SFPD Bat Computer

by: | Jun 30, 2012

SFPD Field Reporting App

ArcTouch is developing a new field reporting app for the San Francisco Police Department. The app will make it easier and faster for officers in the field to create “incident” reports and deliver these reports to the SFPD Crime Data Warehouse in real-time. Our goal is to help officers spend more time doing police work, and less time doing paper work.

Touch And Talk, Not Type

ArcTouch’s designers and developers are working closely with the SFPD to create an app that streamlines report creation. The app will leverage mobile technologies such as GPS detection and integrated maps, speech to text dictation, image recognition, and integrated audio, photo and video recording, so all the key incident information is all in a single place. By using touch and speech interfaces, the app will reduce the need for typing, and allow officers to capture a much richer set of information, such as automatically tagging a photograph with the latitude, longitude and compass heading where it was taken.

Holy Bat Computer!

SFPD Field Reporting App By ArcTouch App DevelopersArcTouch was selected by sf.citi and the SFPD to help fulfill Police Chief Greg Suhr’s goal of fully utilizing technology to help modernize how crime data is captured, stored, searched and retrieved.  A press conference was held on Monday June 25th with San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, Chief Suhr, and sf.citi founder Ron Conway to introduce the SFPD mobile field reporting app and the mobile initiative.

To make it simple, Suhr told reporters, this is, in fact, the Bat Computer.

The SFPD plans to field test the app with a group of new cadets within the next few months.

Mobile devices and app solutions are ideal for field reporting and incident tracking. Many of ArcTouch’s app designers and developers live and work in San Francisco. We love this city and are thrilled to partner with SFPD and sf.citi, and commend them on their forward thinking.

News of the SFPD Field Reporting App

Here’s the official press release from the mayor’s office, and a recap of all the press coverage.

  • Venture Beat (San Francisco’s “bat computer” keeps police on the streets for longer)
  • SF Chronicle (SF police get new crime-fighting tools)
  • Gizmodo (The Police Are Using Minority Report Technology to Fight Bad Guys)
  • Government Technology (Mobile Field Reporting Comes to San Francisco Police)
  • SF Examiner (SFPD, tech companies developing mobile app to assist cops)
  • ABC 7 News (App will allow SFPD officers to file reports in field)
  • BuzzFeed (The “Bat Computer” That’s Going To Be In Every Cop’s Pocket)
  • SFGate.com (S.F. police department finally entering the 21st century)
  • NBC Bay Area (SFPD Gets Mobile App)
  • KGO Radio (SFPD Gets New Mobile Network Designed to Increase Efficiency)
  • SF Appeal (“This is, in fact, the Bat computer”: SFPD Unveils Mobile Reporting App For Officers)
  • The Bay Citizen (App To Increase Efficiency 40%)