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Wireless Crime Fighting

Kansas police employ mobile broadband solution.

CARLSBAD, Calif.-- Alvarion, a leading provider of wireless broadband solutions worldwide, today announced it has successfully installed a mobile broadband wireless solution that allows patrol officers of the Pratt, Kansas Police Department to obtain critical arrest and other criminal information, access department files, and complete and submit reports, all from their patrol vehicles.

The result is a measurable increase in officer effectiveness in field time and fighting crime. Leveraging its field proven BreezeACCESS product family, Alvarion's wireless broadband system for public safety applications is centered on the company's BreezeACCESS SU-M, a rugged mobile data radio system especially designed for use in police and other municipal vehicles. Also engineered for use in fixed locations, the SU-M delivers high-speed broadband to mobile users or even city office buildings and community store front locations at speeds matching that of a T-1, or 1.544 Mbps, enabling patrol officers access to remote servers to extract large files, such as mug shots and identification photos, in just a few seconds.

"Benefits from the Alvarion system are already being seen," said Captain Steve Holmes, who spearheaded the project for the Pratt Police Department. "For example, patrol officers are now able to obtain arrest warrants using email and real time messaging while parked in front of a suspect's residence - enabling them to arrest suspects before evidence can be hidden."

Using existing water, airport, and civic center towers around town to install the network, the city was quickly and easily covered for use by street officers. The resulting private network means no recurring telecommunications costs and, because BreezeACCESS radios operate on the 2.4GHz license-free band, the department also avoids user fees or upfront costs payable to the FCC for licensed frequency. An entire communications solution was deployed, including a full CAD/RMS and dispatch center, mobile data computers, Voice over IP (VoIP) capabilities, and the wireless infrastructure.

Moreover, broadband data access will allow the Pratt Police Department to adopt 21st century law enforcement applications such as real time video monitoring and surveillance and still photography-capturing - applications that require broadband speeds to operate.

In addition to high data rates, security was also a key requirement for the system, specified not only by the Pratt Police Department, but also the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI). To secure the network, each SU-M uses Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) modulation, so data passed over the air is private and secure from sender to recipient with no interceptions or eavesdroppers being able to gain access to it. Combined with the installation of a firewall for increased protection, each agency's requirements for security were fully satisfied.

"The Pratt Police Department is one of the many customers who are now deploying BreezeACCESS systems for use in mobile, public safety environments," said Amir Rosenzweig, president of Alvarion, Inc. "Leveraging our worldwide expertise in wireless broadband, our robust, field-hardened products give police officers an unfair advantage by securely connecting them to critical data they need to fight crime - not to mention the operational efficiencies gained by allowing them to perform routine, reporting tasks from the field. -- Jim McKay, justice editor