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CHP Computerizes its Front Lines

The California Highway Patrol is designing its own automated systems to improve safety and efficiency in its operations.

Oct. 95 Function: Law Enforcement Level of Govt: State Problem/Situation: Many law enforcement activities are not computerized, increasing the frequency of errors and causing time delays. Solution: The California Highway Patrol is working on developing three in-house automated systems that will improve operations. Jurisdiction: California. Vendors: IBM, Portrait Display Labs, Toshiba, GE, Microsoft. Contact: Don Johnston, CHP, 916/227-7472, Ext. 208

By Raymond Dussault Special to Government Technology Amazingly, in an age when everything from cash registers to home telephones is computerized and modem-connected, many front-line law enforcement activities are not. If you are unfortunate enough to be pulled over on the freeway, it is likely that the officer will call a dispatcher on a radio not far removed - in a technological sense - from the radios seen in 1950s television shows like "Dragnet." Then they will write you a ticket by hand and give you the carbon copy to keep. Similarly, when a commercial truck is inspected along any one of the nation's thousands of highways, the inspectors hand write their comments on a standard form that is then shipped to a central location where the data is eventually entered into a computer. But at the California Highway Patrol's Information Management Division, programmers and software developers are working on systems that will bring the CHP into the Information Age. While CHP programmers have developed numerous systems to help the 8,500 employee organization do its job of patrolling nearly 100,000 miles of road throughout the state, they are currently on the cutting edge of technology with three programs used to support officers in the field. At various stages of development and implementation are the integrated California Commercial Vehicle Inspection System, a Mobile Digital Computer System (MDC) and the 202/216 Arrest Reporting System.

Automated Vehicle Inspection While many private businesses are focusing on downsizing and outsourcing, the CHP has found inherent value in developing the bulk of their software in-house. In developing the intricate truck inspection system - where field inspectors make assessments on everything from brake adjustments to steering components - the programmers realized that the system needed to have built-in cross checks to reduce mistakes. So, one of the CHP's computer analysts took the time to become certified as a commercial vehicle inspection specialist. "The success of this system is wholly due to the fact that we were able to work very closely with the staff at our Cordelia inspection station as we developed the software," said Kurt Staib, a CHP associate program analyst. "A contractor, no matter how good, will only do the minimum it has to learn what the user's needs are. They wouldn't go as far as we did, becoming certified as an inspector. Plus, when a contractor finishes the job, all that knowledge they picked up leaves the department when they're finished." That knowledge has contributed to a system which has dramatically reduced the department's errors and allowed it to better track inspection violators, including those trying to use stolen vehicles. In the past, four out of every ten handwritten forms later key-entered at CHP headquarters were kicked out with errors. The computerized system has an error rate of only one in each 1,000 inspections. That is a huge impact when you realize that the CHP inspects well over 300,000 trucks a year - 20 percent of all truck inspections nationwide. "Since most of these errors were not caught until they were being key-entered at the state level - before being shipped to the federal Department of Transportation - there was no way to re-check the facts. The truck, of course, was long gone and any changes made amounted to just a guess," said Don Johnston, a CHP staff program analyst. "Errors slipped in as a result of everything from simple mistakes to illegible handwriting. Some errors even slipped in as a result of information being entered wrong when it was being entered into the computer." The system has eliminated handwriting and typing mistakes, and system backup checks keep watch over the possibility of errors in the field. If an inspector forgets to check on a truck's brake system, the computer will not allow the inspection report to be finalized until the section is complete. Errors as simple as misspelling "Ford" as "Fojd," will trigger a response from the computer's database. The inspection system has been in development for about one year, and will be statewide within 18 months.

Mobile Digital Computer System What the truck inspection system has been to report accuracy, the MDC system is to efficiency and officer safety. The system, designed to reduce patrol officers' dependence on over-worked dispatchers for information, is currently in its first phase of implementation in Southern Los Angeles. "When I first came here a few years ago, officers were basically fighting for air time, but now, with the MDC system in place, we have cut our air time usage by more than half," said Officer Chris Berry, the Southern Los Angeles training coordinator. In the past, according to Berry, there were more calls for important information - like license plate checks to determine whether an officer might have pulled over a stolen car or fleeing felon - then there were dispatchers to handle the requests. Hence, officers would be kept waiting for several minutes while higher priority requests were handled or would have to make decisions with incomplete information. With the MDC system, the officer is able to conduct drivers license and vehicle license checks through a data radio modem without having to wait for access to a dispatcher. And the MDC will also allow for an officer to merely swipe a drivers license through a reader, just like an ATM card, to quickly display driver information. "We have freed all that radio time up for the motorcycle officers, and the information is being accessed quicker than it was before. That is important because the less time an officer spends on the side of the road, the less chance there is he will get hit by another motorist. Plus, most officers type in the license plate as soon as they begin a stop, and have the information on screen by the time they are getting out of their cars," said Berry. "It was very frustrating to be in the field, asking for information, and constantly being asked, 'Can you wait?'" Officers will not have to wait much longer. The second generation MDC will be in Sacramento offices by the end of the year, and is expected to be distributed statewide by 2000.

Automated Reporting Further out on the implementation timetable is the Arrest and Accident Reporting System that the CHP hopes to have ready for testing within the next few months. The system will utilize hand-held computers to enter report information piecemeal, for eventual assembly into the proper report form. This system is being designed to be compatible with the MDC and an Automated Citation Device that the CHP is developing with an outside contractor. The citation device will allow officers to draft tickets on a computer and then immediately print a copy for the violator. While some industries have seen their employees resist being drawn into the Information Age, Berry said it wasn't so with most CHP officers. "Anything the programmers can do to make our jobs safer, and help us do it with more efficiency, won't find much resistance," he said.

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The California Commercial Vehicle Inspection System utilizes an IBM Think Pad 750T and an IBM desktop 486 PC with a 12.5" x 18" Portrait Display Labs swivel monitor. The Mobile Digital Computer System utilizes a Toshiba Model T2400CT 486/DX2 50 notebook running DOS and Windows. The Toshiba has 8 MB of RAM, a 250 MB hard disk and weighs six pounds. The system is connected to the CHP's Computer Assisted Dispatch system through a GE Ericsson Model C719 data radio modem. It is mounted in the truck through a custom designed bracket. The docking system allows the notebook to be removed, allowing the officer to use stand-alone applications to generate reports in the office or any convenient location. Both programs were developed in the Microsoft Windows environment, in Visual Basic 3.0 and Access 3.0. The CHP's Information Management Division has developed several other software programs to help the CHP better accomplish its mission. Here are a few: * Automated Activity and Attendance System * Statewide Integrated Traffic Record System * Local Area Network Rollout * In-Custody Injury System * Fleet Management Information System * Training Records Information System