The Blakely, Georgia, Police Department (BPD) has a staff of 14 sworn officers serving over 5,000 individuals. As a relatively new agency, Blakely has experienced challenges securing the necessary funding to purchase mobile data terminals (MDTs) for officers, which has hampered the police department’s ability to respond to increased firearm-related violence and violent criminal activity in the community in an effective and efficient manner.

The BPD plans to use MDTs to address increased firearm-related violence, enhance community engagement and presence, and increase officer safety. With MDTs, officers can remain at crime scenes to complete reports, disseminate additional information to other officers and agencies, and pull critical details on vehicles and individuals at a scene. The BPD plans to partner and share resources with their local school system for potential firearm-related incidents on school grounds, gaining access to the school’s surveillance cameras to coordinate appropriate law enforcement responses. Through these efforts, BPD intends to establish a strengthened relationship with community members, potentially leading to increased cooperation and trust between Blakely officers and residents and decreased firearm-related crime.