Communication is essential in ensuring streamlined and efficient operations within police departments. Without proper communication in community policing, investigations can easily fall apart and personnel safety can be jeopardized. An automated communication platform can go a long way in preventing unnecessary risks from being taken and making sure that everyone is always in the loop and aware of any ongoing situation.
Here are just a few of the EmergHub applications that can strengthen communications in police departments.
Alerts
Alerts is a valuable tool that police departments can use to notify fellow officers and even members of the public in case of danger or an incident that could have an effect on their daily routines, such as traffic accidents or detours due to cordoned off areas. These notifications can be sent out over up to four channels of communication: email, voice, SMS, and fax. For urgent alerts, police departments can send out these messages via multiple channels to the same contact to increase the likelihood that they receive it in as timely a manner as possible and have recipients confirm they have received the notification.
OnCall
EmergHub's OnCall feature is a helpful way to manage shift schedules and to make sure you have the appropriate number of staff covering a specific shift. With the OnCall calendar you are able to view which shifts meet the pre-set staffing threshold levels. Color cues indicate whether the shift meets the minimum staffing requirements, or is comfortably covered with the ideal number of staff. Police departments have the option to override an officer's shift if he or she is unable to cover it, and either replace the unavailable officer with another, or leave the slot empty.
IVR Builder
When civilians call in to police departments during off hours, it is helpful to have an interactive voice response (IVR) system to help field calls and provide answers to commonly asked questions. The IVR Builder included in the EmergHub suite allows you to set up a call tree-like system with different actions to be taken depending on the dial pad number that is pressed by the caller. Options include pre-recorded announcements, transferring callers to the desk phone of a particular officer, directing them into a sub-IVR with additional menu options, and more.
Blueprints
Another tool that would be extremely useful within community policing strategies is EmergHub's Blueprints application, which allows for the addition and management of all critical assets in the field. Create a blueprint template with all the information fields needed for each asset belonging to this template. Added assets can then be viewed and managed using the mapping interface or easy-to-read reports and are easily shared within the department or even with other precincts to promote comprehensive understanding of an evolving situation.
Command Hub
Command Hub is the EmergHub application that brings all the other tools together into a single, common operating picture, heightening the overall situational awareness. Police departments can easily use this application to display all incoming information from each of the other modules in EmergHub as it is being updated in real time. Alert responses and receipt confirmations, as well as task lists, blueprint reports, and more can be brought together in the Command Hub dashboard for easy emergency and operations management.
Interested in learning more about how police departments can use EmergHub?
EmergHub includes all of the above tools as well as several others that can help enhance the communication in your police department's community policing strategy during normal operations or emergency management. Visit this page, or contact sales@simplycast.com to learn more about EmergHub.