I work with a small department in Central Florida. We’ve had laptops in our patrol units for some years now and are finally capable of accessing all the information we need from the field.
Recently our Chief began requiring us to use the laptops as much as possible to reduce radio traffic in the comm center. I decided to look into voice recognition software (VRS) that would allow me to speak to my computer and enter the info that I wanted. I found a very inexpensive VRS (www.e-speaking.com) for $14.95. With a little tweaking and training I am now able to open my programs, move the mouse, enter tag numbers and submit them without looking at my laptop.
Some additional SAPI programs are needed to make the program work, but in the last 7 months that I’ve been using it, it has worked great. Total cost was approx $25.00 (had to purchase a small microphone). I am able to run tags while moving without taking my eyes off the road. It also helps that we work off of our W/T’s with ear pieces to ease feedback into the system. The system will also read the info back, but it’s not very effective at reading registrations due to the host of misc numbers.