Matt Polega is a cofounder and president at Mark43, a leading cloud-based public safety software company.getty​Every police department operates under some sort of pressure. Transit policing brings a unique set of challenges, shaped by the public, high-traffic environments officers work in every day. Transport police are not typically tethered to a vehicle, so precise location awareness and on-hand situational awareness are critically important. Plus, airports, train stations, bus terminals, bridges, tunnels and ports compress massive crowds into tight, fast-moving spaces. The result is a constant balancing act as officers simultaneously enforce laws, offer crisis intervention, respond to incidents and serve and protect commuters, passengers, pedestrians and visitors moving through these public spaces. ​Here’s how transport police departments can adapt to this increasingly mobile world. 1. Adopt systems that flex beyond standard out-of-the-box workflows and evolve as needed. Transport policing shares a mission with other police departments, but the approaches are different. Their jurisdictions exist within other local and state jurisdictions, which creates complexity due to the need to work across multiple agencies, each of which have their own processes, IT systems and data silos. That complexity requires operational and technical frameworks that can adapt to specialized policies, evolving requirements and cross-agency data sharing.Because organizations and workflows are constantly evolving, many transport police departments are re-evaluating how their systems, processes and teams adapt to changing operational demands.2. Provide mobile-first capabilities for real-time information in the field. Traditional policing often revolves around the vehicle. Transport police are largely untethered, working on foot. With a mobile-first approach, officers can access real-time information, document incidents and capture evidence right from the field. That is critical because emergencies move fast. Technology has to keep up. When public safety technology isn’t mobile-first, officers in the field have reduced situational awareness, and agencies face delayed response times because officers must return to stations or vehicles to input information, slowing decision-making. For agencies considering a mobile-first approach, it’s key to balance real-time field access with cybersecurity and operational readiness.3. Make location data actionable.Knowing five officers are in an airport or terminal is not enough. Location-aware dispatch and GIS-enabled systems can improve visibility into where officers are positioned within large transit environments, down to a specific gate, platform or area of a facility. This level of precision provides a total view of where the team is and who is best positioned to respond if needed. Many locations on transport police beats, such as harbors, don’t have standard addresses. If that’s not solved for, it can delay response, as officers and dispatchers must rely on vague descriptions, landmarks or coordinates that may be imprecise. It can also create data and reporting challenges. So, teams need GIS expertise to implement maritime coordinates, for example, inside the emergency dispatch systems called computer-aided dispatch (CAD) to accurately capture locations. Mobility also allows for real-time understanding of developing events, which can improve situational awareness and reduce delays in operational decision-making during fast-moving incidents​.When officers and teams are bogged down with repetitive tasks and unable to get the information they need quickly, it takes the focus off keeping themselves and those around them safe and can slow response times. While AI is not the answer to everything, AI may help improve situational awareness by surfacing contextual information more quickly, though these systems still require human oversight and validation in high-risk environments.4. Focus on outcomes, not just integrations.Integrating different IT systems can be extremely valuable, but it can also be complex. Before starting integration work, put real thought into the business value of the integrations you’re considering. I’ve seen a major multi-jurisdictional transit police department move from having disconnected tech systems, both internally and across partner agencies, to having a centralized records management system (RMS) as the system of record. With all data flowing into a single platform, regardless of where it originates, information becomes easier to share, workflows become more efficient and officers gain better visibility to support faster, more informed decision-making. One measurable outcome of integration is time saved. A major city police department used to have to write reports twice in their different systems. Now they do it just once, resulting in a giant time savings for officers, who can now spend more time on the beat. The Bottom Line ​ Transport policing is not going to get any easier. The environments are dynamic, and the stakes are high. Anyone who has been through an airport recently knows the drill. ​ I’ll spare you my mile count for this year, but it’s high enough to see the same patterns across the globe: long lines, constant movement and disruptions driven by factors outside a police department’s control. All of it adds complexity to the job of keeping people safe. ​ That means transport police leaders must prioritize interoperability, mobility and operational adaptability as transit environments become increasingly dynamic and data-driven.​Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?