Ledger-Dispatch

By Scott Thomas Anderson (sanderson@ledger-dispatch.c= om)=20

Jackson Police Officer Victor Capaz = works the=20 computer system inside his patrol car. Advances in on-board = computers have=20 given law enforcement officers across Amador County new tools in = keeping=20 the public safe.

Photo by: Scott Thomas=20 Anderson
"Good morning, Officer Capaz," a = thin,=20 metallic robo-voice says as Victor Capaz drops into the cab of his = patrol unit.=20 With computer screens rapidly flashing near his shoulder, the Jackson = Police=20 Department veteran rolls out onto the highway for another day on the = job. A down=20 economy means robberies and property crimes are up, but, thanks to = increasingly=20 sophisticated on-board data and GPS systems, Amador's law enforcement = agencies=20 are staying one step ahead of its criminals.

"A decade ago, when = someone=20 committed an armed robbery, they'd often have a police scanner with = them," Capaz=20 recalls as he cruises through south Jackson. "They'd listen in on what = dispatch=20 was saying and try to figure out the direction units were rolling in = pursuit of=20 them."

"Now any law enforcement officer in the county who's on = patrol,=20 regardless of which agency they work for, can send instant messages to = any and=20 all other law enforcement officers who are on shift without using = dispatch at=20 all," Capaz explains. "We can communicate without the suspects we're = chasing=20 eavesdropping on us."

To demonstrate, Capaz brings up a screen = that=20 displays the location and status of not only his fellow Jackson police = officers=20 who are mobile at that moment - flagged by name and rank - but also each = Sutter=20 Creek and Ione police officer, as well as each sheriff's deputy = currently on=20 patrol. By clicking on a name, he can see what task the officer is = currently=20 engaged in. The result is a razor-sharp overview of all law enforcement=20 endeavors and public safety issues in the county.

"It's ideal for = situations where officers from one agency have to back up officers from=20 another," Capaz says. "And, if someone needs assistance, the GPS element = of the=20 system helps us get their as fast as possible."

Capaz is = confident the=20 enhanced communication and tracking abilities patrol units now have = ultimately=20 save lives. "If something were to happen to an officer," Capaz says with = a sober=20 tone, "then we would at least be able to rush to the exact location of = their=20 vehicle. In that respect, the computers make us safer."

A second = major=20 advantage of the on-board data systems is that officers can instantly = view=20 in-depth descriptions of potentially dangerous individuals they're about = to=20 confront. The arrest records and modus operandi of anyone cycling = through the=20 criminal justice system can instantly be called up, along with all mug = shots=20 ever taken of them. The system's brain can also remember every vehicle = the=20 suspect has been known to drive and every individual with a criminal = past=20 they've been known to associate with. To show how the computer can help = avert=20 surprises, Capaz plugs in the name of a well-known parolee once at = large. The=20 computer instantly alerts him that the suspect has a history of violence = and=20 advises to look out for firearms.

According to Capaz, the = computer's=20 image bank is also handy in less volatile but equally frustrating = situations,=20 such as when people are trying to conceal their identities. "You'd be = surprised=20 how often we're questioning someone and they try to claim they're = someone else,"=20 he says. "A lot of times, they give you the name of one of their family = members=20 or someone else they know. With our computers now, if we suspect the = individual=20 we're questioning (has) a certain name they won't admit to, then we can = call the=20 picture up if the person's been arrested before."

As Capaz = circles back=20 through Main Street, he points out the computers can also save headaches = for=20 average law-abiding citizens as well. Coming up behind a car with = expired tags,=20 the officer quickly runs the license plate without needing to wait for = dispatch.=20 "You see, they did pay their registration; they just haven't put the new = stickers on yet," he says.

"Now I don't even have to pull them = over and=20 have a conversation about it. That's another benefit of the technology - = I can=20 just let them keep going on their way."

Scott Thomas = Anderson