Starting Out: Perimeter Alert for Police Fleets

Police Perimeter Alert is an officer safety system that detects moving threats around the vehicle. When a threat is present, the system automatically activates the rear camera, sounds a chime, rolls up the windows, and locks the doors. This helps protect officers from harm and allows them to safely complete tasks inside the vehicle.

Currently an optional feature, Fleet Operations Superintendent Ross Jackson, CAFM, city of Fayetteville, Arkansas, has advocated for Perimeter Alert to be a standard option for PPVs and SSVs. 

“I am very excited to see some (and I hope for all) OEMs to bring on Perimeter Alert as a standard feature in law enforcement vehicles,” he said. “Anything we can do to further protect our officers as they go through their day should be a standard option, especially this one.”

Cobb County also leverages an officer protection package that integrates with vehicle systems to alert and protect deputies.

“Ensuring the safety of our first responders is always a top priority. We are focused on anything that can help achieve this goal,” Fleet Administrator Cheri Norry said.

Two Approaches to Officer Visibility

Law enforcement fleets are taking both simple and technology-enabled steps to improve officer visibility. 

Cobb County has changed its lighting and decal designs to make officers and deputies more visible, especially at night.

The city of Fayetteville has spec’ed all current and future patrol and SRO builds to have the Whelen V2V Sync module in the lightbars. 

“When installed on the CAN (controller area network), these modules will allow all vehicles responding to a call to communicate and synchronize light flash patterns and siren noises from vehicle to vehicle,” Jackson explained. 

This technology aids with scene calming, improving motorist response times, and safely navigating around emergency scenes and work zones, all of which increases both officer and public safety.