Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Brunswick Times Record, ME- Sheriff's Dept. goes 'digital'

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 11:39:48 -0500

Sheriff's Dept. goes 'digital'
[email-masked]
02/06/2004
BATH - Smile, you might be on camera.

Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Department personnel and Phippsburg Police
Chief John Skroski have been given digital cameras and the technology to
transmit images to and from their cruisers, a move that will lead to better
police reports and increased capacity for identifying suspects, they say.

When the system goes online, law enforcement officers will have the ability
to view file photos of wanted suspects they encounter while on patrol and
quickly put together photograph line-ups.

The officers also will use the cameras to photograph evidence and crime
scenes, which will enhance police reports and allow the capture of vast
amounts of information with the click of a button. Up until now, deputies
and detectives have had only two cameras at their disposal, said Sagadahoc
County Chief Deputy Robert Annese.

"When we need them, they're here, not on the road," said Annese, referring
to the sheriff's department office building on Oak Grove Avenue. "This
makes our work so much more timely. If a suspect is walking down the
street, an officer can quickly call up a photo (to positively identify the
suspect)."

The equipment will be especially valuable in domestic violence cases, when
officers can photograph injuries and evidence within minutes after the
attack, which makes for strong courtroom evidence.

The project is the result of three grants that have been won by Sagadahoc
County since June.

The first and largest grant — for almost $37,000 — was secured by the
Sagadahoc County Emergency Management Agency to upgrade software
and computer equipment to give the county the capability of keeping digital
photos in its computer system. This grant came under the auspices of the
federal homeland security program and is administered through the Maine
Emergency Management Agency.

The second and third grants to pay for the in-car computers and the digital
cameras came from the federal bureau of highway safety — a total of about
$14,300. The county also contributed toward the project, paying for
installation of the equipment and other costs.

The grants purchased 16 cameras, 15 for Sagadahoc County and one for
Skroski in Phippsburg.

"There are times when I am trying to positively identify a suspect on limited
information," wrote Skroski in one of the grant applications. "If I had a
photograph at hand it would help speed up the process. It could quite
possibly keep me from releasing a fugitive, a runaway or someone else who
was wanted. Having the availability of photographs at our fingertips would
be an invaluable resource."

Skroski, who is Phippsburg's one-man police department, also noted that he
makes several trips to Bath in the course of transporting photographs,
which with this new technology, can now be transmitted immediately
without Skroski ever leaving Phippsburg.

The Bath Police Department, which has used Spillman Records
Management System for 13 years, also would benefit from the county's
acquisition of the photo-imaging software. Chief Pete Lizanecz, in a grant
letter, noted that it would increase homeland security capability.

"All officers/deputies within the county — to now include Topsham within
the coming year — would be able to immediately access, via in-car mobile
computers, these photos," wrote Lizanecz. "This would include photos of
terror suspects, their vehicles, weapons or (explosive) devices."

Rob Morris, director of Sagadahoc County Communications Center, said
the photo capability will enhance the ability for dispatchers and officers in
the field to communicate without tying up radio airwaves. This is especially
valuable during an emergency, he said.

Morris said with the purchase of the cameras and the installation of the
cruiser computers, all the technology for the program is in place. However,
he is still working to iron out communication contracts to link all of the
system's components. He's hopeful to have the system up and running
within weeks.

http://www.timesrecord.com/website/main.nsf/news.nsf/0/BDCD9812183C4E2C05256E320056CC5B?Opendocument

--
    "NEXTEL-1 IT'S NOT JUST NEXTEL"
  Note The New address
Subscribe to Nextel-1: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL-1

  "NEXTEL2 FOR iDEN SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS"
Subscribe to Nextel2: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL2

  "WIRELESS FORUM HOMELAND SECURITY GROUP"
     The Complete Resource for Wireless Homeland Security.
Subscribe to WFHSG:  http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/WFHSG

-- 
    "NEXTEL-1 IT'S NOT JUST NEXTEL"
  Note The New address 
Subscribe to Nextel-1: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL-1

  "NEXTEL2 FOR iDEN SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS"
Subscribe to Nextel2: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL2

  "WIRELESS FORUM HOMELAND SECURITY GROUP"
     The Complete Resource for Wireless Homeland Security.
Subscribe to WFHSG:  http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/WFHSG

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEXTEL-1/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
     [email-masked]

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
     http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/