Verizon Public Safety Communications Survey Results: AI Use Is Growing, but Reliability Still Sets the Agenda

Verizon Public Safety Communications Survey Results:: AI Use Is Growing, but Reliability Still Sets the Agenda

Verizon’s 2026 Frontline Public Safety Communications Survey provides insight into first responders’ technology use and concerns. The key findings are practical, contrasting with the announcement’s claim that the future of public safety has arrived. Smartphones remain prevalent, AI use is now common, network reliability remains the top communications priority, budgets constrain adoption, and confidence in public communication during disasters is inconsistent.

These findings are significant on their own and do not require speculation about future technology use to be relevant today.

Lexipol Media Group conducted the Verizon-commissioned survey in July 2026 among 1,035 U.S. first responders. Respondents could identify with multiple services, including law enforcement, EMS, fire, emergency management, and emergency communications centers. The results reflect respondents’ own experiences and perceptions. Do not treat the percentages as estimates of how many American public safety agencies have a particular capability.

That distinction is especially important when interpreting the AI findings. Asked specifically how often they use AI at work, 31.69% of respondents report using it daily, and 22.90% weekly. Together, 54.59% say they use AI at least once a week. Another 8.60% use it monthly, while 35.65% say they do not use AI. That represents substantial reported engagement, but the survey does not identify the tools or tasks involved. Both drafting an administrative document and supporting an operational decision could fall within its broad AI category.

Agency-level implementation presents a different perspective. Only 25.51% of respondents report their agency routinely uses AI, while 28.31% say their agency is beginning to introduce it, 16.43% are researching it, and 29.76% report no use. While routine use and initial implementation total 53.82%, combining these stages overlooks important differences in organizational maturity. Agencies that introduce a technology have not necessarily integrated it, established governance, or demonstrated its reliability.

The Verizon Public Safety Communications Survey results also contain an unresolved measurement discrepancy. In the broader question about technologies used daily, 35.36% of respondents select AI tools. In the question devoted specifically to AI frequency, 31.69% report daily use. Different wording may have produced different answers, but the report does not explain the 3.67-percentage-point gap. The question likely created some disparity in responses; regardless, roughly a third of respondents report using AI daily.

Verizon’s October 13 announcement states that daily AI use has nearly tripled, with 2025 survey data showing 12% daily use. This indicates significant growth, though differences in annual samples and two 2026 measures complicate direct comparison. The data do not show whether the same agencies expanded deployments or if increased use improved performance.

Respondents clarify operational reliance during emergency response: 77.87% rely on smartphones, 32.27% on drones, 16.71% on robotics, and only 8.02% on AI. These figures indicate reported reliance, not effectiveness, and challenge the claim that AI is already an essential daily tool. Frequent AI use at work does not necessarily mean reliance during emergencies. The survey does not specify where or how AI is used.

When asked to identify their department’s top technology priority, only 8.99% of respondents select AI. Drones and robotics lead at 23.00%, followed by 5G service at 17.10% and connected vehicles at 16.43%. This does not indicate rejection of AI; rather, it reflects differences in reported use and departmental priorities.

The daily technology inventory highlights the continued importance of established tools: 89.66% use smartphones, 74.59% use laptops, 74.20% use land mobile radios, and 51.40% use tablets. Connected vehicles are used by 32.56%, and drones/robots by 26.47%, up from 15% in 2025. However, the data do not distinguish between drones and robots or indicate fleet size, mission frequency, or shift availability.

The clearest finding about Verizon Public Safety Communications Survey respondent sentiment involves the communications foundation. Network reliability is the top factor when selecting a provider for 48.21% of respondents. A reliable, resilient network is the top communications priority for 55.46% in daily work and 56.81% during emergency response. Speed follows at 20.19% and 22.90%, respectively.

The announcement claims that over 77% cite resilience and reliability as their primary operational requirement, but this needs clarification. The survey asks how important reliability, resiliency, and redundancy are to respondents’ jobs; 77.49% say very important, and 17.00% say somewhat important. These results reflect sentiment strength, not a single top priority among competing requirements. Keep in mind that resiliency differs from reliability and redundancy, which are easier to measure than an organization’s ability to grow and evolve after being subjected to stress.

The concern data reinforce this sentiment. When selecting their top three communications concerns, 66.18% cite unreliable networks, 52.95% cite outdated tools, and 43.96% cite lack of interoperability. Respondents also cite cost (38.55%), slow speeds (36.71%), training or complexity (31.11%), and coverage gaps (30.53%). These figures reflect perceived concerns, not measured outage rates, and highlight areas respondents believe need improvement.

Budget is the primary adoption obstacle for 61.35% of respondents, followed by trust at 15.36%, training at 13.53%, and policy at 3.77%. Policy’s low ranking does not indicate inadequate governance, only that fewer respondents see it as their main obstacle. Budget constraints do not eliminate the need for training or interoperability. Agencies should assess the full cost of maintaining, integrating, and supporting a tool before considering its purchase complete.

The Verizon Public Safety Communications Survey cybersecurity findings are based on recent activity reports and presented with caution. 77.29% of respondents say their agency implemented cybersecurity protections in the past year, but only 31.21% feel their agency is very prepared for a cyberattack. Another 43.67% feel somewhat prepared, while 25.12% report being somewhat or very unprepared. The survey does not specify the protections, assess their effectiveness, or directly link them to readiness. Respondents who report no recent implementation may work for agencies with existing controls.

The largest confidence gap concerns public communication. While 80.77% believe their agency is somewhat or very technologically prepared to respond to a disaster, only 44.93% consider their agency’s disaster communications with the public sufficient. Another 27.34% say they are not sufficient, and 27.73% are unsure. These aggregate responses do not indicate which individuals hold both views, but they show that confidence in internal response does not equate to confidence in public outreach.

The Verizon Public Safety Communications Survey provides valuable insight into reported technology use, priorities, and perceived readiness. It does not assess whether AI improves decisions, drones reduce responder exposure, or communications investments enhance emergency outcomes. The announcement extends beyond the evidence by describing broad operational transformation and improved outcomes. Further research is needed to support these claims.

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The cover image is AI-generated from the author’s prompt.