Police to keep watch over Toledo

Newport News-Times | December 24 2004

Between now and the end of June 2005, the Toledo Police Department will finish piecing together a wireless communication system that is technologically second to none.

Along with enhanced voice communication capabilities, computer-assisted dispatch (CAD), and information retrieval capacity, the system will feature remote camera surveillance of designated sections of the city and some outlying areas, allowing police officers to visually monitor those areas from the station or from their vehicles. According to Police Chief Don Denison, Toledo will become one of the first places in the nation to deploy their particular system, and will act as a test site for the remote camera equipment that still has a patent pending.

Produced by a company based in Kennewick, Wash., the made-to-order cameras based on military technology are - according to Denison - "extremely simple, extremely rugged, highly durable boxes" that should hold up well, and require rather easy, low-cost, long-term maintenance. Although the technology is new and relatively untested in the field, the manufacturer is close enough for Denison to "reach out and touch" for technical assistance, and to get them to chase any bugs out of the system.

The surveillance cameras will interconnect with the other pieces of the city's wireless network - including significant improvements in voice communication - to allow police officers to more effectively perform their duties, and more efficiently interact with other emergency service personnel.

"Most of the fire trucks and all police vehicles will have laptop computers with access to all records while responding to a call or conducting an investigation," said Denison.

Wireless modems and mobile data access will give police officers the opportunity to become more proactive, with quicker responses, and will allow them to write reports in their cars, saving time and keeping them out of the office and in the field. The "wide area network" (WAN) will also connect all city buildings, and give the city the possibility of acting as an Internet provider. City officials could also package and market the custom-made CAD records management software.

"I'm excited about the capabilities," Denison added. "We want Toledo to be a safe place (to live and work)."

System integration is vital. While some pieces are already in place, the process has lagged somewhat as they wait for made-to-order computer equipment and corresponding software.

As an agency, the Toledo Police Department is too small to attract the attention of big vendors.

"We always have to make do with what they offer, or tailor a program to our needs," said Denison. "In looking for a computer-assisted dispatch system, we never found one we liked, so we had to tailor one in-house. The system we will have is the best we've ever seen."

According to Denison, potential data flow "is phenomenal" within their "showpiece" set-up, which he has so far managed to pull together at a significant price break. Financial prudence guided Denison's decision to delay some purchases for as long as possible.

"Costs for technology continue to drop," he explained. "We can get so much more now for the same amount of money."

It's now time to pay the piper in full.

To complete the installation using grant money, the city must spend about $125,000 within the next six months - half of it before the end of December. City officials approved those expenditures after Denison provided pertinent information at the Dec. 1 city council meeting.

The money derives from three federal grants - two of them dating back to 2001, the other to 2003.

Toledo received $24,590 in 2001 and $85,450 in 2003 for homeland security purposes in what Denison called "Weapons of Mass Destruction" grants as shorthand for a much more lengthy title. The 2001 grant provided funds for personal protective equipment and communications equipment, primarily mobile and handheld radios. The 2003 funds went toward search-and-rescue, decontamination, and communications equipment, as well as fencing and other physical security measures for public buildings.

Neither required a city match.

Denison has $14,160 remaining from the 2001 grant and $48,453 from the 2003 grant, which the city must spend before the end of December, when the grants expire.

The third grant of $80,548 - obtained in 2001 - falls under the Making Officer Redeployment Effective program from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services. It required a $30,548 match derived from the city's 9-1-1 funds. As of Dec. 1, $61,817 remained, which the city must spend by the end of June 2005.

All expenditures must fall within the guidelines and parameters of the respective grants. Other requirements are also in play, such as the time threshold they must meet under the redeployment grant to show that the system works as anticipated.

Denison expects the system to exceed expectations.

Still, he said replacing an "antiquated" communication and surveillance system with a state-of-the-art wireless set-up featuring three component pieces - voice communication upgrade, computer-aided dispatch, and mobile data capabilities - couldn't happen without grant funds. And with three and a half square miles within city limits and specific corridors within the 70-square-mile Rural fire Protection District to cover, the new system is not a luxury, but a necessity.

"The job gets more and more complex, officers need access to more and more information, and they can't have to run back to the station to get it," Denison noted.

The post-9/11 era and the threat of terrorism have added even more layers to police protection requirements.

Interrelated systems with common frequencies and nomenclature that allow officers to interact more efficiently and effectively with other emergency service personnel is a boon. Technology that enhances their ability to observe remote scenes enhances their ability to protect and serve.

It also stirs up nightmares that emerge directly from the plot of "1984" - George Orwell's saga about Big Brother.

Some city council members and other folks are alarmed about deploying an array of cameras - 16 of them initially - around Toledo that connects to the wireless network and provides police with remote surveillance of selected locations, such as Main Street, school zones, certain street intersections, and known trouble spots. They're concerned about "peeping cops."

"There is a perception that we will be watching, and we will," Denison said, calling the set-up a form of prevention and deterrence.

Computers will digitally store everything the cameras view - round the clock, seven days and nights per week - in the system's hard drive. Police can go back and review certain time frames, possibly catching someone in the act of committing a crime, and boosting their chances of apprehending the person. Police can access the cameras from their vehicles while on patrol, in effect expanding the range of their patrols. They can move the cameras to different locations at varying intervals, and support firefighters with remote surveillance at fire and accident scenes.

Still, such surveillance raises concerns about privacy, especially in residential areas. In public areas where people believe they have a privacy interest, but really don't, according to Dension - a parking garage, for example - police will post a sign warning them that a surveillance camera is watching them. Signs will go up in a few other locations where clearly no privacy interest exists - i.e., a public intersection - but the alert might serve as a deterrent. Otherwise, camera placement will go unannounced.

"Anywhere someone can stand as a citizen and look, the cameras can point," Denison concluded. "Everybody wants his or her privacy protected and not intruded on - until they become a victim."