Tracking police activity with GPS technology is becoming a common practice.
Mayor of Macungie, PA, Rick Hoffman, wants to join other municipalities in using GPS technology to monitor police cruisers. He got the idea after speaking with officials in other communities. Pen Argyl, which is about the same size as Macungie, has been using the program about six months.
State police and departments in surrounding cities such as Allentown and Bethlehem (PA), as well as some smaller suburban communities have been using the technology for years as a safety measure for officers and a way to speed up response times to emergencies and crimes in progress.
The GPS tracking devices are also used to determine whether some neighborhoods are getting more police attention than others and to verify whether a police force responded to a call for assistance.
“I know that it certainly has served as a benefit,” said Joe Hanna, Allentown’s assistant police chief. “Any type of technology that is going to enhance officer’s safety is most certainly an asset for us. It has served the citizens well insofar as being able to expedite calls and respond quicker.”
The towns of Bethlehem and Allentown use GPS trackers tied into their computer-aided dispatch systems as a tool to determine which police vehicle is closest to an emergency, accident or incident. They also use their Automated Vehicle Locater during cases in which a communications center operator or police department staffer is unable to contact an officer.
“If we have an officer that responds to a call and we can’t reach him on a radio, we can look on a screen to see [where his or her vehicle is located],” said Hanna.
In addition to the above reasons for installing GPS systems in police cruisers, GPS systems also provide added safety, accountability and efficiency.
In order to help pay for these systems, Mayor Hoffman announced that he was seeking donations. He says the new system will be able to show the precise location, driving speed and idle time of the vehicle.
“If I get a complaint saying an officer was speeding down Main Street at two in the afternoon, I could look that up,” Hoffman said. “If an officer was somewhere on call and was traveling and we didn’t know where he was and something happened to him, we could find [his vehicle] in real time.”
“People make complaints,” he added. “This way, you can say yes or no. It’s that simple. Anything brought up can be verified or dismissed.”
Mayor Hoffman’s municipality is not the only one using this technology to investigate similar complaints. Others have used it, for example, if a person claims he or she hasn’t seen a police presence in their neighborhood or that an officer did not respond as requested. With this technology, officials can view the tracking records. This not only provides a system of accountability for police departments, but it also protects law enforcement officials from false accusations or claims.
Bethlehem Police Commissioner Jason D. Schiffer says there was some resistance to the technology when the department added it in the late 1990s. One of the concerns was that it would be a Big-Brotherish disciplinary tool.
“The only time it’s been used for any type of disciplinary purpose would be when a specific complaint is made by someone,” Schiffer said. “From my experience, it’s been used to refute complaints.”
For a small town like Macungie, installing the new GPS tracking system will also be a cost-effective way to boost overall efficiency and safety, which in turn will help save valuable time, resources and fuel costs.
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Tags: GPS Technology, GPS Trackers, police
