Case Study: Baltimore Police Department achieves more officers on the street and faster, safer policing with BlackBerry smartphones

Baltimore Police Department Gets More Officers Into The Community With Help From Blackberry Smartphones

The Baltimore Police Department, a large agency with more than 4,000 sworn and civilian members serving a population of about 660,000, needed to get 2,000 officers out of their patrol cars so they could spend more time in the community. Officers were tied to in‑car laptops and radios for dispatch, reporting and access to criminal databases (NCIC, MVA), which slowed response, reduced field safety and limited effective community policing.

Baltimore implemented "Side Partner," a BlackBerry smartphone–based solution using InterActPocketCop for secure database access and messaging, Xora Field Force Manager for GPS tracking, and the device’s built‑in camera/video. Officers can run checks and view mugshots on scene, command staff can see officer locations, and evidence is captured on one device—resulting in roughly double the warrants run, about 30 minutes saved per officer per day, freed-up dispatchers, improved officer safety and better community interactions.

Baltimore Police Department

Gayle Guilford

Director of MIS