Learn more and take a short survey at IACP conference Booth 223
Global Traffic Technologies, the market leader in emergency vehicle preemption, is launching a new product in the second half of this year that will give law enforcement agencies the ability to respond quickly and safely to emergencies.
Details of the offering will be discussed at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Association’s (IACP) conference planned for May 20-22, in Jacksonville, Fla.
GTT’s Opticom™ Emergency Vehicle Preemption solutions have enabled first responders to preempt traffic signals for more than 50 years, but GTT’s new offering for law enforcement addresses concerns that many cities have had about how that preemption by law enforcement agencies would impact everyday traffic.
GTT’s solution for law enforcement will consider Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) data when determining if a preemption request will be made. Local agencies will have the flexibility to determine which types of calls will be given preemption status. For example, some agencies might have a blanket policy where only the most serious calls would get pre-emption. Other cities might choose to allow officers to determine when preemption is necessary.
The solution was developed with input from dozens of agencies across the United States, GTT’s product manager Claudia Rudolph said.
“Many traffic engineers have told us that they wouldn’t support preemption for law enforcement because of the sheer volume of preemption requests compared to what a fire truck or ambulance might request,” Rudolph said. “But the ability to factor in CAD data and only give preemption in certain types of calls drastically reduces the number of pre-emption requests.”
The first iteration of this solution is designed to appeal to law enforcement agencies in any of the 3,100-plus communities worldwide that already have Opticom equipment. Law enforcement agencies in these communities can leverage existing priority control equipment at the 90,000-plus intersections that are equipped with GTT technology.
“Many agencies have the opportunity to collaborate with their counterparts in fire and EMS departments,” Rudolph said. “The first step is to see what you already have. From there, we’ll work to bring everyone to the table and develop a plan to make use of the investment your community has already made.”
The benefits of having a traffic signal preemption system – response time reductions of up to 25 percent and reduced intersection crash rates of 70 percent – won’t be limited to cities with existing Opticom infrastructure. GTT product developers are currently working on a cloud-based, software-only preemption solution. Opticom for law enforcement agencies will be available as-a-service, meaning agencies will pay a flat fee and get a comprehensive preemption solution without having to worry about owning, installing or maintaining equipment.
“We’ve heard from many agencies that they don’t need another piece of hardware in their patrol cars,” Rudolph said. “With more and more cities investing in communication networks and IoT infrastructure, we know there’s demand for a software-only solution.”
GTT representatives will be able to answer any questions about the law enforcement solution at the IACP Conference. Visit GTT at Booth 223 to learn how some law enforcement agencies are already leveraging existing preemption infrastructure to respond to emergencies more quickly and safely. GTT product experts will be on hand to answer all your questions about integration and implementation. You can also earn a gift card by completing a short survey at the booth. Stop by for more details.
For more information, visit https://www.theiacp.org/tech-conference.
If your agency is interested in the solution but you’re not able to attend the conference, contact GTT’s public safety market manager, Al Kuchera, at [email protected].
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