Recently, the Pinecrest Police Department won the Florida Police Chiefs Association (FPCA) Rocky Pomerance Excellence in Policing Award for creating a digital solution for sharing Be On the Lookout (BOLO) fliers.
The Web-based BOLO solution was created in partnership with the Florida International University School of Computing and Information Sciences, which is part of the College of Engineering and Computing.
The new initiative, which was conceptualized by Pinecrest Police Chief Samuel Ceballos Jr., will soon make it possible for police officers to create BOLO fliers in the field in real time, and instantly disseminate them to all sworn personnel in Miami-Dade County via desktop computer, mobile data terminal, tablet or smartphone. This will enable BOLOs to be shared over a broader spectrum of officers and in a much quicker time frame than before.
This solution improves services, makes the most effective use of resources and enhances communication and cooperation among law enforcement partners. It is a creative and innovative approach that raises the quality and effectiveness of law enforcement and improves services to the community.
Ceballos believes wireless technology and mobile devices hold the greatest promise for a 21st-century paradigm shift – a shift from policing practices ingrained in police culture for over half a century. He chairs an ad hoc committee of the Miami-Dade County Association of Chiefs of Police that was established by the association to move the project from the current development phase into production on a secure platform, which will allow full implementation in the near future.
