Jim Donahue My style of writing is one that tends to be broad-brushed, conceptual in nature and allows the reader to draw their own conclusions.
This one will be different because it must be. You see, in a few days, I'll fly to Washington D.C. to pay my respects to the brothers and sisters who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Last year saw a horrible, tragic increase in line of duty deaths.
This year's Candlelight Vigil will be like a simultaneous funeral service for each of the 181 who died. It's enough to tear your heart from your chest as one watches the survivors--the blood relatives and the brothers in the badge--who mourn in a way that I hope I'll never know.
This article is about the specific issues that are important when it comes to placing a computer system in a patrol car.
How does that relate to last year's loss, you ask? Simple: According to the NLEOMF, 83 officers died in actions related to their vehicle. Too frequently, I read about a cop who was racing to back up another officer, lost control and died in a single-car wreck.
We read about vehicle fatalities that were much greater in number and different in character than they were just a few short years ago.
In another article, I suggested that the prime reason is distraction caused by technology in the car.
It's personal technology, i.e. cell phones, text messages and the like. It's also the technology that has been placed in their cars with little or no thought about its practical impact.
Stuff I've Seen
I've been involved with the design and deployment of a bunch of mobile systems across the country. I've been on ride-alongs with hundreds of cops in agencies from just about everywhere. There are some examples that make me crazy.
The car computer just doesn't fit the car or the situation. I find out that the decision about what computer to buy was made exclusively by the purchasing department. There was little or no input from the PD. It was a decision based almost totally on price.
In another case, the administrator saddled with the project responsibility had spent gut-wrenching days, weeks, and months deciding on a computer. When he was ready to place the order, the computer sales guy mentioned something about what mount would be used. The administrator was caught totally unaware. The sales guy said he would "throw something in" that would work. I suppose the definition of what "works" could be important, depending on your point of view.
In my last example, the computer was so complex and entangled that anyone trying to use it needed an I.T. degree and a beanie with a propeller on top to figure it out.
Focus Factor
I must use a term here that I plan to write a whole article about at a later time. But, for this message to make sense, I must use now and therefore explain it, briefly.
"Focus Factor" refers to the amount of attention, focus, and sensory demands that are placed on an individual by an event, a device, an action, or an individual. Survival demands that the focus factor from any one source not be so great as to "drown out" other elements that can affect us.
For simplicity, imagine a scale of 1 to 10.
Sitting on the beach, enjoying the view of the ocean and folks around might have a factor of 1. It implies a simple environment that allows one's attention to drift and be drawn wherever one might like.
Alternately, being behind cover, in a gun fight, would have a factor of 10. There will be very limited availability for sensory stimulus from other sources.
The truth is that we have probably all watched kids with video games or worse--cops at their car computer--where the focus factor approached 10.
Simply said, that's a recipe for disaster and death.
Basic Truths
The car is not a place to adapt something that's used elsewhere. There are some mobile products out there that have an appearance much like Microsoft Outlook. When responses arrive from the state, NCIC, and other sources, they look like individual email messages. The cop is then forced to click/select each one individually. What a crazy arrangement!!
There are even some providers that have copied a paper form (like a crash report), putting an electronic version of it on the computer screen. That may sound like a good idea. In reality: it stinks! This approach should be avoided like the plague.
Mobile technology needs to be designed from its inception for use in a car. A vendor who tells you that the reporting writing software that you use in the squad room will work equally well in the car is either lying or stupid.
Mobile products should be purchased from vendors whose livelihood depends on mobile products. Chances are that anyone else considers their mobile products as an after-thought, i.e. something that they must offer so that customers will buy what they really want to sell, i.e. records or CAD systems.
Here Are Some Things You Can Do Today
Keep it simple. A mobile product should have large buttons, large type fonts, be easy to navigate with a pudgy thumb on a screen. The cop should be able to look away and back and visually know exactly where he left off.
