February 7, 2023 – Mark43, the leading cloud-native public safety software company, today announced that it is partnering with Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) to bring its industry-leading records management system (RMS) to Portland Park Rangers. The effort will provide Rangers with a secure and reliable data-driven platform that supports the safety of the entire community. Portland’s Park Rangers patrol more than 200 parks and natural areas comprising around 12,000 acres across Portland.
Mark43 RMS enables real-time information sharing, faster report-writing, and can also promote improved work performance and job satisfaction. By replacing a pen and paper system, Mark43 RMS will reduce time spent on administrative tasks and support Portland’s 30 full-time and 15 seasonal city park rangers in spending more time out in the parks with the public and providing a positive public safety presence across park facilities.
Specifically, this new RMS will support rangers in record-keeping of off-leash dog violations. These and issues around removing pet waste are among the top complaints in the Portland park system. Portland has the highest number of dog parks per capita for a major city.
The Mark43 platform will also help Portland Park Rangers address challenges including unpermitted events, illegal dumping, vandalism and damage, and assist with connecting people who are experiencing homelessness to social services. While 98% of calls for service and contacts to Portland Parks & Recreation Rangers are resolved without police or fire intervention, 2% of all calls require that they route their concerns to these agencies or other City partners. The ability to share information with these partners was a critical reason why PP&R chose Mark43.
Matt Polega, Mark43 Co-founder and Head of External Affairssaid, “We are thrilled to launch this partnership with Portland Parks & Recreation to support their critical work of creating vibrant and accessible parks across Portland. Our proven technology will provide rangers with the tools they need to collect and analyze data on issues ranging from livability and behavioral health concerns to park safety. Parks play a key role in the day-to-day lives of Portland’s residents, and using the Mark43 RMS will help the PP&R rangers ensure that these public places are safe and beautiful places that Portland’s residents can continue to treasure.”
Mark43 promises an innovative, resilient, and best-in-class technology for Portland Park Rangers. In particular, the user-friendly system is cloud-native, which means it updates in real time and allows for users to remain constantly connected and share information throughout the day. In addition, with dedicated customer support, Mark43 provides 24/7 steadfast assistance to address any needs and questions as they arise.
About the Portland Parks & Recreation Rangers
Portland Parks & Recreation Park Rangers patrol park property every day, responding to calls for service and proactively engaging with visitors. Rangers serve multiple roles by providing park visitors with resources and information, helping solve park user conflicts, and enforcing City Code. Park Rangers help ensure visitors have a positive experience and that Portland’s cultural and natural resources are protected.
Portland Park Rangers are not law enforcement officers, but do have authority under City Code to issue park exclusions or citations. In addition to ongoing in-service training, all staff within the Park Ranger program, including dispatchers, undergo a 4-week Park Ranger Academy.
Mark43 is the leading cloud-native public safety technology company. By delivering a modern, intuitive and mobile-first Records Management System, Computer-Aided Dispatch and Analytics platform, Mark43 empowers governments and their communities to improve the safety and quality of life for all. Working with more than 200 local, state and federal public safety agencies, Mark43 is transforming how first responders use technology to respond, engage and serve the community. Mark43 provides the tools, resources, expertise, and security foundation that public safety needs today, tomorrow, and beyond. For more information or to request a demo, visitwww.mark43.com.
February 2, 2023 – Mark43, the leading cloud-native public safety software company, today announced that it is partnering with the Northampton County District Attorney’s Office (PA) to bring its industry-leading cloud-native records management system (RMS) to the office, providing Northampton County detectives with a secure and reliable technology solution. This partnership provides the District Attorney’s office with a trusted, data-driven platform that supports the safety of the entire community.
The technology that powers Mark43 RMS enables better case management, faster report-writing, integrated compliance standards, and also promotes improved work performance and job satisfaction. By replacing a pen and paper system, Mark43 RMS will reduce time spent on administrative tasks and enable detectives to spend more time out in the field working their cases. In addition, with dedicated customer support, Mark43 provides 24/7 steadfast assistance to address any needs and questions as they arise.
