American Indian Report - June 2008 - (Page 11)

Tesuque Pueblo: Totally Wireless IT IS A LITTLE UNExPECTED, a small, traditional New Mexico pueblo that has a police department as technologically advanced, maybe more so, than those that serve major metropolitan areas. But that is exactly what the Tesuque Pueblo has. The pueblo, consisting of 17,000 acres, is located in a very rural area of Santa Fe Country and has less than 1,000 residents, with 570 individuals living there tribal members. It is this rural-ness that drove the Tesuque Police Department to adopt as many technological tools as possible. Chief Robert Frenier is known within his 11-officer force as being proactive, not reactive. He said he made developing the department a priority “so it could stand on its own.” Before 2005, an officer taking a call in a remote area on the reservation could expect a lag in getting a response to an inquiry from dispatch. In some real remote spots, officers could not communicate via phone or radio at all. Fortunately, no officer was ever injured due to a lag or lack of communication. Now, each vehicle sports ruggedized mobile data terminals, units used for communications and, with built-in digital cameras, to record activity in front of and behind the car. “With the mobile data units, the officers can run their inquiries and have information back in two to three seconds,” Frenier said. Wireless connectivity has eliminated all the dead spots. Using air cards, it does not matter where the vehicles go, they always have connectivity with the department. “Our police cars act as repeaters — like towers. If we go to Oklahoma City, that expands our network to Oklahoma City,” Bernard S. Velasquez, the pueblo’s law enforcement liaison, said. Officers no longer carry citation booklets. Everything is Photo courtesy of the Tesuque Police Department done with the notebooks and in-car printers. When their shifts end, one mouse click downloads each ticket to a server, where it is picked up by the captain and then sent with another mouse click to the court. That is not all. The department also utilizes a GPS system to keep track of vehicles, no matter where they go in the country. Back at headquarters, there is little that is not automated. Dispatch and records management, the most vital, have been streamlined with CAD and RMS solutions. And there is more to come, as the department is always looking at new technologies to make it more efficient. For example, right now it is working with the pueblo’s utilities to develop WIFI connectivity so that it has a backup and is looking at infrared policing tools. n American Indian Report June 2008 11 http://www.tesuquetribalpolice.com/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of American Indian Report - June 2008

American Indian Report - June 2008 Contents Ethics & Standards of Conduct: Governing Work Habits of Elected Officials Congress: Activity on the Hill Catching Up with the Curve Grants: Police Equipment Assistance from the Federal Government The Pottery Project Neighbors Helping Neighbors Where They Belong Spreading the Word “Poverty is Not a Part of Our Culture” Strategic Planning: Step 1 — An Assessment of Now Saving the Samala Language

American Indian Report - June 2008

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