mh/mds.pr      97-294              Contact:  David Weaver, 301-217-6530;
                                       Bruce Blair, 301-217-4241; or
                                       George Ludington, 301-217-4090
DUNCAN SEEKS $1 MILLION 
EMERGENCY FUNDING FOR
PUBLIC SAFETY MOBILE DATA
SYSTEM                        For Immediate Release:  September 25, 1997 


     Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan today announced that he has sent 
to the County Council a $1 million emergency supplemental appropriation request in order to
continue a pilot program for the Public Safety Mobile Data System project.  Duncan made his
announcement during a demonstration of the wireless computer technology currently installed
in 16 County police cruisers.  The project, which began in June, includes evaluation of five
different vendor models within the vehicles.
     "This technology will enhance virtually every aspect of a police officer's duties," said
Duncan.  "From running a tag check to determining outstanding warrants on a suspect, this
system can link the officer almost instantaneously to critical data."
     At a cost of $5,000 to $15,000 per vehicle, the computers provide users with on-line
capabilities to obtain and input data on numerous activities related to law enforcement and
public safety activities.  Among the many capabilities of the systems, include the ability to
access street directions to an incident, receive a record of previous emergency incidents at the
address, and obtain a listing of any hazardous materials located on the premises.  For County
police, officers can obtain valuable information on criminal and motor vehicle data bases such
as the Maryland Interagency Law Enforcement Information System (MILES) and the National
Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS).   In the future, personnel will be
able to complete and file reports electronically in the field.
     "This is a continuation of the commitment that the County Executive and I have made
to our officers and the community in bringing state-of-the-art technology to our department,"
said Mehrling.  "These computers will enhance public safety delivery to the community and
assist in the safety of our officers."        
     If approved, the emergency funding will allow continued evaluation of the system's
conceptual design, equipment needs and search for a vendor.    The system, which would be 
installed in approximately 1,000 police and 250 fire-rescue vehicles, is similar to units already
in operation in Alexandria and Fairfax County, Virginia.
     In addition to the emergency appropriation for the mobile data system, Duncan also
has requested an emergency appropriation of $3.4 million for the County's communications
upgrade to the 800 MHz radio frequency.
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