The state government launched the nationwide introduction of smartphones for police officers in North Rhine-Westphalia with a pilot project, initially in three police authorities. In Dortmund, Wesel and Recklinghausen, the devices and the special applications for the police were initially tested in practice for eight weeks. Due to the overall positive feedback, the pilot project was then extended to the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The authorities were successively provided with 10,000 end devices using a standardized process. In day-to-day operations, it became apparent that the smartphone as an operational tool could support all operational units quickly and reliably in their work, so that the authorities were provided with additional devices. The NRW police currently use almost 34,000 devices. Overall, the operational units can be said to be equipped with personal devices. The end devices are regularly replaced as part of a re-investment process in the same way as the office hardware.

The end device models currently in use are the specially protected iPhone8, iPhone SE2020 and iPhone SE2022. Personal data is generally not stored. Encrypted transmissions and a certified police data center also guarantee data security, as do special functions such as remote administration and remote deletion as well as a special security concept for using the apps.

As announced by the Minister of the Interior Herbert Reul, three special applications (information app, document scanner app, messenger app) were initially available. However, as standing still is a step backwards and further needs were reported by the operational units, the app portfolio has been continuously expanded since the start of the pilot project, taking into account data protection and ensuring information security. Users currently have access to various other apps that support operations, such as the deployment app and a translation app, while other apps are about to go live or are in the process of being piloted.