The Future of PSJ Depends on AI: Q&A with FirstTwo’s Founder

Public safety changes every year. Technology advances, community expectations shift, and the pace of the job never slows down. Agencies are expected to respond accordingly. That means faster emergency response and better communication, despite limited staff and budgets.

In 2026, the goal is strategic innovation. Agencies want tools that improve operations without increasing complexity, adding barriers to entry, or changing processes drastically. The best technology fits into your operations—not the other way around.

That’s exactly what FirstTwo was built to do. By delivering real-time, map-based intelligence to the field, FirstTwo helps responders gain clarity sooner, reduce uncertainty, and make smarter decisions in critical moments in the field.

Keep reading for an exclusive interview with Niraj Shah, founder of FirstTwo, on what inspired its development, why “the first two minutes” matter, and what’s next.

What inspired you to create FirstTwo?

“This was the seventh company I had started, but it felt different. I was at a stage in my life where I wanted to build something that had real impact. Public safety stood out as an area where better technology could truly help people doing very difficult work.”

“It started at a law-enforcement symposium in Seattle. An officer asked, ‘If I knock on a door, who is going to open it?’ That question stayed with us, and from there we began working directly with agencies to help answer it.”

What was the inspiration behind the name FirstTwo?

“We quickly learned that almost everything that matters happens in the first two minutes of a call. That’s when responders are heading into the unknown with the least amount of information. The name came from that reality, because those first two minutes are where we wanted to arm them with knowledge and intelligence.”

How does FirstTwo improve situational awareness for first responders?

“When we started, most of the intelligence lived with investigators or analysts, far away from the responder. But in the field, there is no time to read reports or dig through text. You need information that is fast, visual, and easy to understand.

“At the same time, mobile devices were becoming standard in public safety, and that changed everything.

“We built FirstTwo to take advantage of that shift by making intelligence simple, visual, and available in the moment.”

“In most situations, the first two minutes tell you what you need to know, as long as the right information is in front of you.”

How does AI change the way public safety software supports decision-making in the field?

“From the beginning, we focused on visual intelligence. Today, that has grown into what we call Actionable Intelligence, which is about letting responders stay focused on what is happening in front of them while the technology works in the background.

“You can simply talk to FirstTwo and ask a question, like the one that started it all for us: ‘Who lives at this house?’ The system brings the information to you, so you can keep your attention on the situation, not on a screen.”

What led you to choose CentralSquare’s CAD as the right partner for FirstTwo?

“The goal was always simple: to make FirstTwo available to as many public safety agencies as possible.”

“The real question was who could help us do that in a meaningful way.”

“FirstTwo belongs inside the systems responders already use, like CAD, 911, and RMS. Those are the tools they rely on in the first two minutes of a call. Back in 2015, the technology and the market were not quite ready for that. By 2025, it was clear the timing was right, and CentralSquare had both the reach and the platform to make it possible.”

What excites you most about the future of FirstTwo as part of CentralSquare?

“What excites me most is seeing FirstTwo become part of the everyday tools agencies already rely on—like CAD and 911 call-taking—and doing that at scale across thousands of agencies.

“The intelligence won’t just live on a screen. It will show up when a call comes in, when a responder arrives at a location, or when they speak a question out loud through a body-worn camera. Or, in the future, through something like smart glasses.

“The data already exists inside public safety agencies. Our job is to get it to the people who need it, when they need it, in those critical first two minutes, so they can make safer decisions and get home at the end of their shift.”

Built for the First Two Minutes

2026 is set to be a transformative year for public safety AI. Imagine if your agency could turn existing data into real-time situational awareness. Not buried in reports. Not locked behind screens and systems. Delivered in critical moments, when responders need it most.

From the beginning, Niraj set out to provide first responders with actionable intelligence. FirstTwo was built to deliver insight in a format that works under pressure—fast, visual, and easy to act on. Now, as FirstTwo scales with CentralSquare AI, that same experience can reach more agencies and more units.

Ready to learn more about FirstTwo? Start a free trial now to see how real-time, map-based intelligence can transform your operations.