The Morganton Department of Public Safety in Morganton, NC is a city resource committed to ensuring community safety through professional law enforcement and fire protection services. Since the late 1970s, the city has adopted a unique public safety model in which all officers serve in both law enforcement and fire protection capacities. As a result, department members maintain a wide range of responsibilities, utilizing rugged devices to access applications such as CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch), automatic vehicle location (AVL) and record management systems (RMS).
Over the past decade, the department has enjoyed a productive working relationship with Panasonic and GovDirect, a trusted partner, implementing Panasonic body-worn cameras and the fully rugged TOUGHPAD FZ-G1 tablet. As the city looked to update current Panasonic equipment with newer solutions, they needed devices that could support a diverse set of software applications and ultimately, every responsibility of their public safety officers.
The Morganton Department of Public Safety worked with GovDirect to select a Panasonic device that addressed the department’s challenges while transitioning between the varied duties of each officer. Before switching to updated Panasonic solutions, the department used both tablets and laptops to meet officers’ needs. Panasonic’s 2-in-1 TOUGHBOOK 33 was selected for its high performance functionality along with its dual use as a laptop and tablet, which allows the officers to seamlessly transition the device to different roles and responsibilities. With this deployment, the department was able to reduce the amount of devices utilized by their officers while investing in a reliable 2-in-1 package.
“We’ve been working with GovDirect for years, so when it was time to purchase new solutions for our department, our contact at GovDirect recommended the TOUGHBOOK 33 and gave us demonstrations that showcased the device’s best, and most useful, features,” said Suzanne Brandon, network administrator, Morganton Department of Public Safety.
To date, Morganton Public Safety has deployed 21 TOUGHBOOK 33 2-in-1 devices in patrol cars paired with docking stations to ensure each device is powered and ready for public safety needs around the clock. The department has also deployed a number of other laptops to support the needs of select police officers and administrative staff. Outside of the Department of Public Safety, Animal Control, CID and multiple other Morganton departments also use TOUGHBOOK devices as well as the Public Sector Bundle service package, which ensures tailored support for each department’s needs.
With Panasonic, it’s a matter of rock-steady reliability and unbeatable quality. Since we don’t have an IT team outside of myself, we don’t have the time to mail equipment in for repairs— it just has to work. Panasonic products don’t just work well, they allow me to focus on my work without worrying about device failures or downtime.Suzanne Brandon, Network Administrator, Morganton Department of Public Safety
By investing in Panasonic solutions, the department streamlined its in-field technology from a laptop and a tablet per officer to one 2-in-1 that provides software capabilities for roles and responsibilities across the department. Thanks to unparalleled customer support and high-performance device functionality, the Morganton Department of Public Safety is able to provide their public safety officers with the tools they need to ensure community safety.
