"The officer can also take interview notes by using the PDA's Graffiti
software. The information is wirelessly transferred to a patrol car
notebook computer"
"From Paper to PDA"
Government Technology (04/17/01) P. 36; Towns, Steve
The Santa Clara, California Police Department is trying to get traffic
accident reports filed
more accurately and quickly through having officers use personal digital
assistants (PDAs) to
enter information. The officer can record about 75 percent of the
necessary information by
swiping the drivers' driving licenses into the device. By limiting the
need to write and type, the
officer can concentrate more on the people involved in the collision.
The officer can also take
interview notes by using the PDA's Graffiti software. The information is
wirelessly transferred
to a patrol car notebook computer with FileMaker Pro database software,
but project manager
Lt. Roger Luebkeman has yet to enable transmissions to the police
station. Luebkeman would
like to equip every officer who wants the system, which would cost about
$1,500 each. A
major advantage of the spread-spectrum radio system is that it does not
carry monthly charges,
though the fact that it only works up to 1,000 feet from the officer's
car is a drawback. While
Luebkeman is one of the first policemen to install the wireless system,
FileMaker Pro
spokesman Keven Mallon discloses that numerous other departments have
recently contacted
him about the technology. (http://www.govtech.net)
http://www.nlectc.org/
