When police leaders talk about technology, the conversation often centers on solving crimes faster. But for Chief Mark Williams and the Utica Police Department, technology has delivered something equally important: better patrol coverage, stronger officer collaboration, greater accountability and smarter deployment of limited resources.

Like many agencies across the country, Utica faces staffing challenges. The department is responsible for serving a city of approximately 67,000 residents across more than 16 square miles, while operating below its authorized staffing level. Faced with those realities, Chief Williams needed a way to maximize officer presence where it matters most. That’s where Patrolfinder entered the picture.

“We’ve had Patrolfinder now just over a year,” Williams said. What began as a pilot program quickly evolved into a tool that changed how the department understands patrol activity and hot spot policing.

Prior to adopting Patrolfinder, the department had limited visibility into exactly how much patrol coverage individual neighborhoods were receiving. Officers were working hard, but leadership lacked the granular data needed to verify coverage patterns and optimize deployment.

“Before, we didn’t know what areas were being covered or what streets were being covered by our patrol officers in their respective patrol zones,” Williams explained. “Now we know what the coverage is.” More importantly, the patented Patrolfinder technology allows supervisors to determine “when those officers are patrolling those areas and how long they’re staying in those areas,” he said.

That focus on time spent in hot spot locations became a critical enhancement. Working collaboratively with Patrolfinder’s team, the department requested additional functionality to track officer time in crime-prone areas. The company responded quickly.

“One of the things we liked about it was the fact that Tony (CEO Antonio Civitella) and all the staff from Patrolfinder, when we wanted certain things done specifically for our agency, they’re very accommodating,” Williams said. “Not only could we see where they’re patrolling, but we could find out how long they’ve been spending in those hot spot locations.”

The impact was immediate.

During the pilot phase, the department compared patrol activity before and after officers began using the system. The results even surprised department leadership.

“We saw a significant increase in the amount of coverage in those patrol zones, especially our hot spot locations,” Williams said.

What makes that finding particularly noteworthy is that the increase wasn’t driven by adding officers. Instead, Patrolfinder helped officers become more intentional about their patrol patterns and more aware of uncovered areas. The technology created a common operating picture that encouraged teamwork rather than simply measuring performance.

Initially, some officers were skeptical, as is often the case with any new technology. But the department took a collaborative approach, involving officers in the rollout and actively soliciting feedback.

“Once we rolled it out as a pilot program, we involved them in the process and got their immediate feedback about things they were concerned about or things they’d like to see changed,” Williams said.

Perhaps the most innovative aspect of Utica’s Patrolfinder implementation is something many agencies may never have considered.

For years, departments have maintained building floor plans in binders, filing cabinets or digital folders that may not be immediately accessible during a critical incident. Utica Police saw an opportunity to change that.

The department worked with Patrolfinder to embed floor plans and building footprints for schools and key government facilities directly within the system.

“So, what we wanted to find out through Patrolfinder is if we could embed those floor plans for our schools and some of our state and local federal buildings,” Williams said. The goal was straightforward: Provide officers with immediate access to critical information during emergency situations.

Today, those plans are already loaded and available.

“We already downloaded all the floor plans into these systems. So, we’re all set to go,” Williams noted. “I’ve got to give the Patrolfinder personnel a lot of credit. They worked hand in hand with our management information systems people, and we made it happen.”

While every chief hopes such resources are never needed, the project demonstrates what’s possible when technology providers and police agencies work together to solve real-world problems.

That spirit of collaboration extends beyond special projects. Utica conducts quarterly reviews with patrol personnel to gather ideas, address concerns and identify new opportunities. In fact, the floor-plan initiative came directly from officer feedback.

The result is a technology platform that continues to evolve alongside operational needs.

For chiefs considering Patrolfinder, Williams believes the company’s responsiveness may be as valuable as the software itself.

“That’s why we like working with Patrolfinder,” he said.

After nearly 39 years with the Utica Police Department and 17 years as chief, Williams has witnessed countless technological changes. Few have impressed him as much as Patrolfinder’s modern policing tool that helps officers deploy more effectively and make data-driven decisions.

“I think this is going to be a long-term relationship with the police department and Patrolfinder,” Williams said. “I can’t think of a better system to have in place for your officers when it comes to monitoring hot spots than having Patrolfinder.”

For chiefs looking to do more with fewer resources, strengthen patrol operations and empower officers with actionable intelligence, Utica’s experience offers a compelling reason to take a closer look. Patrolfinder isn’t simply tracking where officers go, it’s helping departments become smarter, more connected and more proactive in protecting their communities.

To learn more about Patrolfinder, call 800-373-3609, visit http://www.patrolfinder.com or email getpatrolfinder@patrolfinder.com.