NYPD Defends Choosing Windows Phones, Confirms Plans to Switch to iPhones

[MacRumors]

The New York Police Department has confirmed it will begin transitioning to iPhones for its 36,000 police officers in the fall, less than one year after completing a rollout of Windows Phones to its police force.

Image: ABC7 Eyewitness News - WABC-TV New York​

Jessica Tisch, the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Information Technology, said "improvements in Apple controls" will enable the department to "responsibly and cost effectively move its mobility initiative to the Apple platform."

When the NYPD chose Windows Phone devices in 2014, Tisch said "neither iOS nor Android phones allowed it to cost-effectively utilize prior investment in custom Windows applications" that it had deployed at the time.

"Moreover, we assessed that the Windows platform would be most effective at achieving our goal of securing 36,000 devices that would be used for sensitive law enforcement operations," added Tisch. "This was of paramount importance."

The NYPD said its contract provided for Nokia's Lumia smartphones at no cost. It also allowed for the department to replace the smartphones with devices of its choosing two years later, also at no cost.

As a result, the NYPD said its smartphone initiative is 45 percent under budget. Based on its current rate of spending, the department expects to stretch what was initially budgeted at two years of spending to more than four years.

Tisch said the NYPD's mobility initiative has made its police officers "smarter, faster, and more agile" in their response to 911 calls, with response times down more than 8 percent compared to an unspecified period.

Article Link: NYPD Defends Choosing Windows Phones, Confirms Plans to Switch to iPhones

 

[tkermit]

Oh well, you live and learn.

 

[Kaibelf]

Look like they got what they paid for.

 

[democracyrules]

The New York Police Department has confirmed it will begin transitioning to iPhones for its 36,000 police officers in the fall, less than one year after completing a rollout of Windows Phones to its police force.

Image: ABC7 Eyewitness News - WABC-TV New York​

Jessica Tisch, the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Information Technology, said "improvements in Apple controls" will enable the department to "responsibly and cost effectively move its mobility initiative to the Apple platform."

When the NYPD chose Windows Phone devices in 2014, Tisch said "neither iOS nor Android phones allowed it to cost-effectively utilize prior investment in custom Windows applications" that it had deployed at the time.

"Moreover, we assessed that the Windows platform would be most effective at achieving our goal of securing 36,000 devices that would be used for sensitive law enforcement operations," added Tisch. "This was of paramount importance."

The NYPD said its contract provided for Nokia's Lumia smartphones at no cost. It also allowed for the department to replace the smartphones with devices of its choosing two years later, also at no cost.

As a result, the NYPD said its smartphone initiative is 45 percent under budget. Based on its current rate of spending, the department expects to stretch what was initially budgeted at two years of spending to more than four years.

Tisch said the NYPD's mobility initiative has made its police officers "smarter, faster, and more agile" in their response to 911 calls, with response times down more than 8 percent compared to an unspecified period.

Article Link: NYPD Defends Choosing Windows Phones, Confirms Plans to Switch to iPhones

Totally agree with NYPD decision to change windows phone to iPhones. It is a superb decision considering iphone is the most secured smartphone in the planet. Law enforcements need the most secured phone, which only iPhone can meet the need.

 

[RDowson]

We looked at Windows Phone around the same time as them. Windows Phone 8.1 was ok but when Microsoft forced devices to update to Windows 10 Mobile we ran into issues. For what was meant to be a device that appealed to business, none of the business features worked! Bugs galore and they didn't get fixed for months at a time. Then devices because almost impossible to get, apart from flagship models which cost about the same as an iPhone SE.

iPhone with VPP and DEP costs us less overall when you take into account support costs. It was a simple choice for us. We have almost 5000 iPhones now and we haven't looked back since!

 

[jmgregory1]

I can understand their likely decision to initially use Window's phones, as I'm sure they're running a Window's computer system. But even still, what IT or tech consultant, let alone internal folks at NYPD would have thought Window's phones were going to have a future? They've been losing marketshare for years, and the writing has been on the wall for a long time. I imagine the decision lined someone's pockets with a bunch of money or a future job opportunity at MS.

 

[Fzang]

36,000 devices that would be used for sensitive law enforcement operations," added Tisch. "This was of paramount importance."

https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/encryption-backdoors-nypd-campaign-iphone-unlocking-crypto-wars/

"We want iPhones to recognize when they're being used by law enforcement and in such cases close the backdoor"

Brilliant thinking! Nothing could ever go wrong here.

 

[69Mustang]

I can understand their likely decision to initially use Window's phones, as I'm sure they're running a Window's computer system. But even still, what IT or tech consultant, let alone internal folks at NYPD would have thought Window's phones were going to have a future? They've been losing marketshare for years, and the writing has been on the wall for a long time. I imagine the decision lined someone's pockets with a bunch of money or a future job opportunity at MS.

Based on the article's content, the decision to go with Windows phones was an easy one to make. The phones integrated with already deployed software. The phones came at no cost. The upgrades would come at no cost. It allowed them to come in 45% under budget. It has allowed them to stretch a 2 year budget into a 4 year budget. I'm at a loss to find anything wrong with their decision at the time in 2014. Also at a loss to see where someone's pocket got lined in that scenario.

 

[FelixDerKater]

Based on the article's content, the decision to go with Windows phones was an easy one to make. The phones integrated with already deployed software. The phones came at no cost. The upgrades would come at no cost. It allowed them to come in 45% under budget. It has allowed them to stretch a 2 year budget into a 4 year budget. I'm at a loss to find anything wrong with their decision at the time in 2014. Also at a loss to see where someone's pocket got lined in that scenario.

And now we have the first person to actually read the article instead of just forming a conclusion off the headline.

