Philadelphia Police Department Goes On-Line With Mobile Data Terminals In Vehicles

Philadelphia Police Department Goes On-Line With Mobile Data Terminals In Vehicles

National Law Enforcement Week Marks Debut of New Weapon Ensuring Officer Safety, Efficiency

May 13, 1997

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Police Department has
a new weapon in the war against crime that's fast, efficient and
rugged. The new weapon is a laptop computer, which uses Bell Atlantic
NYNEX Mobile's AirBridge® Cellular
Digital Packet Data (CDPD) service
to provide officers on the street with instant wireless access to the
information they need to make critical safety-related decisions for
themselves and the communities they patrol and serve.

The new system will give officers access to reliable, timely
information before they approach a vehicle, house, or suspect,
allowing them to accurately assess potentially dangerous situations.
Police can connect directly to national, state and federal data
bases, police computers, the National Crime Information Computer
(NCIC), and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Another benefit of the
system will be increased security of police department communications.
Messages carried by CDPD are "encrypted," or scrambled, to prevent
unauthorized reception.

After a successful field trial and a competitive bidding process, the
Philadelphia Police Department concluded that Bell Atlantic NYNEX
Mobile's technology is an important state-of-the-art, crime-fighting
tool for its force of approximately 6,500. By June 1, 1997, 250
laptops will be installed in Philadelphia Police cars, and by the year
2000, the City hopes all of its 800 vehicles will be equipped.
Communications from the officers' laptops will be wirelessly carried
over Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile's cellular network.

In addition to immediate access to information and saving precious
time in urgent situations, another benefit of this system is
efficiency. For example, it can eliminate paperwork, and the need to
go through a central dispatcher to get database information.

"Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile has worked with us from the beginning to
ensure that the Philadelphia Police Department has the best, most
complete, most durable wireless information system available," said
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Neal. "National Law
Enforcement Week is a particularly appropriate time to announce this
advancement, which will help us ensure resident and officer safety and
increase efficiency."

"We know that police officers have some of the most challenging jobs
in this country, and we are delighted to provide Philadelphia officers
with a tool that will make them safer and more efficient while on the
job. We look forward to working with other police departments
interested in the benefits of wireless data technology," said Robert
F. Stott, regional president, Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile.

Stott also noted that this system provides a much more reliable and
affordable alternative to traditional radio transmission. It uses the
existing cellular network, eliminating the need for additional radio
towers or network maintenance and upgrades.

The software that will allow officers to connect to national, state
and federal data bases is being provided by PRC Public Sector, Inc.,
based in Reston, Virginia. Wireless modems, provided by Sierra
Wireless, based in British Columbia, Canada, connect the laptops to
Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile's CDPD network. Conshohocken, Pa.-based
L&E Mobile Computer Mounts, Inc. provided many of the mounting system
components necessary to integrate the PC Mobile ruggedized laptop into
varied patrol vehicle styles within the police department's fleet.
L&E Mobile Computer Mounts, Inc. is a master agent for Gamber-Johnson.

# # #

Note to Editors:

Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile is the largest wireless service provider on
the East Coast and the second largest in the United States. The
company owns and operates the most extensive network in the east,
covering 111,000 square miles, and the largest chain of wireless
retail outlets offering a full range of wireless personal
communications services, including voice, data and paging. Based in
Bedminster, NJ, Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile has 4.6 million customers
and 6,500 employees in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and,
through a separate subsidiary, in the Southwest. The company was
formed in July, 1995, by combining the cellular operations of Bell
Atlantic Mobile and NYNEX Mobile. For more information about the
company, visit Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile's Home Page at www.banm.com.

Sierra Wireless is a leading supplier of cellular data modems.
Sierra's product line includes AirCard, the PocketPlus 210 for
Windows, Windows CE and Macintosh, the MP200 ruggedized, 3-watt
vehicle-based CDPD/cellular modem, the MP200-GPS which include a GPS
receiver, and the SB-220 OEM module. For more information contact
Andrew Harries, Vice President Marketing of Sierra Wireless, Inc.,
#260 - 13151 Vanier Place, Richmond, BC, V6V 2J2. Phone: (604)
231-1100, or visit the Company's web page, at
http://www.sierrawireless.com.

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Media contacts:

Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile
Andra Davidson
(215) 732-4100

Philadelphia Police Department
Susan Slawson
(215) 686-3388