Tuesday, Sep. 02, 2008

West Richland police to get new wireless network thanks to Lockheed Martin

By Pratik Joshi, Herald staff writer

WEST RICHLAND -- Lockheed Martin is developing a new-generation wireless network for the West Richland Police Department that will provide officers with faster access to secure databases, dispatch staff and streaming video feeds, even when they are on the move.

Officers won't have to worry about reception quality or network congestion, said West Richland Police Chief Layne Erdman. And in an emergency, the system won't become bogged down like the public networks the department uses now.

Best of all, West Richland isn't spending any money on the project.

It's a proactive solution to help fight crime and efficiently use city resources, Erdman said. The pilot project will allow the city to test the benefits of the latest technology in the face of dwindling resources and give Lockheed Martin a chance to test its new integrated network solutions.

Most of the hardware already is in place, and the system is expected to become functional soon after the company installs some additional equipment, Erdman said.

The system is based on Wi-Max technology, which ranges from point-to-point links to full mobile cellular-type access. It will be integrated with the department's existing system, giving West Richland officers broadband access, said Justin Benoit, Lockheed Martin's information system chief architect.

West Richland will see operational savings when the system is fully functional, he said

The broadband access system can be expanded per the city's needs, Benoit said. Besides video cameras, the city's Geographic Information System also can be tied into the wireless network, he said, and it's highly reliable.

A wireless mesh network Lockheed Martin developed a few years ago for the Ripon, Calif., police department helped improve response time for law enforcement agencies and emergency crews, kept crime down and allowed the city to do more without spending additional money, said Todd Eckman, Lockheed Martin's chief technology officer.

Recently, the system won the city recognition from the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Highway Safety Administration for best technology uses in law enforcement in the U.S., Eckman said.

Erdman said the pilot project will save manpower and give the community a chance to evaluate the long-term costs of using fast-changing technology.

While he's excited about the project, his officers will continue to use card-based Web access even when the new system is up and running, Erdman said. It's always nice to have a backup, he said.