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Companies continue to release new and innovative products, despite a tough economy. Even though your agency’s buying power may be limited, many of these products are designed to improve efficiencies—get more with less—all while keeping your officers safer in their job. Our editors culled the showroom floors at the major national police conventions for the best of the best. Following are products you might want to consider as we begin a new year.
Need to get the word out to your community instantly? How about for free? That’s the deal Nixle offers agencies. Subscribers to Nixle will receive messages from your department as information unfolds. This information will auto-populate the department’s Twitter feed as well. The Los Angeles Sheriffs Department boasts the most Nixle subscribers in the U.S., and has effectively used the service to alert citizens to crimes in progress, fires and more. Nixle has partnered with Nlets to store its servers, meaning your data is secure.
This is the kind of service you want to have in place before a big event takes place. So check them out. www.Nixle.com
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Presynct field reporting and workflow software is simple and intuitive. Basically, it’s a secure paperless incident reporting and records management system that allows officers in the field—via handheld, tablet or laptop—to file reports, update case information, get relevant photos and interface with computer-aided dispatch systems. What sets this apart from similar products is its intuitive design and ease of use. www.Presynct.com
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It used to be that having a website was cutting edge. That seems silly nowadays. These days having an app for mobile devices is cutting edge. How long until that seems silly too?
PDAppNet.com is a simple solution to your department’s community outreach and media needs. The company will customize an application for your department so that members of your community can download it and then get access to the latest departmental information, including crime maps, videos and alerts. The app also allows your citizens to communicate with police—sending tips, family profiles, Neighborhood Watch information, feedback and more. It facilitates the sharing of information via Facebook, email and other social media platforms with intuitive “share” icons. The app can be as simple or as complex as your department and community require. www.PDAppNet.com
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Point Blank’s Dragon Fire This tactical body armor is lightweight, ergonomic and instantly removable. It can be sized to fit individual officers and features a suspension system to distribute weight evenly. The range of motion and comfort of this armor are impressive.
But perhaps most impressive is the rapid-release function. If you suddenly find yourself under water or doused in dangerous chemicals, pull the release at the chest and instantly jettison the armor. www.PointBlankArmor.com
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5.11 LED ATAC Line of Flashlights Sometimes it’s the basic stuff that impresses. This line of flashlights employs LEDs to shine bright light—from 69 to 222 blinding lumens, depending on the light size. They’re tough, made of aerospace aluminium. And here’s the kicker: They’re affordable, ranging from $30 to $85.
ATAC probably won’t replace your primary tactical flashlight. But it may improve your back-up light by leaps and bounds. More expensive models include a host of features, including a break-away lanyard and high, low and strobe settings. All in all, it’s a lot of smart engineering for the price. www.511tactical.com
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This service is neat on a couple of levels. First, it’s simple and interactive. Agencies engage in dialogue with their community, via text messages and mobile devices, to solve the crimes that are hardest to crack. Second, it’s completely anonymous. Complete anonymity is perhaps a double-edged sword in our business. But if that’s what you’re looking for to solve your tough cases, consider that all TipSoft information is stored on servers in Canada, where U.S. law enforcement can’t get to it. This might be the incentive necessary to make your lead come forward.
Agencies using this service integrate it into their own systems to solicit tips, and it’s being successfully used nationwide. Although the tipster remains anonymous, police can communicate with them via a messaging feature. To date, the service has resulted in nearly 50,000 fugitives apprehended and $5 billion in recovered drugs and property. www.CrimeReports.com
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A patrol car turns into a wireless mobile office environment using a new approach spearheaded by Sprint. Functioning as a participative integrator, Sprint partnered with the San Jose (Calif.) Police Department and Feeney Wireless to turn patrol cars into mobile hot spots and to link capabilities, including vehicle location, report writing, ticket printers and fingerprint readers. The Feeney Wireless CIRA is a ruggedized modem and router that uses embedded ALEOS intelligence and Airlink software to ensure a consistent connection and simplify management of remote assets. The San Jose project is a major step forward for policing capabilities. www.sprint.com
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Light Module’s LM Pro is immediately impressive. Foremost, it’s blindingly bright. The battery-powered LEDs are comparable to a flare in brightness, but without any of the downsides of flares. There’s no odor, burn, residue or harmful chemicals. You can hold the LM Pro like a flashlight to direct traffic. It’s built so solidly, you can even throw it. The light can run for 16 hours per charge as a flare, and it can be used for up to 1,000 charge cycles off a single battery pack. It can also be hung by a D-ring and used as an area light.
This is one of those products that might cost a little more up front, but the advantages over the traditional flare are so clear that it’s an apples-and-oranges comparison. Buy one of these and never buy flares again. www.LightModule.com
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In case you haven’t noticed, video is big. Huge. Video—whether caught by private citizens, surveillance cameras or mobile police cameras—tells a story compellingly. Face it: A huge number of people have potential video recorders at their disposal in the form of smartphones, tablets and inexpensive cameras. Do you want their video to be the only one viewed in court? Best to have your own take on events in video form. The argument in favor of body-worn video these days is clear.
eWitness, an Australian company, is the newest entrant to a crowded marketplace. But its product, if new to Americans, has proved its quality internationally. The HD Pro body-worn system features multiple wearing positions and integrates multiple cameras worn on a single officer. The system couples high-quality Sony Super HAD Day/Night cameras with noise-cancelling microphones. Cabling is strong and secure. Have a look. www.eWitness.com.au
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Although we already spilled the beans on this one in our September issue, it’s worth noting again. When a brand as reliable as Panasonic embraces a technology that’s proved as revolutionary as the tablet, take note.
The Android-based tablet features a 10.1-inch screen, which, unlike other available tablets, features a matte XGA that’s much easier to read in sunlight. The unit is built with security in mind. It’s compliant with the FIPS 140-2 standard and allows IT managers great control over the devices, including the ability to update software remotely and securely. 4G mobile broadband service and Bluetooth functionalities are optional. Expect to see this tablet in spring of 2012. www.Panasonic.com
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NearMe is a new app from the Omega Group and the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). This app provides officers with the mobile tools they need to more effectively police your jurisdiction. It broadcasts current officer locations, displays mug shots, alerts officers to persons of interest and allows officers to prioritize their policing energies. It can also be used to enter field interviews, arrest reports and address updates. This app, in short, improves situational awareness and efficiency in the field.
The app is available for most mobile devices through the Omega Group and integrates with other Omega products. Expect to see a free NIJ version of this app in the future.
www.theOmegaGroup.com
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The iRecord Pro is innovative but the concept is simple. Perhaps more importantly, it allows departments to use existing surveillance infrastructure in new and interesting ways.
The unit saves video and audio feeds from cameras and microphones on USB devices. So, if you run a line to your mobile device, it allows you to watch video in real time on the mobile platform. You can also use the iRecord Pro to store video and audio on a high-capacity USB drive for later use. Plug cameras in for instant access to previously recorded data. The device is small enough to be portable or stored inconspicuously, and the surveillance applications for this product are myriad. Not only that, the price makes the investment easy to justify. www.iRecord.com
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There are a lot of mobile printer options out there, and many of them are good. The RuggedJet RJ4030-J by Brother does it all reliably and at a good price.
The small, portable printer is tough—it’s IP54 certified and can survive a six-foot drop without a hitch. It prints quickly and quietly and at a high resolution (203 dpi). It features Bluetooth, serial and USB interfaces. All that, and it comes with a two-year warranty. Bottom line: This is a nice little printer that would make citations, for example, that much easier.
www.Brother-USA.com
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