Toronto Police front-line officers in the 51 Division are being issued mobile devices.
This is the first phase of the Connected Officer program, which will arm officers with a full application suite and eNotebook by next year.
For this first roll out officers will all receive the Samsung Galaxy S8+ handsets, though Sandra Buckler of the Toronto Police says the devices may change as the program continues.
By the end of February, 236 officers will receive mobile device training, which allows officers to access to criminal investigative databases through their work-assigned smartphone. The second phase of the program will see another 460 devices deployed starting next spring.
Toronto Police says these smart devices will:
- Transfer the reliance away from a personal device.
- Give officers increased access to real-time information.
- Allow for problem-solving on the spot – not in the scout car or back at the station.
- The devices will connect members across units.
The smartphones allow officers to access information outside of their vehicles. Officers can use the handsets to bring up photos of suspects while doing surveillance or look up a criminal record.
Toronto Police expects all three phases of this project to be completed by December 2020.
Source: Toronto Police Services
Image Credit: Toronto Police Services
