Law Enforcement Technology

MAR 2014

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37 www.officer.com March 2014 Law Enforcement Technology LEADERSHIP in patrol and traffic enforcement. Now that pursuit rated 4WD vehicles are coming, once again I applaud manufacturers for producing what we've required all along. The other issue that enters into fleet management is the fuel efficiency of these vehicles, in which case the preliminary tests appear to be much improved. Personally, I can't wait to test drive a few of these. 4. Technology is ever evolving. Now, I am the low tech guy trapped in a high tech world, but I'm always learning. Most of us view technology as man- power enhancers, and most rightfully are just that. While technology can be a bonus, we are also sometimes far too attached to it for our own good. For those of us who hand-wrote our police reports on multi-layer sheets with car- bon paper and a black ink pen, we have come a long way. Now the quest is to go paperless, or to reduce clutter. I have found several apps for my phone and mobile data terminals (MDTs) particularly appeal- ing and sometimes even free. Most all of us have to possess some fashion of field operational guides. Your state emer- gency management, your departmental guidelines, and so forth were in the trunk of your cruiser and the expense of producing copies or purchasing them was an abomination. Now most of these items can live on the cloud or smartphone app, or are just an icon click away on the MDT. I will give you a couple examples that I enjoy. First is the Emergency Response Guidebook for dangerous goods and hazardous materi- als. You know the big orange book for HazMat? Go to www.phmsa.dot.gov and download the app. Now it's in your phone. No more ordering multiple copies. Another one is WISER (Wireless Information for Emergency Responders from the National Library of Medicine). This is a great app for identifying unknown sub- stances; you might not use it every day, but it may no doubt prove helpful for a commander on a "bad day." These are a few of the trends that I find myself discussing frequently. I can never forget the budgets, the increasing demands on law enforcement and the training requirements this brings to the table. I never forget that our true "hard- ware" is always our staff. The officer in the street delivering the service to our customers is our best investment for 2014 and the future. ■ William L. "Bill" Harvey has a BA in criminology from St. Leo University and is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute of the University of Louisville (103rd AOC). Harvey served for over 23 years with the Savannah (Ga.) Police Dept. and is the Chief of Police for the Ephrata (Pa.) Police Dept. SAFE FOR YOU, NOT FOR THEIR STASH PERFECT VISION ® V20 VIDEOSCOPE CAMPBELL/HARRIS SECURITY EQUIPMENT COMPANY cseco.com | info@cseco.com | 510.864.8010 The Perfect Vision ® V20 Videoscope is the latest technology from CSECO, the makers of the Buster K910B and the CT-30 Detection Kit. It's also the ONLY scope certifed SAFE for use in fuel tanks. Buster K9108 CT-40 Detection Kit Contact CSECO today to learn more about the FIBERSCOPE TRADE-IN PROGRAM and the new CT-40 Contraband Team Kit • Large color LCD display – 3.5x zoom - 10x resolution of fberscope • Push-button photo/video capture – NO attachments • Video chip imaging - NO fberoptic cables to break • Built-in LED light & 6 hour rechargeable battery • CERTIFIED SAFE by UL Circle 49 on Reader Service Card LET_36-37_IndustryTrends0314.indd 37 2/24/14 10:44 AM

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