Police high-technology

Being a big science fiction fan and having law enforcement experience, I naturally watched the “Robocop” series, not for the acting but for the cool gadgets and wondered how long it would take for present day officers to get those types of toys.

Well, we are closer than you think.

Instead of ordering a plain-Jane, off-the-shelf car from one of the big three automakers and paying extra to have the vehicle outfitted with extra wires, lights, siren, prisoner compartments and such, Carbon Motors have come up with a prototype police vehicle, the E7, designed by police officers, that can be made to any specification the police need.  Options include; explosive detectors, armored doors and dashboards, and cameras.  The rest of the vehicle is equipped with police ready features such as custom colored fenders, so additional paint is not needed by the purchasing agencies to match their color schemes.  Performance is through a clean burning diesel engine that exceeds most of the patrol cars out there.  Life span would be approximately 3X’s that of current vehicles. (www.carbonmotors.com)

As long as we are talking about the patrol car, how about the “smart” system integrated into the car?

“Project 54” is a system that lets the officer control the electronics of the car by voice.  For example, the officer could have a license plate checked for wants and registration simply by saying the plate number out loud.  The computer would give a return, out loud, without the officer touching a keyboard or taking his/her eyes off the road.  When the officer initiates the car stop, a voice command turns on the emergency equipment and activates the video recording.  After the stop, the officer can check on the driver’s license and any wants/warrants the driver may have.  Currently, the system is in use in four-wheeled vehicles and motorcycles also. (www.policeone.com).

More smart stuff?

How about a “Automatic License Plate Recognition” (ALPR) camera?

Cameras are mounted on the patrol vehicle, facing forward and to the sides.  The cameras send the pictures of the scanned license plates to a processor in the vehicle and checks them against known Amber Alerts, stolen vehicle and wants/warrants lists. Again, the officer doesn’t have to fiddle with a keyboard, or take eyes off the roadway.  This particular system is already in use and is slightly expensive at approximately $25,000.00 per unit.  www.avigilon.com

I would think the insurance industry would help forgo the costs on ALPR as it would help in recovery rates and reduce their payouts.

How about the crowd control scenario?

This is real Robocop stuff.

Officers equipped with this sleeve/glove combo have a digital display, 50,000 volts, shielding, HD camera, flashlight and customizable features. Officers can intimidate potential threats with a spark display and stun suspects with 50,000 volts if they come in contact with the officer.  Further upgrades could include “TASER” projectile probes, so the officer could “reach out and touch” someone. (policeone - bionic arm)

How about surveillance?  Our childhood fantasies have come true. 

The “microdrone”  is the police version of the military’s UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) without the weaponry (so far).  It can beam back video footage, in the day and night, flying almost silently overhead the bad guys.  It’s currently in use by the British Transport Police to catch metal thieves. One accessory is a “squirt gun” used to mark suspects for later identification.   Opponents to this $50,000.00 toy claim this is another “Big Brother” spying technique.  (microdrones.com)

Ever wished you had a cannon on your patrol car?  Your wish is about to come true.

Enter the “Starchase GPS Launcher”.   The mortar type barrel fires a shell resembling an artillery shell containing a GPS device and a sticky point that glues itself to the suspect’s car.  Police then can track the vehicle’s movements at their leisure.  (starchase)

Of course there are other advances involving ammunition, clothing, protective gear, knives, mini cameras and such and that would require a bit of time and research on the purchaser’s desires, but when looking at the best bang for the buck, these “toys” really make sense.

A car that is already equipped from the factory for police work and has 3X’s the life of a normal patrol car for a little more than the price already being paid.

A “handsfree” control system that doesn’t require the officer to be fumbling with a radio microphone, keyboard on a mounted computer, switching his overhead emergency lights on and off by hand; it enables he or she to focus on the job at hand, enhancing the officer’s safety.

An automatic license plate scanning system that requires hardly any effort from the officer.  Multiplies the output by 100 fold with results you cannot argue about.  Citizens would love the reduced time for recovering their stolen vehicles.  Fugitives could be located easier.  Missing children also.  Just by driving the patrol car down the street or alley.

A system worn like a glove, still giving the officer manual dexterity, protection, defense, recording ability and respect.

Since many police department do not like or prohibit vehicle pursuits, a system that allows an officer to “mark” a fleeing vehicle that could be easily tracked from a remote location and apprehended when the timing is appropriate.

Sure, they cost.  But what does it cost for a life?  A lawsuit?  Property Damage?  The initial cost would be worth it even in only one situation. 

