Aug. 22--From underwater sonar gear to 3D crime scene scanners, Long Beach's firefighters, police officers and city officials are finding new technology to fight crime, improve response times and keep the public safe. In many cases, the equipment is acquired through state and federal grants, allowing Long Beach to use the latest in technology without draining city coffers.
Here's an example: The old measuring tape is still a standard tool for investigating crime scenes. But in the future, law enforcement agencies could replace the tape with laser scanners that create digital images of crime scenes with more accurate measurements.
The Long Beach Police Department is already embracing that technology with the FARO 3D Laser Scanner. Purchased for $50,000 this year through Homeland Security and law enforcement technology grants, the FARO is a measuring device that uses a laser to collect millions of points per minute to create a 3D image of an area.
The FARO's camera then places a photo on top of the image for an exact digital re-creation of the scene.
Long Beach Police Lt. Lloyd Cox said the scanner gives a more detailed and accurate image of a crime scene that can be viewed by attorneys, coroners and jurors in a courtroom.
"This 3D environment is opening up a whole new world for us," he said. "It can take a jury into a room of a crime scene or into an officer-involved shooting scene to show different viewpoints."
Investigators can revisit the rendering to look for missed evidence or reconstruct a shooting scene to determine where the culprit was standing. Cox said the ability to revisit a scene through 3D imagery is a technological breakthrough. Previously, police relied on photos and drawings.
FARO will be used mostly for major crimes, such as homicides or hit-and-run accidents, Cox said. Investigators tested the device for the first time a few months ago at an officer-involved shooting near Eighth Street and Maine Avenue.
While the FARO may not replace the traditional crime scene sketch, Elana Quinones, administrator of the LBPD's Forensic Science Services Division, said the new technology improves the quality and quantity of data collected at crime scenes.
"I love to give the jury as much information as possible, and this can really help the process," she said. "I believe this will have a very positive impact for the justice system."
And the Long Beach Fire Department's newest emergency response vehicle is like a cross between a fire engine and a golf cart.
The "Quench Cart" is actually a Polaris Ranger all-terrain vehicle with a water and foam firefighting unit. The cart is ideal for events like the Red Bull Flugtag because it allows firefighters to quickly move through tight spaces where typical engines can't reach, Deputy Fire Chief Rich Brandt said.
"It's powerful, efficient and very capable to respond and mitigate a situation before it gets out of hand," he said.
Brandt said the idea came about in 2011 when Southland Motor Car Dealers Association wanted to operate an indoor test drive area at the Convention Center.
"There were some safety hazard concerns, so we came up with a fire extinguishing cart manned by two firefighters to help mitigate any safety issues," he said.
The event was a success, and the LBFD enlisted RKO Enterprises, an Indiana company that specializes in building fire apparatuses, to construct a professional cart.
The Quench Cart was delivered in April, in time for the 2013 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The $35,000 vehicle was paid for through a Department of Homeland Security grant for specialized emergency response vehicles, Brandt said.
The cart holds 70 gallons of water and 5 gallons of foam. It features a fire pump powered by a 13-horsepower motor, as well as 75 feet of coiled hose and a 100-foot hydrant hose. Brandt said the cart will be used for all major events and in the case of a natural disaster.
"I believe we are the only one on the West Coast with this type of machine," he said.
Also, Long Beach Fire Department paramedics can now record and send patient information at a much faster pace, thanks to new electronic tablets.
Through the older method, paramedics jotted down patient information on paper that was later copied and sent to hospitals and billing departments.
With the tablets, the data is entered electronically and then immediately forwarded to the necessary parties, cutting half the time it takes to process a patient's information, Fire Chief Mike DuRee said, adding that the electronic system also reduces the margin for human error.
"This new technology allows us to create better efficiencies and greater levels of service," he said. "It speeds up the process across the city."
The tablets also allow paramedics to store information, making the process faster for repeat patients, such as those in nursing homes. This year, the LBFD purchased more than 50 tablets from the Texas-based ESO Solutions through a $160,000 grant from the Metropolitan Medical Response System. DuRee hopes to have tablets completely replace the paper method for data.
As for diving, searching for a victim in murky waters can be like finding a needle in a haystack, said Gonzalo Medina, operations captain for Long Beach's Marine Safety Division.
But through a new underwater sonar device called the Shark Marine Navigator, divers can now "see" up to 250 meters away in zero visibility, improving the time it takes to find a person who is drowning.
"A submersion scene is our worst nightmare, but it's something we prepare for and train for on a regular basis," Medina said. "Through this new technology, we can find a submersion victim faster and improve that person's chance of survival."
The navigator was originally developed as a way for military divers to move through water undetected. In Long Beach, with its many beaches and waterways, the device will be used mostly for submerged vehicles and missing swimmers.
The diver uses two metal handles to steer the device through dark waters, while a screen about the size of a laptop illuminates important objects in bright green. The navigator can guide a diver to a particular target through its global positioning system. An object such as a car or a body can easily be seen on the screen, Medina said.
Rescue divers have used sonar systems for years, but in the previous method, a rescuer on a boat would scan the water using a laptop and then direct divers to a target. The above-water method takes much longer to set up and is used mostly for recovery missions, Medina said.
"This new technology puts the sonar underwater and in the diver's hands," he said. "It takes the blindfold away."
The Long Beach Fire Department purchased the navigator earlier this year through a $200,000 Department of Homeland Security grant. The fire department's 15 safety divers are now training with the device.
"Fortunately, we haven't yet needed to use it," Medina said.
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