Baker Police Department Deploys RFID System to Improve Evidence Management
chrispeng [ad_1]
For the past two and a half years, the Baker Police Department in Louisiana has benefited from an RFID evidence tracking system. Now, the department is preparing to expand the technology to track items in 40 police vehicles. Principal Assistant Randall Dunaway said the RFID expansion is scheduled to be deployed within a year. After the system is deployed, it will be easier for police departments to manage laptops, fire extinguishers, rifles and other items in police vehicles. The solution is provided by C&A Company.
Dunaway said that in 2012, the police began to discuss the application of RFID technology in evidence tracking with C&A. At that time, they had just deployed the QR code evidence equipment room management system to replace the previous pen and paper recording system. However, QR code solutions have significant limitations.
“If the staff misplaced the exhibits, they would have to spend hours looking for them,” Dunaway said. “RFID technology can completely solve that problem.”
Evidence collection is an important part of crime scene investigations, and they are often managed by local police departments like the Baker Police Department, said Matthew Moss, vice president of C&A. Each police station has its own unique management style, but it is usually manual. In 2008, C&A began to enterRFIDIn the field, evidence tracking is one of the important directions.
After talking with Dunaway, Moss said, C&A began developing a reliable, easy-to-use solution for evidence tracking. Eighty-five percent of police agencies across the U.S. have the same process when it comes to evidence and case numbers, he said.
In 2012, C&A applied for a patent and launched a pilot project deployment at the Baker Police Department. The Baker Police Department assigned a number to each exhibit and attached UHF Squiggle tags provided by Alien Technologies to the exhibits. The ID number of the tag is bound to the exhibit number and stored on the C&A software.
C&A also deployed an ALR-9900 Alien stationary at the entrance to the Baker Police Department’s evidence vaultReaderAnd the ALH-9010 handheld reader. The department attached a total of 10,000 tags to evidence ranging from envelopes to large objects and entered location information into the C&A PADTrax software. Every employee with access to the room is equipped with an ID badge with a built-in Squiggle tag.
Alien provided extensive assistance with the hardware and installation, Moss said. “They have helped us a lot and will continue to provide upgrades to PADtrax products in the future,” he said.
When looking for evidence at Baker Police Station, staff can use the PADTrax software on their smartphones to check the real-time location of the evidence. When walking into the vault, staff also need to read the RFID badge.
In addition, the PADTrax system also installed an infrared sensor at the entrance to determine the direction of movement of people. In this way, the police station realizes the automatic recording of personnel entering and leaving.
The data is software divided into debits and credits, Moss said. The system will also send a warning via text message or email when there is an unexpected situation with the evidence.
With the system, workers can quickly find misplaced items, Dunaway said. If an employee finds that the evidence is not stored where it should be, he can use the handheld reader Geiger counter mode to find it. This feature saves a lot of searching time.
Recently, the C&A modified the PADTrax software to allow the Baker Police Department to classify exhibits into three categories: municipal court evidence, district court evidence, and personal property. This helps police departments adopt different management models for different types of exhibits.
By tagging the electronics, weapons and other gear in patrol cars, the Baker Police Department can better manage those assets, Dunaway said. At the same time, staff will also regularly take inventory of these items using hand-held readers to confirm that items have not been misplaced.
(The exclusive manuscript of rfid world network, please indicate the source author for reprinting!)
[ad_2]
