In this report for the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the RAND Corporation’s Engineering and Applied Sciences department projects how law enforcement’s use of broadband technologies may develop in the next two decades.
This publication envisions policing and the impact of broadband technologies on law enforcement departments in the next 20 years. The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice (NIJ) sought research and evaluation projects to develop practical knowledge that would inform the deployment of mobile broadband communications technologies by law enforcement agencies, to identify state and local agencies leading in the deployment of these technologies, to study existing and conceptual network architectures, to evaluate operational deployments, and to synthesize the results into a guidance document. The RAND Corporation’s Engineering and Applied Sciences department conducted this work. This report serves as the guidance desired by NIJ for law enforcement and first responders as they transition to the NPSBN or elect to deploy mobile broadband services for their communities.