PONTIAC – The Oakland University Police Department has upgraded to state of the art laptop computers in six patrol cars to better communicate with surrounding police departments and provide services to the OU community.
The new Motorola MW800 series laptops, designed for law enforcement, will allow the campus police to use the same technology as other local agencies to tap a county-wide wireless network so police officers can run plates, check for outstanding warrants and find other vital information much faster.
?We?ve had laptops in the vehicles for the last five years,? said OUPD Lieutenant Mark Gordon. ?These laptops are upgraded and state-of-the-art. The officers can type their reports from the vehicle. That keeps them out on the road and protects the community. These laptops are consistent with what everyone else in the county is using.?
The laptop communicates with the Courts and Law Enforcement Management Information System, which provides information to a number of surrounding counties.
?The administration is very security conscious and they have provided us with tremendous support for keeping the police systems up to date,? said OU Police Chief Sam Lucido. ?Communication and interoperability are vital to law enforcement agencies. This system allows us to communicate with other agencies and keep our campus safer as a result.?
Lucido said the OU police department will be migrating to a new county-wide radio system in a few months, which will enhance communications, especially during on-scene emergencies.
