The approximately 28.3-mile drive from the Leland Police Station to the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office in Bolivia takes about 30 minutes.
Until recently, officers made the hour-long drive to and fro whenever they needed to process an arrest or meet with a magistrate.
The agency’s recent investment in new technology and equipment is changing that, allowing officers to process arrests from Leland’s police department, saving time and resources in the process.
As further evidence that technology has advanced into every corner of life as a result of COVID-19, these new adjustments and advances into police force have made it possible for regular parts of smaller law enforcement agencies, especially in rural communities. may become.
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Save countless hours with 3 new technologies
The reservation room behind the Leland Police Department is now fully equipped with three new pieces of equipment. It’s a poison meter, an automatic fingerprint identification system, and a video magistrate system.
According to Police Chief Jeremy Humphries, the addition of these items means that rather than driving to the Bolivian sheriff’s office or prison, police and other law enforcement officers operating in the area will have them in-house. This means that arrests can be fully processed in
The poison meter will allow officers to perform breath tests on DWI cases from headquarters instead of Bolivia. An automated fingerprint identification system will allow officers to take fingerprints on demand and upload those fingerprints digitally to the state rather than processing paper records.
A video magistrate system is probably the most important piece of equipment in terms of saving officers time and the town’s resources, he said. A magistrate is a judicial officer who serves in both civil and criminal cases.
The system allows officers to appear before suspects for initial appearances, to obtain warrants, or to perform other duties.
“Our staff are absolutely delighted with the results the software has delivered,” said Humphries. “This will allow them to get back on the streets sooner or later.”
Before the equipment was fully operational around February of this year, officers made arrests, searched for suspects, and started paperwork in-house before heading to Bolivia. There, the suspect is hunted again and more paperwork is done.
Then, after waiting in line behind other agencies, the officers and arrestees appear before a magistrate to set the terms of their release. This process may take several hours.
Now, the Leland Police Department will remain in town, heading to the station to process suspects and appear before a magistrate via a secure video chat link.
According to Humphries, the new process saves staff hours of time each day and increases cost savings in terms of vehicle and gasoline wear and tear, especially when gas prices rose to nearly $5 a gallon earlier this year. benefits are provided.
“It saves time and keeps our staff within the city limits of Leland,” he said.
The lasting impact of COVID
According to Humphries, discussions about many additions to the technology have been going on for several years, and its installation has been complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues.
When the department first started considering the idea of adding an automatic fingerprint identification system, the COVID-19 pandemic had to consider the number of people that officers and arrestees would come into contact with.
“So let’s really think and find creative ways to try to limit the amount of exposure not just to your own staff, but to other staff and other people while serving or working. facility,” Humphries said.
Being able to offer the same service from their station in Leland, he said, will limit that potential exposure. It states that it is not just a reactive solution to 19.
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“Even if COVID is gone tomorrow, it doesn’t mean we stop,” he said. “All of this equipment is something we will continue to use.”
Humphries said these systems cost some money locally, but the toxicometers were provided by the North Carolina Forensic Alcohol Branch.
benefit other institutions
Humphries added that the equipment is also available to the North Carolina Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies in the northern end of Brunswick County, as well as several law enforcement agencies in Columbus County.
A toxicometer would be beneficial, especially if these agencies have cases requiring breath tests, and would allow Leland’s to be used without having to drive a long distance, he said. Told.
Humphries said this kind of technology could become more standardized in smaller law enforcement agencies, especially local law enforcement. Since Leland installed the device, two of his other agencies in the county have inquired about the benefits they are seeing.
Those agencies are considering adding similar equipment to streamline the arrest process, he said.
Jamie Cross is a public safety reporter for Star News. Contact her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on her Twitter @jameybcross.
