A while back, we reported on the New York Police Department’s use of Windows Phone as they started to embrace smartphones. The fact that the NYPD is beginning to use phones on the job is news enough, but it is especially weird to know that they chose Windows Phone over more popular choices such as Android and iPhone.
According to some reporting from CNET, we have an update as to how things have been going for the NYPD after they adopted Windows Phone The most notable bit of information here is a confirmation of the handsets that the NYPD are using. Apparently, instead of grabbing some recent Windows 10 Mobile device, the police force of New York is equipped with some presumably excess stock of Lumia 830 and Lumia 640 XL’s.
These two Lumias aren’t too shabby for being a couple of years old. Considering they’re meant to be strictly for use on the job and don’t need to be cutting-edge personal tools, they seem to fit the bill just fine. According to the CNET article, access to Lumias has made it much easier for police to connect with the people they’re protecting, and better serve the needs of the citizens. People can now call a police officer directly if they need to follow up on a case, making everybody’s job a whole lot easier.
In a time where the ties between police and average people are extremely strained, phone usage such as this could help to humanize police officers and make them more available. Hopefully, Windows continues to be the mobile operating system of choice for police departments looking to join the 21st century.
