Digital Policing: Connecting Residents, Officers, and Leadership Through Real-Time GIS
Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Intended Audience: GIS User, GIS Builder, GIS Developer, Student, Management
Abstract
Managing vacation watches, overnight parking requests, directed patrols, special events, and community programs through a legacy system created operational challenges for the Buffalo Grove Police Department. Information was spread across multiple processes, limiting visibility for officers and creating administrative overhead for staff. The department sought to replace its existing Frontline software with a more modern solution that could capture and display operational information for both officers and leadership. This session explores how Buffalo Grove implemented a GIS-based operations platform using Survey123, ArcGIS Dashboards, and Power Automate to centralize public safety programs into a single operational view. Residents submit requests through public-facing forms, while officers review, manage, and update activities through an internal dashboard enhanced with automated approvals, notifications, and police-beat-based workflows. Attendees will learn how the department replaced a legacy application with a connected, map-driven system that improves situational awareness, streamlines administrative processes, and provides faster access to actionable information for field personnel and command staff. The session offers practical lessons for agencies looking to modernize police operations while improving service delivery and community engagement.
Presenter
Kevin Zehr
GIS Analyst, MGP Inc.
Kevin Zehr is a GIS Analyst with Municipal GIS Partners (MGP) who brings extensive experience supporting utility and local government organizations through GIS, analytics, and application development. Prior to joining MGP in 2023, he spent six years as a GIS Project Specialist implementing GIS and analytics solutions for a major gas utility. At MGP, Kevin has delivered impactful solutions including the Buffalo Grove Police Operations Dashboard, the Glendale Heights Veterans’ Memorial Viewer, and Rolling Meadows’ digital Snow Plow Log Solution. He holds a Bachelor of Science in History Education from Illinois State University and a GIS certificate from Moraine Valley Community College. Outside of work, he enjoys home improvement projects and often draws on skills learned while working in his family’s plumbing and HVAC business.