There is a report in the BBC about police officers in the UK being issued smartphones to help do their job.
A series of trials was done and the results were good. Police officers using smartphones had improved "operational efficiency" and reduced bureaucracy. They apparently spent 30 minutes less in the police station because of these devices.
Officers "have access via their phones to most of the information they can access via computers in the station including criminal records, vehicle details, briefings and photographs of wanted or missing people."
There could be downsides to police officers using smartphones. Limited bandwidth is a concern, as well as security. If an officer keeps his phone at home when he's not on the clock, it could be compromised.
The article does not mention BlackBerry devices specifically, but the Bedfordshire Case Study does, so engadget came up with this nifty graphic.
A series of trials was done and the results were good. Police officers using smartphones had improved "operational efficiency" and reduced bureaucracy. They apparently spent 30 minutes less in the police station because of these devices.
Officers "have access via their phones to most of the information they can access via computers in the station including criminal records, vehicle details, briefings and photographs of wanted or missing people."
There could be downsides to police officers using smartphones. Limited bandwidth is a concern, as well as security. If an officer keeps his phone at home when he's not on the clock, it could be compromised.
The article does not mention BlackBerry devices specifically, but the Bedfordshire Case Study does, so engadget came up with this nifty graphic.