All Segments
How Founders Can Build for Law Enforcement and First Responders | The a16z Show
6 segments available
David Ulevitch speaks with Col. Jeffrey Glover and Rahul Sidhu about how AI, drones, and sensor networks are reshaping public safety and what it takes to bring new technology into law enforcement at scale. As departments face staffing shortages, burnout, and rising complexity, they examine how the right tools can make officers more effective, safer, and better supported. The conversation covers how drone-as-first-responder programs are changing the speed and safety of emergency response, from high-risk warrant service to Amber Alert pursuits. Glover describes how Arizona DPS is building a full technology ecosystem around its officers, including body-worn camera analytics for burnout detection, brain scan wellness checks, and international intelligence-sharing partnerships ahead of FIFA and the Olympics. Sidhu explains how Flock Safety's layered sensor network — license plate readers, gunshot detection, and drone dispatch — is turning reactive policing into proactive, data-driven response. They also discuss what founders get wrong when building for law enforcement, why spending time on the beat matters more than any product spec, and how the next decade will fundamentally change the skills required to be a police officer in America. Timestamps: 00:00 Drones and the Future Beat 00:32 Founders Building for First Responders 01:38 Flying Robots Meet Sensor Networks 03:17 Officer Wellness and Body Cam Analytics 05:47 Fusion Centers and Global Intelligence Sharing 07:37 Advice for Innovators and Closing Thoughts Resrouces: Follow Col. Jeffrey Glover on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-glover-mpa-83310416/ Follow Rahul on X: https://x.com/rahul Follow David on X: https://x.com/davidu Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures.
Segments Timeline
Drones and the Future Beat
"There's two things cops hate. For things to change and for things to stay the same. >> Most of the cops in the field are going to have to change the way their skill set is shaped because it's going to..."
Founders Building for First Responders
">> What advice would you give to founders who are less interested in optimizing ad clicks and more interested in actually building something that helps first responders and save lives? >> My advice fo..."
Flying Robots Meet Sensor Networks
"are? >> Yeah, look, I mean I I would drones are they're they're flying robots. Um, and as we see AI, robotics sweep every industry, we like all these industries are looking for ways to either automate..."
Officer Wellness and Body Cam Analytics
">> Yeah. So, there's a couple of different things that we're doing. um sort of like an ecosystem or pl platform within the agency that we've done. Um one of one of it is one of the piece of it is is b..."
Fusion Centers and Global Intelligence Sharing
"to talk a little bit real quickly uh about the intelligence gathering apparatus? I think that uh you know, you've mentioned it a couple times that we you know, we shifted law enforcement to really mak..."
Advice for Innovators and Closing Thoughts
"you you know, you started out as a policeman, as a as a paramedic. Uh, now that you've seen all this technology, some of which you've brought to bear in public safety. Uh, you know, do you think there..."