Editorial: Help for the police

This past Thursday morning, a host of government officials and law enforcement employees gathered for a presentation by the Law Enforcement Technology Group (LETG), which provides computer-aided dispatch software as well as record-management software for law enforcement agencies.

What the folks saw during that presentation was equipment that would transform the Worthington Police Department’s way of doing its work. With a computer-aided dispatch system, for example, squad cars would have laptop computers that would place the entire records system at officers’ fingertips. There would be printers in each vehicle to aid in the completion of paperwork, and computer-aided dispatch software would both reduce police scanner traffic and allow for better communication between officers and dispatch.

Jeff Gottstein, the owner of LETG, told the Daily Globe that the system is “all about officer safety and information flow. Information is what can keep officers safe.”

Law enforcement officials universally praised the technology they saw, and are no doubt eager to have it. It won’t come cheaply, however, as was indicated during Monday night’s Worthington City Council meeting.

Alderman Lyle Ten Haken, who said he’d heard the new technology could cost as much as $600,000, noted the equipment would ultimately be cost-saving while increasing safety and efficiency. Alderman Bob Petrich said, “It’s a fantastic system ... it’s something we need to do as soon as we get the funding for it.”

Petrich is right. After all, our officers do their best to keep this community safe. The city, in turn, should do the best it can to help protect those who protect us.

Tags: opinion, city, of, worthington