Terence Houck, Northampton District Attorney said, “Our office is looking forward to partnering with Mark43. Following an extensive review of the records management systems available, we were able to make an informed decision that the Mark43 system would not only provide our agency with a reliable records management system but it would allow for the flexibility to incorporate our various investigative task forces. We believe the Mark43 system offered the best platform in the market that could be tailored to our specific needs. As I continue to modernize our office, this technology will assist us in fulfilling our mission of investigating and prosecuting crimes that have occurred within Northampton County.”
Matt Polega, Mark43 Co-founder and Head of External Affairssaid, “We are thrilled to launch this partnership with the Northampton County District Attorney’s Office to support their critical investigative work. Our proven technology will provide detectives with the tools they need to investigate crimes quickly and effectively, and to share data with their law enforcement partners.”
This new partnership builds on the law enforcement customers currently using Mark43 across Pennsylvania, including the Lehigh County police consortium. The consortium consists of 18 PA law enforcement agencies responsible for Whitehall, Alburtis, Catasauqua, Coopersburg, Coplay, Emmaus, Fountain Hill, Lehigh Valley, Salisbury, South Whitehall, Upper Macungie, Upper Saucon, Allentown, Bethlehem, Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, Macungie, North Catasauqua and Slatington.
Mark43 was the vendor of choice due to its innovative, resilient and best-in-class technology for first responders. In particular, the user-friendly system is cloud-native, which means it updates in real-time and allows for users to remain constantly connected and share mission-critical data throughout the day. The system will not only support the District Attorney’s Office investigations that include fraud, white collar crime, and homicide, but it will enable greater coordination and information sharing with several law enforcement task forces and the Regional Intelligence & Investigation Center.
About Northampton County District Attorney’s Office
The Northampton County District Attorney’s Office is responsible for the prosecution of criminal matters at all stages of the criminal justice process, including preliminary hearings, pre-trial conferences, guilty pleas, trials, appeals, and collateral proceedings. In addition, the office consists of experienced County Detectives who handle complex criminal investigations, assist local, state and federal law enforcement partners and who are an integral part in the County Drug Task Force and the County Major Crimes Task Force.
About Mark43
Mark43 is the leading cloud-native public safety technology company. By delivering a modern, intuitive and mobile-first Records Management System, Computer-Aided Dispatch and Analytics platform, Mark43 empowers governments and their communities to improve the safety and quality of life for all. Working with more than 200 local, state and federal public safety agencies, Mark43 is transforming how first responders use technology to respond, engage and serve the community. Mark43 provides the tools, resources, expertise, and security foundation that public safety needs today, tomorrow and beyond. For more information or to request a demo, visit www.mark43.com.
NEW YORK, January 26, 2023 – Mark43, the leading cloud-native public safety software company, today announced that it has achieved State Risk and Authorization Management Program (StateRAMP) “In Process” designation, demonstrating its unwavering commitment to the highest levels of security controls in its cloud-native public safety technology platform. This designation verifies Mark43’s rigorous security posture and industry-leading standards of compliance and application monitoring. Mark43 expects to reach full StateRAMP authorization later this year through the “Fast Track” process. This is a special process specifically designed for cloud providers like Mark43 that have received a FedRAMP Provisional Authority to Operate (P-ATO).
“Having an independently verified designation for public safety customers to ensure their vendor maintains the highest levels of cybersecurity controls is not a ‘nice-to-have’ – it’s a ‘must have’ in today’s reality of ever-present security risks,” said Mark43 Chief Information Security Officer, Larry Zorio. “Mark43 puts our customers first by ensuring that our technology solutions include the cyber controls needed to serve law enforcement professionals, first responders and our communities. We’ll continue to set the standard for public safety agencies across the country.”
“Public safety leaders deserve a resilient, reliable and secure technology platform,” said Mark43 Vice President of Federal & Emerging Markets Patricia Trexler. “This designation verifies that Mark43 puts these core tenets first, and understands how essential it is for public safety agencies to have the best-in-class security protocols. We are proud to be a secure partner for our customers and will continue to deliver resilient solutions for municipalities and institutions of higher education.”
