NEW YORK, Oct. 6, 2022 — Mark43, the leading cloud-native public safety software company, today released the results of a national survey that showed Americans want law enforcement to share more data, such as information about crime, use of force and mental health crisis response.
The survey also found that most Americans believe police need more cybersecurity capabilities to ensure effective safeguarding of records and data, indicating a need for modern technology to protect critical information collected and stored by law enforcement agencies.
Digital transformation is taking place within the public safety sector on a global scale. The utilization of cloud-native technology – platforms and tools — offers secure, stable, available, easily-upgradable solutions that provide 24/7 access to real-time data for officers, law enforcement executives and emergency dispatchers. In addition, effective data collection, storage and analytics improve emergency response efficiency and effectiveness. The ability to share this data, through tools such as digital dashboards, enables law enforcement to connect more effectively with community members as well as with each other. Ultimately, by bridging data across disparate systems, law enforcement can glean critical information so they can better do their jobs and serve their communities.
Among the survey’s findings were that:
- A near-total majority (93%) of respondents are in favor of law enforcement agencies sharing data with the public, with only 7% favoring total confidentiality.
- Nearly half (45%) of Americans don’t believe their local police are transparent.
- Eighty-three percent of people believe it’s very or somewhat important to know and trust the company handling police data.
- A majority (60%) of the general population is not confident that the police are set up for success when it comes to cybersecurity.
“Data transparency and data security must go hand-in-hand,” said Larry Zorio, Chief Information Security Officer at Mark43. “When there is a data breach within a law enforcement agency, it undermines trust in not just law enforcement, but also for government as a whole. As a cloud-native platform, Mark43 provides safety and security for its customers while highlighting the advanced level of transparency that can be achieved by collecting comprehensive data and sharing it with the public.”
Matt Polega, co-founder and head of marketing and communications at Mark43 added: “The paradigm shift to a mobile-first workforce is vital so that police officers can manage critical parts of their job such as report writing and other administrative responsibilities in the field. We often hear from community members and law enforcement that having broader access to data and information helps to strengthen relationships and cultivate trust. The paradigm shift to a mobile-first workforce is vital so that police officers can manage critical parts of their job such as report writing in the field. This mobility allows them to both capture critical information and data elements while concurrently being physically present and available for the residents they serve.”
Mark43 empowers governments and their communities with a digital platform that improves the safety and quality of life for all. Adoption of its user-friendly, cloud-native, data platform translates to real-world impact and information security is a vital part of Mark43 offerings. As a cloud-native platform, Mark43 provides industry-leading data security, protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of customer’s data. Mark43 maintains a comprehensive security assessment and testing strategy to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses. Security controls are also in place to monitor and control communications at the external boundary of the system and at key internal boundaries.
In addition, officers using the Mark43 Records Management System have seen a 50% decrease in report writing times, increased collaboration across the agency, and more time to focus on their communities. By using Mark43 Computer-Aided Dispatch, call-takers and first responders remain connected with unfettered accessibility and real-time updates. In addition, those working in records departments receive powerful and accurate compliance support to guide law enforcement reporting and compliance. And, law enforcement command staff is equipped with timely and relevant data to tell their story with facts, not anecdotes.
The survey’s findings come at a time of heightened public concern about the protection and use of their data. According to the PEW Research Center, 79% of Americans are concerned about the way their data is being used by companies.
But law enforcement agencies have a mixed record on data transparency. For example, The Vera Institute of Justice Police Data Transparency Index shows that of 94 law enforcement locations studied, only 36% publish use of force data.
Methodology
A national online survey of 1,020 U.S. consumers, ages 18-plus was conducted by Propeller Insights between July 22 and July 27, 2022. Respondents opted into an online database; from there they were targeted based on demographics. To further confirm qualifications, respondents were asked to verify their information in the survey itself, self-identifying qualifications, and the maximum margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
