Making the beat safer.

Since I’m up to my eyeballs in technology, I’m not answering it from my Systems Admin job.

I’m looking at from one of my former professions of Police Officer.

When I started, the NCIC/CCIC (National Crime Information Center/Colorado Crime Information Center) computer system was all it. You could get driver’s license information, criminal history, all that. You could send messages to other agencies. It was totally cool.

And while we’d think of radio as having always been there, it hasn’t been. I worked alongside old-timers who used to tell me that if they needed an officer somewhere, the station would turn on a light on top of the city water tower. The officer would then either have to come in or phone in to find out what was going on.

My, how things have changed.

In my guise as Security Director with Greeley Christ Community Church, I work closely with the Greeley Police Department. We pay for a uniformed officer at our services, and it’s nice to have them around.

That said, I get to hear how technology is changing their lives.

ONBOARD COMPUTERS-where before I had to pester dispatch for tag information or wants and warrants, onboard computers in the patrol car make it easy. They can, of course, tap in the license plate, or the person’s name and DOB, and get everything they need right there. Or, better yet, simply scan the barcode on the back of the individual’s license. The machine will also print up reports for them and write tickets.

TASERS-Truth be told, I’d have probably mortgaged my soul for one back in the day. If you ever have to wrestle someone to the ground and cuff them, there’s a very real chance you’ll hurt them or get hurt yourself. Granted, we had mace, but that was iffy at best. I recall one time another officer and I had to physically remove a guy from an establishment. He was a big guy, and our control of the situation was tenuous. All we could do was hang on to him, and getting the cuffs on him was going to involve a fight. A third officer showed up to assist. He came out with the mace. But instead of shooting the guy with it, he came up spraying. He got not only the guy were trying to subdue, but us as well. Result. It took the fight out of not only the subject, but us as well. Tasers are a lot more directional.

DRONES-Drones are what we’d call a force multiplier. They enhance the safety of the officer and can make public safety even greater. A few examples of how ours have been used for? A foot chase of a subject. A drone overhead lets the officers know if the guy is hiding around a corner, waiting to attack them. High-speed chase. Send the drone. Let him run, and the drone follows. In one case, a man assaulted a woman  and tried to outrun the police, oblivious to being followed by a drone that tracked him to his house. It even got a nice picture of him and his car. Of course it watched until officers got there. A few months back, the police were called on a group of men congregating outside a local business at night. Their intentions were unclear, but while the officers were en route, a drone was dispatched to check them out. They saw the drone, stood, and one of them even looked at the drone and said, “We’re moving on.”

BODYCAMS-Some officers consider these more a curse than a blessing. I don’t. In a world where everyone posts stuff on YouTube, having your own video concerning an incident is a plus.