Mark43 Blogs

We just wrapped up the 2024 IACP Tech Conference and Daniel Shoch, our Director of Product, RMS, has three major takeaways to share:1. AI technology is revolutionizing law enforcement2. Cybersecurity is more critical than ever3. Real-Time Crime Centers are enhancing operationsDive into our blog to learn how these trends are shaping the future of policing. Dive into Daniel’s blog to learn how these trends are shaping the future of policing. Read the top trends

The Mark43 team had a wonderful time in Nashville at APCO 2023. In my APCO recap, learn how cloud-native technology can be leveraged to address some of the industry’s most pressing issues:   Top 3 trends from APCO 2023

Did you know that there are risks to selecting the wrong cloud provider? Learn more about what Mark43 provides your agency with the six core pillars of best-in-class superiorities by checking out our latest blog today. Read the blog

As part of our commitment to empowering communities and their governments with new technologies that improve the safety and quality of life for all, Mark43 works to amplify the voices of traditionally underserved communities. Today, in honor of Pride month and the celebration of gender, sex, and romantic diversity (GSRD), Mark43 Community Manager Andre Gerard sits down with Washington Metropolitan Police Department Officer Paul Weiss to discuss how their identities shaped their career.Andre Gerard: As someone who discovered their identity later in life, I know everyone’s journey looks different and shapes their lives in a unique way. Could you describe your journey?  Paul Weiss: Throughout high school and the beginning of college, I struggled with the back and forth of realizing my identity. During my sophomore year of college, I began to realize that it was time for me to accept who I was and begin my journey of coming out as gay. My college experience helped me take a new look on my

On May 25, 2022, two years after the murder of George Floyd, President Biden signed “a historic executive order (EO) to advance effective, accountable policing and criminal justice practices that will build public trust and strengthen public safety.” The executive order stated mandatory monthly use-of-force data submission to the FBI. Within 180 days (Nov. 22, 2022) all federal law enforcement agencies (LEAs) must collect and submit on a monthly basis data required by the FBI’s National Use-of-Force Data Collection. (EO, Sec. 6 (a)).Mark43 Use of Force Reporting provides agencies with the ability to track, monitor, and raise the visibility of use of force events. Features include:Built-in FBI compliance Comprehensive and configurable reporting Bulk download for easy, two-click submission Role-based report access & tracking Integration with Axon Evidence.comLearn more about how Mark43 Use of Force Reporting can transform the way your agency submits use of force reports with modern,

Since the advent of Community Policing in the 1980s, public safety agencies have made great strides in creating and sustaining positive community relationships. However, public confidence in law enforcement has approached record lows in recent years, especially in traditionally underserved communities. Pew Research says confidence in police among Black Americans fell to 18 percent in 2020.Trust in law enforcement has improved since 2020, but there is still work to do. Agencies can work to rebuild public safety and community trust through intentional policies and programs like:Customer service training Policing by consent Sentiment monitoring Data collection and transparencyWe’ll take a closer look at each of these areas over the next few weeks. Today, let’s look at customer service training, an innovative approach to law enforcement-community relationships that US agencies are beginning to use.A customer service approachReframing public safety as a customer service function can challen

A leader in efforts to recruit and retain women in law enforcementAs part of our commitment to supporting modern, diverse workplaces in public safety, Mark43 is a partner of the 30×30 Initiative, a coalition working to increase the representation of women in law enforcement recruit classes to 30 percent by 2030. Each month we will highlight an agency, a chief, or an individual officer advancing the representation and experiences of women in law enforcement across the United States. In 2020 Kay Lokey was appointed Deputy Chief of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, where she became the agency’s first female Deputy Chief since 2013. In that role, she oversaw the Administrative Services Bureau, the Crime Laboratory and Crime Scene Investigations, Training Division, Human Resources Division, Behavioral Health Services, Information/Technology Division, and the Records Division. As commander of the Training Division, Deputy Chief Lokey oversees the department’s efforts to attract a

Earlier this year Mark43 outlined six trends facing public safety in 2022. We’re almost halfway through the year, and each of these trends continue to impact the industry.Agencies continue to reimagine their responses to traffic stops and individuals experiencing mental and behavioral health crises.Agencies continue to tell their story using data and build relationships with their communities.Public safety agencies still struggle to recruit and retain top talent.Mobile technology continues to increase access to real-time information, supporting officer safety and effectiveness.Cyberattacks are still a major concern for government agencies.Agencies, mindful of consent decrees, are engaging in and tracking constitutional policing activity and building community trust.How will these trends continue to impact agencies throughout the rest of 2022?Recently, Kathleen O’Toole, who’s led law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and Europe, and Wendy Gilbert, Vice President of Product at Mark43, sat

