Other featured projects

Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) Website

Integrated Transportation Information System (ITIS) Workshop

The ALERT Vehicle

The SUPERPAVE System

Demonstration Projects (DP)

DP-105 Advanced Transportation Management Technologies

DP-111 ITS/CVO Technology Truck

DP-112 Red Light Running Campaign

DP-115 Probabilistic Life Cycle Cost Analysis in Pavement Design

Test and Evaluation Projects (TE)

TE-29 Retroreflectivity

Application Projects (AP)

AP-101 Read Your Road

AP-101 Highway Safety Kiosk

| Project: TE-37

Advanced Law Enforcement Response Technology (ALERT) Vehicle
Improving Law Enforcement with Advanced Technologies

Contact:
David Smith



"Second Generation" Law Enforcement Vehicle

To meet the needs of the public agencies involved in the collection, reduction and analysis of traffic safely data, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has initiated a project to develop and implement a second generation law enforcement vehicle that will test and demonstrate emerging technologies and systems, and specifically (1) demonstrate feasibility, (2) to showcase technologies, and (3) to provide system design recommendations as well as prototype systems and technologies that could be quickly transformed by industry into products.

TTI Develops Integrated Solution

The ALERT vehicle is being developed by Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) under contract to FHWA. It is a police package vehicle equipped with advanced communications systems which will provide access to multiple sources of traffic enforcement and investigation information. An integrated architectural system design allows the officer to use everything from hand-held computers with citation, accident, and DWI arrest report forms, to global positioning system for precise location information. Accident report records can now be collected more accurately and efficiently. The entire vehicle and all its technologies, including overhead lights and siren, are controlled by a single touch-screen in the vehicle's cockpit, reducing dangerous clutter and improving the officer's safety. Active duty officers, from two Texas enforcement agencies, help select, evaluate, and field test the technologies to ensure the vehicle and technologies are efficient, practical, safe, and adaptable to the needs of any size agency.
Visit the TTI ALERT vehicle Web site.


"Plug and Play" System Architechture

The unique system architecture permits all components to interface into the control module using common interface connections (Plug and Play Concept), this in turn allows all the vehicles' technologies easy access to the overall control system using the same protocols for interconnection.

The ALERT vehicle platform for integration of both off-the-shelf and advanced technologies will have the capability of being adapted to incident management vehicles, commercial vehicle enforcement and basically any emergency vehicle used in efforts to relieve traffic congestion and enhance traffic safety.

Industry Support

The ALERT vehicle project is endorsed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the world's most highly respected association of police executives, within the law enforcement community. Additionally the project is endorsed by leading police equipment industry members. Industry members are assisting in developing criteria for the unique architecture system used in the ALERT vehicle. System integrators will use these criteria and standards to produce the architectural system in a platform which can be marketed for use in police vehicles manufactured today and into the future.

Availability of ALERT Vehicle

The ALERT vehicle developmental state is nearly completed and will be followed by a test and evaluation phase during the summer of 1996. The vehicle will then be displayed and demonstrated throughout the United States and Canada during 1997.

1996/1997 ALERT Vehicle Showcase Calendar



For More Information

For more information about the ALERT Vehicle contact the FHWA Project Manager, David Smith at:

(202) 366-6614
FAX: (202) 366-7909
E-Mail: david.smith@fhwa.dot.gov



U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration