NCJ Number
147362
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 42 Issue: 2 Dated: (February 1994) Pages: 23-26
Date Published
1994
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Computers and allied technology can facilitate the effective use of law enforcement resources; police chiefs estimate that mobile computing systems can reduce police department costs by 30 percent and increase police productivity by 15 percent.
Abstract
Mobile computing systems are based on a mobile personal computer. In addition to the usual computer-aided dispatch functions of the mobile data terminal, mobile computing systems offer full-screen database access and reports prepared in the police car and filed on diskette. Some of the direct benefits of mobile computing systems include higher crime resolution rates, police patrolling more hours per shift, reduced clerical costs, and increased police officer safety. Indirect benefits of mobile computing systems are examined, as well as the use of CD-ROM technology and multimedia computing.