The StateRAMP program provides a standardized approach to security and risk assessment for cloud technologies like the Mark43 Public Safety Platform. It is a multi-state program that is designed to help state and local agencies access the benefits of cloud computing while ensuring compliance with strict security protocols. A growing number of states and higher educational institutions are joining StateRAMP, allowing for all members to set a single overarching criteria for providers serving governments to verify their security posture and prove their cybersecurity compliance. The comprehensive process to become listed on the StateRAMP Authorized Product List includes an in-depth examination of Mark43’s standards and procedures surrounding security and governance. Built on Amazon Web Services (AWS) GovCloud, Mark43 will continue to provide the industry-leading security controls available for public safety customers.
Mark43 continues to invest in the highest-caliber security controls to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of government data. This StateRAMP “In Process” designation builds on Mark43’s existing security program which includes SOC 2 and SOC 3 certifications, demonstrating its unwavering focus on public sector law enforcement customers. Mark43’s StateRAMP High “In Process” designation is now listed on the StateRAMP Progressing Product List of Vendors.
The StateRAMP “In Process” Service Provider designation comes as Mark43 has made significant achievements in the federal marketplace, most recently achieving the FedRAMP High “In Process” designation. Mark43 is one of the few public safety technology companies to have attained this security and compliance designation.
About Mark43
Mark43 is the leading cloud-native public safety technology company. By delivering a modern, intuitive and mobile-first Records Management System, Computer-Aided Dispatch and Analytics platform, Mark43 empowers governments and their communities to improve the safety and quality of life for all. Working with more than 200 local, state and federal public safety agencies, Mark43 is transforming how first responders use technology to respond, engage and serve the community. Mark43 provides the tools, resources, expertise, and security foundation that public safety needs today, tomorrow, and beyond. For more information or to request a demo, visit www.mark43.com.
New technology is improving situational awareness for police officers and other first responders by minimizing response times and streamlining data sharing among agencies.
Advancements in high-tech for first responders might be essential in keeping police, firefighters, and EMTs on the job. Almost half (44%) of first responders surveyed said they considered leaving their jobs due to work-related stressors.
Being a first responder is not an easy job, noted Matt Polega, co-founder and head of external affairs at Mark43, who developed a public safety software platform allowing agencies to manage, share, collect, and analyze information more efficiently.
Solving such problems related to job stress and safety concerns is a common element driving some high-tech companies to focus on the needs of workers patrolling the streets on the domestic front lines. Public safety technology is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Often it overlaps. Sometimes, it drastically innovates.
Tech Innovations for First Responders
TechNewsWorld went behind the scenes recently, presenting an exclusive interview with the founder of the Critical Response Group (CRG). That company adapted military concepts to map interior schematics for law enforcement’s emergency response strategies.
In this article, we continue discussing the role technology plays in efforts by software developers and hardware makers to assist those agencies that serve public safety. One such company is Mark43, which designed a line of software solutions that run on desktop and laptop computers as well as squad car-based computer terminals.
New technology, such as the Mark43 communications platform, enables real-time views on squad car screens so responding units can be better informed of event scenes before they arrive, improving their safety and efficiency. (Image Credit: Mark43)
The company’s Mark43 lineup options are entirely cloud-based, which minimizes staff training because the applications run in a variety of web browsers. The result is a much less costly, and technically easier upgrade path to successfully transitioning to high-tech, stress-free. The only new cost is the cloud-delivery subscription, which varies.
“Cloud native is something that Mark43 hangs its hat on. That means our application is built to live in the cloud. The things that power the cloud power Mark43,” Polega told TechNewsWorld.
Storybook Trappings
In Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” movie, the hero called his new battle attire the Mark 42. It was the forty-second version of the crimefighting exoskeleton he built. Polega and his two other co-founders — Scott Crouch (also CEO) and Florian Mayr (also vice president) — named their new company Mark43 in honor of its next-generation crimefighting gear.
The trio met and started working together a decade ago as Harvard University juniors pursuing either mechanical or electrical engineering degrees. Their job in a particular class was to work with a client on an engineering project.
Harvard was very interested in developing engineers that were not only focused on why heat exchangers work and how bridges bend. The focus was also on helping them understand that someday they would have to work with people to solve their problems. They have been doing that ever since, quipped Polega.
