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State and local governments can spend more than
$50,000 outfitting one police car with modern technologies, and adding the
necessary information technologies can double the cost of outfitting the car,
according to market observers and police departments. Car service life varies,
but typically lasts 24/7 for three to five years -- or about 85,000 miles.
Cops are constantly adapting their equipment to the
environment. Our kit bags have grown larger and larger as we collected
equipment to deal with the job. Our departments gives us the basics and as we
face new situations we think about what we could have used as a tool to have
made the task easier. Then, we go out and get that tool for next time. Much
of the commercially produced police equipment used by our peers today was
developed on the fly by those who walked the beat before us. The concept of
the police car as a mobile office was developed by those of us who worked long
shifts and thought What could be added to this car to make my job easier?
Make me more comfortable? Help me to hunt down dangerous offenders?
Why does it always seem so long for good ideas to come to fruition? Man had
ideas for powered flight for millennia but it wasn't until a little over a
hundred years ago that this idea was finally realized with the Wright Brothers
historic flight in Kittyhawk,
N.C.
For law enforcement, the idea of
simulation training has been around for quite some time. In fact, law
enforcement trainers have used simulation technology to help combat the top
two liability concerns for all agencies: driving/car accidents and use of
force.
The mobile office is on its way out. In the near
future, the only way to describe a police car will be as a platform. A
platform is a combination of technologies with real-world applications.
Thinking of your police car as a platform gives us a foundation from which to
explore your cars future. It wont just be your office, it will be another set
of senses, operating independent of you, and providing you with real-time
information on the world around you. More importantly, the Police Vehicle
Platform (PVP) will significantly enhance your safety and ability to conduct
law enforcement operations
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Hot Car - Hot Data
The introduction of mobile
technology into law enforcement has increased dramatically. According to the
Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2000, 75% of local police officers and 61% of
sheriffs' officers worked for an agency that used in-field computers or
terminals, compared to 30% and 28% in 1990. Just at the rate of application has
increased, so has the sophistication of the equipment. Indeed, in the previous
article we saw that police in-field computers have steadily graduated from
dumb terminals to fully-functioning computers. Sophisticated equipment
has given the street officer access to more and better information and provided
him or her with a variety of means to capture information. Unfortunately, we
may be somewhat lagging in our ability to apply that information in our field
investigations and tactics. In this article we will explore some of the
possible uses of technology in field investigations.
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The Moller Skycar: Patrol Unit of the Future
Like so
many other stories, this one begins with the distinct trilling of the 911 line.
Frantic voices on the other end, a yell, a crash, bangshots fired! More calls
from neighboring businesses, there are men inside the bank, men with guns. This
has happened before; the robbers are experienced, and smart. Never inside for
more than 3 minutes, they are gone and blending into the population before the
first unit arrives on scene.
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