It’s a shame that administrations only look at the initial costs, not long term.

Sheriff Gillespie.  Are you listening?  The links are listed for easy reference.

Metro headquarters…Essential or not?

The new LVMPD “headquarters” is now open for business.   Employees are slowly moving in.   At the cost of over $1,000,000.00 per month rent.  Brand new furniture for everyone.  Three times the cost of what it was costing Metro to rent the previous buildings that it replaces. Technically it isn't even a "headquarters" because the specific things necessary for it to be classified as one were not added to the buildings because they would have cost too much. Like the appropriate security measures that  were originally asked for. Since it was way over the initial cost, they had to cut out those very things to save money.

It still remains unnamed.  Three guesses and the first two don’t count as to what it does get named?  Doug Gillespie LVMPD headquarters?  The rumor is he wanted to get the building in place to show the previous sheriff he could do what the other guy couldn't. And as for naming something this monumental, so huge in LVMPD's history, how about honoring one of the officers who dedicated their lives to the cause? Or even allowing the employees and former employees to pick a name?

Sheriff Gillespie describes it as “not a fancy building, but it’s a nice, practical building”.  

How practical is it?  No freight elevators in the buildings.  The furniture and equipment will have to be lugged up the passenger elevators or the stairs, increasing the cost of moving, I’m sure. Certainly increasing the length of time it will take to move in.

No reasonable roof access for maintenance to the roof mounted equipment, such as air conditioning units and communication devices.

Flooring not suitable for easy cleaning, mostly carpet.

Not enough power to the buildings, therefore not enough power for individual offices (department e-mails were sent out forbidding anyone to bring personal appliances, such as coffee makers, fans, heaters, fridges, etc).  There's barely enough power to run the necessary computer equipment. 

Keep your eye out for possible necessary upgrades in the future, which will then increase the cost of the buildings yet again. But I doubt that anyone will ever hear about that if LVMPD brass can help it.

And every LVMPD substation is supposedly built as “essential” buildings, meaning they can withstand more of what Mother Nature can dish out, such as seismic occurrences, except for some reason, the LVMPD “headquarters" was not built to these standards. 

The building is supposed to “improve efficiency and internal communication”, but I’ll bet the e-mail is still the internal communication of choice, whether you are sending it next door or to another building on the other side of the city. And to tell the truth, communications won't be much improved by having the units closer together, because the main issue keeping the units from talking to each other in a more timely manner was THEIR BOSSES.

Speaking of "efficiency", taking over 40 police officers off the street to provide security for the buildings 24/7 doesn’t ring "efficiency" to me.  Why not hire private security at half the cost?  If it’s good enough for the military, it should be okay for the local police.

If I pushed the right buttons on the calculator, the total Metro will pay for the “headquarters” is approximately $367 million.  If that is three times what they were originally paying for rent, we would’ve saved approximately $245 million by avoiding renting the new building.  Over $8 million a year savings?  And we are cutting our officer’s pay and benefits for a third year in a row?

The county has an option to buy the buildings in 3 years;  LVMPD will have paid almost $37 million by then.  Then they can buy it at “fair market value”.  Has the county or police department ever bought a building after leasing it? And rumor has it that LVMPD actually signed a 30 year lease anyway. Who actually benefits from this overpriced, underwhelming project anyway? Doesn't look like the county, city, or LVMPD in the long run. What is it about the buildings we seem to get for our administrators lately? They all seem to be underbuilt, lacking the necessary elements to work efficiently, designed poorly, and overpriced as well as taking longer to complete, just like the Regional Justice Center. Is the same person getting the bid to build them, because the same issues always seem to come up, and the same issues continue to plague each project. If you don't believe me, wait until the next rain and go visit the newer substations; they all leak in the same places!

Sheriff Gillespie added, “It’s not going to be a money-saver.  We never said it would be”. I guess the $14 million, over and above everything else, that Metro spent for “tenant improvements” didn’t save any money.  Yet Councilman Gary Reese said it would “save money and make the department more efficient”.  So who's right? And where did Reese get his version of the story, since he had to vote to allocate money for the buildings. The "headquarters" supposedly has a computer-controlled lighting system based on the employee’s schedule.   Not sure if that was a great idea.  In 23+ years on Metro, my schedule changed like the wind.  And the last thing you wanted me to do was mess with a computer program so I could have my office lights on. 

I guess I’d have to put a service request in to the IT department to help me with the computer controlled light switch.  How much is that service call?… (read here)