That third-year class project involved something other than figuring out kinetic operations and physically breaking down structures. The job entailed working with the Massachusetts State Police special operations team that had spent time serving in a military capacity in the Middle East. That led the state police team to an aha moment. Domestic violent gang members behaved very much like insurgents in the Middle East.
Their quandary was about how to bring all the counter-insurgency tactics from the battlefield to combat domestic gangs and gang violence. Polega and company dug in to do just that. The tasks involved getting people comfortable with calling the police, cleaning up graffiti, or reducing open-air drug dealings.
“The state police were rolling out this new policing model, and our job in this crazy engineering class was to assess if this policing model was effective or not effective. Fast forward 10 years later, you realize that three juniors with engineering degrees that had no idea about policing or complex socioeconomics,” recalled Polega.
They learned to do all of those non-academic things and use engineering principles to solve those barriers. It was a much bigger project than the three wannabe engineers anticipated.
More Than Teachable Moments
The project prepared the three students to see that all of the software they were using was not like the wizardry found in TV shows, the likes of NCIS, CSI, and any of the other cool Hollywood TV shows using “stage” technology. Their professor gave them a goal — try to build something to help out the state police somehow.
The trio worked on that for the rest of their junior and senior years. After graduating in 2014, they went to the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, where they met a similar challenge. The police officials said: We don’t really know what you guys do, but we have some problems; and they said: we don’t really know what your problems are, but we can show you some of our solutions.
“We started to really understand all this analytical stuff and all these business intelligence tools. They were cool, and everybody wanted to build them, sell them, and get them into police agencies. But the real problem was collecting the data and capturing the information in a way it can be consumed online for all the important things police officers need to do if that information goes to court,” explained Polega.
The Mark43 platform provides first responders with a 3D aerial view of patrol car video screen displays that show the target incident location and position of responding patrol cars in a red diamond outline. (Image Credit: Mark43)
Their encounters with police departments and other first responder agencies further taught them the scope of the job performance the software they built had to arrest. For instance, when dispatched, police officers have to write reports about anything they encounter in the field and the kind of incident to which they respond.
Those reports had to be completed and submitted from computer terminals back at headquarters. Doing that on a daily basis took officers off the streets where they were no longer protecting and serving.
The burden of constantly preparing reports for incidents, accidents, confrontations, and court records drastically reduced the manpower available to respond to calls for many of their assigned shifts.
Engineering a New Solution
The dynamic trio of engineers solved that problem. After Polega, Crouch, and Mayr finished their work for the Washington D.C. Police Department in August 2015, they launched the company’s first product, a records management system.
It was the precursor of the Mark43 they later developed. This earlier model of the records management system handled the collection of on-duty arrest and traffic collision reports. It was a real operational system in place before Mark43 was fully designed, Polega noted.
An outgrowth of the three young engineers’ work with the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department led to the development of in-vehicle software that integrates with computers in HQ. (Image Credit: Mark43)
“I hate to call it TurboTax for police reports. But that is actually a pretty apt description,” said Polega. “We left Washington, D.C. having improved that agency’s arrest reporting times by 80% and offense reporting times by about 50%.”
Another much-needed result was the department’s ultimately adding 110 police officers back to the force, which is the equivalent of 240,000 person-hours back-to-back to the agency annually.
Existing Technology, Turbocharged
If you have ever observed a modern-day emergency call center or viewed TV police reality shows, you are familiar with a command center staffed with multiple dispatchers. Each one sits in front of numerous large-screen monitors.
That high-tech concept is somewhat like what many large first responder organizations have in their regional dispatch centers. Smaller agencies operate scaled-down versions of that scenario.
The online demonstration Kevin Fray, director of solutions architecture at Mark43, demonstrated showed off the power and operating ease the Mark43 system brought to patrol officers in their vehicles and their call centers. Writing reports and instantly accessing updated video data from dispatchers is a significant game changer for first responders.
