NCJ Number
181552
Journal
Police: The Law Enforcement Magazine Volume: 24 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2000 Pages: 36-39
Date Published
February 2000
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Space constraints now make it difficult for police vehicles to accommodate additional equipment and thus take advantages of technological advances; police engineers therefore recognize that advances in technology will always mean a tradeoff between what is desired and what is possible.
Abstract
The automotive industry worldwide is developing and designing intelligent transport systems within vehicles. However, the often separate and highly specialized needs of the emergency services present additional problems of space. Systems developed for the general market include automatic vehicle location systems; voice and data; mobile communications, radio data service subcarrier FM channels, and more The technology already exists to fit future standard vehicles with intelligent adaptive cruise control, anti-collision intervention systems, radar facilities, a route guidance system, intelligent speed adaptation hardware, and voice recognition systems to control this equipment. The police market will continue to need specialized tools such as encrypted communications and surveillance cameras. The search for a solution to the problems of space, electrical interference, police safety, and robustness has followed different paths in Europe and the United States. Innovations that have generated interest include technology that will allow for the external control of vehicles, white sound for emergency vehicles, light-emitting diodes as a replacement for strobe warning lights, and touch-screen computer technology. Photographs