Law and Order Magazine by Kevin Gordon | September 2006
The vendor exposition at last September’s IACP convention in Miami was filled with every law enforcement product imaginable. While it is obviously impossible to report on all of the products, there were some that really stood out to me. My criteria is simple. I am looking for a new product, or new use of an existing product, that can benefit an agency, an officer, or the profession in general. Not all new technology involves computers or is digital in nature.
I am also partial to items that can benefit the average-size department. According to FBI statistics, 95% of the 18,500 police agencies have less than 100 officers, about 80% of the departments have 25 officers or less, and 50% have 10 officers or less. That defines the typical department, and I’m always looking for products that they can use.
All Traffic Solutions has two very interesting products that can actually be combined to work together and form a more versatile third product. SPEEDsentry is an electronic speed-reading device. Many departments use such speed boards to set up in work zones, school zones, or residential areas as an information safety campaign, informing drivers of their speed. While the traditional unit is trailer mounted, the SPEEDsentry is a portable stand-alone system that can be pole mounted or mounted to your own trailer if you wish. The fact that it is available without a trailer keeps it economical so more departments can utilize such a system.
The system is simple to use and with the addition of WebEmpowered(TM) it can be remotely managed and provide usable concise traffic information from raw data. Speed can be displayed in 12″, 15″ or 18″ digits with a variety of settings such as posted speed, 10% above posted, all speeds over a certain speed, etc.
The instAlert Rapid Messenger(TM) is a portable system that weighs only about 40 pounds and collapses small enough to fit in a trunk. Collapsed the unit is 3″ deep by 28″ tall by 30″ wide compared to the open size of 1.5″ deep, 28″ tall and 60″ wide. It has several power options including by vehicle cigarette lighter plug, 4-pin trailer plug adaptor, AC, solar or battery. It can be mounted to a portable or stationary post, a trailer, or the hitch receiver of your vehicle.
Carried in a soft over the shoulder carrying case, it can be carried and set up by one person in about one minute, making it a quick to use message board that allows you to inform traffic of directions such as “Accident Ahead” in a portable easy to use format. It is usable in temperatures from -40 to 175 degrees and can use up to 3 lines with text sizes from 7″, 10.25″ or 24″ letters.
The instALERT can store 25 pre-programmed messages or set them at the site using a laptop or PDA. It comes with 50 pre-programmed messages. With today’s departments always looking for creative financing due to short budgets, the portability of this product, various mounting methods, and messaging capability allow it to be used by other city agencies such as public works (eg road work ahead) sharing the cost between departments.
The SPEEDsentry combined with the instAlert Rapid Messenger(TM) creates the speedALERT which allows the combination of the features of each unit. For example, it allows you to program messages with certain speeds to either warn drivers in violation or praise safe drivers.
Direct all media inquiries to:
Lori Miles
All Traffic Solutions Marketing Manager
Calder Square, PO Box 10085
State College, PA 16805-0085
814-237-9005 Ext. 205
lmiles@alltrafficsolutions.com
