The New York Police Department has confirmed it will begin transitioning to iPhones for its 36,000 police officers in the fall, less than one year after completing a rollout of Windows Phones to its police force.

NYPD windows phone

Image: ABC7 Eyewitness News - WABC-TV New York

Jessica Tisch, the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Information Technology, said "improvements in Apple controls" will enable the department to "responsibly and cost effectively move its mobility initiative to the Apple platform."

When the NYPD chose Windows Phone devices in 2014, Tisch said "neither iOS nor Android phones allowed it to cost-effectively utilize prior investment in custom Windows applications" that it had deployed at the time.

"Moreover, we assessed that the Windows platform would be most effective at achieving our goal of securing 36,000 devices that would be used for sensitive law enforcement operations," added Tisch. "This was of paramount importance."

The NYPD said its contract provided for Nokia's Lumia smartphones at no cost. It also allowed for the department to replace the smartphones with devices of its choosing two years later, also at no cost.

As a result, the NYPD said its smartphone initiative is 45 percent under budget. Based on its current rate of spending, the department expects to stretch what was initially budgeted at two years of spending to more than four years.

Tisch said the NYPD's mobility initiative has made its police officers "smarter, faster, and more agile" in their response to 911 calls, with response times down more than 8 percent compared to an unspecified period.

Top Rated Comments

69Mustang Avatar
106 months ago
I can understand their likely decision to initially use Window's phones, as I'm sure they're running a Window's computer system. But even still, what IT or tech consultant, let alone internal folks at NYPD would have thought Window's phones were going to have a future? They've been losing marketshare for years, and the writing has been on the wall for a long time. I imagine the decision lined someone's pockets with a bunch of money or a future job opportunity at MS.
Based on the article's content, the decision to go with Windows phones was an easy one to make. The phones integrated with already deployed software. The phones came at no cost. The upgrades would come at no cost. It allowed them to come in 45% under budget. It has allowed them to stretch a 2 year budget into a 4 year budget. I'm at a loss to find anything wrong with their decision at the time in 2014. Also at a loss to see where someone's pocket got lined in that scenario.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FelixDerKater Avatar
106 months ago
Based on the article's content, the decision to go with Windows phones was an easy one to make. The phones integrated with already deployed software. The phones came at no cost. The upgrades would come at no cost. It allowed them to come in 45% under budget. It has allowed them to stretch a 2 year budget into a 4 year budget. I'm at a loss to find anything wrong with their decision at the time in 2014. Also at a loss to see where someone's pocket got lined in that scenario.
And now we have the first person to actually read the article instead of just forming a conclusion off the headline.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kaibelf Avatar
106 months ago
Look like they got what they paid for.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jmgregory1 Avatar
106 months ago
I can understand their likely decision to initially use Window's phones, as I'm sure they're running a Window's computer system. But even still, what IT or tech consultant, let alone internal folks at NYPD would have thought Window's phones were going to have a future? They've been losing marketshare for years, and the writing has been on the wall for a long time. I imagine the decision lined someone's pockets with a bunch of money or a future job opportunity at MS.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
trellus Avatar
106 months ago
Based on the article's content, the decision to go with Windows phones was an easy one to make. The phones integrated with already deployed software. The phones came at no cost. The upgrades would come at no cost. It allowed them to come in 45% under budget. It has allowed them to stretch a 2 year budget into a 4 year budget. I'm at a loss to find anything wrong with their decision at the time in 2014. Also at a loss to see where someone's pocket got lined in that scenario.
+1 -- I would have made the same decision, given those parameters. That bought them time and saved some serious coin, and now they can easily afford to make the decision they have made now, and which was also quite a good one for now! :)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
democracyrules Avatar
106 months ago
nypd confirms transition to iphones image ('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/08/29/nypd-confirms-transition-to-iphones/')


The New York Police Department has confirmed ('http://nypdnews.com/2017/08/deputy-commissioner-information-technology-jessica-tischs-response-ny-post-article/') it will begin transitioning to iPhones ('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/08/28/nypd-said-to-replace-windows-phones-with-iphones-starting-this-year/') for its 36,000 police officers in the fall, less than one year after completing a rollout of Windows Phones to its police force.

nypd confirms transition to iphones image
Image: ABC7 Eyewitness News - WABC-TV New York

Jessica Tisch, the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Information Technology, said "improvements in Apple controls" will enable the department to "responsibly and cost effectively move its mobility initiative to the Apple platform."

