The Fayetteville Police Department has received an international award

for its use of mobile technology in its patrol cars.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police awarded the department

with its Leadership in Technology Award at its conference in Sacramento,

Calif.

The award recognized the department's

program that installed computer terminals in all 31 patrol cars, giving

officers wireless access to a national

criminal database. The computers also allow officers to complete their

reports in their vehicle and transmit them wirelessly to headquarters for

approval.

Police Chief Johnny Roberts,

in a memo to the Fayetteville City Council, said the computers reduced

the amount of time for officers to complete

reports. The computers also increased the quality of the reports, reducing

the error rates and improving the investigative division's clearance

rate.

Officers can complete incident reports, motor vehicle accident reports,

miscellaneous reports and field interview reports using their in-car computers,

Roberts said.

Another Georgia law enforcement

agency, the Lake Park Police Department, is using Fayetteville's

computer system to have access to the national criminal database and

instant messaging, Roberts noted. Other agencies

can opt to use the system upon request, Roberts added.