By Sean Smith, Pensacola, Fla. News Journal
Laptop computers are taking the mystery out of routine traffic stops.
Wireless modems tucked away in the trunks of patrol cars link the officer with department, county, state and national crime databases.
For an officer running a traffic stop, it can be a lifesaver. Punch in the tag number, and a whole new picture of the driver flashes on the mobile computer terminal, called a laptop in the civilian world.
“Before I activate the blue lights I will know a lot about who I’m dealing with,” said Pensacola Police Officer Terry Godwin, who also serves as a network administrator for the department’s 180 laptops in use.
Patrol cars for Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, Milton and the Escambia and Santa Rosa sheriff’s offices use SmartCOP software with their laptop terminals, giving all their patrol officers instant access without tying up radios.
“Before, we’d call the radio room and have to wait, and we’d have to vie for time with 40 other officers,” said Escambia Sheriff’s Lt. Larry Aiken, officer in charge of mobile command operations. “Now it’s almost instantaneous, and it puts the information at the officer’s fingertips.”
Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jerry Henderson recalls the dark ages in 1984, looking for a pay phone to call dispatch if he didn’t want something broadcast over the airwaves.
Now with the live feeds from the Computer Aided Dispatch, officers and supervisors can see all the calls being sent. Dispatchers can type in a note, and include directions and cross streets to incident locations.
“We’re spoiled nowadays,” Henderson said. “It makes our deputies more efficient and speeds up the process. It also takes a big workload off our dispatchers.”
And the future patrol cars will bristle with more technology. Gulf Breeze Police Chief Peter Paulding said his department is looking into adding live video feeds from security cameras to the patrol laptops. Santa Rosa deputies soon may use swipe machines to read information from driver’s licenses, Henderson said.
The technology has proven invaluable to officers.
“We know a history of that person with how they have interacted with law enforcement. It may alert the officer to be more cautious or call for assistance,” Aiken said. “It can definitely be a lifesaver.”
SmartCOP technology
Pensacola-based SmartCOP software is used by several law enforcement agencies in Northwest Florida and other areas throughout the state. Pensacola police and Escambia County Sheriff’s Office computers are linked. Officers on patrol can see their active calls on their screens. The departments hope soon to be able to integrate the SmartCOP links with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office and Gulf Breeze police, said Roger Giles, Pensacola Police network administrator.
The information available to officers includes:
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Tag information: If the vehicle is listed as stolen, the computer will notify the officer.
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National and state crime information computer: The database lists outstanding warrants and arrest and probation information.
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License query: Officers can run a driver’s license check through the state’s Division of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
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Master Name Index: Enter the person’s name and date of birth or Social Security number, and any appearance in an incident or arrest report with the department will appear.