Cutting Edge

Latest technology helps police operate smarter in lean times

By Kathy McCabe, Globe Staff | January 15, 2006

In Lynn's flashy new police station, dispatchers monitor officers' activities on a color-coded screen. Red means they made a traffic stop. Yellow means they are on patrol. And orange means they are responding to a call.

The Salem Police Department is going digital, with a new radio system, 911 consoles, and closed-circuit TVs planned for its 14-year-old station. Haverhill police soon will take target practice with the help of a firearms simulator, which conjures real-life scenarios, like a busy city street, on a video screen.

Night-vision binoculars light up the dark sky for police on the beat in Boxford, while Wakefield police are outfitting cruisers with laptop computers, making motor vehicle records just a click away. ''We're always looking for something to make us smarter," said Wakefield Lieutenant Jack MacKay.

Inspector Gadget, the fictional sleuth, would feel at home in police departments north of Boston. Crime-mapping software, souped-up radios, routers linked to regional databases, and cameras trained on hot spots are among the devices police are using to turn a high-tech eye on crime.

Although not entirely new -- laptops have been in some cruisers since at least the mid-'90s -- more departments are ramping up to keep pace with the explosion of technology and boost community-based problem-solving.

''It's sexy to have these things," said Eric Metchik, chairman of the criminal justice department at Salem State College. ''It makes even the smallest department look state-of-the-art, but there are broader implications for the overall quality of work. A lot of this [technology] has revolutionized how police go about doing their jobs."

Metchik noted that in an era of lean budgets and short staffing, technology plays a larger role than ever. ''It does make police work more efficient," said Metchik, who teaches a course called Technology in Criminal Justice. ''If you can use a crime mapping system to identify a troubled area of a community, then you can deploy manpower in a wiser fashion."

Grants from the federal Justice Department often provide the funding. And Chelsea and Everett, which lie within a 10-mile urban security zone around Boston, are eligible to apply for federal Homeland Security grants.

Chelsea, which on Halloween became the first Massachusetts community to switch on surveillance cameras to monitor the community, used a $30,000 grant to purchase new laptops that allow officers to access the cameras. Everett, which also now has surveillance cameras, is using a $35,000 grant to install strobe lights on main streets, including Broadway. When flashing, the lights will signal that the street has been turned into a one-way evacuation route, said Police Chief Steven Mazzie.

''We're a small city, but we have heavy industry, including the LNG terminal," Mazzie said, referring to a liquefied natural gas terminal, often cited as a potential terrorist target. ''We have to be prepared for a disaster. We could never afford these things on our own."

Communities often use bond issues, like the $246,000 spent to upgrade Gloucester's radio network, to invest in technology, because departments struggling with lean budgets cannot afford to pay for the new technology on their own, police said.

''If we had the money, no doubt we'd spend more on technology," said Gloucester Police Lieutenant Joseph Aiello. ''But it takes money to purchase and train people for it. We just don't have the cash for that."

Small-town police departments have a different problem. They have trouble getting on the government's radar screen for grant money, which is often determined by a mix of factors, including crime rates and population, police said.

''I'm always looking for grants," said Chief Ronald Ramos of Manchester-by-the-Sea. ''But for a community like Manchester, our options are very limited. We don't have the land area or the population. And we don't have the crime stats that are required for a lot of grants."

Wakefield, which two years ago opened a new police station that was wired for high-speed Internet access, will now equip cruisers with laptops. ''Technology-wise, our station is in good shape," MacKay said. ''Now we'll be extending that to our cruisers."

In Salem, the upgrade of the police dispatch area is estimated at $550,000, which will be paid for by a bond approved by the City Council. When it opened in 1992, the station was the newest on the North Shore. But the radio system, brought over from the old station, was purchased in the 1970s.

''Our station isn't old, but our technology is," said Lieutenant Mary Butler, who is overseeing the upgrade. ''The fact of the matter is, our radio system has failed us on a few occasions. We have now no choice but to upgrade."

Lynn's new $20 million police station, which opened on Washington Street in November, includes $2 million in new technology. Features include a status screen, which tracks cruisers' whereabouts, closed-circuit TVs to monitor cell blocks and entrances, key card access, and a reverse 911 system, capable of notifying residents of an emergency.

''There is not a whole lot of frills here," said Police Chief John Suslak. ''The technology we have here, by itself, I think is a huge advancement. . . . It's going to help us with everything, from crime analysis to our own internal communication."

Lynn, which has the fourth-highest crime rate in Massachusetts, according to FBI statistics, struggles with drugs, gang violence, and theft, among other issues.

The three-story station replaced a dilapidated facility built 70 years ago. The new 58,000-square-foot station is designed to keep pace with new policing trends, including building closer community ties. A public meeting room is open to community groups.

A 60-seat lecture hall is outfitted with laptop hookups. A training room can double as an emergency operations center. The room contains emergency backup outlets, covered by red plugs, and blackout shades that would provide additional protection in the case of an emergency.

The reverse 911 system puts a new twist on community outreach. It is capable of quickly notifying residents of an emergency, such as a gas leak.

''It's a new way to reach out to people," said Suslak, a 22-year department veteran. ''That's always our goal."

Kathy McCabe can be reached at kmccabe@globe.com.