Business

Orange County Sheriff’s Dept. Tapping the Power of Podcasting.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD), much like any organization with a critical mission, requires lightning-fast communications between senior staff and troops. The department also needs to deliver in-depth training, especially for situations that involve a high risk of exposure to injury or liability. The need for fast, easily accessed communications is more important than ever, particularly for staff members who’ve grown up in the Internet age.

To more effectively reach its far-flung workforce, OCSD is using Apple Podcast Producer, an integral part of Mac OS X Leopard Server, to create podcasts in-house. The media services made possible by Podcast Producer rival the quality of a professional broadcast facility—all at a fraction of the cost.

OCSD is the fifth largest sheriff’s department in the United States. With 4000 staff members and more than 800 reserve personnel, the department provides vital assistance to Southern Californians, from public protection and jail operations to homeland security, investigations, coroner services, forensics, and emergency management. The department prides itself on its professionalism, highly trained personnel, and cost-effective operations.

Reaching a far-flung workforce

Despite the need to rapidly disseminate information, OCSD staff is spread over nearly 20 divisions, making communications and training a daunting challenge. “Delivering communications and training to our workforce can be expensive and time-consuming if we rely on in-person training or outdated methods of communication,” states Captain Mike James, CIO for OCSD.

Previously, it could take weeks for the department’s video staff to produce podcast content and deliver it in a variety of formats. OCSD began investigating other options and discovered Podcast Producer, an automated means of quickly creating and disseminating podcasts. “We realized that Podcast Producer would provide a very cost-efficient, professional, and fast way to deliver communications and training to our dispersed workforce,” says James.

Large-scale communications, small-scale efforts

With Podcast Producer running on Xserve, OCSD can create podcasts quickly, often communicating important news or training to the entire staff within hours. The quality of the training is exceptional, and the speed with which it is delivered is a major benefit for staff involved in potentially high-risk activities.

“Podcast Producer enables us to almost instantly create audio or video content and deliver it in several different formats,” says James. “That’s in contrast to the weeks it used to take for our video unit to produce training content or communications.”

Staff can capture podcast content on MacBook Pro computers using the Capture desktop application in Mac OS X. They can then submit content to Podcast Producer for automatic processing. This enables OCSD to create, encode, publish, and distribute high-quality podcasts on a large scale that are available to staff via iTunes, iPod, iPhone, and other means.

Ideal for both communications and training

A new sheriff was recently sworn in at 9AM, and by lunchtime, the department had created a podcast about it and posted it on the OCSD intranet. That’s just one example of how podcasts keep everyone informed of important developments. Says James, “Having our own in-house studio is a huge asset, especially with younger employees who expect frequent, up-to-the-minute communications.”

OCSD also uses Podcast Producer to generate podcasts that help train officers how to respond in situations involving high exposure to injury or liability. The anytime, anywhere training has helped reduce risks to officers, whether they’re handling dangerous evidence, involved in high-risk car stops, or responding to complicated calls for service. Officers can view the podcasts in advance during their spare time, or in the field. Training created using Podcast Producer extends to other subjects, including helping officers in the field more effectively use their in-car computers.

Regardless of the topic, Podcast Producer is a huge win for OCSD, because training can be produced in less time and far more cost-effectively. Says James, “With shrinking budgets, mandated training, and the need to backfill positions while in-person training is underway, podcasting is a better way to go.”

Growing adoption

The use of Apple tools has expanded far beyond podcasting. The department purchased several Xserve systems, Xsan, and Apple-certified storage to assist in investigative work. During that same timeframe, OCSD also purchased a server and storage from another vendor for the same purpose. The Apple purchase proved to be a better investment. “It took over a week to get the other system up and running, and it requires a lot of maintenance on an ongoing basis,” says James. “On the other hand, the Apple tools only took about half an hour to get going and they’ve been working flawlessly ever since.”

OCSD runs VMware Fusion on its Xserve systems to create a virtual server environment for running PC-based applications, providing the flexibility needed to run whatever software is required. The department also has set up 35 iMac computers in a training lab. The hands-on training covers everything from the basics of hand-to-hand combat to properly booking evidence or handling dangerous weapons.

Above and beyond the call of duty

With growing adoption among both junior and senior staff, James reports that the Mac is easy to use. In fact, it is so intuitive that deputies and others within the organization are naturally extending their day-to-day tasks, going, as they say, above and beyond the call of duty. “One deputy was so inspired to learn a new skill that he created all of the graphics for our website,” explains James. “The Mac is so intuitive that people try new skills to accomplish things they might not otherwise attempt.”

No matter how the department is using the Mac, James explains that it can be readily integrated and managed within a mixed Mac and PC environment. Though a few IT staff members expressed some initial hesitation to bringing the Mac into the department, James chalks that up to a lack of education. Today, that hesitation is a thing of the past.

“We are known for being a forward-thinking, progressive law enforcement organization,” says James. “We’re always looking for the best technologies to help us innovate and operate more efficiently, and we’ve found them with Apple.”