“Driving under the influence” often suggests alcohol is the source of impairment, but many substances can affect a person’s ability to drive safely and increase the risk of accidents. With use of drugs such as cannabis, opioids, prescription and over-the-counter depressants, and stimulants growing more prevalent among drivers, driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) has become a major concern not only for law enforcement, but for public health experts as well. While drug-impaired driving is less understood than alcohol-impaired driving, standardized toxicological testing of drivers has shown promise as a strategy to help inform stakeholders of dangerous driving behaviors.

Incorporating forensic testing into DUID investigations can help to form a more accurate account of an impaired driving case. Testing results can be used as evidence in civil and criminal litigation, and the results may also impact potential substance use intervention and treatment. Over time, routine, standardized DUID testing can help raise awareness of the frequency and danger of drug-impaired driving for law enforcement, policy makers, and drivers.

In this episode of the Government Technology Insider Podcast, we spoke to Donna Papsun, Forensic Toxicologist and NMS Labs, to learn more about how forensic testing may help reduce drug-impaired driving and increase public safety.

In part one, Government Technology Insider podcast host Lucas Hunsicker explored how agencies are putting this technology into action with insights from Knightscope CEO, William Li, Knightscope Senior Vice President of Client Development Jason Gonzalez, and Verizon Associate Director of Federal Healthcare Tom Long. In part two they continue the conversation by discussing real world results.

What’s become evident in just a short time is that autonomous robots are improving public safety including incident prevention, theft reduction, and improving response times. The guests emphasized how these tools are cost-effective and easy to deploy, while also extending situational awareness in under-resourced areas like VA campuses.

As Li noted, “We need to move beyond the fear that ‘robots are coming to take over jobs or harm people.’ Instead, we should focus on how technology can empower security personnel, giving them the tools they need to perform their duties more effectively and efficiently.” Finally, part two wraps up with advice for agencies exploring how to pilot or scale this technology.

In this episode of Government Technology Insider podcast, host Luas Hunsicker spoke with William Li, Chairman and CEO of Knightscope; Jason Gonzalez, Senior Vice President of Client Development at Knightscope; and Tom Long, Associate Director of Federal Healthcare at Verizon. In the conversation they explore the growing impact of autonomous security robots and the role of connectivity in modern public safety. Despite limited funding and high cybersecurity demands, federal agencies are leveraging AI-driven machines to enhance situation awareness, address staffing shortages, and modernize legacy systems. As Li shared, “these are smart eyes, ears and voice on the ground for the officers and guards to be in multiple locations at the same time.’

In this episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast, host Matt Langan sat down with Chris Russell, Distinguished Architect at Verizon, and Narendra Tilwani, Sales Development and Customer Solutions at Nokia Federal Solutions, to discuss how private 5G is changing military communications. While debunking common misconceptions about its adoptions, their conversation also highlighted the real-world impact of this developing technology, from replacing aging infrastructure to supporting mission-critical applications like smart warehousing, simulation training, and edge intelligence. As Tilwani pointed out: “one misconception we’ve seen is that deploying 5G is expensive and only meant for large organizations…That’s not true anymore.”

In a recent podcast with Olivia Spain and Monika Mathur from the Global Innovation Consulting practice at TCS – Tata Consultancy Services, parent company of Tata America International Corporation, we asked them to explain why a culture of innovation is so important for government today. What we learned in that conversation is that a culture of innovation is essential for ​​driving efficiency in government. To build a culture of innovation government agencies need to address three pillars: technology, people, and process. If any one of the three remains unchanged, the culture of innovation ​will ​falter, and the agency can’t move forward with delivering on the mission in a way that meets constituent needs in ever-changing circumstances.

We asked Spain and Mathur to join us for another conversation in which we develop a better understanding of the pathway from innovation to efficiency and how government agencies can turn theory into practice to deliver results for their constituents and stakeholders.

In this episode of the Government Technology Insider Podcast, we talk with Monika Mathur, Business Consultant, and Olivia Spain, Engagement Manager, from the Global Innovation Consulting practice at TCS – Tata Consultancy Services, parent company of Tata America International Corporation, about how government agencies can build a culture of innovation and leverage it to deliver on the mission more efficiently.

Federal government agencies are taking steps to prepare for the impact of quantum computing, especially in the area of cybersecurity. In August 2024, the National Institute of Standards and Technology released the first three finalized post-quantum encryption standards, a major step toward protecting digital infrastructure from quantum threats. This initiative aligns with the National Security Memorandum 10 and is supported by agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which have developed roadmaps to direct the shift to quantum-resilient systems.

Lamont Copeland, Senior Director of Federal Solutions Architecture at Verizon, and Jim Westdorp, Chief Technical Officer at Ciena Government Solutions Inc., spoke with the Government Technology Insider podcast host, Matt Langan, to unpack how quantum technology is evolving and its effects on cybersecurity for both military and civilian agencies. Additionally, they explored the urgency of implementing post-quantum cryptographic standards, strategies for quantum readiness, and the growing role of edge computing and IoT in securing data.

In this episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast, host Matt Langan spoke with Jeanne Gentry, DISA Business Development Manager from Verizon, and Adam Clement Jones, Solutions Architect for Verizon’s Defense Business in EMEA about DISA’s integration of AI into their 2025-2027 strategic vision. Their discussion also covers how technologies like AI-powered predictive maintenance, cyber threat detection, and edge computing are being deployed to enhance operational continuity and decision-making at the tactical edge.

In this episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast, host Matt Langan spoke with Dominic Bonaduce, Senior Manager for Product Strategy at Verizon and Greg Puschnigg, Chief Executive Officer at BOSS Controls about how IoT and 5G technologies are transforming the DoD’s energy management and resilience.

Their discussion also focused on the unique energy challenges faced by military bases as well as how 5G makes it possible for real-time grid edge visibility, control, and optimization. From integrating renewable energy sources to facilitating demand response programs and performing predictive maintenance on individual devices, the conversation focuses on how next-gen connectivity solutions are helping the DoD in increasing efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing mission readiness.

In the latest episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast, host, Lucas Hunsicker is joined by Josh Finke, Senior Vice President for Public Sector at Lumen and Mark Pittman, Founder of Blyncsy and Senior Director of Transportation AI at Bentley Systems, to discuss how AI can make our highways and byways safer, but also why the right backbone and infrastructure need to be in place first to deliver success.