MPD’s new squad cars feature technology that would make Batman proud

The Minneapolis Police Department’s newly unveiled black-and-white squad cars may be retro in appearance, but they boast the latest in crime-fighting technology. Souped-up Fords are gradually replacing the MPD’s current fleet of about 200 white cruisers. The new cars’ ’70s-era white-on-black color scheme is meant to make them more visible from a distance, according to MPD media rep Sgt. Jesse Garcia. 

On the inside, however, they’re not so ’70s. For starters, “mobile data computers” are connected to digital cameras for recording police incidents that start taping automatically whenever the cars’ flashing lights are turned on. Garcia also notes that the upgraded “911 computer automated dispatch system” is supposed to provide more accurate information about emergency calls.

Continued: Click “Read More” More tech:

• “Traffic-signal preemptors” — the devices that emergency vehicles use to seize control of stoplights in emergencies — are built in.
• A low-frequency siren called the Rumbler emits a deep bass thrum that “drivers can not only hear, but also feel. The vibrating siren penetrates today’s more soundproof cars,” according to the promotional literature.
• Some cars will also be testing out a license-plate recognition system that helps police spot stolen vehicles or drivers with outstanding felony warrants. It’s an infrared camera that snaps pictures of license plates and then converts the plate numbers into text and runs them through various databases.

MPD officials claim their gadgets and gizmos facilitate better police work. Garcia says the added technology will lend an office-on-the-go aspect to the cars. And that means improved response time, he claims, because “officers won’t need to go back to the office so much to do certain things.”