Cop laptops can distract, cause crashes

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - While law enforcement continually warn drivers about the dangers of texting or talking on the phone while driving, a piece of equipment integral to a police officer’s job can be equally as dangerous.

In fact, in the last three years Albuquerque police officers have been involved in 290 crashes that were later determined to have been preventable, according to Albuquerque Police Department records. And of those crashes, 21 were found to have been caused by officers who were distracted by police equipment – mainly the laptop computers in their cars.

“The most dangerous thing obviously is you have a 5,000-pound missile when that car is moving at high speeds,” said Joseph Wolf, training director at the APD Academy. “So we take an awful lot of care to talk to the officers about (how) the careful operation of the vehicle is paramount.”

And while officers are trained to multitask and drive while attending the academy, training on the computer doesn’t begin until they begin patrolling the streets with an experienced officer.

The laptops APD officers use can access personal and vehicle information of people they pull over, as well a person’s criminal record. The computer systems are also used to dispatch officers to emergencies and relay personal messages.

News 13 recently rode along with APD Officer Shaune Reese who explained his method of using the laptop while also driving his police car.

“(I do it) in little short (looks),” he said. “Read and then look and read and look. But (a) very minimum amount of time looking at the screen because we’re responsible for our driving and (we need to) make sure we don’t crash.”

Still, crashes do happen. Just ask Amanda Francis.

A 21-year-old APD officer slammed into the Albuquerque resident’s car in September at the intersection of Menaul Boulevard NE and Chelwood Park Boulevard. The officer later admitted he looked down at his computer to read a call when the accident occurred. A witness said the officer ran a red light.

The crash sent Francis and her two young children to the hospital.

“I didn’t even see him coming,” she said. “I was upset. There’s a law against texting and being on your phone, but they have their computers out.”

If a crash is later ruled preventable, an officer will be disciplined. On the other hand, an officer can receive a bonus if he or she avoids a crash for a 12-month period. The bonuses start at $25 and go up depending on the amount of years without an accident.

Eric Garcia, commander of APD’s Traffic Unit and chairman of the Accident Review Board, said APD has gotten rid of officers who cannot take calls and use equipment safely. The department has no specific protocols in place for when laptops can be used and when they can’t and leaves it up to officers to decide the safest course of action.

“Officers are told (that) when practical they need to stop (and) pull over when they’re going to utilize the equipment in their vehicle,” Garcia said. “(But) they are responsible for their actions either way.”