Police Use PocketPCs to Improve Their Speeding Tickets Issuing Process

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3799' target='_blank'>http://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...read.php?t=3799</a><br /><br /></div><i>"RICHLAND HILLS - In Richland Hills, officers carry a sleek, palm-size wireless computer to issue tickets quickly and save time. The touch-screen Pocket PC has cut the length of traffic stops by about 10 minutes, traffic officer Jason Baxter said. Officers swipe a driver's license through a card reader attached to the bottom of the hand-held device, and the motorist's information appears on the screen. &lt;...> The $24,952 MobileCite system, which includes five hand-held iPAQ Pocket PCs, is paperless except for the waterproof tickets issued to violators. Officers can head back to the Police Department and upload up to 400 citations as well as racial profiling data into the department's computer from anywhere in the building."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/1669937-611595.jpg" /><br /><br />Well, it's great that PocketPC technology is being used to streamline government processes, but this wasn't what I had in mind. I'll leave the rest of my thoughts to myself. :roll: You can find the original article <a href="http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/local/states/texas/northeast/11359732.htm">here</a>, but you will be required to create an account first with the Star Telegram.

[Eriq Cook]

Racial profiling data? Interesting. I got pulled over enough times until I put tint on my windows. Now I haven't been pulled over in two years, compared to 2-3 times per month as before (when I didn't have tinted windows).

Unfortunately racial profiling still exist. I doubt a lot of visitors on this site can relate to this, but it's something that we still have a major problem with in most cities.

[BugDude10]

Oh yeah? Well, I wired my PPC into my car's electrical system, which gives the infrared port enough juice to shoot a beam right back into the cop's laser gun, causing it to explode, thereby filling his car with lukewarm coffee and powdered sugar. :devilboy:

[CESkins]

...Officers can head back to the Police Department and upload up to 400 citations as well as racial profiling data into the department's computer from anywhere in the building...
I had the same visceral response that eriqc had when i saw the term racial profiling. I hope the data is being used to cut down on the use of racial profiling to harass motorists. Too often in this country, individuals are stopped for no other reason that DWB (Driving While Black) and some feeble excuse is used to violate their rights. Perhaps the data collected will help shed some more light on this all too common occurence and abuse of power.

[Kursplat]

WHAT? You've got to be kidding me, right?

I mean, when did we start letting black people drive?

Oh, I see. Your kidding. Phew.

Next thing I know, you're gonna tell me there are female police officers. Geesh. You guys are real kidders.....

:mrgreen:

[Stik]

[i] it's great that PocketPC technology is being used to streamline government processes, but this wasn't what I had in mind. I'll leave the rest of my thoughts to myself. :roll:

I was surprised that the term ' racial profiling ' was even used in the story. I was surprised, that is, until I learned that Richland Hills was in the fine state of Texas, USA. Police must submit racial profiling in their reports on all stops they make. Whoa! 8O

" With the passage of Texas Senate Bill 1074 (S.B. 1074) in 2001, law enforcement agencies must now annually report detailed statistics concerning the race of individuals who are stopped and searched in their jurisdictions."

http://www.criminaljusticecoalition.org/racial_profiling.html

The 2005 Criminal Justice Coalition study on Texas Senate Bill 1074 (S.B. 1074) and the laws effects...

http://www.criminaljusticecoalition.org/racial_profiling_report_full.pdf

[latinware]

Today in Bogota, Colombia the Transit Police started to use a similar program to write tickets for automovile infractions. You can read the story (spanish) on the following link: http://eltiempo.terra.com.co/bogo/2005-04-14/ARTICULO-WEB-_NOTA_INTERIOR-2036773.html

PD. Here I don't see a reason for 'Racial Profiling' since most of the Police are hated so much by us drivers due to their corruption. Also their systems or apps are not very sophisticade, and it does not have countrywide access.