As part of our commitment to empowering communities and their governments with new technologies that improve the safety and quality of life for all, many of our employees volunteer and support non-profit organizations working towards a similar goal. Today, in honor of Global Volunteer Month, Community Partnerships Manager Spring-Eve See shares what our new employee volunteer program has accomplished in its first month.A hundred beads, one clasp, one keyring, plastic laces, and an instruction sheet. I gathered these items together and placed them in a bag. I chatted with coworkers about the Rosie Riveters binary code kits we were making. We swapped funny pet stories, shared our summer travel plans, and wished we had the confidence of our coworker’s daughter and her all-by-myself attitude.During April, Mark43 employees spent time assembling binary code kits for local school-aged children. We’re committed to empowering communities and their governments with new technologies that improve t

On behalf of Mark43, we recently attended the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) William H. Bracey CEO Symposium in Baton Rouge, LA. NOBLE is one of the world’s leading organizations representing chief executive officers and command-level law enforcement officials from federal, state, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies as well as criminal justice practitioners. NOBLE’s mission is to ensure equity in the administration of justice in providing public service to all communities and serve as law enforcement’s conscience by being committed to justice by action. We are honored to be a partner of this organization and support their mission.During our time at the symposium, we met with many organization members. We reunited with old friends and met plenty of new ones. The enthusiasm from the symposium attendees was palpable — this was the first in-person event for – many people in a long time. What impressed us most was the way in which NOBLE was able

A Q&A with Women First Responders The first responder profession remains a male-dominated field. Only 12 percent of sworn law enforcement officers are women, and just three percent of law enforcement leadership is women. Four percent of career firefighters are women, while 11 percent of volunteer firefighters are women. While 32 percent of emergency medical service professionals are women, the only specialty within the first responder community that is majority women is telecommunicators — call-takers and dispatchers — which is 60 percent women.Earlier this month, we talked to four women first responders worldwide about their experiences as women in public safety and how their gender impacted their careers.Has being a woman impacted your career in public safety? If so, how?Gelina Talbot, Assistant Commissioner, Transformation & Delivery Office, New South Wales Police Force:“Early on in my career, I think the impact was more noticeable around opportunities for women across the N

As part of our commitment to supporting modern, diverse workplaces in public safety, Mark43 is a partner of the 30×30 Initiative, a coalition working to increase the representation of women in law enforcement recruit classes to 30 percent by 2030. Each month we will highlight an agency, a chief, or an individual officer advancing the representation and experiences of women in law enforcement across the United States. In 2021, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors appointed Kevin Davis as Chief of the Fairfax County, VA, Police Department (FCPD), following his service as Commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department and Chief of the Anne Arundel Police Department. He has demonstrated a strong record of bringing reform and innovation to the agencies he has led throughout his career. Among his stated priorities at FCPD are increasing the number of diverse candidates hired by the department and efforts to retain them after they have come on to the job. The agency has given specific pri

Before starting at Mark43, I worked in traditionally female-dominated industries — higher education, recruiting, and the nonprofit sector. When presented with the opportunity to join the Mark43 team to focus on social impact and footprint, the position immediately appealed to me for several reasons. At the top of my list was the chance to grow professionally and intellectually by helping build out a critical new initiative (on a brand-new team, nonetheless) and working at the intersection of technology and public safety. Within days of starting, Ganesha Martin invited me to join her and other women in developing the Mark43 Women’s Initiative. Admittedly, this was a welcome surprise as I hadn’t realized during the interview process or onboarding that Mark43 had a women’s employee resource group (ERG). I assumed they would not offer one, given that technology and public safety are traditionally male-dominated spaces. I discovered that the Women’s Initiative is a blossoming group with spo

Arlington, TX, Deputy Police Chief Tarrick McGuire remembers graduating from the Police Academy in 2003 and wanting a photo with then Chief Dr. Theron Bowman. While most rookie officers would appreciate the opportunity to take a photo with their commander, Deputy Chief McGuire knew there was another factor driving his desire. Like Deputy Chief McGuire, Bowman was Black. “I saw myself in him,” according to Deputy Chief McGuire.Dr. Tracie Keesee applied to the Denver Police Department (DPD) more than 15 years after the Hogue Decree paved the way for Black women officers. Despite a department study proving women officers were as effective as men, Dr. Keesee faced a stigma based on her gender and race, often having to defend her work.“There’s a price to pay when you want to change things on the inside,” said Dr. Keesee, who went on to be Denver’s first women Police Captain and New York City Police Department’s First Deputy Commissioner for Equity and Inclusion before co-founding the Center

