By: Charles Romans
Carter County Times
Grayson Mayor Troy Combs wants the community to know that the city’s police have added technology, including their new cruisers, which will help them in their endeavors to keep the public safe. First on the list is what can best be described as an information portal. NCIC access, the mayor said, will help to shorten times on background checks and provide valuable information in advance. Grayson Police are the first other than the Kentucky State Police to make use of the system in Carter County.
NCIC (National Crime Information Center), is an FBI database for criminal justice agencies to access and share information on wanted persons, missing persons, stolen property, and other crime-related data. Grayson Police Sergeant Kyle Smith explained the benefits of the system in greater detail and how it made his and other officers’ jobs both safer and easier.
“It’s a national database in all fifty states. Up to about a week ago, if I needed to run a license plate, I would have to call dispatch,” Smith explained. “When they have the tag number, they contact Post 14 of the State Police. Post 14 puts it in their computer, they fax it to our dispatch, then they give us a read back.”
The problem with this, he explained, is that he could be ten miles down the road and have lost track of the car in question before the response came through. The new system, Smith said, allows him to search directly.
“It will immediately bring up driver’s license information, information about the vehicle, driver history, and whether or not there are outstanding warrants associated with the license plate number,” Smith said.
“The officer can also see the driver’s license picture,” city manager Joe Hammer added. “About a month and a half ago at Super Quik an individual was pulled over that wasn’t telling them (officers) his real name.”
Hammer said that was more common that one might think, with people giving a family member’s social security number because their record was ‘clean.’
“By looking up the name or social security number on NCIC, they can have picture verification on the spot.”
“Another benefit involves stolen items,” Smith added.
Smith said that when something is stolen, a description and serial number (if available) are added into the same NCIC database post police report. The Grayson Police can now view those numbers through NCIC if an item is suspected of being stolen, which greatly improves the possibility and speed at which those items are recovered.
“So, if I run a serial number on a stolen firearm, I will see that the firearm has been reported as stolen,” Smith said. “And this happens in seconds as opposed to the 20 to 30 minutes it would have taken before. We have it at our fingertips now. And that is a huge benefit.”
Another piece of equipment the Grayson Police Department has been able to add recently is officer body cams. Each officer is equipped with a vest mounted body camera that records the officer’s interaction with the public, and each camera has the capability to ‘go back’ 30 seconds (without audio) and when activated supplies both video and audio recording. Smith said that the camera is invaluable in providing accurate data in all sorts of situations from routine traffic stops to domestic violence calls.
“It protects the individual in question and the officer,” Sgt. Smith said.
This new technology, as well as newer, up to date cruisers, helps the Grayson Police Department fulfill their mission of protecting and serving the citizens of Grayson, according to city. Assistant Police Chief Dean Ison said that the much-needed upgrades were crucial to a more modern police force.
“I have been an officer here since 1999, and during that entire time no Carter County agency had it (NCIC) except for the Kentucky State Police,” Ison said.
Ison said that he and Joe Hammer made it their goal to fix that problem.
“Once we obtained the information, the process was very simple and very easy to do. It was brought up to city council and after approval from the council and Mayor Combs the program was ordered, and in the cars working after about two weeks,” Ison explained.
The new technology, the police department noted, was made possible through the combined efforts of The Grayson City Council, Mayor Troy Combs, Police Chief Tony Cantrell, Assistant Police Chief Dean Ison, and City Manager Joe Hammer.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
