Project54: standardizing electronic device integration in police cruisers

Technological advances have introduced many electronic devices into police cruisers. Today's police cruisers are equipped with not only lights and sirens but also digital radios, GPS units, computers, radars, and other devices. These in-car devices aren't usually designed with integration in mind. This design approach creates two problems. The first stems from the fact that police cruisers are primarily vehicles and the officers operating them are primarily drivers. Because in-car devices aren't designed for integration, most police departments install them in cruisers as stand-alone devices, each with its own user interface. Consequently, the officers operating the cruisers must deal with the distraction of interacting with multiple user interfaces in the hands- and eyes-busy environment of a car. Research shows that interacting with even a single in-car device can lead to safety problems. Interacting with multiple in-car devices clearly poses a safety problem. This problem is likely to worsen as new devices are installed in cruisers.