The adoption of mobile location-aware systems for field police work: Evaluation of a pilot initiative at the dutch police

Abstract

Mobile location aware services for police work are still in an infant phase. In this paper we present the evaluation research conducted for a Dutch police pilot initiative, to identify critical points in the adoption of new mobile and location-aware applications. The service enables officers in the field to receive alerts on activities and events, locate colleagues or police cars and consult police databases. We administered questionnaires and interviewed 20 police officers who had gone through a 10 month testing, after having surveyed daily activities and movements in the field of an enlarged control group before the PDA was introduced. The study shows that the new applications have been unevenly used and liked among officers. The daily activities of neighborhood agents patrolling the streets on foot were the most impacted. The study also shows that technology factors and design choices (such as the frequency of alerts) have a strong impact on utilization. Below a certain level or usability/functionality, which appears to be completely work-process and organization specific, the intention to use the system is very low resulting in poor utilization and little behavioral impact. This paper illustrates the system, the information collected to assess user perception as well as behavioral work changes.