It should take no more than one click to get where you want to go. I've worked with systems that required the cop to click on as many as four buttons to get to the place where he could run a tag/plate. Ridiculous! One and only one--maybe two.
Sending a message to another car should only require the officer's name or assigned area, i.e. Donahue, or "Charlie-11" to send. I've seen systems that forced the officer to select officers from multiple lists that even then only displayed a cryptic character set to identify each unit. Who the hell thought that up?
Knowing who's doing what, where they are, and their status should not require the officer to tap, click, enter and inquiry, wait for a response, etc. It should be on the surface--at the very heart of the system. It should be easily viewed/seen all of the time.
Everything the officer needs should be handled from one screen and all functions should automatically interact with each other, i.e. CAD to mapping, etc.
Keep it consistent. Today's world allows more technical mobility than we could have ever imagined just ten years ago. As I said earlier, match the gear to the use.
Patrol cops need mobile computers that are mounted in their cars. The freaks in the narcotics unit need something like a Blackberry while the guys in the detective bureau might be best served by a PDA. Be certain that the mobile software you choose will look, feel, and work the same no matter what type of mobile device is in service.
Likewise, information coming back on inquiries to the state or national systems should be presented in a consistent, uniform manner--no matter what the source. The cop needs to know where information will be displayed on the screen each time, without the need to search it out.
Cops don't need distractions or surprises from their gear. They want it to behave in a consistent and dependable manner--no matter where they are or what they are confronting.
Allow adjustability. Mobile computer mounts need to accommodate one and two-man cars. Those mounts also need to be able to accommodate very large and very small officers.
There are varying skill sets when it comes to technology. After all, while we all must qualify periodically with our gun, there is no such qualification required with the computer that ensures a minimum performance level.
Mounts should allow users to change height, distance, angle, tilt, etc. for all of the obvious reasons.
Computer software must, must, must allow each user to set his/her own fonts, sizes, and colors. No two sets of eyes are the same. Daytime, nighttime, sun, clouds, etc. all have a direct effect on the users ability to see and perceive the information being presented.
One size does not fit all!
An asset--not an anchor
Stuff on the street will always inevitably go sideways when we least want it to. That's just a fact of life.
Technology products must be examined with a keen eye on how they will aid the officer in those times. It is not enough to be neutral. They must help keep the cop alive.
One of the most critical elements to officer safety is the information that is returned from the state system (FCIC here in Florida) and NCIC nationally. We know if our subject is wanted, has an officer safety caution, and a host of other information. Systems should be setup to automatically hone in on key words when they are present (i.e. stolen, warrant, safety, etc.) and provide visual or audible signals to the officer of their presence.
The volume of data being sent to the car is huge and growing every day. In most cases, we have the time to look at the picture, study the driving history, and consider what we've got. But, when we aren't given the luxury of time, the technology can and must play a key role in getting our backsides home safely.
To Be Specific
There are many providers of mobile software on the market today. I do not claim to be an expert on the detailed features of every one. However, I have been exposed to multiple products, over time.
I don't normally mention specific producers. However, there is one product that has withstood the test of time and I believe is worthy of serious consideration for any mobile project. When it was created, it was named PacketCluster. It has been improved and made even better when it was acquired by BIO-key International; it is now called MobileCop.
Street cops receive it very well. That isn't to say that a knucklehead in the local agency can't strip away some of its benefits through stupid implementation decisions, but it remains strong even under those circumstances.
Conclusion
Technology is playing a greater role in the patrol car than anyone could have envisioned a few academy classes ago.
Selecting and installing this gear deserves the same kind of through-thinking that went into selecting the sidearm that your agency uses. It deserves no less concern than you gave to protective vests, chemical spray, or any of the other gear used in the performance of an officer's duty.
The reality is that technology can directly affect the likelihood that your officers will return safely at the end of their shifts. For at least one cop (whom I know about) the technology worked against him and it cost him his life.
Don't duck out on this item. Your guys' lives are depending on you.
Your comments and questions are welcome. Use the comments feature at the end of this article.
Be safe out there.