” to facilitate better communication within  the police department and between the APD and citizens.* The Arlington Police Department (APD) is in the process of  deploying  a  sophisticated mobile app that is unique on the current market. While many  vendors offer various ways of accessing data in a mobile environment, this app allows  field officers and supervisors to access relevant, real-time data instantly. Developed  by 3Di in coordination with a grant from the COPS Office, this mobile app  brings policing further into the 21st century. Mobile apps offer the convenience of accessing pertinent  information quickly and efficiently. Almost every employee carries a smartphone  as they carry out their daily duties. Having relevant information and resources  can assist staff in multiple ways including quickly obtaining policy  information, corporate communications, and other criminal justice information  from their smartphones. The following highlights a few of the tools available to  officers: **Chief’s Blog.** Departmental communication  from Chief Johnson on specific issues and the weekly newsletter. Employees can  comment on the posts with feedback.
          **Reference.** This section links to all  information an officer may need while on duty. It includes the department’s general  orders, city and state statutes, intelligence bulletins from the Arlington  Tactical Intelligence Unit and Crime Analysis Unit, standard operating procedures,  shift reports that summarize notable incidents, and training materials. Officers’  access to APD information enhances their safety.
          **Social Media.**This section links employees  to the department’s social media posts even if they do not have accounts on  Facebook or Twitter. The department’s media team is constantly posting on  social media to update the public to the activities of the department. It is  important that employees know APD’s message to the public.
          **Messaging.** This function enables  communications between users and groups. Chat messaging is useful when unit  commanders need to relay instant information to their staff. All messages are  retained per the City’s retention policies and move department conversations  from personal devices to the department’s cloud platform.
          **Calendar.** This feature populates with APD  events such as graduations, retirements, and festivities so all employees have  quick access to these agency events. The mobile app project in Arlington was divided into three  categories. The first two categories include an internal version of the mobile  app for exclusive use by department employees. The third version is an external-facing  mobile app that affords community members an opportunity to stay connected with  the department. In the internal versions, employees can choose from a Criminal  Justice Information Systems (CJIS)–compliant version or a non-CJIS version of the  app. The Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) has strict policies that  govern access to confidential criminal justice information. Access to the CJIS  version of the APD app requires the installation of 3Di's mobile device  management (MDM) app, allowing the agency to apply CJIS-compliant security  controls on personally owned and agency-owned devices. Employees who prefer not  to have MDM software on their personally owned devices can elect to install the  non-CJIS version, which will limit their ability to access confidential  information. The department is awaiting final approval from the Texas Department of  Public Safety on the CJIS version of the application. For the CJIS version of the mobile app, officers can  access the following subsets of relevant information: Computer-aided dispatch calls and details
          GPS mapping of all current calls for service
          GPS mapping of all marked units
          Intelligence bulletins
          Corporate communications from the department and  Police Chief Will Johnson
          Reference materials such as policies and other  helpful guides
          Calendar
          Social media accounts
          Messaging in groups “Having readily available call information for supervisors  and field staff who may not be at their mobile data computer elevates our  position to be informed in real-time on incidents that are unfolding,” said Arlington  Police Lieutenant Christopher Cook with the Media Office. “This highlights our partnership with the COPS Office and  the value that employees and citizens will gain through a mobile application,”  said Chief Johnson. “We are incredibly fortunate to have a design team that  worked many months to bring this project forward.” Lieutenant Christopher Cook
          Media Office Tweet
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