The day in the life of a police officer can take him or her in many different directions.

With the ultimate goal being to protect and serve their respective communities, officers have a full slate of activities to tend to during a shift. Throw in the unpredictable that more often than not occurs, you have a lot of responsibility on your plate.

One way of making that responsibility a little bit easier to handle is having top-notch technology by your side.

The La Mesa Police Department in recent years implemented a product that is geared towards improving the interactions between police and the community.

Versaterm’s SPIDR Tech is an automated customer service solution for public safety agencies.

According to Rohan Galloway-Dawkins, vice president of products at Versaterm, the application enables agencies to send text messages and emails directly to 9-1-1 callers and crime victims and mobile-friendly surveys to community members interacting with an agency. 

“The patrol function acknowledges a 9-1-1 call by updating callers on their service request status and notifying them of any delays,” Galloway-Dawkins said. “This communication helps reduce informational callbacks, reducing demand on 9-1-1 call handlers. The investigation function ensures crime victims and reporting parties are informed as the case progresses with automatic case updates, such as investigator assignments and case number(s). The insights function offers a robust survey tool that allows agencies to benchmark community perception and satisfaction after an incident to improve service. La Mesa PD implemented all SPIDR Tech’s functions in 2021.”

Katy Lynch, public information officer for LMPD, noted that the technology serves as an added means of communication between the department and the residents and business owners of La Mesa.

“Many other public and private organizations utilize automated updates and follow-up satisfaction surveys to ensure they are providing the highest level of service to their customers,” Lynch remarked. “Whether you are ordering a pizza or filing your taxes, we have come to expect status updates to let us know when our items will be arriving, if there’s a delay, and to give us an opportunity to provide feedback. When a community member calls LMPD, we want to keep them informed and we want to hear their feedback. By leveraging technology, we can achieve both of those goals in a cost-effective manner.”

As Galloway-Dawkins sees it, consumer brands in the private sector have set new standards for service excellence. “Community members now expect the same prompt communication, transparency, and convenience from every organization they interact with, including public safety agencies,” Galloway-Dawkins added.

For LMPD, the feedback on this kind of technology by and large has been supportive.

“The feedback we have received from SPIDR thus far indicates the majority of respondents found the electronic correspondence helpful,” Lynch stated. “We use a variety of methods to gain additional insight into what concerns our community has. In the most recent Community Opinion Survey, we heard that our community wants more enforcement of traffic laws and efforts to prevent crime. This feedback is invaluable in helping us allocate our resources to best address those concerns and assists us in evaluating new technologies that may help us in that effort.”

It should not come as a big surprise that Versaterm’s SPIDR Tech was designed by former law enforcement officers to help agencies leverage their own data to improve public perception and increase efficiency in excellent customer service. 

“In 2016, following extensive market research, the world’s first comprehensive customer service infrastructure for law enforcement was launched to improve communication and transparency between agencies and their communities,” Galloway-Dawkins pointed out. “Versaterm, a global public safety solutions company founded in 1977, helps agencies transform their organizations by providing innovative solutions, expertise, and an unwavering dedication to customer service. They deliver intuitive tools developed for public safety agencies, forensic labs, court systems, schools and other institutions.” Versaterm acquired SPIDR Tech in 2021.

Given that police work is always evolving, Lynch noted that many of those changes are due in part to tech advances.

“We are fortunate to have amazing staff who are able to quickly embrace new technology and leverage it to benefit public safety,” Lynch remarked. “Staying up-to-date on technology is a challenge that never ends, and while not every new technology product will be a good fit for our community, we are constantly evaluating those that may help us in our efforts to keep our community safe, improve our level of service, and solve crimes.”

While Lynch noted LMPD is not looking at any new tech products deploy, they are keeping their eyes and ears open.

“Nothing at this time, but we are constantly evaluating new technologies and are committed to working with the City and various stakeholders in that evaluation to ensure we are spending public funds in a manner that best meets the needs of our community.”

Meantime, Versaterm is also focused on improving customer and user workflows for more efficient and effective operations. 

“The company showcased its new brand and its advancements in community engagement, AI-assisted call management, non-emergency reporting, enhanced field-ready mobility, smartphone body and in-vehicle cameras, professional standards, and officer wellness at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) annual conference last October,” Galloway-Dawkins added. “Versaterm continues to enhance and expand their ecosystem to solve the present and future challenges of the public safety community.”