Mobile Data On A Budget

---

The introduction of mobile data terminals in police vehicles back in the mid-1980s, was a huge step forward in access to information for police officers in the field.

Suddenly, officers no longer needed to rely solely on the dispatcher to run checks on persons or vehicles. They could now access large amounts of information at any time without having to interrupt an already busy dispatcher with “just” a plate check.

This new electronic data-access also greatly increased the number of checks done by officers because of its self-serve nature. It facilitated trolling for stolen autos, suspended drivers and ne’er-do-wells regardless of how busy the voice-radio system was or how strongly the officers’ intuitive senses tingled.

Leadership is an attitude of encouragement

---

Policing in a large metropolis can very quickly turn into a career scamper to either promotion or specialization. My own realization of this fact was after completing five years working on general patrol duties. I decided to try my hand at Traffic work in the big city. My transfer was accomplished blindingly fast... which could be a reflection on how bad one branch wanted to get rid of me or how badly the new branch wanted me.

Court rules on Internet privacy interest

---

Saskatchewan's highest court has ruled in two child pornography cases involving Internet Protocol (IP) address information provided to police by the Internet Service Provider (ISP). The court was divided on whether there was a reasonable expectation of privacy in IP account information.

In R. v. Trapp, 2011 SKCA 143, an undercover police investigator monitoring peer-to-peer file-sharing on the Internet searched for child pornography images or videos. Browsing a computer's shared folders she discovered they contained child pornography files, generated a history for the corresponding IP address and determined that the Internet ISP was SaskTel, a Crown corporation.

Data accessibility and security connect

---

The Chatham-Kent Police Service is responsible for serving a mixed rural and urban population of approximately 110,000 residents in a geographic area spanning 2,400 sq km. One of the largest municipalities in southwestern Ontario, Chatham-Kent is made up of several small communities that once had their own policing services, but have since amalgamated. Today’s police force, made up of 240 employees in 20 specialized units, is embracing new technology that allows officers to spend more time in the field and less time in front of a desktop computer.