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INFORMATION #1 08-20-2001City ~ Paver Police Department MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Chief Thomas D. Zerwas & Assistant Chief Jeffrey Beahen DATE: August 15, 2001 SUBJECT: Mobile Computing Devices Our police software vendor (Visonair) has recently introduced a new product called I-Force. This is a handheld, transportable communication device based on PDA, or Personal Digital Assistant technology. In other words, it uses a Palm Pilot or similar device to communicate with our computer network. Each PDA is equipped with an inexpensive CDPD modem, just like the squad computers. It is then capable of being utlilzied to run the same queries, communications and message windows that any squad computer (MDC) can. The major differences are that these devices are very inexpensive, are completely portable and can be used in any assignment, as they are not squad car based. They can be transferred to an officer or assignment as easily as handing the device to the officer who needs it. Current costs for a mobile data computer (MDC) are: Visionair mobile license: Motorola CF-27 MDC Enfora CDPD modem $1,100.00 $3,400.00 $850.00 Total: $5,350.00 per car The cost of the I-Force unit is considerably cheaper. The cost per unit is as follows: I-Force license: $650.00 ($100.00 discount) PDA devicew/integrated modem $800.00 Total: $1,450.00 per PDA These are start-up fees associated with the I-force devices. These are one- time payments and include: Network configuration: One time activation fee Training Yearly maintenance $1,000.00 $100.00 (Per PDA) $300.00 $195.00 Total' $1,595.00 Total cost for activating one start-up PDA for test/evaluation- $3,045.00 The PDA would require the same monthly AT&T CDPD fee of $49.95 We are proposing taking the $3,045.00 out of the DUI forfeiture account and utilizing the device in a variety of applications to determine if the lower priced device would work in the following environments: Bike Patrol Snowmobile Patrol Search Warrants Mobile Investigative Details Administrative Details The device would be used for general daily duties by the Assistant Chief. We are hoping that the PDA's could eventually replace or supplement the MDC's in some applications while giving us greater application ability. See the attached articles, quote and I-Force sheet for additional details. I--F'ORC Wireless Data Retrieval - available to all agencies. Don't Be Caught Un-INFORM-ed. Access mug shot images, warrants, crime statistics, and more from VisionAIR's INFORM application via web phones and Windows* CE devices. VisionAIRTM is bringing critical data access to the streets with [-Force, a revolutionary mobile solution that retrieves domestic violence restraining orders, CCWS (concealed cany weapons), warrants, NCIC/NLETS data, and more from wireless devices. Utilizing bidirectional RIM' pagers and Windows* CE OS models, I~Force gives law enforcement personnel quick access to the information they need --from any location! · Windows® CE Devices - CDPD · RIM 950~- BSWD Interactive Pagers · d T& T Pocket NetTMPhOnes - CDPD · Ruggedized Symbol CE Units Increase Dispatch 'Efficiency! NCIC queries are easily entered into the RIM' pager's handheld keyboard. Retrieve person, stolen property, vehicle, and gun permit data. · Automatic Interface to dispatch centers - receive calls directly from VisionCAD · Pager-to-Pager Chat functionality for voiceless communication ofconfidential and/or mission-critical information · Automatic Logofffor Enhanced Security Research In Motion Limited I-Force transactions are routed through VisionAIR's DRE~'(Data Routing Engine~), a unique wireless application server that provides: * Message Interleaving · 128-Bit Data Encryption · System Audits · High-Level User Security and Authentication · Data Compression and Formatting · Data Parsing and Logical Data Display Why wait to perform queries in mission-critical situations? I-Force puts the power of information where it belongs - in the hands of mobile la,~ enforcers. Don't tie your community's safety to a deskrtop or cruiser! I-Force offers improved officer effectiveness and reduced reliance on dispatct centers. It is available at a low capital start up cost, via subscription or direc purchase. A side module, the Dispatch Event Alarm (DEA), is also offered to notif~ dispatchers of hits and tracks login information for each pager. All of these benefi~ are available for one low initial installation fee and low monthly subscription rates. www.visionair.com For more informaito~ 800 882-210~ 5601 Barbados Blvd., P.O Box 9600, Castle Hayne, NC 28429-9000 Estimate Date: July 25, 2001 Agency Information Agency: Elk River Police Department Contact: Asst. Chief Jeff Beahan Email: jbeahen~police.ci.elk-river.mn.us Address: 13065 Orono Parkway