Technology

The University Heights Police Department is committed to providing its officers with the best tools available to perform their duties.  To this end, the department provides a large amount of technologically advanced equipment to its officers.  This equipment includes, but is not limited to:

Radio Equipment

Through a dispatching contract with the Iowa City Police Department, the department has received access to the City of Iowa City's 800MHz public safety communications system.  This allows officers to directly contact not only their dispatchers, but members of the Iowa City and University of Iowa Police Departments as well as the Johnson County Ambulance Service from their car and portable radios.  Over the past few years the department has obtained several new portable radios through grants to replace old equipment and ensure that enough radios are available to equip each officer.  Additionally, both of the department's marked patrol cars are equipped with a VHF radio that allows direct communication with all other law enforcement agencies in Johnson County as well as the volunteer fire departments.

Emergency Equipment

Each marked patrol car is equipped with an overhead light bar featuring LED technology.  LED technology creates extremely bright lighting at a relatively low amp draw and reduces the strain on the patrol car's electrical system, resulting in longer component life.  The savings is so great that a brand new light system draws only around 20% of the power previous systems used, and provide brighter, more effective warning power in doing so.

Electronic Reporting

The department has adopted a nearly entirely electronic reporting system for incident and arrest reporting.  Only a handful of forms are still permitted to be completed by hand.  The department has also implemented a system by which most case file information that is obtained from other sources or handwritten is scanned in to the department's computer system for easy access after the original documents are archived.  Traffic citations are also scanned in to the system and cataloged by date of issue, ticket number, and violator's name.

Radar

Both of the department's marked patrol cars have MPH Industries Ka band radar devices installed in them.  These devices have front and rear facing antennae and are capable of stationary, moving/opposite direction, and moving/same direction modes both front and rear.  Ka band is the most advanced radar band currently available, and represents a vast improvement over previous K and X band equipment.  The department also owns an MPH Industries handheld radar device that is available to officers on patrol.  This device is capable of stationary mode.  All radar devices receive an annual calibration by Radar Road Tec, Inc. and are checked for proper functionality before and after each shift and after each traffic stop.

In-Car Cameras

Both of the department's marked patrol cars have camera systems installed in them.  These systems allow video and audio recording of officer contacts with the public as well as audio recording of the rear seat area of the patrol car.  These systems were obtained through a grant from the Iowa Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau and are frequently used to record driving behavior and field sobriety testing in impaired driving cases.  The department has upgraded one patrol car to a digital video camera system that records directly to DVD, while the other patrol car is equipped with a VHS system.

In-Car Computers

Both of the department's marked patrol cars have Panasonic Toughbook computers installed with Mobile Data Terminal capabilities.  In addition to allowing officers to write reports and review training materials while on patrol, they also have the ability to run license plates and driver's licenses without having to contact a dispatcher via radio.  The in-car computers have been instrumental in the detection and charging of numerous suspended, revoked, barred, or otherwise not valid drivers, the recovery of stolen vehicles, and the arrest of persons with outstanding warrants.  Officers also have access via their in-car computers to various other databases including the Sex Offender Registry (SOR) and Iowa Corrections Online Network (ICON), providing information to officers on subjects who are on probation or parole.

Preliminary Breath Testing Devices

The department owns several Intoxilyzer SD-2 and SD-5 preliminary breath testing devices used in the investigation of individuals who are intoxicated in public as well as those suspected of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.  The devices have also been used to provide necessary information to medical personnel tasked with treating injured persons who may be under the influence of alcohol.  The SD-5 devices have the added feature of automatically sampling, requiring no intervention on the part of the officer to begin the calculation of a person's blood-alcohol concentration and therefore resulting in more accurate results.  Each of these devices is calculated a minimum of once per month.

Automatic External Defibrillators

Early defibrillation has been shown to be the single greatest hope that a cardiac patient has of surviving, and the department is prepared to provide that service.  Heartstart AED devices are kept in each patrol car and have been successfully deployed in the field.

Taser

The University Heights Police Department was the first agency in Iowa to use Taser International's products on patrol.  The Taser X26 allow officers to subdue resistive or assaultive suspects with the minimum potential for injury to the suspect and officer.  Members of the department were instrumental in lobbying the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy Council to authorize reserve officers to carry the devices.

Tint-Meter

The department has obtained a tint-meter for each patrol car which is capable of reading the level of light transmittance through tinted windows.  The lowest legal level of light transmittance on the windshield and front side windows of a vehicle in Iowa is 70%, and the operators of vehicles equipped with darker windows are subject to citation.