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- Nov 16, 2004
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When two of their patrol cars were taken out of service last month, nobody at the California Highway Patrol shed any tears. The vehicles had high mileage, officials said, and were the victims of wear and tear.
Enter their high-tech replacements - automated patrol units operated by verbal or manual commands.
While unchanged on the outside - standard black-and-white Ford Crown Victorias bearing the CHP logo on both doors and toting a hard-to-hide light bar - the interior couldn't be more different.
Gone are the bulky monitor and corresponding keyboard, which hindered the driver's movements. Banished are the mounted police radio/scanner and radar units, which also ate up a lot of space.
In their places are a compact computer unit mounted to the dashboard, an ergonomically designed control panel adjacent to the driver's seat for easy manipulation, and a slim radio unit and glass viewing screen resembling a teleprompter tacked near the driver's side visor.
"The major benefit to me is I can drive around, run plates, talk to dispatch without taking my eyes off the road," said Chris Wahl, one of four officers - including Dave Gaskins, Rich Taylor and Matt Guy - assigned to drive the cars.
While comfortable maneuvering his car now, Wahl admits he was skeptical at first. Although used by the military, he said, he and other officers weren't sure about the TACNET technology embedded in the cars.
TACNET - created by Michigan-based Visteon Corporation - launched last October. It streamlines the need for multiple gadgets - some of which are stored in the trunk - and incorporates the use of lights, sirens, radar, AM/FM radio, police radios and other functions - such as a way to immediately cut the headlights - into one system.
The program also has two batteries - the real deal and a spare - and puts operational control in the driver's hands by responding to commands via the officer's voice, by accessing the control pod or by using the touch screen.
A major concern, Wahl said, was officer safety. Considering that all of the car's functions are computerized, would it still function in a crash or would the officer's life be in danger?
"They put it through some tests at the academy," he said, of the CHP's training center in West Sacramento. "It actually rolled a couple times and it held up."
Another worry was whether the technology was user-friendly. In the first two weeks, apparently, it wasn't. "It takes some getting used to," Wahl emphasized.
Learning to voice-command - basically, talk to the car - was an experience, he said. Then came memorizing the buttons on the hand-shaped control panel, followed by figuring out how to use the monitor's touch screen.
For a while, he said, he would tap at the screen in frustration until the function he wanted eventually was carried out. And, there were mishaps.
"I had my lights off one night. I didn't know I was driving without my lights on," Wahl said. A look at the screen apparently alerted him to the problem.
The introductory period now over, Wahl said he appreciates the extra space in the car created by the integrated system. He enjoys the clear viewing screen, which shows him all the information he's asked for without his ever having to look away from the road while on, say, a traffic stop.
The ability to communicate with other agencies and every CHP branch in the state is also a great officer safety aid, he said. "The overall plus is everything's right here over by your right hand," he said.
None of the existing cars is scheduled to be outfitted with the TACNET gear, but beginning in 2005, every new car joining the CHP fleet will have the technology.
Enter their high-tech replacements - automated patrol units operated by verbal or manual commands.
While unchanged on the outside - standard black-and-white Ford Crown Victorias bearing the CHP logo on both doors and toting a hard-to-hide light bar - the interior couldn't be more different.
Gone are the bulky monitor and corresponding keyboard, which hindered the driver's movements. Banished are the mounted police radio/scanner and radar units, which also ate up a lot of space.
In their places are a compact computer unit mounted to the dashboard, an ergonomically designed control panel adjacent to the driver's seat for easy manipulation, and a slim radio unit and glass viewing screen resembling a teleprompter tacked near the driver's side visor.
"The major benefit to me is I can drive around, run plates, talk to dispatch without taking my eyes off the road," said Chris Wahl, one of four officers - including Dave Gaskins, Rich Taylor and Matt Guy - assigned to drive the cars.
While comfortable maneuvering his car now, Wahl admits he was skeptical at first. Although used by the military, he said, he and other officers weren't sure about the TACNET technology embedded in the cars.
TACNET - created by Michigan-based Visteon Corporation - launched last October. It streamlines the need for multiple gadgets - some of which are stored in the trunk - and incorporates the use of lights, sirens, radar, AM/FM radio, police radios and other functions - such as a way to immediately cut the headlights - into one system.
The program also has two batteries - the real deal and a spare - and puts operational control in the driver's hands by responding to commands via the officer's voice, by accessing the control pod or by using the touch screen.
A major concern, Wahl said, was officer safety. Considering that all of the car's functions are computerized, would it still function in a crash or would the officer's life be in danger?
"They put it through some tests at the academy," he said, of the CHP's training center in West Sacramento. "It actually rolled a couple times and it held up."
Another worry was whether the technology was user-friendly. In the first two weeks, apparently, it wasn't. "It takes some getting used to," Wahl emphasized.
Learning to voice-command - basically, talk to the car - was an experience, he said. Then came memorizing the buttons on the hand-shaped control panel, followed by figuring out how to use the monitor's touch screen.
For a while, he said, he would tap at the screen in frustration until the function he wanted eventually was carried out. And, there were mishaps.
"I had my lights off one night. I didn't know I was driving without my lights on," Wahl said. A look at the screen apparently alerted him to the problem.
The introductory period now over, Wahl said he appreciates the extra space in the car created by the integrated system. He enjoys the clear viewing screen, which shows him all the information he's asked for without his ever having to look away from the road while on, say, a traffic stop.
The ability to communicate with other agencies and every CHP branch in the state is also a great officer safety aid, he said. "The overall plus is everything's right here over by your right hand," he said.
None of the existing cars is scheduled to be outfitted with the TACNET gear, but beginning in 2005, every new car joining the CHP fleet will have the technology.
I wonder how voice commands work when you've got two officers in the car? And how well they respond to, shall we say, a slight increase in voice volume and word speed when you're in pursuit and the siren is taking up about 50 db's of background noise? I'm sure this has all been tested though, and everthing will work perfectly. :roll:
