Mobile Computer Mounts Inc. of Conshohocken, Pa., designed the mounting system so the setup could be adapted to the various types of cars used by the Philadelphia police. The British Columbia company builds the modems to withstand vibration, shock, harsh temperatures and humidity. PRC Public Sector Inc. of Reston, Va., wrote the software that connects police directly to law enforcement databases. The package helps officers save time by requiring only a single entry, vs. multiple inquiries through the police radio dispatcher, Brennan said. They fill in a tag number and hit the enter button.
All functions are key-driven.
The Windows-like look and feel of the software makes the system easy to use, he added. Another plus is that the system is secure because messages carried by CDPD are encrypted to prevent unauthorized reception. Moreover, it lets police communicate without being picked up by police-frequency scanners. Brennan described the system as a success. We did have some bumps, but the vendors stayed in there with us, things smoothed out, and now we're doing real well.