February/March 1996 Laptop Computers: New Technology for Law Enforcement Author's name withheld per author's request, M.B.A. ___________________ Name and information withheld per author's request, a computer network consultant. ___________________ (Portable and versatile, laptop computers can move police officers off the paper trail and onto the information superhighway.) A fire breaks out at an abandoned warehouse. A few blocks away, two motorists collide at an intersection. Across town, a citizen calls police to complain about a neighbor's barking dog. Responding officers most likely will handle each incident relatively quickly, but more work lies ahead. After all, no job is finished until the paperwork is done. Law enforcement officers would agree that they spend a large percentage of their time doing paperwork. In fact, they may feel that the inordinate amount of time spent writing arrest reports, depositions, accident reports, and similar documents leaves little time to accomplish any "real" police work. Laptop computers can change how officers complete this paperwork, decreasing the time they spend in the office, while increasing the time they spend on patrol. This article discusses how law enforcement agencies can use laptop computers to simplify their work and more effectively serve their communities. BACKGROUND Computer technology has undergone tremendous change over the past several years. Growing consumer knowledge and demand have led to the creation of industry standards and to extensive research and development. As a result, the personal computer1 (PC) has become smaller, faster, and less expensive. In addition, almost all newer PCs use windows-based mouse controls, instead of keyboard commands, to run compatible software. These "point and click" and "drop and drag" technologies make computers much easier to use than the older command-based operating systems. One of the most significant developments in the computer industry has been the emergence of the laptop, or notebook, computer. With the screen folded down, laptops not only resemble the notebooks for which they are named, but they also are as easy to carry. Though smaller and lighter than desktop computers, laptops, for the most part, offer the same computing power and disk storage. Moreover, unlike their bulky counterparts, laptops are extremely mobile. Because laptop computers are designed specifically for portability, law enforcement officers can take them anywhere-- from roll call to their patrol cars then to a crime scene or a complainant's location. When connected to cellular phone-based systems, laptops can send and receive data to and from remote sites. These features, coupled with the availability of various software packages on the market today, provide tremendous opportunities to reduce the time that law enforcement officers spend each day completing paperwork and obtaining critical reference information. REDUCING TIME SPENT ON PAPERWORK Forms-Based Software One way laptop computers simplify paperwork is with forms-based software, which allows law enforcement agencies to automate their forms and reports. These software packages usually perform two basic functions: They allow users to enter data and print it on preprinted forms and also to create new forms and print them on plain paper. Many law enforcement agencies use preprinted forms for reports. Using forms-based software, officers can bring up arrest reports or other forms on their laptop computer screens and enter the appropriate information into the proper spaces, or fields, on the form. Striking the tab key on the laptop's keyboard typically moves the cursor from one field to another within the form. Officers can correct mistakes quickly and easily by backspacing or tabbing forward before printing the document. With this method, they can turn in flawless paperwork without the telltale white marks of liquid correction fluid. In addition, most of the software packages enable users to access tables or help functions by creating "hot keys." Often linked to the keyboard's top row of function keys, hot keys allow the user to retrieve indexes of detailed codes during data entry without having to exit the document. For example, if a field on a report requires a location code, officers can press a hot key to access a list of the agency's codes and select the correct one. Though software systems vary, most automatically insert the chosen code directly into the appropriate field, then remove the list from the screen. Printing Options After entering the required information, officers can print their reports on a preprinted form loaded into a dot matrix, inkjet, or laserjet printer. For preprinted carbons, each page of the form must be fed individually into inkjet and laserjet printers, although dot matrix printers usually can print through most carbon forms just as a typewriter would. Law enforcement agencies can use several printing options. First, with a printer located at the station, officers simply can plug their laptops into the printer2 and, using the laptop, give the command to print. If the department already has a PC connected to the printer, then officers can copy their reports onto a diskette, take the diskette from their laptops to the PC at the station, and use that PC to print. Using a battery-powered, portable laptop printer, officers also can print reports from their laptops in the field. Finally, by connecting the laptop to a cellular phone system via a specialized modem, officers can send the reports from their cars to a fax machine or printserver3 at the station or any other remote location. Data Transfer Cellular technology also allows electronic mail and file transfer capabilities. As a result, officers can send their written reports electronically to records administration personnel. Officers without access to cellular technology can use "sneaker-net." That is, they can hand-carry their diskettes to administrative personnel. Thus, laptops also are time-saving devices for administrative personnel, who no longer have to type information into their processing systems from written reports. SIMPLIFYING RESEARCH METHODS Officers in the field also can use laptop computers to access the information they need to complete their paperwork. For example, some publishers of reference material on legal issues now provide electronic databases on diskette, which include packaged, or bundled, software for indexing and retrieving legal statutes and criminal elements of State laws. These software packages allow law enforcement officers to type in a key word or phrase on their laptop computers to retrieve the full text of the law. One company offers the entire New York State Penal Law on diskette. When the software is installed on a laptop, officers can retrieve any statute contained in the database simply by typing in a key word, such as "assault," "firearms," "deadly weapon," or "physical force." The New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law also is available, with the same search and retrieval capabilities as the penal law software. The ability to access this information quickly may save considerable time when processing arrests. By simplifying research methods, these software packages also might improve the quality of recruit training at law enforcement academies. Recruits ususally receive the State law books with instructions to read them from cover to cover. However, to save time, they often read only the required statutes, skim over