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Technology
Modern day policing goes above and beyond officers simply
patrolling the city in police cars awaiting their next call
for service. The prudent and efficient acquisition and use
of information systems helps to place the right cops at the
right place at the right time. In today’s day and age,
effective law enforcement is technology driven.
The Tomball Police Department has taken an aggressive stance
in acquiring necessary technology to apply proactive
measures in crime suppression, criminal apprehension,
resource deployment, response times, community service and
support assistance.
In 2005, Tomball Police Department provided a greater level
of convenience to the community, as well as the ability to
expand communication links between citizens and the
department via implementation of a community based
interactive website,
www.ci.tomball.tx.us.com. This website offers knowledge
about Tomball Police Department by providing quick links
that describes departmental activities and offer statistical
information. The site also allows the community to interact
with Tomball Police Department from the comfort of their own
home or office with the capabilities of reporting crimes,
comments on officer activities, traffic complaints, a silent
hotline, vacation watch requests, and sex offender search
capabilities. The website also allows individuals involved
in a motor vehicle accident the opportunity to retrieve the
accident report online. The involved parties can have
immediate access to the accident report if they wish to
purchase it online.
The Tomball Police Department also increased the technology
inside of the patrol units, available to patrol officers at
their fingertips. Wireless cards within in the patrol fleet
provide a wireless broadband connection to allow officers to
perform a variety of functions from the Mobile Data
Computers within the patrol units. This feature allows
officers to remain in neighborhoods and business districts
to perform the following functions which previously forced
officers remain inside the police station
- Dims/Jims - allows the officers to connect to the
District Attorneys Intake Management System.
- Broadband Based Z-Client - allows officers to obtain
drivers license information, vehicle registrations, and
wanted person hits from their patrol units. The average
return for any requested information is approximately
(2) seconds.
- Internet Capabilities - allows officers to have
internet access in their patrol units. This is a useful
tool which allows officers to link to other area
agencies, review legal updates, penal code information,
maps, city ordinances, etc.
- Paperless Report Writing - allows officers to
complete and transmit reports from within their patrol
units.
- CAD Live - allows officers to observe the actual
dispatch screen, giving them full "real-time" access to
officer’s whereabouts, vehicle information, and suspect
information. Once it is determined what functions we
wish for the officers to perform, each officer can
interact with communications via computer.
- Critical Incident Pre-Response Plans – this program
allows officer’s immediate access to stored floor plans,
aerial and inside photographs, access points and escape
routes of the key critical infrastructures, both public
and private, in the city. This immediate retrieval
program provides invaluable information to police first-responders.
- APS Wireless Ticketing – allows officers to generate
citations using the mobile data computers in their
patrol units, rather then handwriting them. The citation
information is automatically relayed to the court for
improved citation management, expediting the process.
The Tomball Police Department has also added “Blackhawk”
systems to their crime fighting arsenal, which helps take a
proactive policing mechanism to retail burglaries. Is this
tool effective? In 2005 Tomball Police Department had the
opportunity to see the device in action. One minute and
fourteen seconds after a burglar entered a local business,
he found himself swarmed by Tomball officers and immediately
taken into custody.
Although technology will never take the place of a police
officer, it proves to be a highly cost-effective aid in
proactively fighting crime within the community.
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