City: Elk River, MN 55330 Phone: 763-441-2324 Fax: 763-441-8937 Estimate Remote Office Information Office: VisionAIR, Inc. Contact: Patrick Lyttle Email: pglyttleq3~visionair.com Address: 6856 Lake Terrace West City: Woodbury, MN 55125 Phone: 651-714-8327 I-Force Code I-Force CE Client VACE (I-Force Client Includes NCIC/State Query and Message Center) Units 2 Cost $1,500.00 Discount - $ 200.00 Total $1,300.00 Total: $1,300.00 Installation and Services I-Force CE Network Configuration (Remote Dial In) One Time Activation CE Devices ($100.00/unit) Training (.25 days) Software Maintenance VSI Mobile 8x5 Client Sof~vare Maintenance (15%) $ 1000.00 $ 200.00 $ 3O0.0O Total: $1,500.00 $ 195.00 Total: $ 195.00 Grand Total: $ 2~995.00 COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY Technology in your pocket Officers who patrol in vehi- cles have a lot in compari- son to officers on bikes, homes, motorcycles or foot. They have more comfortable seats, protec- tion from the weather, the ability to take offenders into custody, and a number of technologies needed to help them do their jobs, to name a few. Aether Systems Mobile Govern- ment Division has developed a prod- uct that can assist officers who patrol outside the vehicle. It helps increase officer efficiency and safety and keeps them aware of what is going on in their district. Spinning off of their previous development, PacketCluster, Aether has devel- oped PocketBlue, a wireless hand- held system. How it all started Aether's Mobile Government Divi- sion provides mobile computing prod- ucts for the public sector. Aether cre- ated the division following the acqui- sitions of Cerulean Technology and Sunpro Corporation. The Cerulean product line is designed to meet the needs of the mobile law enforcement community, while the Sunpro product line is designed to meet the needs of the fire and EMS communities. Their products are used by more than 2,800 public safety agencies. Prior to the acquisitions, Cerulean Technology developed PacketCluster. This product has been very successful as Aether continues to distribute it to From the office to vehicles and now to out-of-vehicle officers, Aether Systems Mobile Govemment Division delivers information through PacketCluster and now PocketBlue. agencies around the country. PacketCluster brought back-office applications from' within the agency out to officers in their vehicles. Aether then took that one step further. Pocket- Blue brought that information from the vehicle to officers on foot patrol. In the past, an officer on a routine traffic stop would mn the suspect's plates for stolen .vehicle status and/or drivers license number for wants and warrants, using the radio in their vehi- cles. This tied up the radio line, as well as the dispatcher's valuable time. Using PacketCluster in vehicles, officers can do this search themselves. The laptop in an officer's vehicle, fea- turing PacketCluster, is connected wirelessly to the NCIC (National Crime Information Center), NLETS (National Law Enforcement .Telecom- munications System -- state databases link) or the local DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). Using these data- bases, officers can access information from the laptop inside their vehicles instead of contacting dispatchers through the radio. "The request is sent wirelessly through the PacketCluster server net- work to the databases and then back to that laptop for the officer to read," says Mike Layman, senior product marketing manager at Aether Systems, Mobile Government Division, Marl- borough, Massachusetts. Secure messaging is another feature of PacketCluster. "Messaging is built into this system so officers can com- municate wirelessly with other offi- cers,, says Layman. Previously, offi- cers only had the radio to communicate with other officers. Information spoken 140 Law Enforcement Technology · July 2001 I I II III I i I1111 II I! I!1 ! ! i~J~il III llllIrl llllll- )n om- .ases nt tta- don ~S let- :k to t :ems, trl- ature uilt 5- ~- ficate )oken over radio waves is available to anyone who has a scanner in the area and hap- pens to be tuned in to that frequency. Layman adds, "With PacketCluster, secure messages are sent without unwanted listeners finding out." These features, in addition to many other functions of PacketCluster, were what launched the production of PocketBlue. Aether wanted to develop a product that would give the features of PacketCluster to officers who patrol outside the vehicle. What is PocketBlue? Officers who walk the beat, patrol on bikes or motorcycles, or those who ride horses benefit from the same technology as those who work inside a vehicle. Aether intxoduced PocketBlue to do just that. According to Aether, PocketBlue is a handheld software application that is part of a fully integrated mobile data PocketBlue is a