Cleveland Requests Bids to Upgrade Mobile Police Computers

As part of Mayor Frank G. Jackson's "Future of Public Safety" and overall Public Safety Strategy, the City of Cleveland, Ohio, will soon solicit bids for a $1.5 million capital project to upgrade mobile police computers. This project will reduce response times; improve efficiency through enhanced electronic reporting and dispatching; promote officer safety with automatic vehicle locators and vital resources in the field; and increase accountability throughout the Division of Police, ultimately providing more and better quality service to Cleveland's citizens.

The project calls for 350 computers to be installed throughout the year. This will ensure adequate coverage and distribution on a rolling schedule so that future upgrades do not disrupt service. The computers will be placed in all front-line zone cars as well as the traffic unit, K-9 unit, and back-up vehicles. Mobile reporting software for computers is already being tested by the Division of Police.

"A key component of improving safety is to be sure that our Safety forces are equipped with more than just the essentials," says Mayor Jackson. "This will place us at the forefront of safety technology. Beyond efficiency for our officers, it means getting assistance faster and having important resources at their fingertips which means faster response times and a greater ability for officers to focus on getting guns and drugs off of our streets."

The Division of Police currently has approximately 100 mobile computers in use. They allow officers to run reports in the field and access maps, weather services and other online resources. With upgraded equipment and software, officers will also be able to access RMS (Records Management System); make police reports electronically in the field; automatically locate other police vehicles and assistance; and query law enforcement databases such as and LEADS (Law Enforcement Access Database).

Implementation of the new computers and software is expected to begin in April 2008.