Send Instant Messages, Stay Compliant: Evertel Is Built for First Responders

2 min read

Odds are someone within your force is using a consumer communication app–WhatsApp, iMessage, SMS, Facebook messenger–whether or not you know it.  The list of convenient and familiar messaging apps is nearly as endless as the apps are problematic.  When record retention and schedules can cost municipalities like yours in the hundred of thousands of dollars in fines each year, you can’t afford to be unsure if your force is compliant.  First Responder Communication Apps have been reinvented and reimagined with Evertel– the first app of its kind that guarantees FOIA compliance and clear, instantaneous communication with your agency. 

Worst Communication Compliance Risks

First responders have a tremendous responsibility to protect the public, and they are watched under increasing scrutiny.  

Evertel Founder and former Chief of Police for Fort Worth, Jeff Halstead recently sat down for a nationally-syndicated podcast, available here.  Halstead sympathizes with the amount of multi-tasking that patrol officers must constantly juggle and even confessed to riding in patrol cars once a month to keep his finger on the pulse of current challenges.  Among his findings–when information is coming from multiple media platforms, it can be overwhelming.  When there is no specified app for first responder communication, officers are fielding intel from all directions.  It’s too easy to miss information and overwhelming in high-stakes situations.  Overwhelming is a word no one wants to associate with their work, but particularly when applied to first responders. 

Aside from overwhelming and under-informing, consumer messaging apps come with high price tags in fines and investigations every year.   When tragedy strikes and media frenzies descend on police agencies, records are too often lost or compromised which can result in fines up to the hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

Public Safety Communication App Checklist

While it's easy and free to use standard messaging apps for work, it comes with high risk. The texting platforms on your iPhone or Android-and even others like WhatsApp, Signal, and Voxer-just aren't designed for public safety.

Communication Compliance Solutions

Halstead took into account the challenges of his officers in the field and his own experience as Chief of Police in DFW.  To that end, he ensured that Evertel would streamline information and make communication instant and thorough.  Think instant messaging for first responders–with already established chat rooms and detailed intelligence sent in under a second.    You cannot afford to have overwhelmed and under-informed officers at any level in your force.  

Consumer communication apps are familiar and convenient, but information is easily lost between platforms and first responders are left playing catch-up in high stakes situations.  Not only that, these everyday apps are not guaranteed secure, encrypted, or FOIA compliant.  Data integrity is assured pristine with all data being automatically stored on a private cloud–even messages that are retracted are stored on the cloud complete with time stamps.  

Evertel took all of the challenges unique to first responders under consideration when they created the first responder messaging app for first responder communication that was truly created to serve the public servant.

See Evertel in action!

Schedule a live demo and get answers to your specific questions. See how Evertel can drastically improve communication and collaboration in your agency.

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