handheld software application that is part of a fully integrated mobile data system. system for law enforcement, providing secure messaging and alarm capabili- ties connected to all mobile users. Providing the key capabilities of PacketCluster in the handheld device of PocketBlue gave mobile officers the capabilities that in-vehicle users have. In law enforcement, over 900 agen- cies use PacketCluster Patrol on vehicle- mounted computers for real-time data access and communication in the field. PocketBlue, running on handheld devices, gives out-of-vehicle mobile users in these agencies comparable access to haformation and communica- tion capabilities. Palm users outside the vehicle can access various databases using a handheld device. Using PocketBlue, personnel on foot, bike or horseback can simply tap a button on the Palm to nm NCIC queries or send secure messages. When an officer receives a "hit" on a query, every mobile client, whether they are using PocketBlue or PacketCluster, will be notified, according to Aether. Layman adds that officers on foot, bike, motorcycle, horses or assigned to special detail, races, state fairs and large public events typically only have access to important information using the radio. "They can get on the radio and do it, but they can't do it in a secure mode," he says. "With technology, we were able to extend the functionality of mobile data computers to officers that typically don't have access to laptops;" says Lay- man. "It is important to be able to move information out to officers so they have' access to everything they need." Details of PocketBlue With handheld devices so widely accepted in society today, it was ideal timing for Aether to develop this prod- uct now. PocketBlue is comparable in functionality to the wireless laptop in the vehicle, but is handheld. "We have the capability to run queries from the handheld against NCIC, NLETS and DMV databases," says Layman. "On P0cketBlue, there is also the ability to do private, digital messaging from either officer to offi- cer, or officer to a number of °fficers.'' PocketBlue runs on different devices' from three companies. (For more information on these devices see article on Page 108.) The first is the Palm Vx. This is a handheld device that has a Novatel Minstrel Modem on the back connect- ing the Palm device to a CDPD (cellu- lar digital packet data) network, mak- ing it a wireless device. PocketBlue is also available on a Blackberry by Aether device. Layman says, "It is made by RIM (Research In Motion) and is probably the hottest device in the industry right now for connecting businesses to the mobile workforce." The Blackberry device comes in two sizes and the modem is built-in. The third device that was validated to run the applications is the Symbol July 2001 · Law Enforcement Technology 141 COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY 1733 from Symbol Technologies. It is a rugged device using the Palm OS that would be ideal for officers on motorcycles. This is because it is more weather resistant than the Palm or a RIM device and is ideal for officers who patrol in more rugged conditions. Using this hardware and the fea- tures Aether has developed, Pocket- Blue helps officers do their jobs. Pro- viding the technology officers need on a handheld device, allows departments to put more officers on the street. More officers on the street means improved awareness of officers in the community, while giving them the ability to do their jobs. Using its immediate wireless messaging, PocketBlue allows an officer to inform other officers of what is going on in and around the community. Using both PocketBlue and Packet- Cluster and their messaging capabili- ties, departments can inform officers Out-of-vehicle officers can now run a suspect's drivers license and license plates for a possible hit. quickly and accurately of a hazardous situation. "If an officer standing on the street hms a plate and gets a hit on a stolen vehicle, every officer in their patrol car and those with PocketBlue know which officer ran the plate and what came up on the hit," says Layman. This feature provides officers with the ability to know if another Officer may be in potential danger. If the hit came back, other officers would know in a matter of seconds. produced by the California Peace Officers' Association supported by the Califomia Police Chiefs Association September 12-13, 2001 Ontario Convention Center Ontario, CA C.G,P.S.W E S T ~ Law Enforcenmt Expo --~/.