Peregrine 101: Improving field operations for officers and their community

Peregrine is a software platform that powers operations and near real-time decision-making for the U.S. public safety community.

Patrol officers are the direct service providers in communities, but they’re frequently ignored by technology providers. Most field technology is wearable hardware — body worn cameras, for example.

Software is designed to provide law enforcement personnel at HQ real-time information but isn’t built for the field and the daily realities patrol officers face. Improving field operations with access to real-time information enhances the entire department's operations and improves community relationships.

The backbone of the department

Because patrol officers most regularly engage with people in their communities, they are in many ways the backbone of the department. Access to information — in a way that makes sense to patrol officers — can help them make materially better decisions in the moments that matter most.

At a high level, better approaches to policing — and how patrol officers work — can materially improve a department’s relationship with the community it serves.

Many citizens that live and work in areas of high violent crime are not involved in criminal activity and are often victims of violent crime. Absent specific real-time data on the drivers of crime, violence prevention efforts can be geared towards an entire community, which can exacerbate violence and erode trust the community has in public safety agencies.

Accurate data on violent crimes and involved persons can lead to better, holistic crime prevention efforts, but only if those on the ground — patrol officers — can access the same depth and accuracy of information in the field as the command staff.

Imagine officers are called to a scene, and they know in advance that the subject has had prior behavioral health incidents. They will be better able to deploy specific approaches that can effectively deescalate the situation. The same is true of a potentially dangerous encounter — knowing in advance if a suspect has been involved in violent crimes can help them to formulate an effective approach and potentially save lives.

From responding to crimes and homeless outreach or community engagement, Peregrine enables patrol officers to know with certainty what approach works best while equipping them with that information in real-time.

Patrol is key to solving and closing cases

Improved access to real-time data can also help departments solve crimes more quickly. While patrol officers’ primary mission is response, the work that they do immediately following an incident – and how that information is shared with detectives – can have a material impact on if and how quickly an open case is closed.

With Peregrine, officers in the field can access pertinent systems from their mobile device, like city cameras, body-worn camera footage, arrest and vehicle records, and automated license plate readers (ALPR). This can allow them to synthesize information immediately following an incident more holistically, which can then be sent to investigators as needed. And because Peregrine can simply ingest handwritten notes, detectives will have all the context responding officers do.

With comprehensive data in hand, detectives can solve crimes and close cases more quickly — but that starts with equipping patrol officers with all the information they need at their fingertips, when they need it.

Advanced technologies can no longer be reserved for people behind a desk. Sworn officers who are in the field deserve the same opportunities to make data-driven decisions to keep themselves and their communities safe.

And with Peregrine, they will.

About Lenny Nerbetski

Currently serving as Senior Law Enforcement Advisor, Captain Lenny Nerbetski (ret.) has approximately 29 years sworn law enforcement experience with the New Jersey State Police and the Albuquerque Police Department, primarily in investigations, intelligence and analysis. During his law enforcement career, Captain Nerbetski served for several years on the FBI Newark Joint Terrorism Task Force, as the Executive Officer of the New Jersey Regional Operations Intelligence Center and Commander of the Albuquerque Police Department Real Time Crime Center.