West Point Police Department receives $200,000 technology grant

Wednesday May 13, 2009

Jennifer Gentile/Daily Times Leader

West Point Mayor Scott Ross (left) gets a tutorial Tuesday from Skypointe USA representative Justin McCary Tuesday on the new technology that will be installed in West Point Police Department vehicles. The new technology is made possible by a grant through the U.S. Department of Justice.

By Jennifer Gentile Daily Times Leader

A grant worth nearly $200,000 will put state-of-the-art technology in the hands of West Point police officers and puts the department on the cutting edge of law enforcement, the city's police chief announced Tuesday. The grant, which came from the U.S. Department of Justice, will be used to outfit police department vehicles with integrated technology — including laptops, video and audio equipment, global positioning systems (GPS), imaging devices, high-speed internet, DVR recorders and more. “This is in keeping with our efforts to continually upgrade the West Point Police Department,” said Mayor Scott Ross, who spoke at a press conference held in the municipal court room. Ross also said the technology puts the WPPD “years ahead of many other cities in the nation” Madision-based SkyPointe USA was chosen to provide all of the technology and services, including hardware and software, as opposed to using multiple vendors. “This is a one-stop shop of information ... ,” said Police Chief Steve Bingham. “If there's ever a problem, we've got one man to go to.” With the equipment in place, the chief said, “we'll know where any officer is at any given moment and know the actions that officer has taken.” “It'll make us more responsible,” Bingham said. “It'll make us more accountable. As chief of police, I know we're going to be a more professional department; we're going to be able to provide you a better department.” Added Skypointe representative Chad Dozier,“This is not a big-brother system. We don't want to see everything the officers are doing.” However, he said it does improve communication and accountability. Dozier said the company, which began in his garage, has been in business for four years. Municipal clients like West Point, he added, “is really a market I've been wanting to get involved in.” “I really wanted to bring technology to the forefront in Mississippi,” he said. “I'm going to make the most of this opportunity.” For the officers, Bingham said the technology turns their vehicles into mobile offices and cuts down on time spent at the department rather than on the streets. Officers will now be able to take virtual fingerprints and mug shots and complete incident reports at the scene. Rather than taking suspects to the police department, officers will now be able to take them directly to jail. For speeding violations, the audio-visual components will begin recording when a radar gun detects a speeding motorist. The driver's speed is automatically recorded in the computer, and GPS will pinpoint the location of the incident. All that remains for the officer to do is enter the driver's name and license number. When a citizen has witnessed a crime, officers can enter the suspect's description into their computer — giving them access to the mugshot of every potential match in the department's database. Witnesses can try to make an identification from that instant lineup. There are plans to bring the fire department into the system as well, giving first responders access to information they may need in handling a fire or other emergency. Bingham mentioned the grant was awarded as the department is going through an accreditation process through the Mississippi Law Enforcement Certification Agency. The department's insurance rate could decrease by as much as 10 percent when that process is completed. According to Ross, the latest grant is worth $193,528 — bringing the total amount awarded to the police department to nearly $400,000 in the past four years. Other grants received during that time have paid for DUI programs, Segways for additional downtown night patrols, infrared video recording devices, metal detectors at schools and virtual fingerprinting equipment.

In Depth:

"West Point Police Department receives $200,000 technology grant"
(official press release)

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