New Technology Meets Old West

With a population of nearly 50,000, Casper, Wyoming is the second largest city in the state. It is nestled in the North Platte River Valley with nearby Casper Mountain rising up 3,000 feet above the city, creating a diverse terrain.

The community is served by the Casper Police Department, which also is home to the Casper Public Safety Communications Center. The Center is equipped with a Computer Aided Dispatch system (CAD), low band and 800 MHz trunked radio and enhanced 911 telephone systems. While the existing system could support some mobile data applications, the Casper Police Department needed a solution to support high-bandwidth applications such as image downloads and event-driven video.

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The Challenge

Increased safety--for both police officers and citizens--is the greatest challenge faced by any community's public safety organization. The city of Casper is no different. How do you improve public safety, operate more efficiently and keep officers safe? Using a mobile data kit--supplied by GE MDS' full-service partner, Twin Eagle Consulting-including the MDS iNET 900R, which provides high-speed access to real-time data and long-range coverage.

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The Solution

Using the MDS iNET for mobile data means access to information in real-time; virtually seconds not minutes. And in public safety, every second counts.

Fortunately, the speed of the MDS iNET (10 to 20 times faster than standard installed systems) makes many services that were once only available through the assistance of a dispatch center or at the office, now available for any officer to access from the streets.

This high-speed solution allows access to mug shots, license-plate numbers, vehicle identification numbers (VIN) and prior record information, as well as on-site fingerprinting, photo identification and video.

All are applications that can be made available by extending a city's network wirelessly - and securely--to its patrol vehicles. The benefits of having access to this information include increased officer safety, more efficient operations resulting in less required overtime, and an increased presence by police on the streets.

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Casper's Search for a Wireless Mobile Data Solution

The ability to access the most up-to-date information remotely from a patrol vehicle means officers can make critical decisions on how to proceed before ever leaving their vehicle. Knowing before they get out of the car that a routine traffic stop involves a convicted drug dealer (and the ability to view the mug shot to prove it), or that a domestic violence call involves a routine offender, can make a difference in how an officer responds to a call.

The Casper Police Department realized the benefits of a mobile data solution are too numerous not to be taken advantage of, but what wireless solution would provide the range and bandwidth needed to support these new applications and be cost effective and easy to use?

The City had three key requirements to meet regardless of which wireless solution would be implemented. The first was to achieve 90 percent coverage of Casper's city limits encompassing 27-square miles.

The second? The wireless solution needed to be able to interface with their existing Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) and other Windows applications, and allows end users to connect to a server that provides pertinent dispatch information. The City's Citrix terminal server is used primarily to enable e-mail communication.

The third requirement was to find a high-speed solution with enough throughput to allow them to take advantage of new applications such as the ability to send images to cars. It also needed to be able to accommodate multiple users accessing the system at the same time. Casper's Fire and Rescue department would be rolling out this same solution in their vehicles and needed access to blueprints and maps to assist with their emergency calls. After considering several options to meet their wireless needs, Casper declared the GE MDS iNET the clear-cut winner.

The MDS iNET met Casper's coverage requirement-90 percent of the 27-square miles of the city limits. The long-range coverage of the MDS iNET means fewer radios are required in the system compared to other license-free wireless solutions and deployment costs are reduced. And with data rates of 256 Kbps, access to new applications-such as slow-scan video images to and from vehicles-as well as Casper's CAD application are also possible.

This solution provides a secure extension of Casper's network to its patrol cars and fire rescue vehicles. Three MDS iNET Access Points (APs) were used to cover the entire City, and 25 radios were configured as remotes and installed in police vehicles. Another 23 are in Casper's fire rescue vehicles. Plans are in place to add additional Access Points to cover additional outlying areas.

And because the MDS iNET network is private, reliability is not an issue. During an emergency situation, no matter how much traffic is rendering a public network useless, Casper's private network will continue to be available.

A solution that is rugged and built to operate in harsh conditions is a definite must in a city like Casper, as well. The MDS iNET can withstand their cold winters, hot summers and the rough-and-tumble environment of the trunk of a patrol car--where Casper mounted the radios along with rugged laptop computers.

The MDS iNET is an Internet Protocol (IP) solution allowing Casper also to take advantage of numerous IP-enabled applications. The ability to run applications such as voice over IP (VoIP) and video over IP in an emergency situation can be invaluable when voice communication is limited or when video surveillance is necessary.

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Speaking of Security

It goes without saying; access to any network better be secure, but when that network belongs to a public safety agency, security is paramount. The MDS iNET 900, whether acting as an AP or a remote, offers encryption, dynamic key rotation, provision lists, authentication, and transmission security providing the most secure network.

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The Results

The long range and high speed provided by the MDS iNET meant this was the most cost-effective solution the City of Casper found. No monthly usage fees, lower infrastructure costs, fewer radios to be deployed and the durability of the MDS iNET add up to a robust, IP network able to support mobile applications for the lowest total cost of ownership.

The department also operates much more safely and efficiently. Officers are safer on the streets and are spending more time in patrol cars ensuring the publics. safety versus being at the station filing reports and completing paperwork.

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