.KEYWORD tritech
.FLYINGHEAD PALM IN THE REAL WORLD
.TITLE How Palm applications are helping homeland security
.OTHER
.SUMMARY TriTech Software Systems’ Voyager family of applications for police, fire, EMS, public safety, and similar agencies were originally designed to allow field personnel to access critical incident information, query the Criminal Justice Information Systems database, transmit data, record incident details, and write tickets from a Palm handheld. Now, Christine Harland Williams will show you how the events of September 11 have now placed these Palm handheld applications at the center of state, federal, and private efforts to bolster homeland security and improve emergency response as well.
.AUTHOR Christine Harland Williams
In October 2000, when TriTech Software Systems (at http://www.tritech.com) first deployed its Voyager family of applications for police, fire, EMS, public safety, and similar agencies, customers extolled the convenience the Palm OS-based applications offered to field personnel. The applications enable authorized field personnel to access critical incident information, query the CJIS (Criminal Justice Information Systems) database and other databases, transmit data, record incident details, and write tickets from a Palm handheld or other wireless device.
The Voyager handheld applications were intended to build on TriTech’s computer-aided dispatch system, VisiCAD, which facilitates efficient dispatch of law enforcement, fire department, and emergency medical services units and personnel.
But just one year after its first deployment, the benefits of these handheld applications are being seen in a new light. The events of September 11 have placed Palm applications at the center of state, federal, and private efforts to bolster homeland security and improve emergency response. Many Federal agencies are evaluating Voyager. Trial programs are underway with agencies in many cities in the United States. Voyager is also gaining attention with airport security homeland initiatives including those at the Salt Lake City airport where preparations for the Olympic Games are in high gear.
.H1 Hitting the beat with handhelds
The Bellevue Police Department in Bellevue, Washington, was the first customer to deploy Voyager. Officers on motorcycles and bicycles carry Palm VIIx (and soon, possibly, new Palm i705) handhelds on field calls to confirm the validity of drivers’ licenses, weapon registrations, license plates, and other information stored in the state’s database. Officers can also view current and pending calls from computer aided dispatch software running on the Palm handhelds.
Bellevue Police Department public affairs officer Marsha Hondan recalls, "Previously, officers waited up to 10 minutes for dispatchers to reply to queries over the radio, but with our new handheld system, response times average two to four seconds for inquiries. This saves valuable time, especially during emergencies."
.H1 Wanted: a fast, affordable mobile solution
It’s easy to see how state and federal agencies are attracted by the idea of using inexpensive handheld computers as a practical answer to the heightened emergency response expectations faced by state and federal agencies. They need quick access from the field to state and federal databases that contain valuable information about wanted individuals or suspicious activities. They also need a quick and easy way to exchange information with the rest of their department as events unfold at a scene.
Having these capabilities in the field–whether on foot patrol, at an airport security checkpoint, or during a routine traffic stop, for example–could help personnel across a variety of agencies access useful data and respond more effectively to calls.
.H1 You have the right to simplicity, flexibility
Voyager is in operation across the country with nearly 500 sworn officers. Nearly all of the current Voyager deployments use Palm IIIx, Palm VII or Palm VIIx handhelds, though the Voyager applications are device agnostic and will run on virtually any operating system. They can be used on any personal handheld, "intelligent" phone, notebook, or desktop computer capable of accessing a public or private wireless network.
The Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office in Crowley, Louisiana has deployed Voyager Query on Palm VII handhelds and desktop devices. Deputies can run standard queries of names, drivers’ licenses, license plates, vehicle registrations, and property, and they can also access proprietary narcotics and Sheriff’s Office databases. In addition, the Sheriff’s Office is planning to utilize Voyager Contact to track details of traffic stops.
Voyager operates under an ASP (Application Service Provider) model, so no client infrastructure investment is required. Users pay a monthly fee for the service and hardware to the company’s subsidiary, TriTech Secure Data Solutions, Inc. (TriTech SDS). Voyager applications are hosted on TriTech servers and provide a secure portal to state and federal criminal justice information systems and databases. TriTech provides all systems support on a round-the-clock basis.
Sheriff Ken Goss notes, "I’m impressed with the simplicity and versatility of the Voyager handheld applications. The response time is great, and our investigators really like being able to access criminal history information from the field. The security of the applications ensures you can be confidential when you need to send a message or get information."
