When it comes to technology, the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department likes to be on the cutting edge.

Mobile data systems have been installed in all Kosciusko County Sheriff's patrol cars, and once all the technology is in place, they will be the first in the state with capabilities to access both state and local records from the vehicles. The systems could be running completely by Friday.

"We could be running (all the programs) today," said Kosciusko County Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine. "We want access to both state and local information. We are just waiting for the technology to be in place. The last steps are being put in place now."

Kosciusko's cars have all the technology and capabilities to run both the state and local information access programs, but the state is in the final phases of installing the software needed to send certain information directly to officers in their patrol vehicles.

"This just shows how proactive our department is," said Rovenstine. "There are so many things in our dispatch center that we have been first to try. Now we can do that on the road. There is a lot about our department and our county that is proactive."

With the new technology, officers can check license plates and run driver's licenses directly from their vehicles without calling for help from the Kosciusko County Dispatch Center. With the volume of calls received by the dispatch center, sometimes officers avoid calling in license plate numbers for routine checks so they do not create more traffic.

Radio systems for the police throughout the state are provided by Motorola. Kosciusko County's in-house computers are powered by Cysco. Cysco currently is in the process of interfacing with the state and Motorola for the mobile data systems.

It is also easier for officers to check for outstanding warrants, see photos of suspects and access other information.

"This is a great asset and a great tool for us," said Rovenstine. "There is a lot more information at hand. The part that we have up and going at this point works really well."

Each car is equipped with a hard-mounted OEM laptop computer with wireless capability. The body of the computer and keyboard are made of special material that is waterproof and more durable than regular laptops. The new computers replace the regular laptops that have been in cars for the past six years.

"These computers can take the wear and tear of normal police work," said Rovenstine.

The computers also are equipped with special software and touch-screen technology. Messaging and checking license plates, driver's licenses and warrants are all integrated in the same program that puts information at officers' fingertips.

"This system allows us to talk with state troopers via the computer," said Rovenstine. "We can e-mail between officers now, but that's just a small part of the capabilities we have. Officers can still communicate when there is emergency-only traffic for dispatch."

The computers, hardware and software, were paid for through various grants received from federal grants. The sheriff's department applied for a COPS grant through the federal government nearly four years ago. What was not covered by that grant were paid for through a Homeland Security grant. [[In-content Ad]]