( Post CPT ~nars -~ Keynote l~'esenLation £~ Test/Demo Day (sept~ 14) $10 (pre-registered) · $15 (at the door) www. c0pswest.c0m (916) 263-5525 Write in 138 on Reader Service Card 142 Law Enforcement Technology · July 2001 The future There are other applications that are available with these devices that can be helpful for officers. An appli- cation that is cur- rently being beta tested is a product called StopTracker. "This product assists in tracking and auditing the information an offi- cer collects during a traffic stop," says David Rosi, corpo- rate vice president and general manag- er, Aether Sys- tems."It captures all critical informa- tion for both vehi- cle and pedestrian stops." It collects data as part of the traffic stop and then ana- lyzes that data to assess whether racial profiling is actually an issue. Layman noted that many cities are in the position of being mandated or required to collect data on traffic stops. StopTracker can assist in doing that. Unlike PocketBlue, StopTracker has to be reconnected to its base at the end of the day. PocketBlue is a' query against a database and therefore does not require any reconnection for it to be accessed by other officers. The database is updated immediately after an officer enters the information. StopTracker collects and stores data so none of the information gathered on that device is available to other offi- cers until it is reconnected and that information is moved to the database. The most current information in that database will be available once an officer connects the device and moves the new information over. Agencies using PocketBlue Currently there is only one depart- ment that has purchased PocketBlue and that is the St. Paul (Minnesota) Police Department. PacketCluster is in use all over the country, but to imple- ment PocketBlue into that mix, one department in each state must first do some testing. There is currently beta testing going on in various cities throughout the country. Aether found that beta sites allow them to know whether the system will work in every state. "It provides feedback as to how officers are using it and if it works effectively," Layman notes. Beta test- ing also tests the system to find any kinks that may come up. He adds, "Until a product is out there and being used, you never really ,H, ,,,, ,,,t mmllt Imim,imi1,11,1illilt lt iilllil lllllit Illl !111 IIit1111tltli it ltttt ttlt IJttt Il II Iit iillllllllllllillltll re. re in r toing kef at the tuery does it to le f after t. 'es~data O~l~- hat abase. ~ that an moves Blue ~epart- tBlue ;ota) :ter is in imple- , one first do ag ~ghout beta her the how orks e* ~t- s out er really know how effective ii will be. That is where beta sites come into play." Currently there are six states that are doing beta testing on Pc~cketBlue. St. Paul, Minnesota, has tested and purchased the product, while Ohio, New Jersey; South Pasadena; Califor- nia; Florida and Maryland are all doing beta testing prior to their poten- tial purchase. Aether adds that there is an aggressive schedule in place for future beta sites. "The PocketBlue handhelds have proven to be a valuable addition to our PacketCluster system. We now have th ability to access information in areas where a full laptop was not fea- sible in the past," said Sheriff George Knupp Jr. of the Lake County (Flori- da) Sheriff's Office. "The PocketBlue system does just what we need -- it puts the information in the hand (or pocket) of officers in bike, undercov- er, mounted, investigative and marine units. Unlike PCs, laptops and radios, the handhelds drop into the officer's pocket or under the seat for quick and inconspicuous access to critical infor- mation, which is particularly useful when an officer is undercover." PocketBlue has the same functionality as the wireless laptop in the vehicle, but is mobile. Aether is aggressively working to accommodate as many agencies as it can. Since it is still a fairy new prod- uct, Aether is visiting each state indi- vidually to make sure the data is com- Write in 137 on Reader Service Card ing to the handhelds properly and securely. Layman says, "Our goal for the end of the year is to have all the big states covered." If an agency who is not at the top of the list approaches Aether with an interest to go with PocketBlue, a decision will need to be made. "In that situation, we maY reprioritize and move that state up in the list," Layman notes. "It is a business exercise as well as a technical one." As of mid-June, PocketBlue is gen- erally available in a number of states, providin~ officers on foot, bike, mounted patrol, marine or other spe- cial details with the ability to query NCIC, NLETS and DMV databases, plus communicate with secure mes- saging to other officers. [3 For more inform, ation on this company, fill in the Reader Semice Card with the corresponding number. COMPANY Aether Systems Mobile Government Div. 251 July 2001 · Law Enforcement Technology 1, Illll We'd all like to cut down on the time we spend fumbling for phone numbers, missing appointments or just leav- ing a quick message for someone. Personal digital assistants (PDAs) and smart phones, miniature