Chicomm Blog

As more police departments – and state legislatures – weigh the use of police body cameras, cost has emerged as the leading barrier. In addition to funding the equipment, training and maintenance, departments and municipalities must also cover the considerable cost of storing video footage.

Storage costs, in fact, have proven to the be most expensive part of a body camera program, according to a Department of Justice Report, “Implementing a Body-Worn Camera Program: Recommendations and Lessons Learned.” 

“Storing videos over the long term is an ongoing, extreme cost that agencies have to anticipate,” said Captain Thomas Roberts of Las Vegas in the report. While the cameras generally range in cost from $300 to $800 per officer, which is a fixed cost, the bill for storage can be close to $1,500 per year, per unit, which is an ongoing cost.

Law enforcement agencies across the country are coming up with creative solutions to minimize their storage costs for body cameras, so let’s take a look at three of them.

Much has changed about public engagement for public safety agencies since the days when officers were encouraged not to interact with the people on their beats and not to get too attached to any one community or neighborhood.

Today, departments around the country are successfully engaging with the public outside of strictly law enforcement activities to build mutual trust, relationships and connections. Some departments have gotten particularly creative in their public engagement work, making officers a presence in communities beyond walking the beat, while giving members of the public unique opportunities to be heard. Agencies are also using wireless communications technology to keep in constant contact.

By building dialogues online and in person, here are some examples of public safety agencies that are making public engagement a two-way street. 

Your police public information officer (PIO) is in charge of developing and implementing your public safety communications strategy, and chances are, they’ve got some things they’d love to change.

Because PIOs’ primary responsibility is to interact with the news media during emergencies and situations that are of the public interest, it’s tempting to think that’s where their jobs begin and end. But PIOs also serve an important community relations function and can coordinate communications during large-scale events – if they’re given the room to do so.

Here are five public safety communications strategies that we bet your police PIO wants to change.

As two way radio makers roll out new products and features, they send a strong message for customers: We hear you.

Manufacturers say recent trends – from high-visibility colors to more lightweight options – have been developed in response to feedback from customers across industries and use cases.  

Here are some of the trends we're seeing for two way radios.

Technology in education is constantly evolving in exciting ways, from apps that aid in learning to communications equipment that enhances school safety. We know that administrators are always looking for economical ways to use technology to address their challenges, so we’d like to share this case study from one Illinois district that made the smart switch to radios.

By transitioning staff and administrators from cell phones to MOTOTRBO two-way radios, Fremont School District 79 (SD 79) not only improved communications, they transformed their school safety.

Here, we’ll take a look at some of the specific advantages that radios have over cell phones for Fremont SD 79 and districts like it.

Motorola radio accessories are the best way to kick everything about your Motorola radio up a notch – or more. Accessories take devices that are already built to be mission critical and tailor them to what individual users, businesses, public safety agencies and industries need.

They go through the same rigorous testing as the radios themselves to ensure that they meet the same standards for durability and reliability. And across each category of accessories, there’s a wide enough range of functionality to give each one versatility for different users.

As you’re looking to outfit a new or existing radio, here are 7 must-have Motorola radio accessories to keep in mind.

Hospitality management is one of the most complex – and most rewarding – leadership careers there is. You’re not only delivering a service, you’re creating exceptional experiences for guests, whether they’re business travelers, moms out for a girls’ weekend or high school students traveling for a band competition.

You are helping guests create memories, and to do that well takes a touch of inspiration. To create that spark, we’ve compiled wisdom from some of the giants in the hospitality industry.

Let’s let these legendary hoteliers speak for themselves; here are 30 inspirational quotes for hospitality management:

Think about the last great customer service experiences you’ve had and what made them so remarkable: Was it the responsiveness of the staff? Their attention to detail? Their ability to resolve your issue on the first try? 

Now think about your own operation and whether customers – either internal or external – can say the same about their dealings with you. If the answer isn’t a resounding yes!, that’s a sure sign that your customer service needs some more attention.

If you’re wondering whether the investment in upgrading your customer service operation is worth it, consider this: 85 percent of U.S. respondents in a 2010 customer service report said they would pay more to ensure a superior customer experience. And 82 percent of consumers stopped doing business with a company because of a bad customer experience.

The real question, then, may be: Can you afford not to invest in better customer service?  Backed by both research and anecdotes, here are three key reasons why you should spend more time thinking about customer service: 

It’s been almost a year since a coalition of national 911 organizations formed with what they called an “aggressive but achievable” goal of transitioning all emergency call systems and call centers to next generation 911 by 2020. In the months since the coalition announced its intentions, progress has been made, but the question still remains: Will next generation 911 meet its 2020 goals?

We don’t have a crystal ball handy to answer that question, but we can offer some insight about what progress has been made recently and how far the experts say there is to go.

The beginning of another year – and the midway point in most schools’ academic year – is a great time to review your current school communications system and decide how to make it even better.

Too often, school districts and campuses wait for an emergency or disaster to strike either elsewhere or close to home before making communications system improvements. As 2017 begins, now is your chance to get better prepared in case of an emergency and improve the efficiency of your day-to-day operations.   

Here are 5 new year’s resolutions for a better school communications system: