Berwyn Police Department Takes a Partnership-Driven Approach to Public Safety Technology
Berwyn, Illinois, is a suburb of Chicago with a population of approximately 56,000 residents. City leaders, the Police Department, and the Fire Department work closely with the Emergency Telephone System Board (ETSB) to coordinate mission-critical responses.
The Berwyn Police Department and Fire Department includes 120 sworn officers and 82 firefighters who handle approximately 85,000 calls for service and 17,000 reports a year who are dedicated to protecting and serving the Berwyn community.
The Challenges – Outdated Technology and System Limitations
Like many police departments across the nation, Berwyn faced several challenges that impacted their emergency response which led to operational challenges as well as an impact on their public safety mission.
- Lack of Integration: Data systems didn’t effectively “talk to each other,” limiting real-time information sharing, slowing investigations, and complicating dispatching.
- Inadequate Support: When technical issues arose, Berwyn lacked a dedicated and responsive 24/7/365 support partner, which disrupted operations during critical moments, as emergencies don’t follow traditional business hours.
- Time-Consuming Report Writing: Officers were spending excessive time on report writing, pulling them away from proactive community policing. This affected their visibility and ability to engage in crime prevention.
- Limited Data Insights: The lack of real-time data analytics made it difficult to gain actionable insights, which impacted decision-making and strategic resource allocation.
- Cumbersome Training: Legacy systems were difficult to train on, leading to reduced user adoption and inefficiency in utilizing emergency response technology tools.
The Solution: Embracing a Modern Technology Platform
Procurement Process
Determined to address these challenges, Berwyn initiated a thorough and strategic procurement process. This involved in-depth staff assessments, extensive interviews, and detailed reference evaluations to ensure they selected a partner who not only aligned with their goals but also shared their commitment to innovation and advancing public safety.
Adopting Cloud-Native Technology
Finding a solution that avoided cumbersome on-premises infrastructure, could update in real-time and was secure was essential. This led them to focus on adopting a cloud-native platform to streamline dispatching, address time-consuming report writing, and simplify administrative processes.
City leadership, Police, Fire, and IT departments collaborated to review vendors. After weighing the pros and cons, the consensus was clear: Mark43 was the ideal partner, aligning with the department’s vision and securing buy-in from all key stakeholders. A critical success factor was identifying relevant stakeholders and project champions early on, ensuring seamless communication, collaboration, and a shared commitment to the project’s long-term success.
“Our police and fire departments needed a technology upgrade, and we trusted Mark43 to deliver. The Mark43 team understands our needs and shares our commitment to protecting and serving the Berwyn community.”
Robert J. Lovero, Mayor of Berwyn
Why Mark43?
Central to Berwyn’s decision was the unified public safety platform Mark43 offered, integrating CAD, RMS, legacy systems and Analytics with an intuitive user experience. Mark43’s cloud-native capabilities allowed for rapid deployment, scalability and premier security, a critical factor for Berwyn’s need to accelerate implementation and ensure resiliency. All of this was done at a more optimal cost to the city compared to other short-listed solutions.
The Importance of Adopting a Change Management Strategy in Public Safety
Berwyn’s success was driven by a clear change management strategy focused on vision, skills, and a structured action plan. With Mark43’s support and Kotter’s 8 Steps for Change, they ensured a smooth transition, creating urgency, building a guiding coalition, and celebrating short-term wins while institutionalizing improvements.
“The key to our success has been a clear change management strategy from day one. Aligning our vision, empowering our team with the right skills, and ensuring everyone had the resources they needed made all the difference. This wasn’t just about adopting new technology—it was about transforming how we serve our community.
Joe Fitzgerald, Berwyn Project Manager
- Training and Skill Development: Berwyn worked closely with Mark43 to provide tailored training for all officers, from frontline to administrative personnel. Initial concerns about adopting new technology were alleviated thanks to strong project support from leadership and comprehensive, hands-on training. This ensured a smooth transition and increased confidence among the team.
- Resources and Support: Mark43 provided robust support, including clear communication, regular check-ins, and customized training materials. The platform was also configured to meet the unique needs of Berwyn, ensuring the team could adapt quickly while maximizing efficiency.
- Implementation and Action Plan: Berwyn’s action plan involved proactive communication, regular assessments, and phased rollouts to ensure all stakeholders—from Police to Fire to IT—were aligned. This multi-stakeholder collaboration minimized resistance and achieved a smoother integration of the Mark43 platform.
Early Wins and Long-Term Impact
Just 30 days into the deployment, Berwyn experienced a smoother rollout than expected. An early survey of users revealed the vast majority view the Mark43 platform positively and it’s already improving the day-to-day workstreams.
Reducing the administrative burden and getting officers back into the community is essential for improving public safety. Berwyn is closely tracking key metrics, such as time spent on reports and the percentage of an officer’s shift spent in the field; to assess the full impact of the new public safety platform and ensure it’s making a measurable difference in daily operations.
“Our officers are thrilled about the modern and easy-to-use RMS interface that they can access on the go from their cars, mobile devices, and laptops. This will completely transform our workflows for quicker reporting so our officers can focus on crime prevention within the Berwyn community.”
Michael D. Cimaglia, Chief of the Berwyn Police Department
“Transitioning to a cloud-native CAD system is a crucial step for our firefighters, paramedics and EMT’s. They need a platform they can trust regardless of circumstance. It also makes it easier for us to allocate resources more effectively, to get more first responders out in the field. Mark43 CAD will get us to the scene quicker and essentially save more lives.”
Thomas Hayes, Chief of the Berwyn Fire Department
Message to Other Chiefs
For public safety executives considering a cloud-native platform, Berwyn’s experience highlights the importance of choosing a solution that fits your department’s unique needs. Mark43’s expeditious deployment, cloud-native infrastructure, and close collaboration make it an ideal choice for forward-thinking departments.
“Mark43 has already shown us in the first month that we made the right choice. The speed and efficiency we’re seeing reinforce that our department is on the right path.”
Joe Fitzgerald, Berwyn Project Manager
For Berwyn, transitioning to Mark43 wasn’t just about finding the right technology—it was about partnering with a company that could support them at every step, from strategic planning to implementation and beyond. Mark43’s commitment to collaboration and its ability to meet Berwyn’s unique needs have been instrumental in their journey to modernize and enhance public safety operations.