high-tech com- munications devices in a rainbow of colors, are in the hands of business executives everywhere -- on the train, in cars, in every sort of public place possible. While law enforcement officers in general do not use PDAs or cell phones for their jobs, many Americans do. More than 5 million people in the U.S. own a PDA, according to the market research firm IDC, up from 2 million just two years ago. The number is expected to more than triple to reach nearly 17 million by 2005. Police officers already use plenty of high-tech computing power -- note- books, pen tablets and more. Do they really need another piece of equip- 108 Law Enforcement Technology · July 2001 ment? It really boils down to this ques-~ don: Are these simply souped-up toys, glitzy gizmos that are just more techno- logical hype, or are they vital tools that can save an officer's life? Functions of PDAs Let's take a look at the functions of PDAs. At their most basic, these elec- tronic gadgets serve as appointment books, address books, to-do lists, wrist- watches and calculators. While calen- daring and organizing thousands of phone numbers can be of great assis- tance, is it really worth spending up to $649 for the privilege? Possibly. Those basic features only skim the surface. Users also can do a whole lot more with these tinY devices -- some of which are very specific to law enforcement. Mobile professionals were actually first to get hooked on the devices and still make up the core users. PDAs pack enough computer power to handle tasks for which users otherwise would nee~ to lug around a laptop -- readin~ e-mail, composing memos, connectin[ to the Web and looking up client con. tact information in a database. All ar~ able to transfer information by cable o: cradle, in a process called synching from personal information managers o~ your PC. Most of them have expansio~ slots for peripherals. For example Handspring Visors have a slot calle~ the Springboard, and Palm device have a serial port in the bottom. Thes ports allow them to attach accessorie such as barcode readers, magneti stripe devices, wireless modems, eve digital cameras and digital voic recorders. "There's an awful lot of ways c tracking and collecting information, says Bill Dyszel, author of "Pah Computing for Dummies" an "Handspring Visor for Dummies. Both publications are available I www.amazon, com. ! need ading tecting ~t con- M1 are able or tching, gets on )ansion ample, : called levices , These essories ~gnetic is, even I voice ; of nation," [ "Palm s" and nmies." lable at Three basic types Handhelds have come a long way since Apple unveiled the Newton Message Pad in 1993. You'll find more than two dozen models on the market today. (You may want to take a look at www.onmagazine.com, the May 2001 "Consumer Reports" or one of Dyszel's books for detailed, clear comparisons.) The basic types fall int° three categories. The first is from Palm Inc. of Santa Clara, California, a spin-off of 3Com. Since the Palm Pilot debut in 1996, Palm has introduced nearly a dozen other models, including a few different Palm IIs, a couple of Palm Vs and two Palm Viis. Last August it introduced the ml00, its entry-level model that costs about $150. In additi°n there are at least five palm-size devices that aren't made by Palm bUt have licensed the operating system. One of these comes from Handspring Inc., a Mountainview,' California, company co-founded in 'lt's easy to get an application written." -- Bill Dyszel, author 1998 by two former employees of Palm. In this category are several Handspring Visor models, the IBM WorkPad c3 and a Sony PDA. While Palm dominates the market with just less than two-thirds of the market share, the Visor sold impres- sively after it was introduced a year ago and has seized nearly a third of the market to take second place. The third type has a Microsoft OS. These include the Hewlett-Packard Jomada 548, the Casio EM-500 and the Compaq iPaq H3650. Microsoft is try- ing to catch up with these Pocket PCs, which have flashy colors and graphics that are far superior to Palm. They com~ with built-in MP3 players and can handle more multi-media digital music and short, color videos -- but the units are a little bulkier and more expensive. Yet, Microsoft is banking on the fact that Pocket PC's OS will draw in people who are familiar with Windows, and it is bundling scaled- down versions of popular programs as Word and Excel, according to "ON Magazine," a supplement to "TIME." With all its bells and whistles, however, it still lacks a built-in wireless modem. The Palm VII ($449) already has one built in; add-ons are available for $200 to $300 for the Handspring Visor and Palm V. Visor's optional wireless modem is a plug-in module; Palm V has sled-type modem that slides in. Modems are available from major manufacturers