Mobile Data Computer System |
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The Fond du Lac City Police Department implemented a police mobile data computer system in 1997. Laptop computers have been installed into 16 marked squad cars. The computers give officers, working the streets, access to:
The Wisconsin State Patrol created the Statewide Mobile Data Computer System (MDCS) to allow Troopers computer access from their fleet vehicles to request information from the Department of Transportation (DOT) and National Crime Information Center (NCIC) computers. The Wisconsin State Patrol planned the system to allow local law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin to have access to the system. With a statewide shared system, costs would be shared by the State and local law enforcement agencies making a police mobile data communications system more affordable and allow access to small agencies that would not have the resources to implement their own mobile data computer system.
The Fond du Lac Police Department was the first law enforcement organization to join the shared mobile data computer system with the State Patrol using laptop computers. Presently State Patrol Troopers access information in their squads using the ElectroCom MDT-870 mobile data terminal. This system consists of a data terminal, radio, and data controller (modem) mounted in the Trooper's squad car. The MDT-870 is a data terminal in that it will request and receive data but can not process information for the user. The Fond du Lac Police Department wanted the ability to do more than just request and receive data.
The Fond du Lac Police Department wanted the ability to access local departmental records, receive voiceless dispatch and the ability to complete reports in the squad cars for later up loading into the department's records management system (CLUES). The Fond du Lac Police Department felt that a laptop computer mounted in the squad car would be able to provide officers with the means to complete the above requirements. The Department ordered 16 laptop computers which have been installed into marked police vehicles. The laptop specifications (early 1996) were:
The PC Channel "Channel Book" laptop computer was selected based on bids. The radio and data controller is supplied by ElectroCom which is the State's vendor for the Statewide Mobile Data Computer System. The software (PC MDT) for the project is also supplied by ElectroCom. CLUES, the vendor for Fond du Lac's records management system will also be suppling software to allow officers to complete reports and access local records. Fond du Lac officers can send messages to each other as well as send messages to any mobile data unit located on the State's backbone system.
Fond du Lac officers will be accessing the State's backbone system by communicating with the State Patrol's statewide radio tower network. The laptops in the squads will transmit and receive information by communicating through a data controller, which is much like a phone modem. The data controller converts the information from the computer so that a radio can transmit the information to a State radio tower located either in Chilton or Eden, Wisconsin. The signal is then sent to Madison via microwave relay and then switched to the appropriate computer server depending upon the information request. If the request is for information located on Fond du Lac's records management system, the message switch in Madison will route the request via telephone line to Fond du Lac and its records management computer for processing. Once the request has been processed, the information is returned by the same route to the appropriate computer in the squad car. The whole process takes all but a few seconds.
One major benefit of placing laptop computers in Fond du Lac Police squad cars will be the reduction in the workload of police telecommunications officers. In 1995, the Fond du Lac Police and Sheriff Departments built a new communications/emergency 911 dispatch center. With the implementation of a computer aided dispatch system, police telecommunicators found their workload increasing to the point of overload during busy periods. Allowing the Department to hire additional help was not an option. Mobile data computers in Fond du Lac police squads will reduce the police telecomunicator's work load freeing, the dispatcher to better handle emergency and other priority calls. Other benefits will be that officers will not need to stop into the police station to lookup records or file reports. This means officers can remain on the road in their assigned patrol districts. Since officers will be able to access local records from their squad cars, officers will also be better able to gather information to assist in locating suspects and witnesses so reports will be more complete.
This page will be updated to keep the community informed of the progress of the Fond du Lac Police Department's Mobile Data Computer system.
TIME TABLE FOR IMPLEMENTATION (1996)
**UPDATE** March 1997
As of March 26, 1997, the Fond du Lac Police Department has two mobile data computers on - line. Fond du Lac's system is almost one year behind schedule due to equipment problems with still more hurdles to overcome. We hope to have the remaining 14 laptops installed and online within a week or two! Thanks to radio techs Neal and Steve at the WSP, D-3, in Fond du Lac for all that they have done to get Fond du Lac up and running!
**UPDATE** May 1997
All 16 laptop computers have been installed. The system has been a real plus for our officers. We are having problems with the laptops however. They do not appear to holding up well under actual street conditions. Several laptops have been sent to a repair facility. The two year warranty on the laptops was a wise investment.
**Update** October 1997
Our Laptops continue to fail with most having been sent back to the factor for sevice. The State Mobile Data System has been very reliable. Officers have been known to "fight" over cars that have an MDC installed rather than take a car that is not equiped with an MDC. The message switch that would allow the MDC to connect to our records management system still has not been developed. At this time we are being told it may be the fall of 1998 before the message switch is installed and the CLUES software updated. This is very disappointing!
**Update** December 1997
We have purchased and installed on all squad mounted laptops a screen support bracket from Gamber-Johnson. This bracket appears to have solved our broken hinge problems! The bracket securely holds the screen in place. We continue to work on officers completing reports on the MDC's. Five officers are presently doing minor reports on their laptop squad computers. We have recently updated the CLUES report forms for the laptops. We also continue to work on being able to transmit the reports directly to the records management computer via the squad cell phone.
**Update** November 1998
Laptops are starting to show their 3 year old age. They have taken a beating. At present 4 laptops are out of service. Monies have been budgeted to start replacing laptops in 1999. All officers are now completing record management reports on their squad laptops. Our records management software vendor "CLUES" has been sold to a new company. We are currently evaluating several new software vendors for a new records management system.
**Update** April 1999
The department has just ordered new replacement laptops for all patrol cars. The department has selected the Panasonic CF-45 ToughBook. The new units have a PII 266Mhz CPU and 32 MB Ram. They have a 12.1 TFT Screen and 20X CD-ROM Drive. We have been testing the Panasonic and they appear to be able to handle the extreme conditions of squad car life. They also have a three year warranty incase some can not handle it.
**Update** May 2000
The Panasonic ToughBooks have been holding up very well. Not one has had to have been sent back for repair. We now have a total of 20 units in the field. Officers continue to use the CLUES complaint reporting software. The message switch that would allow officers to connect with the department's in-house records that had been promised by the end of 1996 still has not been installed by the State's vendor. We are seriously considering implementing a stand alone system that would allow us the capability to use mobile data to its full potential.
**Update** July 2004
All 16 squad cars have been updated with new mounting hardware, 2.6Ghz P4 laptops and 2.4gig wireless access cards. See the latest image at the top of this page. We have installed 4 wireless hotspots within the City that allows officers in their cars to access the City's Network. We are in the final planning stages of implementing a high-speed CDMA wireless mobile date system that will interface with the dispatch center and our report writing software. We hope to have this system up and running in early 2005.
**Update** January 2005
The new Fond du Lac County wide police mobile data network began operation on January 17, 2005. The new County wide mobile data system allows officers to continue to run license and driver files but now officers will have access to the county wide records management system and a new automated report writing system from anywhere within Fond du Lac.
The new wireless system for Fond du Lac officers will use an existing GSM cell phone infrastructure to transmit wireless data to and from the County wide records management system. The advantage to using cell phone technology connected to the squad laptops is a wider bandwidth. This means faster downloads and the potential for the future to access the police Intranet and police related Web pages along with mug shot and fingerprint scanning. Fond du Lac police officers also have the capability to access the City's Network from any of the five 2.4Gig Wi-Fi wireless hotspots located throughout the City. From any of these hotspots officers can access Internet E-mail and other Network functions.
The Fond du Lac Police Department would like to thank the hard work of the City's Information Technology Department as well as the County's IT team for making law enforcement in Fond du Lac County not only more efficient but safer.
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