Government Technology - May 2008 - (Page Insert1) “Law enforcement has to embrace technology and use it to our advantage. PocketCop on the BlackBerry smartphone is small, portable, and it helps me be more effective in the field.” — Detective Austin Francescone, Franklin County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office A government technology Solution Spotlight: BIO-key/The BlackBerry Solution/Sprint ® Mobile Officers Armed With More Data Sprint PocketCop application on BlackBerry smartphones gives officers mobile access to law enforcement databases. aw enforcement officers have a tough job to do. The more help we can give them, the better. For any officer, access to criminal and motor vehicle databases for flagging outstanding arrest warrants or stolen vehicle reports, for example, is an important tool. That kind of data can now accompany officers anywhere, even when they’re not in a patrol car. Mobile officers — whether on foot, on a motorcycle or undercover — can now look up license plates, photos, driver’s license info and other data, all from smartphones they carry with them. Prior to this, if officers needed such information, they’d either have to be in a patrol car with a laptop or they’d have to radio in to dispatch. Now they can access the info they need themselves, much more quickly. Sprint, the BlackBerry® solution and BIO-key® International are giving officers in Franklin County, Ohio, more mobile information than they’ve ever had before. BIO-key designed the Sprint PocketCop® L mobile application to work with BlackBerry smartphones, giving officers more data on the go. Detective Austin Francescone has been with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office for 10 years. The undercover officer was immediately impressed with the combined solution of Sprint, PocketCop and the BlackBerry solution. “Law enforcement has to embrace technology and use it to our advantage,” he said. “PocketCop on the BlackBerry smartphone is small, portable, and it helps me be more effective in the field.” While the Sprint wireless network provides reliable service, the lightweight, multifunctional BlackBerry smartphones give officers all-in-one capability they didn’t have before. The BlackBerry smartphones eliminate the need to carry several devices, such as cell phones, pagers, PDAs and laptops. The new system gives officers secure, over-the-air access to law enforcement and motor vehicle databases. ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT
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