The City of Memphis takes citizen services to the next level with Samsara

Increased visibility improves employee safety and protects the City from false claims.

In 2019, Tennessee enacted a “Hands Free Law,” making it illegal to hold or use a mobile device while driving. Initially, the Public Works division implemented Samsara’s Video-Based Safety solution to ensure drivers are operating within legal guidelines, but what they found was a comprehensive solution that empowered them to transform their safety culture.

As the City rolled out over 500 dual-facing AI Dash Cams across their organization, early and frequent communication with their 11 labor associations was key to securing buy-in. “We gave our unions notice, well in advance,” says Knecht. “Clearly communicating what data we would be gathering and how we would use it was key to getting their buy-in.”

With Samsara, the City can now exonerate innocent employees from not-at-fault incidents and false claims. In one incident, footage captured on the AI Dash Cam showed that their employee was driving below the speed limit, and it was a bicyclist failing to yield to the vehicle that caused the incident. As a result, the City avoided a citation and costly insurance payouts. Examples like these prove the power of dash cams to protect against not-at-fault incidents, helping to drive employee and union buy-in. 

On the road, they significantly decreased instances of distracted driving by leveraging AI-based in-cab alerts to proactively coach drivers when they demonstrate risky behaviors. “Instead of waiting until an incident happens, Samsara lets us look at someone’s behavioral characteristics and take corrective action,” says Rob Robinson, Safety Compliance Manager. “Samsara helps us build more conscientious drivers.”

Looking ahead, the City plans to use Samsara data to reward drivers for safe driving. Using Samsara Safety Scores to support their Safe Driving Awards program, they now have the ability to gamify, incentivize, and publicize the success of their safest drivers. “We are rewarding safe driving,” says Knecht. “To do that, you need technology that’s consistent, reliable, and recognizable. Samsara’s data makes that possible.”

Taking service delivery to the next level with ArcGIS integration.

Serving 600,000 citizens across over 300 square miles means the City of Memphis gets thousands of service requests a day. With Samsara, they’re now able to visualize vehicle location and issue location by leveraging Samsara’s open API to flow real-time GPS data directly into ArcGIS.

“Our integration with Samsara and ArcGIS allows us to understand where our work is located versus where our vehicles are located,” says Andre Armstrong, Division Database Manager. “It helps us know that we’re servicing our citizens at the highest quality we can.”

When a citizen reports an issue, such as a pothole, it’s logged as a service request within ArcGIS. By overlaying Samsara vehicle data on top of ArcGIS’s interactive map, they can quickly assign employees to handle the request, before it becomes an issue. The improved visibility has emboldened the City to take a proactive approach, improving efficiency and streamlining service delivery. 

ArcGIS hasn’t only helped the Public Works division—citizens also have access to a public version of the map. After citizens report issues by calling 311, they can check the map to receive status updates in real time. By leveraging innovative technology, the City has bridged the gap between citizens and service delivery, improving the overall quality of life for the Memphis community. 

“You’re always advocating for the public to be partners with you,” says Knecht. “Whether it’s dispatching crews or filling a pothole, Samsara has been incredibly helpful to our organization and the public.”

Complete visibility into vehicle location improves service response times.

The Public Works division often work in dangerous environments—for example, Code Enforcement officers may need to handle unpredictable situations when they are inspecting residential properties. Without visibility into vehicle location, it was difficult for the City to protect employees and keep them safe.

By adopting Samsara Vehicle Gateways across their fleet, the City can now use real-time GPS data to pinpoint vehicle location and provide immediate support to employees if needed. In addition, Samsara has helped streamline routing and dispatch. For “hot calls” that require immediate response, administrators can use the Samsara Dashboard to see where the request is, and reallocate nearby employees to quickly address the issue—improving uptime and accelerating service response times. 

“Using the Samsara Dashboard, I can see who’s close by in the area. I can give them a call and say, ‘Hey, I need you to drop everything and go to this location for us,’” says Jeremy Cooper, Code Enforcement Supervisor. “It’s been very helpful for us.”

$40,000 saved in lost assets through quick and easy equipment recovery.

To maintain infrastructure and keep the city running, the Public Works division owns and operates a variety of heavy-duty equipment worth upwards of $1 million. With the rise in equipment theft, the City needed a way to locate and recover stolen assets.

In one example, the City experienced a string of thefts to their mowers, each worth $20,000. By adopting Samsara Unpowered Asset Gateways (AGs) across their fleet, they now have visibility into the location of their equipment. Using Samsara’s real-time GPS, they quickly and easily recovered their stolen equipment, saving $40,000+ in lost assets.

“We have a big fleet, anywhere from sedans to very large heavy equipment. The great thing with Samsara is it doesn’t matter what type of vehicle it is—they can make it work,” says Knecht. “It’s helped us recover a few of our stolen mowers, and that pays for itself quickly.”