Government Technology

In-Car System Prevents Police from Typing While Driving



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August 30, 2012 By

A new system to prevent distracted driving among police officers will be deployed in Fort Wayne, Ind., reported IndianaNewsCenter.com. If a squad car exceeds 15 mph, the system will remove keyboard functionality so the officer can't type and drive.

"It does allow the screen to be refreshed, so they can glance and see the information that's updated, or they can see their route on our GPS on their computer," Police Chief Rusty York said. "But they just won't be able to enter data such as warrant checks, registration checks. If they're following a car that they might suspect could be involved in something, what they want to do probably is enter that data in, but it's just not worth the risk."

The purpose of the system is to protect officers from unsafe driving habits, York said. If the system is unplugged, the computer will completely shut down and will only restart once the distracted-driving system is replaced. The system cost the Fort Wayne Police Department about $100,000 and is scheduled for deployment by the end of September.


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