Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Maryland state police test first 'smart' patrol car

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 12:04:14 -0500

Maryland state police test first 'smart' patrol car

PIKESVILLE, Md. (AP) — Maryland State Police Sgt. Julio Valcarcel scans the midmorning
traffic on
Interstate-695 near Pikesville, then narrows his gaze onto a Ford Expedition passing on
the shoulder.

"Alert three!" he shouts, activating his cruiser's lights and siren before pulling over
the driver to issue a
warning.

Valcarcel is testing out the first "smart car" made for police. While technology such as
voice-activation has
appeared in high-end civilian cars, the state police cruisers mark the first time the
technology has been
integrated into a "command and control" system for police cars.

On the outside, Valcarcel's patrol car looks like any other — a green and black Ford Crown
Victoria — but
inside, a slim computer monitor, activated by voice, controls the lights, siren, radar,
video and radio.

The system, called TACNET, also includes a "heads up" display — a small, clear screen
mounted on the
windshield that displays results of criminal background checks and license information.

"The trooper or police officer does not have to take their eyes off the road," said Capt.
Suzanne Jordan, who
works in the information technology management division. "That's important in a high-speed
pursuit."

Police say the bulky equipment in current patrol cars has caused injuries to police
officers during accidents.
Other mounted items can interfere with air bag deployment, officials say.

The system was created by Visteon, a systems-integration company in Dearborn, Mich., owned
by Ford
until 2000. The company already markets its voice-activation technology for use in Jaguars
and other
top-end civilian cars.

Company spokeswoman Robin Pannecouk said Visteon is the first company to take pieces of
existing smart
car technology and customize it for police cars. She wouldn't say what other states, if
any, were testing the
technology, but said Maryland received the first prototype.

"We were looking ... for a market where we could make a contribution through our
technology and our
products," Pannecouk said.

With hardware in the trunk and a slim computer screen near the dashboard, officers can
surf the Internet
and check e-mail in their car, which Valcarcel says can aid officers in getting the
information they need
faster. And in case the computer crashes, the system also has a manual, backup control pod
mounted near
the seat.

The system also allows simultaneous transmission over multiple radios and prioritizes
radio signals allowing
agencies to better communicate with each other.

It may be a couple of years before the system hits the market, Pannecouk said. If it does,
police would
provide the company with the cars, and Visteon would outfit them with the equipment.

Valcarcel, who was trained on the demo, is providing feedback to Visteon on how well the
system works.
Right now, there are still kinks.

"It's not a road worthy car yet," said Valcarcel, who works in the state police technology
development
division. "There are issues to be worked out with software management of the system."

For example, the video camera gets stuck on zoom, and the voice activation microphone
sometimes picks up
only loud voices.

Jordan said the police department does not yet have the funding to implement the
technology, and the
company has not set prices.

The system, however, could help officers get information faster.

"One of the visions we hope to achieve in the next five years is a mobile data computing
environment for
law enforcement in Maryland," Jordan said. "That means our road patrol troopers ... would
be able to get the
information that they need when they need it."

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2003-01-02-smart-police-car_x.htm

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