This will be a first for the city and a second for the state, as the technology is implemented in cruisers.
The Boston College Police Department (BCPD) has just announced that it will become the first department in the city (and the second one in Massachusetts) to add QR codes to their cruisers in order to take advantage of mobile technology.
When a smartphone user scans one of the barcodes, s/he will be directed to an informational website.
Specifically, these QR codes will send mobile users either to the department’s official website, or to its Facebook page.
The hope is that the QR codes will help to communicate with the community on a whole new level.
According to Sergeant Jeffrey Postell, from the BCPD, the new website has been completely revamped, and it has been redesigned with the QR codes to allow for quick access so that community policing will be available in an entirely new way. This site allows traditional computer and mobile users to request Crime Prevention Education services. They can also contact officers through email, and they can print out bike registration forms.
Sgt. Postell explained that the department has embraced the mobile environment, and that “Law enforcement and public safety agencies nationwide must rise to the level that our society and community are on. That means when the majority of our community is utilizing social media or web-based research for information we must be up to the signs of the times, and be transparent.”
He also stated that the BCPD takes a great amount of pride in the fact that they are among the pioneers of using the QR codes within the state. He feels that the mobile barcodes will be an important part of being able to properly and effectively serve the community, as it will ensure that the people within it have a way to directly connect with their police department.
The goal for the use of the QR codes is to make sure that everyone in the community is aware of what services are available to them, how they can reach the department when they need to, and how to obtain crime prevention information to help in safety efforts.
