April 4, 2023 by Jackson Neff

10-21 Police Phone for Your Agency

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Industries: 9-1-1 & Law Enforcement

Topics: Public Safety Applications SaaS

Boost Community Trust and Transparency.

10-21 Police Phone – one of law enforcement’s most popular mobile apps – is now available for agency purchase with administrative controls and tools designed to protect personnel while increasing community trust and transparency.

In today’s modern policing environment, law enforcement agencies face mounting pressure to better serve and connect in order to build trust and transparency with their communities. Fostering open dialogue between law enforcement and the community is crucial and often requires more than a single in-person interaction. Striking a balance between accessibility and privacy is often the largest obstacle.

An officer may need to follow up on a police report or reach out regarding an ongoing investigation. However, many agencies don’t equip personnel with the necessary tools to connect with the community. This often leaves no choice but to share a personal number, compromising an officer’s privacy. And if they try to hide their work or personal number and make a blocked call, the likelihood of the call being answered is significantly reduced.

Only 19% of Americans generally answer cellphone calls from unknown numbers, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center in 2020,  

It’s becoming critical for agencies to provide tools to foster communication and connection with their communities while protecting officer privacy and keeping a record of public interactions. 

One tool law enforcement relies on to solve this issue is 10-21 Police Phone. Nearly 1 in 4 officers, representing almost every agency in the US, have downloaded the mobile app and are making calls that build connections.

You know 10-4, but what’s 10-21? 10-21 Police Phone

10-21 is radio code for “make a phone call,” and that’s what the 10-21 Police Phone app is designed to do. The difference with 10-21 is that calls get answered while protecting privacy by providing an identifiable, virtual phone number to use from a personal device – keeping police work and personal life separate.  

The app’s popularity has grown significantly since its launch in 2015. Over 250,000 unique law enforcement users make 15,000 calls per day, while the app has facilitated over 1.6 million citizen callback requests. By providing a communication tool that protects privacy and increases answer rates, 10-21 Police Phone helps agencies build trust with their communities. 

Support your personnel and your agency

With over 250,000 10-21 Police Phone users verified as law enforcement, there’s a good chance someone in your agency is already benefiting from using the app. However, as public demand for access to law enforcement increases, all of your personnel must be able to respond promptly while protecting their privacy. 

While facilitating connections is a powerful capability, it’s only half the battle. Agencies are also responsible for maintaining a record of these connections for insights into interactions and documentation of agency actions. The introduction of 10-21 Police Phone for your entire agency puts that transparency at your fingertips.

When you equip your agency with 10-21, your entire force will be able to access the mobile app’s upgraded features to make calls that get answered while administrators gain controls and insight into agency calls through 10-21 CallManager.

10-21 CallManagerThis new interface lets agency administrators gain insight into call history and community callback requests. With CallManager, administrators can quickly assess if callbacks are answered in a timely manner and by whom, increasing transparency and solidifying trust with the community.

Documenting phone interactions with the public provides an extra layer of support for personnel in the event of a dispute. With increasing requirements for documentation of all communications between officers and communities, 10-21 benefits internal affairs (IA) departments and is favored by labor protection and union organizations.

Features built to support the entire agency

When an agency purchases 10-21 Police Phone, the full fleet of users gain instant access to the same free and upgraded features currently available through the 10-21 Police Phone mobile app, giving them the ability to:

  • Make secure calls to the community from a local, unblocked number
  • Automatically send an SMS from “law enforcement,” providing an easy way to request a callback
  • Receive a callback notification when a citizen returns a call to respond when convenient
  • Route calls to the agency’s non-emergency number in case immediate assistance is needed 
  • Make calls as “law enforcement” to increase answer rates
  • Receive citizen caller ID on callback requests, if available
  • View a complete call history, with contact information, from the date of purchase
  • Keep community contacts separate from your phone and add field notes for better context
  • Conduct a video call so the citizen can show you important details without having to meet in person 

Additionally, agency-wide 10-21 Police Phone provides administrators with exclusive access to the desktop CallManager dashboard to: 

  • View unanswered community callback requests to see who’s waiting for a response
  • View, sort and search all outbound calls to your community
  • Set default agency details and non-emergency number 
  • Easily add and remove user licenses and organize teams 
  • Take advantage of single sign-on for Motorola Solutions CommandCentral user.

Build bridges with the community 

In a time when the relationship between law enforcement and the public is under intense scrutiny, tools like 10-21 Police Phone can help agencies build bridges and promote open communication within their communities.

By bringing this innovation to your agency, your personnel can connect with the community safely and securely. At the same time, administrators can gain valuable insight into these interactions. Ultimately the community benefits from improved service by law enforcement thanks to connections and accountability established by 10-21.

Are you interested in purchasing 10-21 for your agency? Contact your local Motorola Solutions sales representative or visit www.motorolasolutions.com/10-21 for more information. 

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