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Volunteer police officer Jeff Rubenstein was frustrated with how
long it took to get information on a speeder or traffic violator he pulled
over.
So, using his technology background, he developed a computer
program for patrol cars that reads aloud important information in seconds.
It then can print tickets from a small printer in the police cruiser.
Now, about two dozen law enforcement agencies around the state are
using the voice response software, called Virtual
Partner, and praising it
for making traffic stops safer and faster. Rubenstein's company, Advanced
Public Safety Inc. of Boca Raton, plans to sell the technology nationwide.
"It makes it very simple for the deputy," said Capt. Mike Samec of
the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office in northeast Florida. "Once he types
in a tag number he doesn't have to do any more. He can listen and keep his
eye on the driver or the passengers."
Most patrol cars have
computers with mobile data systems so officers can get driver and vehicle
information from the road.
While patrolling the roads or during a
traffic stop, officers type in a license plate number and scroll down the
screen looking for pertinent information, such as when a tag expires. They
have to place the driver's license number of the registered owner into
another query to get more information.
"That's all we have to do
while driving, which is very dangerous," Rubenstein said. Plus, because of
the sun's glare, "you can't see the laptop during the day."
With
Virtual Partner,
an officer enters a tag number and the software runs several queries
simultaneously. Seconds later, a computerized voice verbally reads back
the car's description and if it's stolen. It also says if the driver is a
habitual traffic offender, has a valid license and registration or is
wanted on an arrest warrant.
"Those are all things an officer
needs to know before he gets to a car," said Aventura Police Chief Tom
Ribel. "That's a big advantage."
Virtual
Partner costs $99 to $399
per vehicle, depending on the size of the force. Additional QuickTicket
and QuickCrash programs automatically fill in and print citations. The
software is compatible with any police data system.
Officers in
Aventura in Miami-Dade County are writing twice as many traffic tickets.
"You can write multiple tickets in seconds as opposed to being at
a traffic stop for 10 to 15 minutes," said officer Nick Darpino.
He said he felt safer on the overnight shift, when more traffic
offenders are on the road and it's difficult to see inside a stopped
vehicle.
"If you get a hit on any kind of warrant you can have
another unit come by before you even go up there," he said. "You can
increase your safety before even making contact."
Rubenstein, an
attorney and technology executive, became an auxiliary officer in 1997.
After his company was sold, he began patrolling four days a week. Last
year, he asked the Delray Beach Police Department if he could design a
more user-friendly program.
He worked with two Delray Beach
officers who tested the system in the field. The final product was
installed in the department's patrol cars last fall.
"The whole
concept was designed by cops," Rubenstein said. "It's everything an
officer would want."
Rubenstein has gotten calls from departments
in Georgia, Texas and Virginia.
But he said he didn't expect the
program he designed on computers at his dining room table to catch on with
other agencies.
"I didn't intend this to be a business," he said.
"I was doing this to help out the department to make our jobs safer and
easier on the road."
On the Net: http://www.advancedpublicsafety.com/
SECTION:
Business News; State and Regional
LENGTH:
613 words
BYLINE:
By AMANDA RIDDLE, Associated Press Writer
DATELINE: DELRAY
BEACH, Fla.
GRAPHIC: With AP
Photos FLTE101
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