New standards of heightened awareness require PDs to rethink performance of their computer technologies.

October 1 -Farmington PD's new Dispatch Center is attracting statewide interest from law enforcement agencies, and on October 1, the Department, under Chief Michael Whalen, showed off the facility and their new computer system from NexGen.

Both the NexGen LEAS, and Farmington's newly constructed state of the art $9.5 million building, are being seen as models by other state and town policing agencies

The Central Region Counsel Of Government's Public Safety Council, and its CAPTAIN technology, is the Connecticut standard that NexGen meets. NexGen ensures all its PDs can access CAPTAIN, currently home to 950 laptop computers, and used by more than 2800 officers in nearly 70 different police departments to link them to local, state and national criminal information files.

Farmington Chief Michael Whalen said that the decision to use NexGen software was "the unanimous decision of a committee we put together to study many proposals. NexGen is such an intuitive system, all of our officers will be trained on it, and it is very easy to learn," says the Chief.

On the road, Farmington's patrolmen have full shifts in the cars, prepare reports on laptops on location, and send data in real time directly to HQ. From the car, officers get instant information on traffic infractions, stolen vehicles, the addresses of parolees, and can do background checks, serve outstanding warrants, and see mug shots on-screen.

"This past March, GAO released a report that found the September 11 terrorists attacks demonstrated the need to improve information sharing and to better integrate and manage information technology systems in a timely manner between government agencies," says Sal Annunziato, NexGen managing principal.

" In this context, NexGen has been getting the attention of a growing number of PDs, ' states Annunziato. " A common denominator to ensure public safety is carried out at the highest level is the application and integration of technologies such as provided by police owned NexGen".