Keeping law enforcement and the community safer with advanced technology through Gigabit LTE
In honor of Police Week, we wanted to take a look at specific examples of how technology connected by Gigabit LTE, the first step on the pathway to 5G, is helping to transform police officers’ jobs and improve not only their safety, but the safety of their communities.
The Evolving Robots’ Role in Dangerous Situations
When it comes to circumstances like a SWAT standoff or a hostage situation, police officers try not to put their lives on the line by blindly entering a sieged building. We are already seeing robots take on this role with the help of LTE. But Gigabit LTE, and eventually 5G, are already dramatically improving the features available to police officers.
Operating as mini-tanks, robots are equipped with video, audio, and weapons that officers control from a safe distance over WiFi — but as the latency improves with Gigabit LTE, the robot can achieve more meticulous operations including more subtle steering maneuvers, audio from the robot will be clearer, and, when necessary, police officers will be more accurate when using the robot’s weaponry. Additionally, with the increased network speeds, augmented reality is becoming not only possible, but enabling officers with a real-time point-of-view perspective and better situational awareness.
Improved Sight and GPS Capabilities Through Drones
FlyMotion is one company already supplying drones to law enforcement. For example, when a 9-year-old girl went missing in Florida, authorities searched for the girl using one of FlyMotion’s drones and live streamed video footage from the drone back to police headquarters. With this footage, authorities were able to find the girl in under 24 hours.
The faster network speeds of Gigabit LTE helped give this situation a happy ending because the latency allowed drones with thermal imaging to see better — not just during the day but also at night — and transmit clearer, crisper pictures to law enforcement officers. Essentially, police now have a set of eyes and ears in the sky.
Higher Color Resolution of Cameras and Video Technology
The CCTV of yesterday was black and white, grainy and unable to produce an image without proper lighting. Today, the clarity is superb, the color resolution is life-like, and with Gigabit LTE and 5G in the future, video is becoming an invaluable resource.
Not only is the video quality improving, but Gigabit LTE is opening the door to all new possibilities for video technology. With a faster, higher bandwidth connection, surveillance cameras are able to implement computer vision, which monitors its area of vision for certain red flags. When the computer records an unusual pattern — such as a person wearing a face mask in the summer or carrying a gun in public — it can then automatically alert the authorities.
As more departments adopt Gigabit LTE and 5G begins rolling out to more cities, the job of a police officer is set to evolve. By allowing technology to face the most dangerous parts of the job, police officers will remain safer and better able to protect their communities.
On this Police Week, we’d like to give a special shout out to 3,000+ public safety customers for their hard work and dedication to their communities. Thank you for all you do to keep our societies safe!
Learn more about how law enforcement can benefit from Cradlepoint in this webinar about in-vehicle network connectivity for first responders.