Cops Armed With Mobile, Video Technology
Digital video and wireless technologies are helping police change law enforcement, and many companies are developing new police technology for the big new market.
Digital Web cams and data network-tapping devices can be used for tasks such as checking license plates and screening suspects, and they can fit in patrol cars.
Technology is cheaper and easier to use, and homeland security efforts by local and federal government have gotten local police forces more digital technology for DNA analysis, communications, and criminal records.
The Yakima, Wash., police force now has digital video cameras in their cruisers that activate when the pursuit lights go on, and they have wireless microphones on their belts; images are stored on a removable hard drive in the cruiser, and are uploaded into a storage unit at the end of each shift, to be recalled if necessary on a PC.
IBM, which provided the technology, says that seven other police units are testing the technology.
Qualcomm supplied the Super Bowl security with wireless phones that could handle classified communications.
Saginaw County, Mich., police created their own system to issue “e-traffic” tickets, thanks to a law-enforcement grant. Departments are also working on sharing data from different networks.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Investor’s Business Daily (06/26/03) P. A5; Tsuruoka, Doug.