Hamden, CT - Hamden patrolmen on duty in one of the City's 21 vehicles equipped with laptop computers will soon be able to send a variety of reports directly from their car to the central computer system at Police Department headquarters.

Police officials said this new capability will enable the Hamden force in cars to stay out on patrol longer, improving the pubic safety presence. Prior to this technology, officers ended their shift on the streets earlier, returning to the office to type their reports. Now, patrolmen have their full shifts in the cars, prepare reports on the laptop on location, and send data directly to HQ, where appropriate people can read it and respond as warranted.

This mobile software also enables Hamden to send and receive data and images from other police department computers that have NexGen systems. If an officer in the car files a report with a suspect's name, and that file isn't in Hamden, the department will automatically learn his whereabouts if the suspect's file is in another town using the same computer software.

In New Haven County, the towns are East Haven, West Haven, Branford and Madison.