as Novatel, Sierra Wireless, Enfora Inc. (formerly Nextcell) and Omni Sky. Basic mod- els like the Palm ml00 don't have this capability, however. So far, the best pocket PCs can do is offer wire- less connectivity via a separate cell phone. A growing contingent Law enforcement officers are indeed delving into use of palm- sized, devices. According to the lat- est RFPs (Requests for Proposals) he's seen, the devices used by police agencies are "pretty much off-the- shelf," says Mike Zirkle, with the Mobile and Wireless Division of Analysts International, a large consult- ing firm that provides analysis of mobile devices across several markets. Zirkle says he's seen standard PDAs used to successfully collect revenues on outstanding tickets in New Jersey and to generate traffic citations in Iowa. Probably the best way to describe law enforcement PDA usage is this: There is a small, but growing, contingent. If you're assessing whether or not to use the technology, there are numerous considerations before jumping in. Software is probably No. 1. The popu- larity of Palm devices has spawned thousands of third-party applications. There is about 9,000 programs avail- able off the shelf for Palm devices (including clones) and 1,000 for Pocket PCs, according to Dyszel. Despite this proliferation, there real- ly aren't any off-the-shelf programs that suit the specific uses of police agencies, in Zirkle's opinion. Agencies are requesting mostly custom applica- tions with their, police procurement plans, he says. But that seems not to be a huge -- or costly -- stumbling block. "It's easy to get an application written for a spe- cific use like law enforcement," Dyszel notes. At last count, according to Palm, there were 80,000 application develop- ers working on soRware for the Palm. Dyszel adds that there is an enormous number of registered developers for all the products, probably upward of Next to this Handspring Visor Platinum is the Stowaway Portable Keyboard from Think Outside Inc. (www,thinkoutside.com). 100,000. Some departments have written their own programs, depending on the com- plexity of the application and the skill set in the department. It is a completely different paradigm using a 160x160- pixel screen that's about 2 1/2 inches by 2/12 inches. Most agencies use out- side integrators, according to Zirkle. As for memory and storage capacity, it's not a limiting factor either. PDAs start at 2 to 8 MB of RAM, but you can add up to 64 MB, depending on the model. You can even get a custom micro drive from HandEra Inc. of Des Moines, Iowa. This drive takes CompactFlash cards. You can store up to 1,000 MB of data on a disk the size of a quarter, Dyszel says. Another important consideration is durability. Will these devices pass the rigors of fieldwork? While none so far are mggedized, notes Dyszel, some are July 2001 · Law Enforcement Technology 109 packaged in ruggedized cases like one from Symbol Technologies on Holtsville, New York, that comes in what's called a Rhino Skin case. There's another from Casio, which also comes in a case. Battery life in PDAs is an attribute. Typically, -re- chargeable batteries last anywhere from eight hours to two months, having far greater longevity than ener- gy-hungry laptops. Another plus is their portability. Weighing in at 4 to 9 ounces, they're about 1/10 the weight of a 7-pound lap- top -- an advantage when chasing a suspect by bike. I)~'actica[ uses The bottom line is PDAs are easy to handle. When Here the Stowaway Portable Keyboard from Think Outside unfolds to a full-size keyboard that can be used with Handspring Visor handhelds, Palm Pilots and other pocket PC-based products. you're at the scene of an incident, pen tablets are good but they're a little on the big side, says Lt. Roger Luebkeman of the Santa Clara (California) Police Department. And you have to put the tablet somewhere while you take care of other MAG CINCHTM a product of Buffer Technologies, Inc. ,.~ allows anyone with a need for high i ammo capacity to camj two mag- ~ azines with their rifle or SMG ~ Eliminates the search for the ~li ~ .~ second magazine, jus. t.