Police dispatchers miles away at a central communication center use a variety of large-screen displays to oversee police and emergency response units in real time. (Image Credit: Mark43)
During our Zoom call screen-share, Fray displayed reports, area maps, aerial views, and much more on multiple call center monitors that showed what dispatchers would see at their workstations and the officer’s view in the patrol car. Similar to using automobile navigational apps and multitasking, Fray showed how the Mark43 navigation worked with Alt-Tab keys and touch screen to change the screen displays.
“I am [using] modern browsers — Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari. So from an end-user perspective, and just think about this from a technology perspective, you do not need to go out and buy a bunch of computers or anything as long as you have your typical standard desktop, or even laptops, and have access to the internet,” Fray told TechNewsWorld.
Other Mark43 Benefits
One of the main assets of this innovative communications platform, noted Fray, is the ability to put the mapping power in the dispatchers’ hands. The system is capable of displaying many kinds of data layers. Responders to an emergency can see live views of traffic, accidents, active shooter locations, and even views of crime locations while en route.
Another display enables dispatchers to keep in constant touch with first responders in real time and instantly shepherd updated information to wherever it is needed. (Image Credit: Mark43)
“This is cutting edge. No one else in the industry is doing this. A lot of public-sector agencies have relied on Esri to do their mapping technology. We have built Esri directly into our mapping technology,” noted Fray.
Another Mark43 benefit is its resilience to sharing information. The system has a reliable workflow that lets officers automate much of the report-writing tasks and enter information on-the-fly while remaining on patrol. Many older products require additional data stitching when officers get back to headquarters and try to integrate content written on the patrol car’s mobile computers.
Often, data collection needs to be changed, Fray added, but the in-car and in-station entry fields are not always compatible. Those two products will not work very well together, especially if different vendors maintain them.
January 9, 2022 – Mark43 announced today that Patricia “Patty” Trexler has been named Vice President of Federal & Emerging Markets. Trexler will lead Mark43’s ongoing expansion into the federal government marketplace.
“Patty has a proven track record of leadership within technology companies, helping build relationships throughout the federal sector and delivering solutions across all of federal law enforcement,” said Bob Hughes, Mark43 Chief Executive Officer. “Our recent FedRAMP High ‘In Process’ designation represents our long term commitment to the federal market, and Patty will help deliver resilient and reliable technology to our federal public safety agencies who so desperately need better tools.”
“I am excited to join Mark43 whose mission is so essential to the success of public safety agencies,” said Patricia Trexler, incoming Vice President of Federal & Emerging Markets. “Mark43 is creating the reliable and resilient technology that first responders deserve and I am ready to help deliver those solutions, particularly to the federal sector.”
Trexler brings more than 20 years of experience in complex public sector and commercial enterprise technology missions, most recently as Vice President of Government, Healthcare, and Education for SentinelOne with her last year focusing exclusively on the federal market. Prior to that, she served in leadership positions at Tanium, McAfee, and EMC.
Her appointment comes as Mark43 has made significant achievements in the federal marketplace, most recently achieving the FedRAMP High “In Process” designation. Mark43 is one of the few public safety technology companies to have attained this stringent security and compliance designation.
As Vice President of Federal & Emerging Markets, she joins the leading cloud-native public safety technology company, which provides an intuitive and mobile-first records management system, computer-aided dispatch and analytics platform to more than 200 public safety agencies.
About Mark43
Mark43 is the leading cloud-native public safety technology company. By delivering a modern, intuitive and mobile-first Records Management System, Computer-Aided Dispatch and Analytics platform, Mark43 empowers governments and their communities to improve the safety and quality of life for all. Working with more than 200 local, state and federal public safety agencies, Mark43 is transforming how first responders use technology to respond, engage and serve the community. Mark43 provides the tools, resources, expertise, and security foundation that public safety needs today, tomorrow, and beyond. For more information or to request a demo, visitwww.mark43.com.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Two years ago, on the day of the Christmas bombing, AT&T phone lines went down impacting all calls to Nashville’s 911 center.
It stopped person-to-person communication, but it did not cut off the computer-aided dispatch, or CAD, system where calls are recorded.
If the chain-linked fence, number of hard hats or levels of scaffolding don’t give it away, renovations after the Second Avenue Christmas Day bombing are still a work in progress. Progress in on the ground and inside the Nashville Emergency Communications Center.
