Does your force/agency have the necessary technology for you to do your job?

[wonderwoman]

Does your force/agency have the necessary technology available for you to do your job? If not what would you like to see that would help?

My main beef is that we have the capabilities but it just takes soooooo long for things to happen. For years we have been working on an integrated computer system for all our justice ministries including courts, police and corrections....and its still not finished. Plus we need more computers.

[ 09-09-2001: Message edited by: wonderwoman ]

[Frogman]

This is the problem with police work today....we think we need all this technology to do our jobs and feel we can't without it.
Do you have a radio? portable? Good working knowledge of your state's laws? firearm? police cruiser? report forms? ballistic vest?
a good pen? If so you have what you need to be a cop.

Other things like MDT's, pagers, cellular phones, LADAR, photo imaging, computers, etc. do not a good cop make. They are a perk not a necessity.

Cops are like little kids in some ways, they see other cops/agencies that have those toys and HAVE TO HAVE THEM TOO.

I think that is one of the biggest problems in police today, we've grown too dependent on our toys.

[DesertRat]

OK. I've been flaming our dept. lately because of the complete turn around they seem to have taken on IAB issues and coddling whiners, but, in addition to paying us well, they give us all the toys we need. The only complaint I really have is our lack of sufficient radio frequencies. We are growing so quickly that we cannot build new area commands quick enough. When I got stuck working SE (the Strip) I just don't even bother getting on the radio because there are 3 other people at least trying to talk everytime you key the mic on swings shift. Department claims it is an FCC problem, not us, which is believable given the way the feds work.

[wonderwoman]

Frogman,

Unfortunately we need a lot of those gadgets in order to ensure we remain on top of the mega technology that the criminal element has. It is clear there is a difference, for example, of what the "cop on the street" needs as a priority verses the "organized crime" detective.

[ 09-09-2001: Message edited by: wonderwoman ]

[Michael J Pannell]

The only two decent pieces of kit my department ever gave me was an ASP baton and SpeedCuffs.

The CS is acceptable.

The radios are worthless weighty junk that hardly ever work properly and have F$^% all reception.

The body armour is pooled, so it doesn't fit properly and is of low quality.

We don't get sidearm. Therefor if we encounter firearms and knives we have to rely on talking the offender into surrendering or using what we do have.... courage and a baton strike or for knives a wrist lock take down.

My County is so hard up it has sold its motorcycles to neigbouring forces, sold its horses and the best cars we have are knackered old ford orions, escorts and a few mondeos. And yet, rather than buying a few new vehicles... the brass at HQ come up with the idea to spend 100k on a machine that seals and affixes stamps to envelopes.

I can hardly wait to get my medical and fitness test out the way (taking it on the 4th october) so i can say 'goodbye' to this force and join a decent one - The MET.

[ 09-10-2001: Message edited by: Michael J Pannell ]

[On Paper]

To date, this department has issued me:

Badge, case, and belt clip
Body armor
A 5 C-cell Mag-Lite
Mark 4 can of O.C.

My cup runneth over. :rolleyes:

[Sparky]

My cup runneth over! LOL! How droll, I love it! On Paper, you already have the most needed equipment in po-leece work, A SENSE OF HUMOR! :)

And ditto Frogman, at least generally speaking, I have learned the hard way that the only thing I really need to get this job done is a few pads and pens and my thinking cap. (yeah, and SBA, weap, etc.)

What alot of technology does is make us more productive....but the flip side to this is that (IMNSHO) this also means they assign you more work. If you don't have a computer and all of the support stuff, then you have enough cases (investigatively speaking) to keep you busy with 5 to 10 active cases. But if you can keep up with more info, you get loaded up with about 50 to 75.

While the first is time consuming, it is easier to keep track of five or so cases in your head than it is to keep track of fifty.

The trend towards multi-tasking has seemed to come with the thechnological age. We can be more productive, but none of this has resulted in the mythological four day work week that was touted in the days of yester year (and we don't have jet packs either, darn it!)

What's the first rule in government? "Any project or work assignment will expand to fill the time frame which has been alotted for it." ....something like that.

I think there is a tendency to load folks up with as much as they can handle without their head exploding. Maybe some of the "old heads" arounf here can shed some light on the subject, but I suspect that back in "the day" officers and investigators were not given the same kind of workload. They stayed just as busy, but without many of the "gizmos" we have now, they were more "labor intensive" so the work got spread around to more people.

Just a theory I am working on....

Plus there is also the tendency for gov't agencies to under staff, under train, and by the time they get you a computer, it is outdated, they look at your cross eyed when you tell them it also needs a thing called "soft ware", and they expect it to last forever.

I'll tell you...I HATE the gov't beureaucratic mindset of "do we have to?", "do we need it?", "we've never done that", etc. etc. ad infinitem...

