Verizon Frontline, Milwaukee PD partner to help ensure public safety during major political event

MILWAUKEE, Wisc. – The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team recently completed a deployment in support of the Milwaukee Police Department, one of the lead agencies responsible for coordination of all public safety activity during the Republican National Convention.

The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team’s preparations for this event started more than 18 months ago and required close collaboration with local, state and federal public safety agencies to identify the unique needs of the supported agencies and match the right Verizon Frontline solutions to these needs. This partnership helped ensure that first responders had the mission-critical communications capabilities they needed as they worked to ensure the safety of Milwaukee’s residents and the thousands of visitors in the city for the event.

At the request of the Milwaukee Police Department, the Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team delivered more than 900 Verizon Frontline solutions ranging from smartphones loaded with public safety-specific applications to deployable communications assets like Satellite Picocells on Trailers (SPOTs).

The Milwaukee Police Department used a network of 725 of these solutions to help develop a Common Operational Picture (COP) during the convention. A COP is a single, relevant display of operational information shared by multiple agencies. The Milwaukee Police were able to do this using Verizon Frontline-provided, 5G smartphones, the Verizon network and a Team Awareness Kit (TAK) application. This app shows the exact location and names of the thousands of officers involved in an operation of this scale and enables them each to share pictures, reports, drone locations, and more, all on one map.

The partnership during the convention represents a continuation of the strong relationship between Verizon Frontline and the Milwaukee Police Department. Verizon Frontline serves as the primary wireless partner for the department, responsible for squad car connectivity and a total of more than 800 voice and data lines in service.

The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team also provided support to the public safety agencies tasked with ensuring public safety during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

“For more than three decades we’ve worked with public safety agencies like the Milwaukee Police Department to ensure they have the mission-critical communications capabilities they need to achieve their missions,” said Russ Anderson, senior director of sales for Verizon Public Sector’s central region. “The work of the Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team in Milwaukee recently is just another example of how we go above and beyond to support our partners on the front lines.”

The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team is able to provide on-demand, emergency assistance during crisis situations to government agencies and first responders, on a 24/7 basis at no cost to the supported agencies. Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team members set up portable cell sites, WiFi hotspots, free charging stations and other Verizon Frontline devices and solutions that enable communications and/or boost network performance.

Verizon Frontline is the advanced network and technology built for first responders – developed over three decades of partnership with public safety officials and agencies on the front lines – to meet their unique and evolving needs.