LACONIA, N.H. — The Laconia Police Department told the Police Commission on Aug. 20 that its Spider Tech notification program sent more messages and earned high survey scores, that the department is advancing a multi-factor authentication rollout for computers, and that Holy Trinity School will implement an eGIX emergency alert system that will notify staff and command staff without cost to the city.

Chief Steve Canfield told commissioners that Spider Tech — the department’s system for texting callers updates on officer response and for surveying users after calls close — sent 1,748 text messages in July, an increase of 14.8%. He said the survey completion rate was 21.9% and that respondents rated department professionalism 4.9 out of 5 and overall satisfaction 4.7 out of 5; "how safe people feel living in the city of Laconia was ranked 3.95 out of 5," he said.

Canfield said the department has worked through technical difficulties on its MFA rollout, which he described as the "Improvada program," intended to provide multifactor authentication and single sign-on across department computers. "This is going to give all of our computer systems, multifactor authentication, as well as single sign on, so our computer system will be more secure," he said. The chief said Improvada has been implemented on a number of computers in a trial period and he expects full implementation "within the next couple months."

The department is also working with Holy Trinity School and the diocese on an emergency alert system called eGIX. Canfield said the system allows a school to activate a lockdown or active-shooter alert that notifies staff and the police command staff simultaneously and that "there's no cost to the city of Laconia to participate."

During public comment, a resident praised the department’s "real time program" and urged continued support. "I hope you don't let that slide. I hope we keep pushing hard," the commenter said, adding that they would be a strong supporter as long as they serve on the council.

Discussion vs. decision: Commissioners were briefed and voiced support for technology projects; no formal commission action was recorded on technology purchases or contractual approvals during the meeting.

What’s next: Canfield indicated continued trial deployments for the MFA software and planned broader rollouts for Spider Tech and school alert integration ahead of the school year.