GPS tracking system for patrol cars in the final stages

A while back we started looking into GPS tracking systems for our patrol cars. The units are being installed in the cars this week and system checks have been performed over the last few days to test the system and make sure it is functioning properly. This new system will allow dispatch and supervisors to see on a computer screen where all the cars are, if the car is running or not, and how fast the car is moving. This is a system I have been working towards installing for some time because of the benefits to the deputies and the public.

A couple of years ago, we lost communication with a deputy who was responding to a shots fired call late in the evening. After several attempts to contact the deputy went un-answered, other deputies, the Highway Patrol, and the Conservation Department were also dispatched to respond to the pending calls and help locate the missing deputy. The deputy was found about 15 minutes later in a smashed up car only a few feet from a small river that would have completely engulfed the car if had rolled over one more time.

The patrol car was only noticed through the dark because the lights on the light bar were still going. The deputy was life-flighted to Joplin and treated for moderate injuries before being released a few days later. When you think an officer or deputy is in danger and needs help, there is nothing worse than having lots of people ready to respond and help, but not knowing where to go! With this system, dispatch will be able to see on a map within a few feet of where the vehicle is located, and I hope remove the possibility of something like this ever happening again.

Because dispatch can see all deputies in the county at the same time, it will also help them to notify units needing backup how far out other responding units are, and will also be able to better give them directions if there is any confusion as to where the deputy needing back up is. When a deputy is in a pursuit, when the radios are not coming in clear, or even in some cases where a deputy ends up out in a field for some type of call, it will be much easier for dispatch to be able to physically see where the deputy is instead of relying just on verbal communication.

This system will also benefit supervisors at the Sheriff's Office because it will allow us to set alerts when deputies' vehicles reach a certain speed. The supervisor will receive an e-mail alerting them that the speed set in the system has been reached. This will help the supervisor keep a better eye on what is going on in the county even before they are notified by dispatch that there is a pursuit, or some type of emergency call. The system will also allow us to set "zones" and will log when a deputy has driven through that zone and for how long they were there. This will also help supervisors track where the deputies have been in the county throughout their shift.

Just like the addition of the body cameras, the trackers are not for the purpose of spying on deputies, but to help better protect them and better serve the citizens of Vernon County.