by 
The Curious Bag
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From the earliest innovations, such as the two-way radio, to the latest cellular-enabled, hand-held smartphones, unmanned aerial drones and global-positioning system devices, mobile technology has been used by security forces worldwide to facilitate communications, dispatching, and location-based, real-time data acquisition.
History
The invention of the two-way radio in 1912 led to its first mobile use in police cars for communications and dispatching beginning in 1923 in Australia. These first mobile radios were huge, taking up the entire back seat of the police car.
Significance
Improvements in mobile technology--such as cellular- or satellite-based voice and data communications--mean reduced response times, improved field intelligence capabilities, and increases in the efficient operating range of field personnel.
Potential
According to a June 21, 2000 U.S. Army CECOM Research Development and Engineering Center document titled "The U.S. Army of 2010," the soldier of the future will carry satellite-based information systems that collect, filter and integrate data from overhead drones, unattended sensor networks, robotic vehicles, advanced reconnaissance vehicles and soldier-sensor systems.
Benefits
The ultimate goal in using mobile technology is to help everyone involved in a security or battle operation to interact at any time, and to have all the tools necessary to convey thoughts, orders or plans to any component of the operation--manned or unmanned--in real time.
Warning
The latest trend in improving mobile technology is centered on efficient information management: preventing security forces from becoming victims of information overload and possible analysis paralysis.
Source:
The People's Force: A History of the Victoria Police; Robert Haldane; 1995
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