60% of Officers Use Consumer Broadband

A survey conducted in Pinellas County, FL by AT&T showed that more than 60% of police officers are using their commercial broadband devices (smart phones, tablets, laptops), to supplement the shortcomings of their agency-issued communications devices.  

This information was provided by Pam Montanari, radio and data-systems manager for Pinellas County, during the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference in Chicago.  Those who doubt the need of the proposed 700 MHz LTE network for Public Safety often criticize the plan by questioning whether officers will actually use wireless broadband technology regularly. 

Of the 60%, 84% say they use these devices daily, 20% say they use these devices in critical situations.  Regulations often prohibit the use of personal devices while on duty, but it seems the operations benefit outweighs the risk of reprimand for most first responders. 

"Some of the most compelling uses of broadband cited by officers were 3D views of floor plans, GIS information, and a host of web applications that can accelerate the identification process and provide valuable evidence, according to the survey," writes Donny Jackson. 

A trial is running this week in Pinellas County of these applications on Alcatel-Lucent's  hosted LTE core.  Montanari notes that the trial does not indicate that the county has chosen its LTE vendor yet, but clearly it is one more agency that is gearing up for utilizing next generation technologies.

Read more at Urgent Communications.

LTE Used for Video Backhaul Over D-Block Waves

The federal park police utilized Alcatel-Lucent's LTE system operating on 700 MHz D-Block spectrum during the Washington, D.C. July 4 celebration this year on the National Mall.  Their video-surveillance system is the first to operate on these waves, which the FCC currently has reserved for commercial auction. 

The video backhaul system they have in place allows fixed surveillance equipment in the area  to send high-definition video and thermal-imaging feeds to officials in a remote location.  Their video-based technology, which included analytic capability, requires robust bandwidth.

Using 700 MHz frequencies allowed the base station to receive signal despite being out of the line of sight, something that would be impossible over a cellular connection because of the caliber of the cameras used.  The FCC granted temporary authority for the federal park police to operate on the D-block spectrum for the event. 

The technology services commander for the U.S. Park Police attributes the success of the network to having dedicated spectrum that did not have to be shared with commercial users.