The Bureau of Technology and Communications is actively working on several projects that are enhancing officer and citizen safety by utilizing the latest technology and equipment. Three of these projects are: 1) the installation and use of mobile video cameras in the patrol cars, 2) the installation and use of ruggedized laptop computers in the patrol cars, and 3) the use of portable semi-automatic defibrillators by trained police officers to save the lives of sudden cardiac arrest (sudden death) victims. The police department has had the great fortune of receiving much of the funding for these projects from donations and grants.

MOBILE VIDEO CAMERAS:

The department began experimenting with in-car cameras back in the mid 1990's. They were mostly used to videotape drunken driving enforcement patrols. Since then we have began to experience the advantages of having these cameras to the point of setting a goal to equip every marked unit with one. We currently have seven cars with a camera and eleven of the twelve cars we expect to take delivery of this spring will be outfitted with video cameras.

The cameras offer benefits to both the officers and the public alike. The camera provides a neutral third party view of police-citizen encounters. Even if the officer is out of camera view, the microphone he is wearing will pick up the audio even when the officer is several hundred feet from the patrol car. While the Franklin Township Police Department enjoys a cooperative relationship with the citizens of the township, we still live in a time where mistrust and allegations of police misconduct make weekly headlines in newspapers across the country. When the video camera is in operation and an allegation of misconduct is made, police commanders can review the tape and determine if the allegation is substantiated. If it is, appropriated action can be taken.

On the other hand, when false allegations of police misconduct are made, the officer knows that he will be quickly exonerated. Furthermore, criminal charges can be brought forth against those that make false allegations against honest, hardworking police officers that are out there giving 100% to keep the streets of Franklin Township safe and secure for law-abiding citizens. These cameras can also help us to catch criminals that assault or kill police officers. Even if the officer can't communicate because of his injuries, the video will show who the assailant is.

LAPTOP COMPUTERS:

The department began the implementation of this project in the spring of 2000 with the installation of the computer server for the mobile computer system and the purchase of three laptop computers. Seven police cars were outfitted with docking stations for the computers. Several desktop computers at police headquarters were outfitted with the mobile computer software allowing the police communications center to communicate with officers without broadcasting information over the radio. To date we have seven laptop computers with five additional units on order. Our goal is to have all officers on patrol equipped with a laptop in their car.

There are many advantages to having laptop computers in the cars. The most important advantage is that of increased officer safety. Without the computer, an officer would have to radio headquarters for a registration look-up and to check to see if the driver is wanted for a crime. In many cases the officer would have the car stopped and be out with the driver before this information would be available. With the laptop computer, the officer simply enters the license plate and within seconds knows the registration status of the vehicle and if the registered owner (usually the driver) is wanted for a crime or has a revoked license. Having this information before stopping the vehicle can mean the difference between life and death for the officer.

The use of laptop computers also keeps the roads safer for motorists by helping us identify expired and revoked registrations and driver's licenses much more effectively. By running checks of license plates we identify and remove these drivers and vehicles from the road. The number of tickets for revoked drivers increased significantly after the implementation of this system. Law-abiding citizens can also rest easy in knowing that their privacy is being protected with this system. When an officer runs a check of a license plate, he is not given the name or address of the registered owner unless the owner's license or registration is expired or revoked, or the owner is wanted for a crime.

DEFIBRILLATORS:

Thanks to a generous donation from the Franklin Township Senior Citizen's Club, the police department implemented an early defibrillation program in December of 1999. This program is designed to combat deaths due to Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Sudden Cardiac Arrest kills about 700 people each day in the United States. Most of these deaths are due to a chaotic heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation and the only effective treatment is the delivery of an electric shock to the heart using a defibrillator. This shock is call defibrillation. The speed in which the defibrillation shock is delivered is the most important factor in its effectiveness. If a sudden cardiac arrest victim (due to ventricular fibrillation) is shocked immediately upon collapsing, there is an 80 percent chance of survival. With each minute that defibrillation is delayed, the survival rate drops by 7-10 percent. With a defibrillator in the patrol car in the hands of a trained officer, we hope to be able to deliver the shock within those critical first few minutes.

The department now has ten defibrillators and we have used them thirteen times since December of 1999. Our first "save" came on July 12, 2000 when a man collapsed outside his home in the Somerset section of the Township. The police communications center received a 9-1-1 call reporting that a man had collapsed. Within 22 seconds after receiving the call, telecommunicators dispatched Ofc. Mark Reiner to the scene. Officer Reiner was trained and had a defibrillator with him. Officer Reiner arrived at the scene less than three minutes after the 9-1-1 call was received and found the victim with no pulse or breathing. Officer Reiner applied the defibrillator and shocked the victim three times and was successful in restarting his heart. The victim had a pulse and was breathing on his own by the time he was transported to the hospital.

The department now has officers trained as defibrillation instructors and is looking to train as many officers as possible to use the defibrillators. We hope that by providing this service and working hand in hand with Township EMS providers, we can help prevent needless deaths from sudden cardiac arrest in Franklin Township.