Technology is quickly changing the way police officers do their job. In 2008, we reported on portable fingerprint scanners and innovative uses of GPS technology. From coast to coast, law enforcement agencies are beginning the new year with new technologies that makes their jobs easier and presumably keeps us safer.
To many a drivers' dismay, the Maryland State Police and several Maryland county police forces are using a new system that allows officers to issue electronic traffic citations more efficiently. The system, called E-TIX, allows officers to scan the driver’s license, select the violation(s) and print a copy of the citation on waterproof, hard-to-rip thermal paper. The process takes about three to five minutes, and the information automatically goes to the state court system.
The technology was developed by the Maryland State Police who have offered it to any law enforcement agency in Maryland for free. The agencies pay only for the hardware installation and technical support. State Police say that about 30 agencies are using the system and more than 1,000 officers are certified to use it statewide.
Lt. Daniel Coon, of the State Police information and technology management section, told the Baltimore Sun that the system is intended to decrease the time officers spend on the side of the road with drivers, reducing the risk of accidents and the time allotted to pleading drivers. The electronic ticket takes about half the amount of time to issue and is eco-friendly, allowing up to four violations on one citation, rather than requiring a separate ticket be written for each violation.
Lead feet beware, officers can also see traffic stops for other jurisdictions that use the same system. If a driver were pulled over in one county and then in another an hour later, the second officer would be able to see the previous traffic stop.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country in East Palo Alto, California, police just released a citywide gunfire detection system. The California-based ShotSpotter Inc. installed between 16 and 20 sensors per square mile, company vice president Gregg Rowland told the Palo Alto Daily News. When shots are fired, acoustic sensors record the shots, pinpoint their location and send that data to the police dispatch center.
The ShotSpotter system is now in use in 32 cities and counties. East Palo Alto is the first city to install the system city wide; other areas have installed it in areas that have a history of gun violence. According to company literature, an average of 131 gunshots per night were detected in November throughout all locations.
Of course, such technologies do not come cheap so agencies are forced to be creative when seeking funding. Both the Maryland and East Palo Alto adoptions were funded in part by grants. In Troy, New York, ShotSpotter technology is being paid for by money collected from drug busts and weapons busts, so the criminals themselves rather than taxpayers are the ones paying for the system.
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