Sheriff's Station Vehicles to Get Battlefield-Tested Boost

vehicles will soon be upgraded with new computer technology developed on the battlefield in Iraq that officials say will give deputies quicker access to important information and allow them to respond to emergencies faster.

The effort is part of a $20 million tax-funded Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department program being done in partnership with Raytheon Co. for its 2,400 vehicles, including patrol cars, motorcycles, prison transport vehicles and command-post SUVs.

Deputies in the field will be able to use the Sheriff's Data Network, Intranet, and other criminal databases directly from their vehicles using state-of-the-art mobile data computers, officials say.

They will also have the ability to search a variety of law enforcement information, including background checks on FBI databases, step-by-step GPS directions to locations of emergency calls and other critical resources needed to serve the public, such as the locations of social services and homeless shelters.

Lt. Jim Royal said deputies from the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station often have to return to their desks to perform the types of data searches that the new technology will now allow them to do from their vehicles. He added that the new technology will make them more efficient in other ways.

"We used to have to make copies of crime maps and hand them out to everyone at the station," Royal said. "With the new system, it can just be sent directly to their cars."

In addition, deputies can arrive at emergency calls sooner because the new GPS system will automatically guide them to their destinations.

Malibu/Lost Hills will have the new technology, referred to as MDCs (mobile digital computers) installed in approximately 50 vehicles.

Another advantage of the new system will be "better reception because of the use of a wireless network instead of a radio retransmitter," Royal said.

He described the existing system as "a couple of cars with laptops," which the department refers to as MDTs (mobile digital terminals), but the technology has been around since the 1980s. In addition, he said all vehicles now have Garmin GPS, "but it's not in-dash, it doesn't come with the car."

The need for quick data access is especially important to Malibu/Lost Hills deputies, who are tasked with protecting a sprawling territory that includes more than 20 miles of coastline in Malibu and the cities of Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills and Westlake Village as well as several unincorporated communities.

When the new technology was first announced last month, Sheriff Lee Baca released a statement saying, "This new mobile data computer system will greatly increase the efficiency of deputies in the field, providing them more knowledge at their fingertips and enabling them to do more for the public."

The LASD began installing the new systems in their vehicles several weeks ago. The technology is now rolling on many county streets, but hasn't made it to Malibu/Lost Hills territory.

Lt. Ben Hollowell of the LASD's Communications & Fleet Management Bureau said he could not confirm exactly when the Malibu/Lost Hills vehicles would begin their conversion. However, once the process begins, he expects about five vehicles at a time to be taken to the downtown Los Angeles area, where the work is being performed. He also said that each deputy will be required to attend special training classes on how to use the new equipment.