The rugged Panasonic Toughbook-73 laptops, provided by CDW-G, have increased information sharing capabilities and improved officer safety by providing greater visibility and coordination between the Leawood Police Department and officers from surrounding counties' police departments. At the same time, the technology has improved officers' productivity by allowing them to complete reports in the field, freeing up more time for patrolling the streets.
"Having the laptops in our squad cars has changed how we work," said Jack Reece, information systems specialist for the Leawood Police Department. "Officers can run license plates without having to call the dispatcher, and they can monitor where other officers are located on a call. As a result, our safety, productivity and cooperation have reached new highs."
Prior to having mobile wireless capability, communication between officers and dispatchers was difficult. Often rushing from one call to the next, officers were regularly forced to record and transmit critical information using ad hoc methods, with some communications requiring multiple transmissions over a two-way radio. Now dispatchers send calls directly to the in-car laptop, ensuring that officers have accurate and complete information -- all within the officer's line of sight. In addition, communications and cooperation among surrounding jurisdictions have significantly improved, as Leawood officers and those in several adjacent communities also use Intergraph Public Safety's Computer Aided Dispatch System. This enables participating jurisdictions to view each other's calls on screen and respond more quickly to evolving emergency situations.
The five jurisdictions using this common software -- Leawood, Olathe, Overland Park, Shawnee and the Johnson County Sheriff's Department -- also use the point-and-click interface of the dispatch system to access local, state and national databases to search for criminal records, putting justice and homeland security information directly into the hands of front-line responders.
Police officers use Microsoft Office to create reports in their cars and transmit them to the office over the wireless network. This eliminates the need for officers to return to headquarters to fill out and file routine paperwork. As an added value, officers benefit from software that translates between English and Spanish, helping officers communicate with Spanish-speaking individuals.
With the laptops, "officers are spending more time on the streets and responding to events faster as a result of improved coordination with surrounding jurisdictions," Chris Rother, CDW·G vice president of state and local sales, said.
--CM
