Samsung DeX solution to offer Chicago police digital access

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics’ in-vehicle computing system DeX will be piloted by the Chicago Police Department in the United States, the company said Friday.

Dubbed as “DeX In-Vehicle,” the solution will provide police officers the ability to dock their Galaxy smartphones and access policing applications on a dash-mounted display and keyboard.

The officers in the pilot -- taking place across the city’s 11th District this year -- will be able to access computer-aided dispatch and other Chicago Police Department systems to conduct background checks and complete reports, according to Samsung.

Photo and video evidence captured on the smartphone will also be immediately accessible to attach to reports. 

To announce the piloting, the Chicago Police Department held a press conference on Wednesday, local time.

“Nearly half of all Chicago Police officers have a department-issued Samsung smartphone already,” said CDP Superintendent Eddie Johnson. “The idea is to give officers everything they need to process a scene or respond to an incident in the palm of their hand.”

First introduced in 2017, Samsung DeX enables users to connect their smartphone to a display via an HDMI cable and access a PC-like experience, complete with paired monitor and mouse.

Users can multitask by accessing multiple apps with resizable windows and typical desktop features like drag-and-drop and keyboard shortcuts.

Beyond the vehicle, DeX can also be leveraged to replace computing terminals in the police station.

Returning to the report center, officers can connect their smartphone to a monitor, keyboard and mouse to complete paperwork.

“The solution will provide a seamless digital transition for police officers from the street, to the vehicle and to the station,” a Samsung official said.

By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)