Tablet computers added to county patrol cars

Muskogee County Sheriff's Office is deploying a new multitool to their patrol cars.

After many years, they are installing removable tablet computers in the cars, Sheriff Charles Pearson said.

"Our problem has always been funding," Pearson said. "We never really had the money to put them in the cars."

Pearson said, though money is tight, the investment will pay off in the long run. The purchase of the computers was paid through a $60,000 grant.

Pearson estimates the computers, which he started rolling out in late September, will save immeasurable amounts of money in fuel costs, wear and tear on vehicles and compensation time.

"In a year's time, I see it saving 500 to 600 hours in comp time," he said.

From the computers, deputies can check names, communicate with dispatch and other deputies, display call information, submit reports. The tablet computers can be removed and used in the field, including for evidence photos, Pearson said.

The new computers will save time and gas, stopping a deputy from having to return to the office to file a report, Deputy Ben Moore said.

Moore, whose patrol vehicle was one of the first outfitted with the new technology, said his new computer will lighten dispatch's workload and make his job safer.

"Any system that's in our office is on this computer," Deputy Ben Moore said. "It's going to make our job a lot easier."

The computer system is also tightly integrated with the car, monitoring its performance, Pearson said. The new technology is also a tool for officer safety with GPS tracking and the ability to check for warrants, Pearson said.

"We've come a long way since 2001 when we were getting used Chevy Corsicas at police auction," Pearson said. "We have got some advanced technology in those cars now."

Pearson said the next goal for the department is to buy and rollout body cameras.

Reach Harrison Grimwood at (918) 684-2926 or harrison.grimwood@muskogeephoenix.com.

Source: Tablet computers added to county patrol cars