36,000 Units Of Windows Phone Used To Fight Crime

The New York Police Department is getting 36,000 units of the latest Windows Phone gadgets to arm their fine men and women in uniform to fight against crime. This is a surprising turn of events for those in the smartphone industry, where Windows Phones are regarded as somewhat lagging behind even smaller brands. As to why the NYPD is shunning other, more popular brands in favor of Microsoft’s offering, bullheadedness was apparently not part of the agenda.

As Tech Times reports, police officers are reporting that smartphones are helping them solve crimes at a more efficient rate than before. According to a statistic yielded by internal surveys, police response increased by a full 12 percent after being handed smartphones.

With regards to its rather eccentric choice of handset, it would seem that the NYPD’s reason lies more on the security side of the equation. Citing the Windows Phone’s superior security over that of Android and iOS devices, the department feels that they made the right call in choosing the handset. More than that, it would appear that the NYPD finds the Windows Phone interface to be more user-friendly than other smartphones.

As for what officers will be able to do with the phones, tapping into security cameras all over the city is one powerful asset that is one the table right now. The same goes for the two-way digital dispatch and the direct reception of 911 calls by police officers already on the field. Other functions include being able to access police databases right away using the phone’s search functions and getting alerts from the department’s bulletin board.

On Microsoft’s part, Business Insider reports that this development with the NYPD is not likely to yield much for the company’s dying smartphone arm. Windows Phones now make up just 1 percent of the market. This number isn’t helped by the fact that the company’s CEO has expressed no interest in maintaining the smartphone branch.