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Video and Data Analysis Address Risks for Responders

Several key technologies could help to support efforts by police to offload calls that don’t require a law enforcement response.

IDC Worldwide Research Vice President for Public Safety Alison Brooks points to video as a possible enabler. Police could, for example, use a livestream to give mental health professionals eyes on a scene — a potentially safer way of accessing those insights.

“In the traditional ride-along with mental health support, you’re putting that person in the police car and possibly exposing them to an element of danger,” Brooks says. With a video consultation, police can pull in the experts without putting them at risk.

Data analytics may also play a role in driving alternative responses by helping law enforcement understand which approaches work best for different types of calls. “You can use data to shift the response models so that the right people are actually intervening at the right time, including the social services folks,” Brooks says…