John Reynolds is the computer-aided dispatch administrator. It’s the system where dispatchers record each call’s location and reason. He was one of the few employees at the center the morning of the Christmas Day bombing when phone lines went down.
“With our call volume, it’s too hard to manage that many incidents and units,” Reynolds said.
“We were not able to take non-emergency phone calls, administrative calls for about 72 hours,” Nashville Emergency Communications Center Director Stephen Martini said.
He knew changes must be made not only to the phone lines, but the CAD system too.
“If there’s anything the Christmas explosion let us know is we are vulnerable if we have all our eggs in once basket,” Martini said.
There’s where Matt Polega, co-founder of Mark43, comes in.
“He (Martini) said, ‘I want to make sure that we are never in that situation again where we are going to be facing any kind of difficulty to the residents of Nashville,” Polega said.
Currently, when the CAD goes down at the center, the backup is a sheet of paper. Dispatchers must record each call by hand, at times logging 100 calls an hour.
Now, if it goes down, the Mark43 system will kick in.
“Realistically, dispatchers could do this from home,” Polega said.
All they need is a computer and internet connection and they won’t miss a call.
“It’s really chaotic here because phones are ringing and people are changing their workflow and they can’t use their computer and write things on paper, and then that piece of paper and run it to another position,” Reynolds said.
He believes the new back-up system will cover all bases if something like the Christmas Day bombing were to happen again.
“In an event like that, where you have increased incidents and double the units because of the event, this can be extremely valuable,” Reynolds said.
The Nashville Emergency Communications Center added more phones lines as a backup option after the Christmas Day bombing. The new CAD system is paid for by the Davidson County Emergency Communications Board. Martini said it costs a fraction of what a normal CAD system does.
Two years after a man detonated a bomb from his RV parked in downtown Nashville on Christmas morning – and, in turn, caused millions to lose some phone service for several hours – the city is making proactive changes to ensure they are protected from certain kinds of outages going forward.
“It was our loss of phone system that has really shined a light on what are all of our critical piece of infrastructure – and we would call that phone, radio, Internet and network,” explained Stephen Martini, director of Metro Nashville Department of Emergency Communications. “What are our critical pieces and how do we build in redundancy to make sure that if something happens, we’re not affected by it?”
Anthony Quinn Warner, 63, parked his RV along Second Avenue North in downtown Nashville, about one block from the city’s famed AT&T Building, early Christmas morning in 2020. The RV’s PA system blasted an audio recording that warned of an impending explosion before switching to the song, “Downtown,” a 1964 hit by Petula Clark.
Police had been responding to a call for shots fired in the area when they noticed the suspicious RV as it blared the warning. Officers had begun trying to evacuate local residents when the explosive detonated at about 6:30 a.m.
Multiple people were injured, but only Warner was killed in the blast, which caused extensive damage to a popular part of a city already encumbered by the strains of the COVID pandemic. The FBI later determined that Warner acted alone and built the improvised explosive device himself.
The FBI released a new photo of Nashville bombing suspect Anthony Quinn Warner. (FBI)
Investigators called the explosion “an intentional act in an effort to end his own life, driven in part by a totality of life stressors – including paranoia, long-held individualized beliefs adopted from several eccentric conspiracy theories, and the loss of stabilizing anchors and deteriorating interpersonal relationships.” Officials determined the detonation was not an act of terrorism.
Beginning from midday on Christmas, just hours after the attack, and continuing for three days, residents in the famed Music City lost their ability to make calls to numbers other than 911 – including the 10-digit numbers for the police departments, the fire departments, fire alarm systems and even “Life Alert” response services, Martini said.
“You’re talking millions of people involved, for sure,” Martini told Fox News Digital.
But the effects of Warner’s attack also reached beyond the city of Nashville, and extended to 66 counties in Tennessee, “every county in Kentucky” and parts of Georgia and Alabama, Martini said. Residents in several of the regions were unable to get through to their emergency systems by calling 911.
While only non-emergency lines were impacted in the metro Nashville area, Martini said the outage spurred his agency to take measures to ensure they were covered in the event of more serious outages in the future.
