Be ALERT...for the Police Car of the Future

There is no doubt that technological advancements have the power to revolutionize police work, provided they can be easily incorporated into an officer’s environment and job responsibilities. In 1994, the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) and the Federal Highway Administration began working together to figure out how new data collection technologies and systems could perform in the work-a-day world of police officers. The ALERT program was thus born and has since picked up many new partners, including the National Institute of Justice and the U.S. Department of Transportation. The program focused on devising the police car of the future, outfitted with everything from computer-driven overhead lights to global positioning systems. An onboard touch-screen computer controls the various capabilities of the system, such as enhanced video surveillance equipment and bar code readers. The ALERT program has won Al Gore’s Hammer Award and the Computer World Smithsonian Award, which recognizes organizations that have found new and innovative ways of using technology. ALERT program contact information is provided.