Apple's iPhone Is NYPD's Latest Crime-Fighting Equipment

The latest tool for crime fighting to be used by officials of the New York Police Department (NYPD) is not a new gun, or other police equipment, but an iPhone.

According to a report by New York Daily News, police officers operating in Patrol Borough Manhattan South, an area which covers the distance from Wall Street to 59th Street, will be given Apple iPhones as the NYPD shifts from using Nokia phones to Apple phones.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Information and Technology Jessica Tisch said by next week, officials working in the above mentioned neighborhood will be “i-ready” to deal with crime and protect people.

Tisch, during a recent visit to the police academy at Gramercy Park on E. 21st Street where iPhones were also given to police officers, said: “We’ve been giving out about 600 phones a day.”

“We’re seeing a lot of excitement,” Tisch added.

The report stated that due to enhanced security and the speed of the phones, the Apple products were distributed at local police precincts before Christmas. Police officials in Staten Island and Bronx were given the iPhone 7 or the 7 Plus model catering to their screen size preferences.

When all the officers in Manhattan are equipped with the product, the distribution will then take place in Brooklyn and then Queens.

The iPhones signal a big leap in policing methods as they would enable police officials to access 911 dispatches, criminal backgrounds and live videos quickly, the report said.

The NYPD are also equipped with apps on these smartphones which would make it easier for them to serve the people. Some of the apps are as follows:

911: As soon as a 911 dispatch comes into the system, it would instantly reach the iPhones of the every police official within the precinct. The notification would come with a description of the call along with a hyperlink to the caller’s phone, incase police officials need to call them back.

Search: This app lets officials run checks on license plates or names and also checks whether a person has a warrant or not, or if a car was reported to be stolen.

Crime Information Center (CIC): This app contains all the wanted posters by NYPD along with Crime Stoppers searches around the city. The officials can search for information by filtering according to their needs and also choose particular boroughs and precincts.

Christopher Clampitt, 29, who joined the NYPD in 2010, and announced the department’s $160 million plan to equip police officers with iPhones said: “I truly feel like it’s the ultimate tool to have as a patrol cop.”

Talking about how iPhones are helping the officers deal with crime, Clampitt said: “We get to the location a lot quicker.”

“By the time the dispatcher puts out the job (on the radio) we’re already there,” Clampitt added.

The report further stated that NYPD noticed a 14 percent decrease in the time taken, when it came to responding to severe crimes.

Anthony Tasso, commanding officer of NYPD’s Strategic Technology Division said: “It’s going to act like a force multiplier.”

“You’re not just sending it to people assigned to that precinct, but you are sending it to all our phones in that geographical area,” Tasso continued.

In relation to the positive effects of the new equipment, Eugene O’Donnell, a teacher at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a former NYPD officer, described the iPhones as “invaluable” and stated that it was “shocking” that these phones weren’t given to the officers earlier.

“Nearly three decades after this stuff is pioneered, law enforcement is finally joining the adolescents of America,” O’Donnell said.