“We know we needed more than one way to receive a phone call,” Martini said. “We know we need more than one way to be able to dispatch or use our radio system. We have that.”
But what the Metro Nashville Department of Emergency Communications did not have was an alternative to its computer-aided dispatch system, or CAD.
CAD systems provide dispatchers with the ability to organize and prioritize emergency and 911 calls and deploy first responders, whether police, fire or medical services, among others, as needed.
“We looked at our CAD system and said, you know, we really only have one way to use our computer-aided dispatch system. If we wound up in trouble, we’d be on paper and pen,” Martini went on. “It doesn’t happen often, but in our world, predictable is preventable.”
The agency turned to Mark43, a public safety software company that offers cloud-based CAD and record-keeping capabilities. Mark43, which allows its clients to personalize the kinds of CAD capabilities, makes such technology more accessible for dispatchers who might be working with limited resources, or who need to use the software during extenuating circumstances.
Metro Nashville will be using Mark43’s CAD software and is in the process of building and testing the system to meet the agency’s needs. According to Martini, Metro Nashville Department of Emergency Communications expects to have Mark43 as a “reliable option” by New Year’s Eve.
Matthew Polega and his co-founders spawned the idea for the software during their undergraduate years at Harvard University, during their work with Massachusetts State Police. They jump started the company with its records management application, which they introduced through Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department.
“The big thing that we’ve seen in the last 10 years is that agencies have really adopted, or are starting to adopt a cloud-native approach when it comes to trying to set up their technology portfolio. So, about 10 years ago, many, many agencies had all of their applications powered by servers in their basements that were plugged into the same outlet as the air conditioner,” Polega said. “When the power went out, not only did the AC run out, but these applications that are trying to power these 24-7, mission-critical operations went out as well.”
They have since expanded to include CAD systems and now boast a clientele of over 200 agencies.
Ten years since it was founded in Massachusetts, agencies of varying sizes, including Seattle, Boston and Atlanta police departments, Louisiana State Police and even some outside the United States, have since begun to use its services.
Police block off a part of the Broadway tourist district Monday, Dec. 28, 2020, as a result of a bombing that took place on Christmas Day in Nashville, Tenn. The explosion sparked shock across the country, killed the bomber, injured three other people and damaged dozens of buildings. Yet for those who call Music City home, the bombing feels like a cruel capstone to an already dark year. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
“When the public thinks about public safety technology, they think about handcuffs, and they think about what they see in movies,” Polega went on. “But these are the applications that are making sure that the police car gets to where the police car needs to get to provide that aid, provide that service, and then hopefully make sure that either justice is served or … public safety, which is a huge underpinning of our democracy, continues to be able to keep moving in the fashion that we want it to.”
According to a new 2023 U.S. Public Safety Trends Report from Mark43, utilizing insights from a nationwide first responder survey, modern policing requires modern technology. In fact, 86% of first responders want improved access to crime and incident reporting that leverages the reliability, security and resiliency of cloud software.
And, over half (57%) say their agency would benefit from an integrated platform to streamline their reporting responsibilities.
One central theme woven throughout the report is that technology plays a vital role in everything a public safety agency does. It must be integrated into all aspects of organizational activity. The technology cannot be an add-on or an afterthought, and this realization is a critical step forward for the entire sector’s future.
Image source: Mark43.
2022 saw the start of public safety agencies recognizing the intense need to move their computer aided dispatch (CAD), records management system (RMS) and analytics technology away from an on-premises solution, where physical servers are locally managed. Instead, they are moving toward cloud-native platforms where computing resources such as networks, servers, storage, applications and services are all in the cloud.
Additionally, the pandemic, an uptick in weather emergencies and cyberattacks, as well as associated security vulnerabilities have made it increasingly difficult to justify the usage of on-premises systems. The report indicates this is a welcome change, with over 2/3 (68%) of respondents stating that they must go to a physical location, such as a station house or office, to complete required paperwork instead of using cloud technology to complete these tasks digitally and from any offsite location.
Fortuitously, first responders have accepted the need for mobile phones on the job. With 93% relying on their devices for emergency dispatch software, capturing evidence and connecting with their colleagues and the community.
