A spotty connection between police cruisers and the station has
deterred officers from writing reports from behind the wheel, one
time-saving function of the computers installed in patrol cars.
Gilroy – A spotty connection between police cruisers and the station has deterred officers from writing reports from behind the wheel, one time-saving function of the computers installed in patrol cars.
City staff say a new, swifter connection could solve that problem – but officers may still prefer to head to the station to type up reports, fearing ambushes, carpal tunnel, or reports lost to the etherworld.
“Where do they park their car, to fill out the reports? Are there any ergonomic issues?” asked city information technology director David Chulick. “We need to look at those issues.”
Currently, a single 120-kilobyte connection, shared by 30 police cruisers and 10 fire vehicles, has proven unreliable for officers, who risk losing reports when they type them outside the station, said Chulick. Sprint, the city’s existing service provider, plans to install a new system over the next three months, free of charge, he said – a switch that will save Gilroy $300 a month, and increase connection speeds “tenfold,” said Chulick.
Typing reports in parked patrol cars has been posed as one way to get officers out of the station and onto the streets – a concern that’s grown along with the city. But report-writing is just one function of the mobile computer systems, first installed three years ago by SecureEye, a Washington-based company. Officers also use the computers to check drivers’ license plates, scan for warrants, and juggle calls for service. So far, the report-writing function has been largely theoretical, used only for very short reports, said Gilroy Police Sgt. Jim Gillio.
The fickle connection is only one problem deviling the computer systems – and there have been many. Error-prone SecureEye computers have sapped car batteries and left screens blinking, racking up more than $50,000 to repair and replacement costs. Fed up with ongoing problems, the city has withheld $241,650 from SecureEye’s $680,000 contract.
Now, as the computers are replaced one by one with new $14,000 systems from Data911, an Alameda-based company, the issue is moot, said Chulick. The city won’t pay SecureEye any more money, but it won’t get any money back, either, under a settlement made this summer.
“They’re saying, ‘We shouldn’t have to pay you more, you’ve already used our equipment three years.’ We’re saying, ‘Well, but it didn’t work,'” explained Jay Baksa, city administrator. “We settled on the amount of money that they still owed us … It’s the delicate balance of negotiations. The worst thing that could happen is this winding up in court.”
Thus far, Data911 computers have been installed in two patrol cars. The only major problem: A broken monitor, which was replaced, said Chulick. All old computers are due to be replaced by the new computers by the end of December.
“The Data911 systems aren’t using secondary batteries, or anything of that nature,” said Chulick. “The technology has changed, and the amount of electricity used in a police cruiser has decreased,” reducing the burden on batteries.
No matter how sophisticated the technology, some reporting will always take place behind a desk, said Chulick.
“These reports can get very lengthy,” he said. “You don’t want to do all of that in the car.”
