Barrie police opt for technology and scrap pen and paper to improve service

CTV News

27-05-2025

Residents in Barrie may notice police officers using their cell phones at incident scenes, but they're not checking out the latest trends on social media, they're utilizing technology to be more efficient.
"As a service focused on innovation to support community safety, the Barrie Police Service is committed to seeking out technology that can support our officers and improve our service to the public," the service noted.
The service recently implemented electronic note-taking on police-issued cell phones to allow officers to take voice notes rather than writing out details on small notebooks and scanning or photocopying them to be recorded.
'E-notes are quicker, more accessible and more sustainable,' the service noted.
The move to scrap the old pen and paper method makes the Barrie service one of the first in the province to shift to e-notes.
'As technology continues to play a significant role in assisting our investigations, we are taking advantage of this innovative opportunity to allow our officers the ability to focus on the community when they are responding to calls, without the need to spend significant time taking hand-written notes,' said Barrie Police Chief Rich Johnston.
The technology was rolled out as a pilot project and is now being used by frontline patrol officers, the traffic unit and specialized investigative units.