~ch ~'~t~'u"r' : magazines ~ i;weapon andsaY~:~i;:~i~h0%:':'~ ~ TheMAG CINCH units h°ld ~ magazines iZX3~t~'~ rock solid strength to ensure that they both operate as one unit, as if they were made from one solid piece of steel! The MAG CINCHTM units will not mar, scratch or deform your magazines. They are designed specifically to grasp magazines without damaging them in any way ~ No steel touches y~ur magazines! Weight: 2.5 oz. ~i~J~ Currently, the MAG CINCHTM System is available for theAR-15, AR10, AR20, SR25, M1A, SMG, AK/Vaimat/Galil, M l~-_,arbine, Mini-14, H&K models 91, MP5, USC, UMP, HK SL8, SteyrAUG, and Most .308 (except FN-FAL). Buffer Technologies also offers the Recoil BufferTM, a product designed by Buffer Technologies to cushion the trauma your bolt and receiver experience dudng normal cartridge discharge. · //I . --- visit us on the intemet to learn more! J ; ~J'~~ ww~v. BufferTech.com ,,,: ...... Ph~:~(573) 634,8529 :g~r T~chno~gms Fax: (573) 634-8522 P.O. Box 104903 sales(~buffertech.com Jefferson City, MO 65110 Write in 111 on Reader Service Card 110 Law Enforcement Technology · July 2001 business. With a PDA, you can just slip the device into your pocket. The Santa Clara PD.uses a Symbol Palm CPT-1740, which is contained in a hard plastic case. "Officer. safety is our primary con- cern," Luebkeman says. "[Therefore] if an officer gets into an altercation, he doesn't have to consider that he'5 got a very expensive piece of equipment; he can just throw it on the ground." While most handheld devices are not ruggedized, the price is right. With a price range from $249 to $499, they are a fraction of the cost of their bigger cousins. And even a hand- held Symbol or Casio device with built-in casing tops out at about $1,500. Initially, software for Santa Clara's Symbol PDA was developed by Luebkeman in FileMaker Pro for evidence tracking. Like any other barcode sys- tem, the officers enter their evidence and it generates a label. But the unique part is that its location is stored in the database. When an offi- cer comes back in with his list to retrieve the evidence for court, the property clerk scans the list with a Palm device/barcode scanner. It syncs wirelessly with th{ database and comes bac~ with Web pages listing th{ location of each piece. The~ go right to the evidence an( check it out. "It speeds Ul; the whole process,' Luebkeman says. In addition, Santa Clar, is just beginning to field tes~ an application for traffic col- lision reports. In the field i~ uses a magnetic stripe read. er to capture driver's license information and sends it tc the cruiser wirelessly on th~ 2.4-GHz band. (It can trans. mit data up to 1,000 feet.' The in-car computer serve,, as an interface to a Wet server. Information is sent t( a FileMaker Pro databas( and the data is sent back o] a tiny Web page that wa designed by Luebkeman i~ FileMaker Pro. Luebkeman, who ha done research on man' portable devices over th years, notes he's ver pleased with the unit the chose. It's got a readabl screen, great battery life an it was well integrated, h notes. This one handhel "had all the jumbled pieces was tTying to put together he says, "It was love at fir sight." A police officer i Washington, D.C., certain has gone beyond the call, duty just to incorporate Tog or tool? PDA into his daily patrol routine. Officer Bill Cather with the Metropolitan Airports Authority Police at Reagan National Airport, has pur- chased his own Handspring Visor Deluxe, which he taps all his reports into, then syncs with his computer at home each night. He cuts and pastes into departmental incident reports at the station the next day. "No cop likes to write. I found it easier to do," he explains. Using a Stowaway keyboard from Carlsbad, California-based Think Outside, which actually folds to about the size of a PDA, Cather writes sum- maries of all his tickets, including defendant's name, violation, etc., and connects it to the court date. He notes that it's so much easier than writing in "graffiti" (the type of symbols hand- helds accept with a stylus). "On the court date all I have to do is print it out and testify i~om the printout. No more fumbling through all the papers in court," he says. In his job at the airport, Cather often runs into limo drivers loitering. "Sometimes when I get to court [and "Alii have to do is print it Out and testify from the printout." --Bill Cather, Metropolitan Airports Authority Police hear their version of the story], I won- der: 'Am I at the same traffic stop?'" he says. To combat this he's got a tiny 2x3-inch digital camera called the Eyemodule 2 from Blocks Products that he can capture black-and-white stills with, annotate it with text, and date and time stamp it. He can print it It's Court:Approved. market that West , this seftware the geed Curatolo, Ithaca, NY enforcement lng us daily. Call for a FREE demo cd and brochure today. VS ~/isual Statement Inc ~d a Free Demo and Brochure www.visualstatement.com 828 0383 fax (250) 828 0482 Write in 101 on Reader Service Card out in color on his home printer. } also has a digital audio recorder th capture~ conversations in full, which l sometimes uses for traffic stops a: meetings. He can download the recor ing in a WAV file on his home compr er and listen to it the day before a cot date as a refresher. He's also thinking of purchasi~ a C-Pen, a small pen-like attachmex from the Swedish compa[ C Technologies, that can scan and ew translate foreign language documen into a Visor or Palm device. Right ne he's hoping PDAs will