Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier announced today the deployment of the Smart Patrol car. The new wireless technology will make MPD patrol officers more efficient and effective.
The new technology allows officers to perform local and national criminal record checks, receive dispatch calls and submit police reports – all with just a tap of an index finger on a touch screen computer. Locators are installed on each of the laptops, allowing dispatchers to locate officers anywhere in the city. The technology also gives officers the ability to receive and respond to calls for service without the use of a radio.
“As our police department works to increase the safety of residents of the District, we will constantly look to employ new methods to help our officers remain better informed and work more efficiently," said Mayor Fenty.
Currently, there are 10 cars with the new laptops. Approximately 200 patrol cruisers will be retrofitted per quarter with the new technology, ultimately installing the laptops in all 800 patrol cars.
“This technology automates my entire patrol operation. The new system will make paper reporting a thing of the past. It essentially takes us out of the age of the stone and chisel, and launches us into the 21st century,” said Chief Lanier.
The cost to outfit a vehicle is about $6,500 per patrol car.