 

[trellus]

Based on the article's content, the decision to go with Windows phones was an easy one to make. The phones integrated with already deployed software. The phones came at no cost. The upgrades would come at no cost. It allowed them to come in 45% under budget. It has allowed them to stretch a 2 year budget into a 4 year budget. I'm at a loss to find anything wrong with their decision at the time in 2014. Also at a loss to see where someone's pocket got lined in that scenario.

+1 -- I would have made the same decision, given those parameters. That bought them time and saved some serious coin, and now they can easily afford to make the decision they have made now, and which was also quite a good one for now!

 

[justperry]

Based on the article's content, the decision to go with Windows phones was an easy one to make. The phones integrated with already deployed software. The phones came at no cost. The upgrades would come at no cost. It allowed them to come in 45% under budget. It has allowed them to stretch a 2 year budget into a 4 year budget. I'm at a loss to find anything wrong with their decision at the time in 2014. Also at a loss to see where someone's pocket got lined in that scenario.

Agreed for the most part but where does it say they got the phones for free, I read the contract is free, this does not mean the phones are free.

The NYPD said its contract provided for Nokia's Lumia smartphones at no cost. It also allowed for the department to replace the smartphones with devices of its choosing two years later, also at no cost.

 

[69Mustang]

Agreed for the most part but where does it say they got the phones for free, I read the contract is free, this does not mean the phones are free.

Contract is free? What does that even mean?

Doesn't this make a little more sense?
The NYPD said its contract (with Microsoft) provided for Nokia's Lumia smartphones at no cost. It also allowed for the department to replace the smartphones with devices of its choosing two years later, also at no cost.

Doesn't the second sentence make it pretty clear?

 

[imola.zhp]

Who cares? Phones have a lifespan, typically from 2-4 years. Phones from 2014 are due to be replaced.

 

[djeeyore25]

The Big Apple now uses Apple.

 

[Sefstah]

Free iPhones! Just apply at NYPD

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

Good news they are standing up, Windows OS has been closed down, why not make the switch, they need no one's approval. The worst case scenario is that this will help make IOS an even bigger target.

 

[haydn!]

A number of large corporates moved to Windows Phone because it promised better integration with their enterprise software, still favoured by bigger businesses but unexpected changes to Microsofts approach for Mobile has forced some to rethink pretty quickly.

The company I work for are in this very situation. We're opting to move to iOS because it offers a more stable/secure platform with better software update controls across devices and relatively strong integration still with Office 365 etc.

 

[fairuz]

prior investment in custom Windows applications

aka garbage that they probably paid some stupid contractor ridiculous amounts of money for
[doublepost=1504026352][/doublepost]

Who cares? Phones have a lifespan, typically from 2-4 years. Phones from 2014 are due to be replaced.

2-4 years is very short. I know people using the 4S still, and it works fine.

 

[AxiomaticRubric]

The Big Apple now uses Apple.

(dons tin foil helmet)

Apple now uses The Big Apple?

 

[justperry]

Contract is free? What does that even mean?

Doesn't this make a little more sense?
The NYPD said its contract (with Microsoft) provided for Nokia's Lumia smartphones at no cost. It also allowed for the department to replace the smartphones with devices of its choosing two years later, also at no cost.

Doesn't the second sentence make it pretty clear?

Just now I read the link in the article above, the phones are 'free'(at no cost).
But what does free even mean, they have a contract (which is not free as I wrote before), the phones are paid for in the contract, so not really 'at no cost' are they?

 

[Frank Dalton]

The phones came at no cost.

That's absurd. It's a $160 million contract. Just because NYPD bureaucrats are apparently very creative with writing contracts wherein they manage to itemize the hardware cost of each phone as $0 doesn't mean the phones actually came at no cost.

 

[69Mustang]

Just now I read the link in the article above, the phones are 'free'(at no cost).
But what does free even mean, they have a contract (which is not free as I wrote before), the phones are paid for in the contract, so not really 'at no cost' are they?

Your supposition is based entirely on facts not in evidence. Mine is based on facts that are in evidence - which is the reason my first sentence started with "Based on the article's content...".

If I was to go with facts not in evidence, I could easily guess the contract is a services contract - we provide you X software and hardware solutions, maintenance and updates for 2 years at Y cost. If you get the desktops, laptops, and tablets in the contract, we will throw in the phones at no cost and update the phones at no cost in two years.

^^That's what I actually think "the contract" is, a services contract. I have no evidence of that being true, so that's why I didn't comment on it in my evaluation of the NYPD's decision to go with Window's phones. But it makes sense since -alliteration for the win - services contracts with incentives are a common thing.

 

[hortod1]

Did I read that correctly? The NYPD is relying on the iPhone to make their cops smarter?

Dear God help us all.

 

[69Mustang]

That's absurd. It's a $160 million contract. Just because NYPD bureaucrats are apparently very creative with writing contracts wherein they manage to itemize the hardware cost of each phone as $0 doesn't mean the phones actually came at no cost.

Last I checked, cynicism was not evidence. Do you happen to have anything to contribute that contradicts their statements? The irony is most here will tell you that I'm entirely too cynical (they're right).

A cynic like me would posit that if you buy your software, maintenance, desktops, laptops, and tablets from me... I can throw in cell phones at no cost. What do I care? I'll just write 'em down at the end of the year.

 

[jw2002]

I guess this is what happens when IT departments get to make unilateral decisions without taking into account what the end user experience would be. Even though they wouldn't admit their huge mistake adopting windows phones, at least they finally came around and decided upon a different architecture.

On the plus side though, I bet those windows phones, like zunes, were not prone to theft at all.