Cops Reach the Video Age

Beset by sex scandals, a bad audit, budget cuts, and city hall demonstrators, some good news for the San Diego Police Department seemed last week to have finally arrived in the form of its latest high-tech gadget: a brand-new, custom-built “mobile command post vehicle,” packed with state-of-the-art electronics, all for an optimistically estimated price of around $250,000. “The vehicle shall be built on a new, current model year Freightliner MT-55 Chassis, with a 20 foot load space Utility Style Body,” says a request for bid issued by the city November 7. “The intent is to receive a vehicle approximately 30–31 feet in overall length. The vehicle shall have landline, cellular and satellite phone service, cellular and satellite internet/intranet systems, and satellite television.” The contractor is to “Provide and install Three 42˝ LCD or LED television/monitors, with Smart Board overlays.” In addition, “All televisions/monitors [are] to have their own video selector switch, capable of selecting any video input available in the vehicle, (i.e. On Air Television, Helicopter Video Downlink, Satellite Television, etc.)” The specifications also call for a “complete hybrid telephone system, capable of operating on landline inputs, Tellular, or satellite service,” along with “a complete .96cm Ku-band satellite system,” and “Three Panasonic CF31 Laptop Toughbook computers, installed at the workstations.” A separately priced add-on package would include more police radios and “an all weatherproof exterior compartment for the mounting of the third 42˝ Flat screen television/monitor, which can be permanently installed, to provide video to large briefings conducted outside the Command Vehicle.”

(As we approached deadline Monday, the status of the project, as reported by the city’s procurement website, was changed to “cancelled.” Reached by phone, procurement specialist Beverly Asbill-Gumbs said that the request for bids had been temporarily taken down because the city’s estimated project cost of $250,000 had been posted in error and had to be removed. Bids are still on, with a closing date of November 30.)