Overall, this new trend report underscores first responders’ desire for 2023 to be the year we see an industry-wide change as moves to cloud-native platforms accelerate for public safety organizations.
A national online survey of 343 first responders was conducted by Propeller Insights between October 6 and October 18, 2022.
December 19, 2022 – Mark43 Co-founder and Chairman of the Board Scott Crouch announced today that Robert “Bob” Hughes has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective December 19, 2022 and will lead the next phase of growth for Mark43. Hughes will also be appointed to Mark43’s Board of Directors.
“Bob has a proven track record of scaling and transforming leading technology companies, building critical customer relationships and ensuring operational excellence,” said Scott Crouch, Mark43 Co-founder and Chairman of the Board. “Bringing a mission-driven focus, Bob is committed to delivering for public safety agencies who so desperately need better technology. His leadership will bring continued growth for Mark43.”
“I am thrilled to lead a company I have long admired and whose mission is so essential to the success of public safety agencies across the globe,” said Bob Hughes, CEO of Mark43. “First responders deserve reliable, resilient and modern technology, and we will continue to innovate and deliver for them.”
Hughes brings 30 years of senior management experience. He served as President of Everbridge and spent nearly two decades in leadership positions at Akamai Technologies, including as President and Executive Vice President.
As CEO of Mark43, he joins the leading cloud-native public safety technology company, which provides an intuitive and mobile-first records management system, computer-aided dispatch and analytics platform to more than 200 public safety agencies.
About Mark43
Mark43 is the leading cloud-native public safety technology company. By delivering a modern, intuitive and mobile-first Records Management System, Computer-Aided Dispatch and Analytics platform, Mark43 empowers governments and their communities to improve the safety and quality of life for all. Working with more than 200 local, state and federal public safety agencies, Mark43 is transforming how first responders use technology to respond, engage and serve the community. Mark43 provides the tools, resources, expertise, and security foundation that public safety needs today, tomorrow, and beyond. For more information or to request a demo, visitwww.mark43.com.
December 14, 2022 – Mark43, the leading cloud-native public safety software company, today announced that it has achieved Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) High “In Process” through sponsorship by the United States Secret Service (USSS).
This designation demonstrates Mark43’s unwavering commitment to the highest levels of security controls in its cloud-native public safety technology platform, and verifies its rigorous standard of compliance and continued monitoring. Mark43 expects to reach full FedRAMP High authorization in 2023.
“Law enforcement leaders deserve a resilient, reliable and secure technology platform, and this FedRAMP High “In Process” designation shows how Mark43 prioritizes these essential core tenets,” said Mark43 Chief Information Security Officer Larry Zorio. “The federal government has some of the highest security standards for cloud technology providers, and that’s why public safety agencies across the globe search the FedRAMP Marketplace when looking for a best-in-class vendor. Mark43 has the security controls that premier public safety agencies can trust.”
The FedRAMP program provides a standardized approach to security and risk assessment for cloud technologies, like the Mark43 Public Safety Platform. This comprehensive process includes an in-depth examination of Mark43’s standards and procedures surrounding security and governance. Built on Amazon Web Services (AWS) GovCloud, Mark43 will continue to provide the industry-leading security controls available for public safety customers.
Mark43 continues to invest in the highest caliber security controls to protect sensitive government data. This FedRAMP High “In Process” designation builds on Mark43’s existing security program which includes SOC 2 and SOC 3 certifications, demonstrating its unwavering focus on public sector law enforcement customers. Mark43’s FedRAMP High “In Process” designation is now listed on the FedRAMP Government Marketplace.
About Mark43
Mark43 is the leading cloud-native public safety technology company. By delivering a modern, intuitive and mobile-first Records Management System, Computer-Aided Dispatch and Analytics platform, Mark43 empowers governments and their communities to improve the safety and quality of life for all. Working with more than 200 local, state and federal public safety agencies, Mark43 is transforming how first responders use technology to respond, engage and serve the community. Mark43 provides the tools, resources, expertise, and security foundation that public safety needs today, tomorrow, and beyond. For more information or to request a demo, visitwww.mark43.com.
