The Tactical Computer Section of Alexandria Police Department (APD), Virginia has set the standard within law enforcement with its innovative use of technology and approach to communications. As well as traditional radio communication, every one of Alexandria’s police officers is issued with a mobile computer for use in the field. These mobile computers enable officers on patrol to receive vital up-to-the-minute information and submit incident reports to police headquarters.
RealVNC allows remote access to tactical computers in the field, allowing IT issues to be resolved remotely. Minimizing downtime and allowing officers to remain in the field.
- Remote IT support and maintenance
- Reliable connection and low cost
- Remote support that keeps officers in the field
APD’s Tactical Computer Section has a small team of three IT technicians tasked with supporting all 330 mobile computers. Any downtime has serious implications for police officers as access to mission critical applications will be temporarily lost. Previously, IT issues required officers to radio back to headquarters for IT support or return to headquarters for the PC to be fixed. However with radio frequencies becoming increasingly crowded as well as wanting to keep officers out in the community APD needed a solution that allowed the IT technicians to resolve IT issues remotely. VNC with an Enterprise license was chosen for its ease of use, reliable connections and cost effectiveness, with benefits gained, such as increased efficiency due to decreased downtime, more than justifying the initial cost of the software.
With VNC, APD’s Tactical Computer Section is able to effectively assist officers remotely, providing an effective method of troubleshooting. VNC has not only improved the confidence of officers in the field as they are able to see IT problems being fixed in real time, it has also allowed them to remain in the field serving the community. The Tactical Computer Section now has greater flexibility as servers can also be accessed from remote locations. VNC has been a major contributor to the success of APD’s Tactical Computer initiative, establishing the system as one of the best in practice in law enforcement today.