I've had a taste of private business recently and I have decided that I like it. No three months to procure paper clips. If you need them, you grab the office card for the supply place and you run down there and get what you need.

Of course this ties in to my constant rant about law enforcement doing a thorough background on you, giving you a big "gut check" at the acadmey, swearing you to uphold the law (assuming you made it through all the hoops), giving you a badge and a gun and the power to take the freedom away from people...then on the job, they treat you like a kid, "you better have a doctor's note", "is that a department pencil you are chewing on", "this two minute call on your issued cell phone, do you have a witness that it was an official call".....they treat you like a kid...

yet in the REAL WORLD...you turn in a resume, ace an interview, they don't do any kind of backgroud, could care less if you are a crook, and they treat you like an adult!

Gee! and I wonder why depts find it hard to keep good people.


...I guess this turned into a rant....my bad....need coffee :)

[Niteshift]

The dept. says yes, I say no.

Of course, they don't see the need for a density meter or a fiber optic scope :D

But I do have a problem with the mayor saying that we don't need a laptop or having to fight to get a computer that cracked the 200 mhz barrier.

[MikeC]

I have to laugh at my own department for claiming we get nothing after I read some of your other posts. Talking about the bare minimum you all receive, we probably get too much. Here's just a small list: Mobile Data Terminals in all cars (with NCIC 2000, printers, report typing capabilities, touch screen and keyboards, and Mapquest among other things), 800mhz Trunked radios that are about to be upgraded, new Motorola handhelds, Streamlight flashlights, Pentium III computers with about everything on them and usually never a wait back at the stations to use them, all cars are Fords the oldest few being 1999s, and the newest upgrade will be AFIS capability right from your car on the side of the road. However, there are still complaints. The only thing that sucks is our weapon...something that is more important than being able to type up a report in the car.

[petebroccolo]

Here in Saskatchewan, we are desperately waiting for a new communication system - current one is 25 years old and may not be replaced for 3 more years! Mobile work stations mounted in all vehicles is SLLOOOOOOWLY coming.
Nationally, we are waiting for an upgrade to our electronic filing system so the majority of our files can be filed electronically only.
However, as far as stationery supplies, kit and clothing, firearms and pay, I think the RCMP compares well with, if not better than, most USA Agencies, going by what everyone on on this forum says.

[vbrenner]

In addition to duty gear and Glock 22, MP-5 (aka the 9 lb. pistol), 40mm less lethal launcher (aka sponge gun) and electronics:
-IBM Thinkpad laptop, connected to county network at local substations, also internet access
_Palm IIIc - tracks court dates, followup investigations, beat info, etc.
_Pager
_Cell phone in each patrol car
_MDC in each car coming next year
_Polaroid Spectra kit
_Cassette recorder (compact size)(still unused)

[petebroccolo]

Originally posted by vbrenner:
<STRONG>In addition to duty gear and Glock 22, MP-5 (aka the 9 lb. pistol), 40mm less lethal launcher (aka sponge gun) and electronics:
-IBM Thinkpad laptop, connected to county network at local substations, also internet access
_Palm IIIc - tracks court dates, followup investigations, beat info, etc.
_Pager
_Cell phone in each patrol car
_MDC in each car coming next year
_Polaroid Spectra kit
_Cassette recorder (compact size)(still unused)</STRONG>
"Aw, Ma, I want the same toys as vbrenner has!" Sure, make me jealous.

[vbrenner]

Pete Broccollo - all those toys are nice, but they don't have access to half the info that the rat you just caught with half a gram has. :cool:
But they are great to have around.

[spurlock]

Technology is great, but when you have to supply your own duty weapon, shotgun, backup weapon, baton, OC spray, handcuffs, uniforms, duty belt, holster, etc... technology does'nt seem so important! I'd like to have our dept. pay for the ammo I use and a few other things to boot! We have hand-held radar, and one moving radar, a bunch of PBT's and that's about it! In other words, NO!!! My dept. does not provide the gear for us to do our job!

[kiser401]

No, because if they did, I'd know what Wonder Woman and Summer Rain look like... ;)

[wonderwoman]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by SGT Dave:
No, because if they did, I'd know what Wonder Woman and Summer Rain look like... ;)

Let me know if you ever come to Canada and we'll get together for coffee! :D

Posted by spurlock: Technology is great, but when you have to supply your own duty weapon, shotgun, backup weapon, baton, OC spray, handcuffs, uniforms, duty belt, holster, etc... technology does'nt seem so important! I'd like to have our dept. pay for the ammo I use and a few other things to boot! We have hand-held radar, and one moving radar, a bunch of PBT's and that's about it! In other words, NO!!! My dept. does not provide the gear for us to do our job!

Geez, I find that hard to believe!! Just incredible! (can you imagine that Pete?)