When the NYPD chose Windows Phone devices in 2014, Tisch said "neither iOS nor Android phones allowed it to cost-effectively utilize prior investment in custom Windows applications" that it had deployed at the time.

"Moreover, we assessed that the Windows platform would be most effective at achieving our goal of securing 36,000 devices that would be used for sensitive law enforcement operations," added Tisch. "This was of paramount importance."

The NYPD said its contract provided for Nokia's Lumia smartphones at no cost. It also allowed for the department to replace the smartphones with devices of its choosing two years later, also at no cost.

As a result, the NYPD said its smartphone initiative is 45 percent under budget. Based on its current rate of spending, the department expects to stretch what was initially budgeted at two years of spending to more than four years.

Tisch said the NYPD's mobility initiative has made its police officers "smarter, faster, and more agile" in their response to 911 calls, with response times down more than 8 percent compared to an unspecified period.

Article Link: NYPD Defends Choosing Windows Phones, Confirms Plans to Switch to iPhones ('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/08/29/nypd-confirms-transition-to-iphones/')
Totally agree with NYPD decision to change windows phone to iPhones. It is a superb decision considering iphone is the most secured smartphone in the planet. Law enforcements need the most secured phone, which only iPhone can meet the need. [emoji1303][emoji1303][emoji1303][emoji1303]
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iphone air thickness

Apple Said to Cut iPhone Air Production Amid Underwhelming Sales

Friday October 17, 2025 8:29 am PDT by
Apple plans to cut production of the iPhone Air amid underwhelming sales performance, Japan's Mizuho Securities believes (via The Elec). The Japanese investment banking and securities firm claims that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are seeing higher sales than their predecessors during the same period last year, while the standard iPhone 17 is a major success, performing...
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.2 Update for iPhones Coming Soon

Friday October 17, 2025 7:35 am PDT by
Apple's software engineers continue to internally test iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.0.2 will be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet. The update will likely be released by the end of next week. Last month, Apple released iOS 26.0.1,...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
iPhone Siri Glow

Some Apple Employees Have 'Concerns' About iOS 26.4's Revamped Siri

Sunday October 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
iOS 26.4 is expected to introduce a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, but not everyone is satisfied with how well it works. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said some of Apple's software engineers have "concerns" about the overhauled Siri's performance. However, he did not provide any specific details about the shortcomings. iOS 26.4 will...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

New iPad Pro Has Six Key Upgrades Beyond M5 Chip

Saturday October 18, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
While the new iPad Pro's headline feature is the M5 chip, the device has some other changes, including N1 and C1X chips, faster storage speeds, and more. With the M5 chip, the new iPad Pro has up to a 20% faster CPU and up to a 40% faster GPU compared to the previous model with the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results. Keep in mind that 256GB and 512GB configurations have a 9-core CPU,...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New 14-Inch MacBook Pro Has Two Key Upgrades Beyond the M5 Chip

Thursday October 16, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with an M5 chip, and there are two key storage-related upgrades beyond that chip bump. First, Apple says the new 14-inch MacBook Pro offers up to 2× faster SSD performance than the equivalent previous-generation model, so read and write speeds should get a significant boost. Apple says it is using "the latest storage technology," ...
m4 macbook air blue

M5 MacBook Air Coming Spring 2026 With M5 Mac Studio and Mac Mini in Development

Thursday October 16, 2025 3:57 pm PDT by
Apple plans to launch MacBook Air models equipped with the new M5 chip in spring 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is also working on M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models that will come early in the year. Neither the MacBook Pro models nor the MacBook Air models are expected to get design changes, with Apple focusing on simple chip upgrades. In the case of the MacBook Pro, a m...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

M5 Chip Achieves Impressive Feat in 14-Inch MacBook Pro Speed Test

Friday October 17, 2025 7:10 am PDT by
The first alleged benchmark result for the M5 chip in the new 14-inch MacBook Pro has surfaced, allowing for some performance comparisons. Based on a single unconfirmed result uploaded to the Geekbench 6 database today, the M5 chip has pulled off an impressive feat. Specifically, the chip achieved a score of 4,263 for single-core CPU performance, which is the highest single-core score that...