| In the coming months,
the Cape Coral Police Department will implement a number
of City Council approved technological advances aimed at
improving the department’s effectiveness and enhancing
the delivery of service to the public.
COMPUTER AIDED DISPATCH
Currently the department’s dispatch system can handle
only a limited amount of data and may noticeably slow down
during busy periods. Major planned upgrades to the system
include the addition of features such as greater data handling
capacities and a mapping system to clearly display the
location of incidents and officers. A TDD system for hearing-impaired
callers will also be included. In addition, the system
will integrate with the new Records Management System. RECORDS MANAGEMENT
The department will enjoy vastly improved mapping for
accurate, instantaneous crime analysis. Types of incidents,
and
their precise locations, will be displayed on detailed “pin
maps,” providing a comprehensive picture of what
crimes are occurring in which neighborhoods. The new
system will also allow mug shots to be coupled with individual
reports, providing photographic identification of criminal
offenders as part of arrest reports and suspect descriptions.
Finally, advanced scanning features will make reports
more readily accessible to officers and citizens. FIELD REPORTING
Using wireless technology and laptop computers installed
in police vehicles, officers will enter incident and
crime reports directly into the system. Beyond these
reports, officers will also have the capability to
write and enter traffic crash reports (including
diagrams)
directly into their mobile computers for transmittal
to the main database. DIGITAL DISPATCH
The department’s new digital dispatch system will
allow officers to run instant tag checks, instant persons
checks (for fugitives or other wanted individuals), and
retrieve information on active police calls throughout
the city. This will all be accomplished using the individual
laptops in the police vehicles. These capabilities will
reduce police radio traffic while at the same time giving
officers immediate access to critical information. For
example, using the new field reporting and digital dispatch
technologies, an officer can initiate a call, handle the
incident, write the report, and enter the report into the
system, all without having to speak to a dispatcher, thus
freeing air time for emergency and other critical transmissions. MISCELLANEOUS FEATURES
In addition to the main components described above, the
department will use the following related systems to
further enhance its effectiveness:
•
Professional Standards Module – track all data relating
to internal administrative investigations, activity, and
information.
•
Training Module – track the training history of individual
officers, including courses attended, certifications, etc.
•
Bar Coding Module – the ability to bar code property
and evidence for improved tracking, retrieving, and accountability.
•
Fire Department Module – interconnectivity with the
fire department’s systems for sharing of information
and exchange of data. FUTURE ENHANCEMENTS
•
An Automated Vehicle Locator system that uses global positioning
systems to display the location of all officers and identify
which officers are closest to a call for service.
•
A card-swipe system that transfers data from an individual’s
driver license directly into a computerized report, traffic
citation, or other official police document.
•
The capability to wirelessly transmit data files and video
images. For example, officers responding to a bank robbery
could receive images from the bank’s security cameras
while enroute to the scene.
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