Show Police department has technology on its it's side Bob Pool Los Angeles Times d ild blue lights flashing and sirens wailing g Los Angeles police officers Garrett Breegle and Paul Rodriguez were hurling into law enforcement's future Maybe hurling is not the right word They were doing all of 10 mph as they pat patrolled the area between downtown's toy and flower districts They were aboard space- space looking age-looking scooters that have come to symbolize the tech high-tech turn that police work is taking in Los Angeles Its Cop someone shouted as the pair turned from Fifth Street onto Los Angeles Street A small crowd gathered when they pulled to a stop Then the questions started flying Is this a a man asked Breegle No its it's a personal mobility vehicle he responded How fast can you go another asked Rodriguez About 25 mph he answered With their intensity high-intensity light emitting light emitting diode flashers squad-car squad paint scheme and decals these driven battery three- three wheelers are tire And they are not the only grabbers attention-grabbers being rolled out by police Reacting J to communication ups mix-ups between protest marchers and officers during the theMay theMay theMay May 1 I MacArthur Park melee police have unveiled a mobile message board that they call their Critical Incident Utility Vehicle Mounted atop a four- four wheel-drive wheel terrain all-terrain vehicle the thc lighted sign can be programmed from a held hand-held wireless device feet away to display information and instructions in various languages i t And then theres there's the Smart Car Its It's equipped to sniff out stolen cars C gil z criminals track fleeing suspects' suspects and conduct remote video surveillance surveillance- in high-crime high areas So far the department has only one super squad car but its it's building another In n the meantime bits and pieces of Smart Car technology are popping up in patrol cars throughout the city Police cars over the thelast thelast thelast last 15 or 20 years hadn't changed much they were just used to get officers from point A to point B and to store equipment said Dan Gomez who runs the departments department's office of tactical technology Not anymore Automatic plate license-plate- recognition cameras can identify stolen cars while officers are patrolling The computerized cameras read license numbers on either side of and up to two car lengths ahead of the police vehicle In a six-month six test officers using the equipment recovered parked and 40 rolling Gomez said A gun dart like gun like projectile shooter that fires a global- global system positioning-system tracking device at a fleeing suspects suspect's car barThe carThe The electronic monitor clamps onto the rear of the car allowing officers to discontinue the chase and safely follow the suspect using satellite tracking technology Operated by compressed air the system is mounted within the patrol cars car's front grille Gomez said it can fire firc the projectile about 20 feet Video receivers that can connect to closed-circuit closed TV cameras set up in high-crime high areas Officers responding to emergency calls in those areas can operate the cameras and observe the situation in real time before they arrive at atthe atthe atthe the scene Gomez said So far the cameras are set up around the Jordan Downs housing project in the Watts area he said Five other patrol cars in that area also have the video capability Specialized computers that allow suspects' suspects fingerprints to be scanned and checked in the field Wireless technology connects the cruisers cruiser's computer to a database that contains the fingerprints of those with outstanding arrest warrants Facial recognition equipment that can identify known suspects The system has been used in inthe inthe inthe the departments department's Rampart Division and has resulted in more than 50 arrests mostly for gang injunction warrants Gomez said In-car In video cameras that record windshield views and activities in the patrol cars car's back seat The system automatically uploads its images when the car returns to the police station About police cars in the departments department's South Bureau are being equipped with the camera gear the equipment adds as much as to the standard cost of a patrol car Although the costs are arc expected to drop eventually the timetable for citywide distribution of Smart Cars is uncertain he said It has to still be afford affordable ble he said adding that Chief William J. J Bratton supports the being a test center for emerging technologies on the theory that widespread use of new equipment will drive prices down for all law-enforcement law agencies Some of the attempts attempts' at at- innovation work better in theory than on the street however That's why the jury apparently is still out outon outon outon on the Critical Incident Utility Vehicle Police used it at a protest march along the downtown street called Broadway With its rooftop message board flashing an admonition to protesters to remain on Broadway the bright red cart was driven at the head of the march Its a very effective tool with its and voice commands It can go up and down curbs But some of the organizers dont don't like it bec because use they dont don't want it to look like its it's our parade said Capt Jodi Wakefield of downtown's Central Division More popular are the scooters Four of them are being tested at Wakefield's station as police ponder the purchase of a fleet of them for use citywide The scooters are manufactured by Motion in Costa Mesa Introduced a year ago they also are used by the Los Angeles County and Orange County sheriffs' sheriffs i departments the the- University K s of Southern California and it the Port of Los Angeles e eThe The scooters have a mile 25 range and can be recharged in four hours or instantly if slide-out slide batteries are swapped for charged ones said company president Neil Brooker Unlike the wheeled two-wheeled Se gway personal transporter and another run battery-run wheeled three-wheeled scooter developed by American i Chariot of San Leandro the is not sold to the public I Brooker said I Officers Rodriguez and Breegle say they've made I traffic stops on their The scooters give the officers aa an extra foot of height making it easier to see over crowds And they dont don't mind the barrage of questions from passersby Shopper Heather Green of Los Angeles gave the scooters a thumbs not intimidating But they have a professional look she said |