.H1 Public safety: encryption and authentication keep information secure
To keep data secure, the solution is encrypted at 128-bit end-to-end, using the newest AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) algorithms, and it’s compliant with both Criminal Justice Information Systems audit standards and FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) 140-2 wireless data transmission standards.
TriTech encrypts all query information prepared for transmission using state-of-the-art encryption tools. Once the Search key on the device is activated, the data is encrypted as it travels to a receiving server. When the message is received at the host server, authentication routines verify that the message came from an authorized Voyager device and that the person generating the search is an authorized system user who has entered an appropriate user name and password.
Such stringent authentication routines prevent unauthorized use in the event a Voyager unit is lost or stolen. Upon successful authentication, the query is routed to the host agency’s message switch, which relays the query to the appropriate state department of justice and department of motor vehicle databases, and then on to the NCIC (National Criminal Information Center) databases. Return information follows the reverse path back to the requesting handheld device. Most searches begin returning information back to the Voyager device in under ten seconds.
.H1 The Voyager applications at a glance
The Voyager Query application enables law enforcement officers to query state and federal databases to conduct records checks. Some of the records checks enabled by Voyager Query include license plate, name and date of birth, firearms, vehicle identification number, property, and driver’s license checks, as seen in Figure A.
.FIG A Voyager Query allows law enforcement professionals to check a variety of records against state and national databases.
Users can also conduct "people" inquiries covering industry-standard wants and warrants checks, as well as driving record searches in both state and federal databases. Inquiries relating to motor vehicles include searches into the NCIC stolen vehicle system and department of motor vehicle databases in the vehicle’s home state for registration and citation information. Inquiries for firearms and other common categories of property can search the NCIC stolen property system based on serial number.
Voyager Contact provides an electronic field interview data capture capability, including contact demographics data, enabling the user to collect and transmit information to a database, thereby eliminating manual data entry. Voyager Contact transmits the collected data to a centralized database where it’s available to the agency for analysis and reporting. Through a browser-based version of Voyager Contact, command staff can generate basic statistics and conduct searches on the collected data.
Voyager Encounter provides a streamlined mechanism for recording contact demographics data needed for racial profiling analysis. Personnel complete a small form, filling out fields with information about a person stopped. This information is then wirelessly transmitted to a database that’s expected to become a national database for profiling. TriTech’s president has testified before Congress this year about this issue.
Voyager Citation is designed to provide automated ticket writing. It works concurrently with the Voyager Query application to check the vehicle or person in question. For example, officers can complete a moving or parking citation and beam it to an IR (infrared) printer on their belt. The ticket is created, the information is sent to the agency’s collections database, and a query on the person is performed simultaneously to find any other related issues such as other tickets, warrants, etc. This eliminates the need for back-end data entry to issue a ticket. The application is being used by law enforcement agencies as well as private enterprises that ticket on private lots, such as large corporations and universities.
.H1 Getting the word out
The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office in Florida has been using Palm IIIx handhelds running Voyager Query since July 2001 for its six motorcycle officers, like the one pictured in Figure B.
.FIGPAIR B Motorcycle officers use Palm handhelds to conduct record checks while in the field.
Systems Engineer Charlie Gray explains the key advantages that Voyager offers: "Our motorcycle officers can’t carry laptops to conduct records checks the way our officers in vehicles can, so previously, the motorcycle officers had to call records checks into dispatch. But using handhelds is far faster and more cost effective than calling into dispatch."
This is because there’s often a queue for dispatch requests, which means the officer’s time is spent waiting for a reply while dispatch personnel look up and relay information. In comparison, the handhelds don’t use as many labor hours and get information to the officers faster, freeing dispatch staff to answer other requests. It also cuts down on errors because information isn’t relayed over the radio.
"I firmly believe the combination of Palm handhelds and TriTech’s applications is extremely valuable for law enforcement," Gray said. "I think getting the word out about this to law enforcement helps all of us."
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on TriTech Software Systems and TriTech Secure Data Solutions, Inc, visit http://www.tritech.com.
For more information on Palm handhelds, visit http://www.palm.com.
.H1 Easy, flexible article reprints
ZATZ now offers a quick, easy, flexible and inexpensive way to use article reprints in your marketing and promotion efforts. You can now get article reprints for a one-time fee of only $200. For details, visit http://mediakit.zatz.com/reprints.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?50@@.ee6fc80
