Town of Avon, Indiana

The Avon Police Department is employing some technology to decrease downtime for officers.

Each officer has been issued a department cell phone with Internet technology. These phones can be tethered to their in-car computer which allows Internet checks for driver's license, vehicle registration, and stolen vehicles from anywhere. In addition, the officers can check data for wanted persons.

"In the past, the officers had to call dispatch and dispatch would have to stop what they were doing to do all those checks," Avon Police Chief Jack Miller said. "It saves a lot of time."

A bar code reader on the computers inputs the information from the driver's license and automatically searches the vehicle databases, including the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, to see if there is anything out of the ordinary. The connection then allows the police to write an electronic ticket that is automatically downloaded to the main server. This is much more efficient and keeps the officer on the street longer.

"All of these changes are aimed towards keeping the officer out in the community rather than sitting behind a desk at the station doing paperwork," Chief Miller added. "Soon the cars will have global positioning capabilities."

The cost of this upgrade was minimal compared to the cost of an additional officer. Police officers already had cell phones. There was an additional cost to upgrade the phones. The in-car computers were already there, but officers would have to be in a "hot" spot to get Internet access.

Police stations across Indiana are struggling to do more with less resources and money. This is just one solution that will enhance the coverage of Avon Police.