A high-tech “smart car” with the latest law enforcement gadgets is among dozens of projects included in the NYPD’s long-term strategic plan, known as NYPD2020, prepared in November for Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, says the Wall Street Journal. The 13-page report describes initiatives ranging from the high-tech (500 officers have received Samsung Rugby smartphones equipped to deliver real-time crime data) to the bureaucratic (new guidelines for recruiting and keeping qualified candidates). More than a dozen are already under way.
The initiative began in 2011, under the guidance of McKinsey & Co. The consulting firm worked with NYPD officials over 11 months to create a road map for the department over the next decade. The smart car prototype has been on the road for about a year and is based out of the 84th Precinct in Brooklyn Heights. The idea came about as the NYPD looked for ways to connect intelligence gathered in the field with the department's new system that compiles raw data, video feeds and other information, then alerts officials to potential incidents and maps where crimes occur.