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New laptops add convenience for BPD
By By Alica P. Thiele
Challenger reporter
Challenger reporter
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EmailOctober 14. 2009 6:00AM
A gift from the county will help Brandon police find information faster.
The Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Department will give the Brandon Police Department five mobile data computers that were declared surplus.
“We upgraded,” said Capt. James Hoekman of the sheriff’s office. “We did the whole fleet, so I believe we put in 20. And (Brandon is) getting our five best (surplus) ones.”
Brandon Police Chief Dave Kull said Brandon also received two new computers through a federal emergency management grant. The laptops are installed in police vehicles so officers can look up information while they are on patrol. The additional county laptops will come in handy.
“They were newer than what we have and were certainly capable of serving our needs,” Kull said. “They have touch screens right on the laptop.”
When someone calls 911, the laptop will show all the information the responding officer needs to know, such as the time the call came in, the address and the nature of the call. The information is updated as it becomes available.
The laptops also are used during traffic stops. The officer can look up the license plates of the stopped vehicle to see to whom it is registered. Information about the driver also is available, such as if there are any outstanding warrants against the person.
The Brandon Police Department already has computers in patrol cars, but the new ones will be faster, Kull said. The touch screens will be more convenient than a traditional keyboard and mouse, and the new units will take up less space in the cars, he said.
Hoekman said Brandon requested the laptops. The remainder of the county’s surplus units will be sold, he said.
Kull said once the laptops from the county are installed in the Brandon Police Department vehicles, the old computers will be declared surplus as well.
The Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Department will give the Brandon Police Department five mobile data computers that were declared surplus.
“We upgraded,” said Capt. James Hoekman of the sheriff’s office. “We did the whole fleet, so I believe we put in 20. And (Brandon is) getting our five best (surplus) ones.”
Brandon Police Chief Dave Kull said Brandon also received two new computers through a federal emergency management grant. The laptops are installed in police vehicles so officers can look up information while they are on patrol. The additional county laptops will come in handy.
“They were newer than what we have and were certainly capable of serving our needs,” Kull said. “They have touch screens right on the laptop.”
When someone calls 911, the laptop will show all the information the responding officer needs to know, such as the time the call came in, the address and the nature of the call. The information is updated as it becomes available.
The laptops also are used during traffic stops. The officer can look up the license plates of the stopped vehicle to see to whom it is registered. Information about the driver also is available, such as if there are any outstanding warrants against the person.
The Brandon Police Department already has computers in patrol cars, but the new ones will be faster, Kull said. The touch screens will be more convenient than a traditional keyboard and mouse, and the new units will take up less space in the cars, he said.
Hoekman said Brandon requested the laptops. The remainder of the county’s surplus units will be sold, he said.
Kull said once the laptops from the county are installed in the Brandon Police Department vehicles, the old computers will be declared surplus as well.
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Brandon Police Chief Dave Kull demonstrates how a laptop computer installed in a patrol car can access information about a license plate or driver’s license. The Brandon Police Department soon will receive five newer laptops that were declared surplus from the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Department. Photo by Alica P. Thiele |  |
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