Police technology has advanced rapidly over the last decade. Body-worn cameras, in-car video, license plate readers, GPS tracking and real-time alerts are now common across much of the profession. Yet when officers are asked what would actually improve their safety, the answer isn’t more technology.
It’s better technology.
In Question 62 of Police1’s “What Cops Want in 2025" survey, officers were asked to recommend improvements to the situational awareness technology they already use. Their responses — drawn from rural, suburban and urban agencies — send a consistent and unmistakable message: before departments add anything new, they need to fix what’s already in the field.
Officers are not rejecting innovation. They are asking for reliability, integration, usability and training — the fundamentals that too often remain unresolved.
Reliability still falls short
Technology is meant to reduce uncertainty, but many officers report that their tools fail when they’re needed most. Survey data shows that a majority of respondents experience technology failures at least occasionally during critical moments.
For rural agencies, reliability challenges are especially acute. Limited infrastructure, aging equipment and long repair timelines leave officers working with tools they cannot fully trust. When a system fails during a stop or call for service, the officer doesn’t just lose a convenience — they lose situational awareness.
Too many systems, not enough integration
One of the most frequent recommendations in Question 62 is simple: make the systems talk to each other.
Officers describe juggling multiple platforms — CAD, RMS, body-worn cameras, in-car video, ALPR, mapping tools and vendor-specific apps — each with its own interface and workflow. Switching between systems takes time and attention, especially during high-risk encounters.
This fragmentation contributes directly to cognitive overload, a problem highlighted elsewhere in the survey. Officers say they are less aware of their surroundings when they’re forced to manage multiple screens, alerts and logins. What they want instead is a unified environment where information flows automatically and intuitively.
Usability matters in high-risk moments
Beyond integration, officers are clear that many systems are simply not designed with patrol realities in mind. Survey responses cite slow boot times, cluttered interfaces, excessive clicking and logins that delay access to critical information.
Several officers note that consumer technology — including personal smartphones — often feels faster and more intuitive than the tools installed in patrol vehicles. In an environment where seconds matter, a sluggish interface isn’t just frustrating. It’s a safety issue.
Cameras and sensors still need work
Even widely adopted tools like body-worn and in-car cameras remain a source of concern. Officers repeatedly call for better low-light performance, clearer audio, longer battery life and more reliable activation.
Others point to delays in evidence uploads and inconsistent file handling, which keep them at the station longer and undermine confidence in the system. Officers are not asking for futuristic features — they want cameras that consistently capture what matters, when it matters.
Connectivity gaps undermine modern tools
Technology is only as effective as the infrastructure supporting it. Rural officers, in particular, describe dead radio zones, unreliable cellular coverage and slow data transmission that limit the usefulness of otherwise capable systems.
Survey data shows that rural agencies report lower access to situational awareness tools across nearly every category. When tools are available, connectivity issues often prevent them from functioning as intended. Real-time alerts lose their value if they arrive too late to inform decisions in the field.
In their own words: What Cops Want survey responses
Don’t add more technology, but improve what already exists.
Technology that works together. Too many systems operate independently.
Decrease the number of systems that we use. To log in at the beginning of my shift, I log into 12 different programs.
Functional technology. Most tech doesn't work and takes too long to get companies to get it back up and running when it does go down.
Too unreliable, constantly updating and changing apps and structure of app so it makes it hard to navigate.
Faulty technology gets pushed without training and when it doesn't work nothing is done.
More training over technology.
Greater reliability improvements and improved service for internet-based systems in rural areas.
Get rid of the delay on audio for BWC to capture the entire verbal exchange.
Just keep it working.
Source: Police1 What Cops Want survey (Q62 open-ended responses).
Slow repairs erode trust
Officers also emphasize the need for faster maintenance and repair. Many report that broken equipment sits unfixed for weeks or months, forcing them to rely on workarounds or operate without the tools altogether.
When systems repeatedly fail and repairs are slow, officers stop relying on them. That erosion of trust is difficult to reverse and undermines the very purpose of situational awareness technology.
Training has not kept pace with deployment
Finally, officers say they are not receiving enough training on the technology they are issued. Only a small percentage believe their agency provides adequate instruction. Many report learning systems on their own or relying on younger colleagues to explain new features.
Without proper training, even well-designed tools are underused or misused. Officers say they want regular refreshers and hands-on instruction that reflects real-world scenarios, not one-time rollouts followed by silence.
Fixing the foundation before building higher
The takeaway from Question 62 is not subtle. Officers want innovation, but they want it built on a stable foundation. Reliable equipment. Integrated systems. Simple, intuitive interfaces. Strong connectivity. Timely repairs. Meaningful training.
Before agencies invest in the next generation of technology, officers are asking leaders to ensure the current generation actually works — every shift, every call, every time.
That, they say, is what will truly improve situational awareness and officer safety.
