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Information Technology

Chief Ruben Beltran

Chief of Information Technology: Ruben Beltran

The Information Technology Bureau (ITB) plays an integral role in establishing the NYPD as one of the leading counterterrorism and crime-fighting forces in the nation, developing and implementing cutting-edge technology to support strategies, programs, and procedures that promote safety, efficiency, and effectiveness.

The bureau provides the department with state-of-the-art technological support, building a leading IT and telecommunications infrastructure. ITB comprises six divisions, each with its own specialized directive, which report directly to the Deputy Commissioner, Information Technology. The six divisions are: Administration, which handles issues pertaining to personnel, investigations, telecommunications and asset management; Fiscal Affairs, which handles budgeting, grants and procurement; Strategic Technology, which oversees information security for the entire department, mobility projects, and a vast assortment of applications and databases; IT Services Division, which maintains networks, servers, and mainframes and oversees customer support; Life-Safety Systems, which administers the electronics section, e911 Systems, and the Public Safety Broadband Section; and the Communications Division, which oversees New York City's 911 call centers and maintains tapes and records of all 911 calls.

The Information Technology Bureau oversees a multitude of projects and has rolled out numerous technological initiatives. All members of the service have been assigned NYPD email addresses, and all uniformed members have received department smartphones, equipped with official investigative applications and tools, such as language translators and traffic/mapping capabilities. Additionally, the NYPD has been equipping marked department vehicles with detachable tablet devices, enabling greater portability and efficiency.

As part of an ITB-led pilot program, dozens of officers are currently equipped with body cameras, a program which will eventually span the entire department, establishing a level of transparency never before available in the NYPD. The Information Technology Bureau is also in the midst of an ongoing upgrade of the computer hardware of every command as well as the fiber-optic cabling that undergirds department systems. Efficiency and speed have also been improved dramatically by the introduction of new applications which digitize department forms and worksheets – a process which is rendering paper obsolete.

Collectively, this broad array of recent ITB-led initiatives constitutes the greatest technological leap forward for the NYPD in over a generation.