The upgrade to Windows 10 should be ready by the summer

Oct 14, 2016 07:08 GMT  ·  By

Windows Phone is rapidly losing users and developer support, and third-party market share analysts put it at less than 1 percent, but if you’re asking the NYPD, this is the best mobile platform out there.

Police officers are already using Windows phones to respond to 911 calls faster, and according to a new report, the Lumia 830 and the 640 XL are the two preferred models.

And since they’re both compatible with Windows 10 Mobile, the NYPD is now planning to upgrade to the new operating system and even get more phones to increase adoption across the department. The transition should be ready by the summer of next year, as prior testing to determine compatibility issues still need to be conducted.

Asked why they chose Windows Phone instead of Android or iOS, NYPD pointed to the security of the operating system, explaining that, in addition, devices running Microsoft’s platform also support remote management.

Wanted: Windows 10 Mobile phones

The NYPD has already started the search for the perfect Windows 10 Mobile device and it says that battery life and processor speed are two of the things the department is most interested in. Furthermore, it should offer support for the department’s new apps, connectivity to the city’s security cameras and two-way digital dispatch.

“We've spent the past year and a half building out a platform, getting the data in order, and giving out the devices. Now that we have that platform, and it's 36,000 officers strong, we plan to continue to build on it,” Jessica Tisch, the department's deputy commissioner for information technology, was quoted as saying.

Windows phones allowed police offers to respond to 911 calls directly, thus cutting response times by 12 percent from the previous year. They also offered access to the Crime Information Center, allowed quick searches in the police database, made it possible to fill out paperwork and reports, and connect to the NYPD U service to find out about the latest policy updates in the department.