Motorola CTO Talks About the Benefits of Decentralization

One of the hottest trends in public safety technology is the move toward so-called decentralized command centers, according to Mahesh Saptharishi, executive vice president and CTO at Motorola Solutions.

He spoke to Government Technology in advance of this week’s Summit 2023 in Orlando, the annual conference for users of the company’s public safety technology. Saptharishi is scheduled to address attendees in Tuesday’s opening session.

The summit takes place as public safety agencies are moving toward software and gear that can provide precise details about emergency situations, from the people involved to the layout of buildings to real-time video and other data. The summit also comes during a period of gov tech growth: As Motorola CEO Greg Brown recently said, “this is the strongest demand environment I’ve ever seen.”

The summit this year takes place in the aftermath of yet another school shooting — this one in Nashville. Saptharishi pointed to the company’s late 2022 acquisition of Rave Mobile Safety when talking about how public safety technology suppliers can craft better responses to those incidents, and perhaps help prevent them.

“One of the things that Rave has in its portfolio is the ability to prepare for incidents,” he said.

That includes tools that offer 3D renderings of buildings, including exits and entrances, the ability to build profiles of people involved in emergencies and fixed cameras that can detect when someone approaches with a gun, which can trigger a lockdown.

"By reimagining how we connect the community, first responders and command centers, how we reveal insights from these interactions and how we assist our users at critical moments, we can improve every aspect of incident response and significantly enhance officer and community safety.” he said.