YOUNGSTOWN Police get new partners: computers in patrol cars

When e-mail goes online, the chief wants the messages to be business-only.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Fading into history -- much like rotary phones -- is the sight of a city cop sitting in a cruiser, pen in hand, writing out a report.
Onboard computers are eliminating nearly all handwritten crime chronicles.
The city put up $115,103 to receive a $345,311 grant from the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services and bought 29 in-cruiser computers.
So far, only a handful of computers are in operation. Training continues, and the bugs -- such as some reports being temporarily stuck in cyberspace -- are being worked out.
The goal is to have computers in every beat, traffic and sergeant's patrol car.
Advantages of system
With the swipe of a driver's license or input of a Social Security number, officers will be able to access the Law Enforcement Automated Data System to check for driving status, warrants and more. LEADS access is expected in two weeks.
Soon, it won't do any good to give someone else's Social Security number, because video imaging will show the officer the Bureau of Motor Vehicles photo that matches the nine-digit number.
The Vindicator rode in car 206 with Patrolman Dan Mikus for an onboard computer demonstration.
"This is our office," Mikus said, waving a hand around the inside of his cruiser. "What I do is have people sit in my office; I ask questions and type in the answers."
How it works
The answers appear on a dash-mounted monitor. Although the 12-inch touch screen remains fixed, the keyboard can be moved to an officer's lap or, as Mikus prefers, balanced between him and the steering wheel.
The computer prompts move from field to field, guiding officers through a series of questions for whatever report they're making, whether it's witness interviews for a homicide or vehicle information for a car to be towed.
"It forces us to be more professional, to gather as much information as we can. It doesn't allow you to forget what to ask," Mikus said. "Take business phone numbers. I would never ask that, but detectives work 8 to 5 and need to reach people during the day."
Mikus has created separate folders in his computer, including one to track stolen cars. Each morning, he enters the new stolen cars and deletes any that were recovered.
With a glance at the screen, he knows if the vehicles he comes across on his South Side beat are stolen.
Speaking of screen-glancing, Mikus said he envisions a few fender-benders until officers adjust to the distraction of a brightly illuminated monitor smack in the middle of the dash. At night, the screen, which throws light on the driver, can be dimmed for officers' safety.
Tracking items
Mikus showed how easy it is to keep on top of things with his junk-car folder. Junk vehicles not brought up to code or moved to an enclosed garage within 10 days of being tagged can be towed.
This past week, behind a house in the 100 block of Ellenwood Avenue, sat a dilapidated Chrysler with expired plates that Mikus had tagged Oct. 23. Because more than 10 days had passed, he called for a tow truck.
Mikus, for one, likes the new system of reporting activity on his shift.
"It's going to be great," said Patrolman Russ Davis, a computer instructor. "All city ordinances are loaded in the computer, too -- no more big book."
Davis said tracking items stolen in a burglary will be simple because the property taken goes into a database. If, for example, an officer finds an RCA TV in the rear seat of a car, all he has to do is run the serial number to determine if it was taken in a burglary.
Some reluctance
The transition from manual to computer-generated reports has presented some unanticipated hurdles, Lt. Robin Lees said. As with any new system, there's bound to be kinks, he said.
Lees said some officers have grumbled about the change, much as some were reluctant when the department switched from .38-caliber revolvers to 9 mm automatic pistols. Officers switched again and now carry .40-caliber handguns.
"Now you won't find anyone who wants to go back to revolvers," Lees said. "It's the same transition here. We anticipate problems."
Within a few weeks, the onboard computers will have e-mail capability so officers can communicate with each other and with desk personnel downtown.
Police Chief Robert E. Bush Jr., aware that a few Warren police officers used e-mail to chat about personal stuff, said he will put out an order limiting the communications to business only.
E-mail doesn't go away, even when you hit "delete," Bush said. It can be found, retrieved and printed out, he said.
Lees said with the proliferation of cell phones, he doesn't anticipate many officers will use e-mail to pass along personal messages.
Full features
Bush, who's enthusiastic about the new technology, said he didn't want computers that would be used solely for LEADS access, as is the case with some police agencies. He wanted the full package -- reports done in the field.
Domestic-violence reports, which require a signature, will still be done by hand. Some crash reports, too, which require diagrams, also will be done manually, he said.
The chief said officers' reports will be forwarded via computer to a supervisor for approval, then enter a database. Once everyone gets the hang of it, the system will improve efficiency, he said.
Capt. Joe Fergus, who oversees the cruiser computers, said the database will be used to show crime patterns and trends.
"By identifying crime trends, it will assist officers in proactive policing," Fergus said. "It's just another tool."
meade@vindy.com