one day be sm dard issue at his department. The Boca Raton Police Servic, DePartment in Florida is nearly rea~ to implement about 30 units that w go to its motorcycle and bike patr officers, according to Assistant Chi Bob Daniels. They'd also like to utili: the units for investigators 'in the futm using it to do computer records creel of driver's licenses. Daniels says he'd like to be able print traffic citations in the vehicle wi use of either the magnetic stripe cu rently printed on Florida's driv licenses or at least print parking ticke from the VIN numbers barcoded ( vehicles. However, at present, tl Florida Department of Highway Safe and Motor Vehicles has not decide which technology they will empl{ permanently on the licenses. In fact, the departments of mot. vehicles around the. country have go] both ways. Because tourism is so bi especially in southern Florida, '% need to find a mesh of systems Daniels says. With so many out-c state drivers, they see many of bo magnetic card stripes and barcode "To utilize both is our ultimate goal he Says. The department is conside~ a Casio that is mggedized and mark{ ed to government agencies throul Comark Corporation, a Lake Wale Florida, fn-m. It sells for about $1,000 Daniels thinks PDAs are going to 1 seen in law enforcement with a 1 more frequency. He visualizes PDt Working for SWAT' teams, where di[ tized floor plans of a university camp could be uploaded in a command po: 112 Law Enforcement Technology · July 2001 ................................... ,,, .... ,,,,,,,,,~!~!~!!!~!:~!l!!~!!!.[!,!~!~!!!lllll!lllll! I !11 III I Illl TOy or tool? for school resource officers to query gang databases; for marine patrol per- haps with GPS; for investigators at a crime scene, etc. "It's 'not a complete replacement for full field reporting on a laptop," he says. "But you can't put a laptop on a bicycle." RIM devices and smart phones The real competition to PDAs may be the smart phone, some of which are already on the market. Mobile phone makers Kyocera, Ericsson, Motorola, Mitsubishi and Samsung already incor- porate the basic PDA features in many of their models, along with online browsing. Probably the phone that rep- resents the most complete convergence is the Touchpoint 3000, sold by Sprint PCS (Personal Communications System), which has a PDA-size screen and comes with a stylus. In April Motorola announced its new Accompli 008, which integrates an "always on" GPRS (General Packet Radio Services) phone and a cutting- edge PDA. Its sleek design incorpo- rates a large, 240x320 pixel, 2.3x3.8- inch touchscreen display with an improved intuitive graphical user inter- ' "You can't put a laptop on a bicycle." -- Bob Daniels, Boca Raton (Florida) Police Services Department face that's accessed with a stylus and has handwriting recognition. Infrared communication between other PDAs allows you to conveniently exchange- information. So far availability is scheduled in Europe and Asia for mid- 2001, but Motorola expects to take this EPIC. GA MBER 'JOHNSON Stevens Point, WI - 800-456-6868 www.gamberjoh nson.com Write in 100 on Reader Service Card 114 Law Enforcement Technology · July 2001 phone global as soon as it feels the market is ready. Despito the high level of features on the phones, it doesn't appear law enforcement will be going down that road anytime soon. It was announced on a popular wire service a few months back, a rare department that gave cell phones to all its officers took them back after a yearly budget of air time was squandered in about three months._. Perhaps it's an option for the chief and selected commanders/units, but would you really want all your officers on departmental cell phones? Yet another messaging tool is a two- way pager that takes the form of a PDA with a tiny keyboard attached. These can do computer checks, fast e-mail access and organizing functions, but are limited in doing anything else. Reseaich in Motion (RIM) of Waterloo, Ontario, makes the popular Blackberry, which the Boca Raton Police Services Department will be try- ing on a limited basis (in addition to PDAs). Motorola also makes such a device. Unlike a PDA, the RIM devices will give you notification that you have an e-mail message, a handy tool for emergency personnel or any kind of. workgroup where fast notification is key. A "phenomenal" tool We can say with certainty that using a handheld as a personal organizer has met with approval in law enforcement circles. "As a police manager, it's been phenomenal," Daniels emphasizes. "It's helped immensely with budgeting and to have Outlook information at my fingertips [after hours] is nice. This compact but snappy device has made me productive even when I'm not in the office." ffl Donna Rogers is the communications editor with this publication. She can be reached at droger- skranich~rcn.com.