To speed up getting data from reports still mostly written on pen and paper, the NYPD is trying special wireless pens and pads from IBM that let officers continue to handwrite reports in the field even as the data is simultaneously uploaded digitally into a precinct server, Onalfo said.

Asked whether this massive centralization of data should arouse privacy concerns, Onalfo said that procedures such as proper warrants are still required to search for data. "It's a well-controlled process. Even I don't have the ability to look at data," he said.

As for data theft or exposure due to mobile devices that the NYPD is slowly rolling out to police officers, Onalfo said that laptops and handheld devices will eventually be protected by a combination of smart cards, fingerprint-based biometrics and passwords.