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The Macomb Police Department uses a variety of technologies to
complete our law enforcement mission. Below is a sampling of the
items at our disposal.
Radar
Less-Than-Lethal Technology
Law Enforcement Automated Data System (LEADS)
Vision Enhancement Equipment
Flashlights and Tactical Lights
Night Vision
Equipment
Thermal Imaging Equipment
Computerized Reporting / Incident Management / Record
Keeping
In-Car Video Cameras with Audio Recording Capability
Radar
The Macomb Police Department utilizes Radar units manufactured by
Decatur Electronics. The
radar units are used to enforce speed restrictions. The radar units
have the ability to measure speeds of vehicles, approaching the squad car
and moving away from it, in front of the patrol unit and behind it.
The unit also has "same lane" radar capability. The radar unit is
designed to be activated at the press of a button. The radar unit
projects no radar beam until the officer press the button. This
reduces the effectiveness of "radar detectors." This state of the art
units also projects a beam, retrieves the beam, and calculates the speed in
about 2 seconds. This calculation time is about ten times as fast as a
radar detector can alert to the presence of radar.
The Macomb Police also uses hand-held radar for special enforcement
areas, particularly around school zones.
Less-Than-Lethal Technology
Advances in technology have brought about many changes in the ways Law
Enforcement Officers can protect themselves and others. More and more
departments are embracing these technological advances because they offer a
safer alternative, for the officer and the "bad guy", than the billy club
and sap. Because of high profile events there is a negative
psychological stigma associated with "billy clubs." Although the
police baton, incorrectly referred to as a "billy club", is a legal force
option when used correctly, departments have moved forward by adopting other
less-than-lethal options.
There are different styles, types, and delivery systems for several
varied less-than-lethal force options. Examples of less-than-lethal
technology include pepper spray, tear gas launchers, bean bag rounds (fired
from shotgun), and conducted energy devices, commonly known as Tasers.
Area police departments have recently introduced the
Taser into their arsenal of
less-than-lethal technology.
 Tasers
provide a brief electric charge that causes a temporary loss of muscle
control. In fact the loss is so brief it is only a few seconds.
These precious seconds allow officers to safely handcuff and secure a
violent subject without harm.
Being pioneers in the law enforcement field is a bold effort. So
far there has been positive results with the use of Tasers. In fact,
the University of Illinois' Police Training Institute (PTI) has written a
position paper regarding the use of Tasers as a force option. Although
the Police Training Institute (PTI) does not take a stance whether police
departments should get them or not, PTI has concluded that Tasers are no
more dangerous than current tools and are probably safer.
Coming from Illinois' leading law enforcement training center and a national
pioneer in law enforcement training, that is quite a statement. The
entire PTI Taser position paper
( a pdf file) provides helpful information for police administrators.
Taser image provided by
http://www.taser.com/index.htm
**Taser International brand Tasers are
proudly and effectively used by several police agencies across
the country, including the McDonough County Sheriff's Department.
Law Enforcement Automated
Data Systems (LEADS)
The Law Enforcement Automated Data System
(LEADS) is a state sponsored computerized clearing house. The computer
system is managed by the Illinois
State Police. This computer system gives Officers from all over
the state access to a variety of public and government records.
Officers can access vehicle registration information, driver's license
information, stolen item information, and criminal history information to
name a few. The system is linked to all other state and national
databases, allowing officers to access vital information on people and
objects from across the country.
Vision Enhancement Equipment
The Macomb Police Department currently utilizes a variety of technology
to allow officers to see in low-light, poor-light, and no-light situations.
Flashlights have long been used in
policing to see in dark areas. Members of the Macomb Police
Department have recently purchased
tactical lights without department funds or tax payer funding.
These lights not only allow the officer to see in unlit, or poorly lit,
areas, but also identify a target / suspect.
These lights assist officers in handling the light, weapon, and
decision making skills necessary to accomplish a safe resolution to a
volatile
incident. Have you every tried to fire a handgun at a paper target
in little to no light...while holding a flashlight? What if the
paper target were now an actual person intent on killing you or a
member of your family? Police have a difficult job and officers
look to training and technology to give them the tools to defend the
community.
Although the use of deadly force is rare in policing across the
country, the Macomb Police Department regularly trains and practices for
the day when an officer will have to defend his / her life, the life of
another officer, or the life of a member of the community.
Night Vision Equipment
allows one to see in completely darkened areas as though it were
daytime. Night vision technology
was developed at the request of the military. As with a lot of
military technology, it eventually finds a use in the civilian world.
Police have used night vision equipment to see in total darkness.
From the drug investigation where detectives observe drug dealers that
think the police aren't watching, to the burglary detail where
investigators watch and record the movements of a criminal that uses the
darkness for concealment.
Night vision equipment has given law enforcement the edge it needs to
"see in the dark" where criminals hide.
Thermal Imaging Equipment is a fairly
recent technology.
Thermal Imaging
allows one to see slight differences in temperature. This allows
one to see through smoke, walls, and clothing for subtle differences in
temperature. Thermal Imaging Equipment was pioneered in the
medical and military fields of science. This technology has found
a home with Fire Departments because it permits firefighters to see
through smoke for victims, to see through walls for the location of a
fire, and to see through floors for hotter parts of the building.
| The images above show an intruder in total darkness. |
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In this image, residual heat, left from footprints, is
visible. Thermal imaging devices can detect the slightest
degree of change in heat. |
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This is a thermal image of a house. |
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The Macomb Fire Department has a Thermal Imaging Camera.
Macomb Police have used the camera in the past to locate felons that
were attempting to evade police by running through a bean field.
The burglary suspects had broken into a home, stolen a truck, fled after
a short pursuit with McDonough County Sheriff's Deputies and eventually
hid in a bean field. Macomb Fire Department arrived with their
Thermal Imaging Camera and the suspects were quickly captured.
 Thermal
image of Officer and K-9 searching for suspect.
Thermal images provided by
http://www.x20.org/thermal/
Computerized Reporting /
Incident Management / Record Keeping
The Macomb Police Department utilizes a variety of computers and computer
programs to report incidents, document events, manage incidents, and
maintain records of events. The computers in the police station are
typical desktop personal computers. The technology exists to place
heavy duty laptops in the patrol cars. Currently, members of the
Macomb Police are working on a grant to purchase this valuable
crime-fighting technology.
The internet has also proved to be a valuable tool. Not only can
officers research methods to solve crimes, serve the community, or learn
about new technologies, but officers can also use the web to assist in
computer crime investigation.
In-Car Video Cameras with Audio
Recording Capability
In order to better serve the community, the Macomb Police Department has
invested in vehicle mounted video camera that also record sound. The
in car video cameras have become almost standard equipment in the field of
policing.
The Macomb Police Department has had great success with the in car video
cameras in the area of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Enforcement.
Not only does the video record the vehicle in traffic before the stop, but
the video also captures the slurred speech and loss of balance of the
intoxicated driver. These videos make it very easy for the State's
Attorney to prosecute a DUI arrest.
The Hi-8 videotapes are small and compact. The video unit and
camera weigh only a few pounds and do not "clutter" the dashboard area of
the patrol car.
The tapes can be introduced at trial as evidence. The members of
the jury, judge, lawyers, the public, and news media can see exactly how the
driver was behaving before, during, and after the arrest.
In this day and age, if you have contact with a police officer on the
street, chances are your conversation may be recorded on audio and video.
In car video camera pictures provided by
http://www.decaturradar.com/detail.php?Detail_ID=76
Macomb Police proudly use Decatur
Electronics products!
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