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28 May 2010
Thirty six top law enforcement officials address key technology issues at national conference hosted by the Small, Rural, Tribal, and Border Regional Center
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 When it comes to federal funding that supports law enforcement, the nation’s small agencies too often end up on the small side of the funding equation.
Despite the fact that 87 percent of the country’s agencies have less than 50 sworn officers—and are thus considered small agencies—80 percent of federal funding goes to only 20 percent of agencies, and mostly those in metropolitan areas.
Because of those limitations, small agencies often have the greatest need for help in finding cost-effective, innovative technology that can help them protect and serve their communities more efficiently, effectively, and safely with small numbers of officers.
The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center’s (NLECTC) Small, Rural, Tribal, and Border Regional Center (SRTB-RC)—hosted by The Center for Rural Development—continues to make strides in assisting small agencies across the United States find solutions that meets their needs. For the past five years, SRTB-RC has hosted the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Rural Law Enforcement Technology Institute (RLETI).
On May 2-6, a total of 36 chiefs, sheriffs, and high-level administrators from those agencies gathered at the Spring 2010 Institute in San Diego, CA to share information and exchange ideas on the technology needs of their officers and agencies.
The event represents the ninth such event organized and hosted by SRTB-RC, one of three resource and outreach centers in the NLECTC system within the National Institute of Justice, a program of the U.S. Department of Justice.
As with all previous Institutes, this session was “participant driven,” meaning they provide nearly all of the content for the sessions. Participant presentations must be relevant to the theme of the Institute, which is focused on technology issues within small, tribal, rural and border agencies.
The presentations can be on how an agency addressed an issue, can present a problem to the group for input on a solution, or can impart lessons learned during the implementation of a particular technology. SRTB-RC also arranges for presentations from other NIJ Centers and staff on services available to them from the federal government or other resources.
“SRTB-RC is here to act as on honest broker for information and as the gateway into other resources within the Federal government for small, rural, tribal, and border agencies across the nation. These Institutes are truly at the heart of our mission,” said Lonnie Lawson, president and CEO of The Center for Rural Development, SRTB-RC’s host agency.
“The Institutes bring together real-world practitioners to share ideas and look for commonalities in the way they do business on a day-to-day basis,” Lawson said, “and we encourage the agencies we serve to look for affordable solutions to the problems they encounter.”
The Spring 2010 Institute featured a wide variety of session topics ranging from computer-aided dispatch, crime-mapping, aviation technologies, communications, low-cost firearms simulation technologies, records management, digital video technologies, patrol vehicle technologies, 911 dispatch operation technologies, and various others.
The Institute also featured a technology demonstration during which the participants were divided into four groups, and were given the opportunity to move through different stations where demonstrating products were being exhibited.
These technologies included: a low-cost firearms simulator; powered parachute sponsored by Ripon, CA Police Department; Segway personal vehicles; Recon Scout reconnaissance robot; eGuardian Web-based information-sharing system hosted by the FBI; electronic license-plate readers; and the Crime Reports system.
This event provided the participants an opportunity to get a hands-on experience with top technologies being tested by SRTB-RC and NIJ.
In addition to being exposed to this technology, attendees also get the benefit of becoming a part of a network of new resources built during the Institutes.
“Everyone receives the full contact list for all current participants, as well as contact information for all past attendees and topics they presented,” Scott Barker, SRTB-RC director, said.
“Again this time, we heard more than one participant say this was the best training they had ever had,” Barker added.
Chief Jim Copsey of the Grover Beach, CA Police Department agreed.
“Each agency has brought a specific issue they looked at, and they’ve not all been a success story, which is really a plus,” Copsey said. “Sometimes you hear about a plan or program that an agency put together that failed, and this is why it failed, and this is what you need to look out for in your own planning.
“It’s not so much about obtaining equipment,” he continued. “It’s obtaining the knowledge of what’s out there and how I can best plan for that in my agency.”
Undersheriff Ron Peregrin of the Clallam County, WA Sheriff’s Office said the Institute proved extremely valuable to his small agency.
Peregrin said he has worked for two years to try to get crime scene investigation training for his deputies. Because of his county’s remote location, overtime issues made such on-scene training impossible to fund.
“I just found out today I can get the training for free through resources offered through NIJ website,” he said.
Additionally, Chief Tom Linn of the Blanchard, OK Police Department made a very beneficial connection with Sgt. John Osbourn of the Marysville, CA Police Department.
Linn stated during his presentation that approximately 30 percent of the law enforcement officers in Oklahoma perform their duties without body armor due to funding constraints and other factors. Upon researching with his department, Osbourn learned they could donate 100 vests—with more than a year's warranty left on each—to Linn and his department for distribution there as well as at other police departments in Oklahoma.
“This would not have been possible had we not met at this Institute,” Linn said.
Capt. Robert Arens of the Erlanger, KY Police Department presented information on the affordability and use of officer-worn video cameras versus more costly dash-mounted, in-car video cameras.
The cameras used by his department—which are roughly the size of a single pack of chewing gum and worn on an officer’s front shirt pocket—were obtained for less than $80 each. Replacing an in-car camera unit in a cruiser would cost around $5,000, he said.
“After sitting here and listening to some of the problems and financial constraints some of these departments have—from buying used cruisers to other hand-me-down equipment—for them to be able to buy a video camera to put on their officer for less than $80, to me, is unbelievable,” Arens said. “It not only gives them the chance to increase officers’ safety by having some video on them, but also gives them peace of mind because it’s technology they can afford.”
Funded through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute for Justice, National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center, and The Center for Rural Development, SRTB-RC serves as an honest broker providing responsive solutions and practical benefits to small and rural law enforcement agencies and acting as a one-stop-shop for free technical assistance and access to other NIJ Centers for nearly 17,000 small, rural, tribal, and border agencies across the nation through innovative, collaborative cooperation.
For more information on SRTB-RC and its programs, contact Scott Barker at 606-436-8848, or visit www.ruletc.org. The next Institute will in Oct. 3-8 again in San Diego. For more information, visit www.rleti.org.
The Center for Rural Development—the Center of Excellence for rural Kentucky and the nation—provides economic and community development programs to residents in a 42-county primary service area of Southern and Eastern Kentucky, and is home to several statewide and national technology-based programs. For more information on programs available through The Center, visit www.centertech.com.
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Photo Caption 1: Law-enforcement officials from across the nation gathered May 2-6 in San Diego, CA for the Spring 2010 Rural Law Enforcement Technology Institute (RLETI), hosted by National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center’s (NLECTC) Small, Rural, Tribal, and Border Regional Center (SRTB-RC). Hosted by The Center for Rural Development, SRTB-RC is one of three national law-enforcement and corrections technology centers in the United States and is a program of the National Institute of Justice.
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