Data terminals set in patrol cars

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office has purchased 64 computers, 62 of which will be data terminals installed in patrol cars and linked to Law Enforcement Data Services by radio modem.

According to Sheriff Greg Brown, $275,000 of the $350,000 purchase price was provided by a federal grant, with the additional $75,000 from the sheriff's budget.

The money for each Motorola unit includes the data terminal, trunk-mounted transmitter and antenna, said the sheriff.

The data terminals will allow deputies to directly access the state data base for license number checks, instead of going through a dispatcher, according to Brown.

"These will cut radio traffic by 58 percent," said the sheriff, "and save personnel costs."

The Sheriff also said that the units will allow deputies to spend more time on patrol "because they will be able to do their log and computer entries direct, instead of coming back into the office."

The installation is currently underway and should be completed in about a month.