A central place for critical informationWhile conducting research for the 2022 Public Safety Trends Report, I encountered many innovative programs established by municipalities to better meet their communities’ mental and behavioral health needs. Several newer programs emerged as a result of the “reimagine public safety” discourse that has flooded our news feeds since 2020. Other programs have been around for decades, quietly responding to the most vulnerable in their neighborhoods.I wanted to learn more about the existing programs, so I scoured the internet and emailed various webinar speakers trying to get my hands on a comprehensive list of crisis response models across the U.S. With the launch of the 9-8-8 emergency mental health hotline quickly approaching, I thought such a resource must exist. To my surprise, consolidated crisis response model information is largely disparate, and lists are geographically limited. Having experienced a similar resource deficit while working in the

There are an estimated 40.3 million victims of human trafficking and involuntary servitude worldwide, according to the International Labour Organization. In the U.S., where the National Human Trafficking Hotline receives more than 50,000 calls, texts, and website tips each year, January is designated as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.The trafficking of individuals is a horrendous crime, and Mark43 recognizes this crime as complex, dynamic, and one that requires immense resources to address.I sat down with Mark43 employees who are former human trafficking investigators and current victim advocates to get their perspectives on how trafficking impacts law enforcement, what agencies need to fight trafficking, and which policies help or hinder investigations. How does human trafficking impact law enforcement?Adam Brewer: “Human trafficking cases are complex investigations that are emotionally taxing on the investigators, particularly as victims share their stories.”

By Lori Cox | January 25, 2022 In 2019, the FBI launched its National Use-of-Force Data Program, where federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and investigative agencies can voluntarily submit use-of-force data. The goal is to provide a big-picture, national look at use-of-force trends across the country, not to provide insight into individual use-of-force incidents.The program has been around for a few years, but there are still several misconceptions about the program and how it works.There are benefits for reporting agenciesSome agencies may be hesitant to share use-of-force data, but agencies who report data to the National Use-of-Force Data Collection Program benefit from:Proactively sharing statistics with the community — Stand at the podium with facts, not anecdotes, when meeting with the community Nation-wide standardized reporting — Benefit from an apples-to-apples comparison of data between agencies using the same data sets Training analysis — Validate agency traini

On this Veterans and Remembrance Day, we honor and appreciate the military members, past and present, who have served their country during times of war or peace. Globally known as Armistice Day, November 11th commemorates the signing of the treaty that ended World War I.This day is special to Mark43 as we have been a supporter of military veterans since our founding, and it is our honor to recognize all who served and continue to serve this Veterans Day.Trading One Uniform for the NextOne of the common traits among veterans and first responders is their desire to serve and protect communities. They are the ones who answered the call. It should come as no surprise to learn that many military members choose to serve their communities when they leave active duty by remaining involved in public service, health care, or not-for-profit organizations.This is no less true for the public safety community — many veterans continue to answer the call and become police officers, firefighters, emerg

There are just four days left of 2021. What seemed like a long year has quickly come to a close, and it’s time for us to wrap up the year by looking back at some of the best industry content in 2021.Every week, industry leaders, non-profits, academic institutions, trade publications, general media, and agencies release great information and resources for the public safety industry, but there’s no way to consume all of the great content (I’ve tried). We decided to compile a list of the best content from Mark43 and our partners so you can make sure you don’t miss out.Here are our top four pieces of public safety news, stories, updates, and more that you shouldn’t miss from 2021.How They Did It – Modernizing Police Reporting with the San Antonio Police DepartmentWith residents demanding more transparency and responsiveness, many police departments are considering new digital tools to provide better services and operate more efficiently. However, these new tools leave agencies with several

“Responsibilities that were once considered basic functions of public safety are now being re-examined, leading many to ask, ‘How do we move forward?’” — Scott Crouch, Mark43 Co-Founder & CEOThe world is rapidly changing. And in the U.S. public safety is changing even more rapidly. Which begs the question, “What trends will shape U.S. public safety in 2022?”The constant, rapid change can complicate the lives of first responders, but one thing doesn’t change: responders’ commitment to serve and protect their communities.To help public safety leadership prepare for the year ahead, we created a 2022 Public Safety Trends Report through comprehensive, thoughtful research and conversations with industry leaders, public safety professionals, and Mark43 customers. The report highlights six trends:“Reimagining public safety” is not just a catchphrase — it is a critical next step. In 2022, calls to scale back or eliminate the functions of law enforcement in a variety of areas will continue.H