others, and skip many entirely. With the right equipment and software, recruits can access statutes easily, allowing them to study more information in detail. This, in turn, can increase their knowledge of the law. ACCESSING THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY Laptop computers also may be used to access the wide range of information available from on-line law enforcement libraries on the Internet. In addition, specific law enforcement newsgroups sponsor electronic conferences where individuals can participate in written discussions from their computers. Telecommunication vendors provide dialup access to the Internet for the price of a long-distance telephone call. Specialized vendors provide monthly membership rates for access to their electronic libraries, bulletin board systems, and Internet service. All of these services can be accessed from an office-based laptop using a standard modem,4 telephone line, and telephone jack or from remote locations using cellular technology. Many laptops come equipped with optional PCMCIA5 fax/modem cards, which provide standard modem functions and optional fax capability. About the size of a credit card, these cards slide into a specially designed slot in the laptop. For laptops without such slots, an external modem can be plugged into the computer's serial port.6 USING LAPTOPS IN PATROL VEHICLES Laptops also can be mounted directly into patrol vehicles. Cellular technology can link the car electronically to the agency's dispatch and vehicle registration systems, as well as other computerized databases. This feature allows officers to perform a variety of tasks without leaving their vehicles. For example, they can retrieve mug shot and fingerprint files, conduct warrant checks, access detailed street address information systems, and communicate with other officers. One of the primary advantages of using a laptop in the patrol vehicle is officer safety. When making a traffic stop, a police officer usually pulls over a vehicle and calls in the license plate number and location. While the dispatcher runs a records check, the officer approaches the vehicle. By the time the dispatcher obtains the results, it may be too late to warn the officer that the vehicle has been reported stolen or the driver is wanted. By contrast, with laptop computers in patrol vehicles, officers can query the motor vehicle database before leaving their patrol cars and approaching potential suspects. With this method, officers are more likely to know in advance if they are dealing with a felony stop and can request backup before confronting the occupants of the vehicle. Of course, officers always must exercise caution when making traffic stops, even with direct access to records information. ADDRESSING LAPTOP LEGAL ISSUES The law requires that law enforcement officers respect citizens' reasonable expectation of privacy rights. This means that the probable cause doctrine extends to using laptops in patrol vehicles. The following scenario illustrates the dilemma this technology presents: An officer driving behind a vehicle decides to run a check on the vehicle's registration for no apparent reason. The system returns a current suspension on the registered owner's driver's license. The officer stops the vehicle and discovers that the owner's son is driving the vehicle and that he possesses cocaine. The officer arrests the son for criminal possession of a controlled substance and tows the vehicle. In court a few months later, the defense attorney cross-examines the officer and demands to know what the probable cause was for stopping the vehicle. Did the officer have probable cause for running the computer check in the first place? Such questions will pose interesting court challenges as more law enforcement agencies implement laptop technology. CONCLUSION Since their introduction nearly six years ago, laptops have matured to the point where they offer excellent portability, power, disk storage, and data communications capabilities for law enforcement agencies. Although laptop systems can be expensive, prices will continue to decrease as technology evolves. More important, law enforcement agencies implementing laptop technology likely will discover that they recoup their initial investment quickly in terms of more efficient and effective employees. The solution to the Nation's rising crime problem may not be putting more officers on the street. Instead, one answer may lie under piles of paperwork in the office. Law enforcement administrators need to help officers work smarter, not harder. Laptop computers represent an area of technology that administrators can implement now to allow officers to perform the duties for which they were hired: To protect and to serve. ______________________________ Endnotes 1 For purposes of this article, the author uses "PC" to refer to both the Intel-based personal computer and the Macintosh system. 2 Laptops interface with printers via a cable that attaches from connections known as ports. Most printers have parallel ports, so named because they transfer data all at once, or in parallel. Thus, a printer with a parallel port would connect to the laptop's parallel port. 3 Remote printing cannot occur unless the printer is networked to a PC, known as a printserver, which receives the data from the laptop and relays the command to print. 4 A modem converts data to a form that can be transmitted via phone lines to other computers. 5 PCMCIA stands for Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, which sets the standards for cards that provide fax/modem capabilities, memory, sound, network, and other functions. The cards fit into special slots in computer processing units. 6 Modems and the telephone lines encode data and transmit it, one unit at a time, or serially. They plug into serial ports. ______________________________________ Sidebar Laptop Features and Options Agencies interested in purchasing laptop computers should look for systems that meet their computing needs. The features and options described below are offered as a guide only; they vary according to price and change as computer technology evolves. Laptop prices currently range from $1,500 to over $4,500. Features Processor Speeds - Vary from 30 Mhz to over 100 Mhz - Microprocessor: 486, Pentium, and others Random Access Memory - Available in 4, 8, 16, 20 and above Mb Hard Disk Drive - Ranges from 200 Mb to over 1.2 Gigabytes Diskette - 3.5 inches, 1.44 Mb of storage Communication Ports - Parallel - Printer port - Serial - Fax/modem port Monitor - Color versus monochrome Screen Size - 7.8 inches to 11.3 inches diagonal Mouse - Built-in right-handed, center, button-style, or pressure-sensitive point-ing device; external traditional-style mouse Warranty - Choice of 1-year, 3-year, or extended Battery Life - Charge varies from 1 hour to 4 hours per battery, single or dual batteries available Options Communication Ports - PCMCIA - Optional port for PCMCIA cards Fax/Modem - Operates using a PCMCIA card that slides into the laptop's PCMCIA slot or an external device that plugs into the serial port Cellular Capability - Allows data transmission between patrol vehicles and remote locations. Operates using a PCMCIA card that slides into the laptop's PCMCIA slot or an external device that plugs into the serial port Network Connectivity - Allows different computer systems to "talk" to one another. Hardware and software available from various vendors ___________________