[rbrome]

[i] it's great that PocketPC technology is being used to streamline government processes, but this wasn't what I had in mind. I'll leave the rest of my thoughts to myself. :roll:

I was surprised that the term ' racial profiling ' was even used in the story. I was surprised, that is, until I learned that Richland Hills was in the fine state of Texas, USA. Police must submit racial profiling in their reports on all stops they make. Whoa! 8O

" With the passage of Texas Senate Bill 1074 (S.B. 1074) in 2001, law enforcement agencies must now annually report detailed statistics concerning the race of individuals who are stopped and searched in their jurisdictions."

http://www.criminaljusticecoalition.org/racial_profiling.html

The 2005 Criminal Justice Coalition study on Texas Senate Bill 1074 (S.B. 1074) and the laws effects...

http://www.criminaljusticecoalition.org/racial_profiling_report_full.pdf

Good links! It makes sense, then - the police eseentially have to collect data on race to prove that they're not profiling. It's sad that is has to be done, but at least Texas is trying to address the problem, and technology is helping.

[TheScream]

I've done something simlar for parking fines. Previously issued on carbon copy manual ticket books, the system I've written speeds the entry process and allows equivilent of "bulk" ticket entry where all the vehicals have the same offense. The system also allows attachment of a photo taken with a HP SD-Card camera. The local govenment branch I work for is very pleased with the system and have actually sold and deployed it to one other government branch already and have 3 more about to sign on.

It was written using the .NET Compact Framework and SQL Server CE 2.

[Jeff Rutledge]

Folks, this conversation is definitely leaning towards the area of "politics &amp; religion."

Please keep the discussion based around the technology.

Thanks.

[Carlos]

Increasing the profit in the onerous and largely corrupt speeding ticket system while helping to write more tickets is a great example of technology not always being a good thing. I wonter how long until the mag reader is used to just charge the fine to your bank card?

I wonder how the racial profiling data will be used. Do you compare it to the total population, or to the rate of people committing crime by race. Wouldn't the latter be more logical, yet if the rate of stops is skewed by race, where would you get a true number?

[Steve Jordan]

(I thought the profiling discussion was geting a bit heavy, too.)

Hey, I'm all for anything that makes the cops more efficient at their jobs. Hopefully they'll spend more time doing it, and actually cut back on speeding, reduce accidents, save lives, etc. In areas like DC where people habitually drive 20+MPH over the speed limit, pedestrians are considered "fair game," and daily accidents back up traffic for dozens of miles, any use of technology to control rampant driving insanity is fine with me.

[Steve Jordan]

Increasing efficiency in a corrupt system is often a great way to clean it up and reduce corruption... once the public realizes that corruption is getting more efficient, and takes action.

As far as onerous goes: To paraphrase an old quote, "Laws are the price paid for civilization."

[Carlos]

Your point about efficiency is a good one; here in my city of Phoenix, the speed cameras are getting too efficient and people are actively working to beat them now.

The pedestrian safety scenario would be a much better application of this technology. I recently saw something on Discovery about police who watch for crosswalk violations in busy downtown areas and write tickets. They say they can't possibly write enough to make a difference. Unlike speeding, this has a direct corelation to safety. Unfortunately there is also less profit it in, so they were lamenting lack of support and funding.

I was unable to find anything on the racial data usage with a quick search. I would hope it wouldn't turn into a politically correct mandate to stop people of all races equally. Again here in my city, in most areas, crime commission by the Mexican population outweighs the general white population by triple (before you cry "racist," I'm hispanic myself, and this isn't politics, it's just hard data). So I would hope that there would be more police contacts with them, otherwise, you'll be stopping two white people just to get your quota of hispanics. Reverse racism is an ugly thing too.

This is an interesting thread. Usually I assume technology is good. But this has raised some intriguing questions in my mind about its application and possible far-reaching effects.

[cherring]

In my country the blood bank uses racial profiling as part of their testing for HIV+ donors.

Fairly recently our president donated blood and it very publically was destroyed because he did not fill out the necessary paperwork and is black.

At least it applies to everyone.

P.S. regarding the nature of this post, I only read further because it had racial profiling in the blurb on the front page. I'm actually relieved to see that racial profiling is used to prove the police force is not using racial profiling. Although not ideal, it beats the alternative.