Take your average John and Jane Doe out there in the streets, in a survey to see the type of phone they use. If the inquiry is in the United States, then 65.2% of the time, they will be using an Android phone, 30.9% of the time they will be using an iPhone. Windows Phones would be the last at 2.3% of the time. Outside of the U.S.A, particularly in emerging markets, the numbers drastically change in favor of Android.
However, if you were to limit you survey to just the New York Police Department (NYPD), almost 100% of the time they will be using a Windows Phone. Especially if it is the device they use for their official police work.
Why does the NYPD love Windows Phones so much?
The NYPD did not look to iOS or Android when searching for smartphones their officers will be using for their official police work. Reports indicate the NYPD’s primary concern, was security, and the two platform apparently don’t measure up to Windows Phones when it comes to security. CNET reports the police department uses the Lumia 830 and Lumia 640 XL.
After settling on Windows, the NYPD signed a unique contract with Microsoft to make seven apps specifically for the police force. Apps like the 911 app that allows a police officer get 911 calls directly instead of having the NYPD dispatch unit reading them the report. The introduction of this app led to the response time to crime to increase by about 12% this year, compared to 2015.
Another app allows the police officer to file and fill their paperwork and reports. It also enables them to conveniently stay updated on the latest NYPD policies from their phones. Previously, the officers had to travel to Queens for a briefing on the NYPD policies, now they don’t have to do so.
While the introduction of smartphones to the NYPD has come with benefits such as swift response to reported crimes, and improving police-community relationship. The latter is due to the officers’ direct contact with the victims making calls to 911 going through directly to the cops instead of the dispatch unit. There, however, seems to be a downside to these benefits.
The obvious one being, the NYPD now has overheads such as buying the smartphones in the first place and replacing damaged and lost smartphones to the officers. The officers are also concerned about being always being tracked through their smartphones.
Reports also indicate the officers are yet to upgrade to the latest Windows 10 Mobile OS. They are reportedly set to upgrade sometime in the summer of 2017.
