the ultimate equipped officer patrol vehicle interview with motorola

designboom has recently spoken to motorola regarding their collaboration with chevrolet to creating the ultimate patrol vehicle. the technologically advanced police car incorporates complex and powerful crime fighting tools for officers. the outfitted chevy caprice uses voice activation and steering wheel controls to provide a seamless interface experience between the driver and software.

through the use of 4G LTE and P25 network connectivity, officers would receive vital information in an automatic and intuitive way. the integration allows them to focus on the detection, tracking, and classifying of security threats and incidents and their overall mission of public safety. as a follow up on this new technology, designboom speaks further about the research and development of the safety vehicle.

motorola equipped officer patrol vehiclerear 3/4 view of the outfitted motorola technology patrol vehicle

DB: could you sketch out the timeline of the research and development process of the police patrol vehicle? 

MOTOROLA: the ultimate patrol vehicle from motorola solutions is the result of years of dedicated research, including hundreds of ride-alongs, focus groups, simulations and usability studies guiding the design process. motorola had the vision to integrate all of this technology into the cockpit of the vehicle to give a much cleaner layout, make it easier to use and help police officers do their job more effectively while keeping our communities safe. 

were there any surprising or unexpected changes you made to the design as a result of simulations and usability testing? 

to the average citizen, a police vehicle may seem like any other car with a few extra radios and screens. in reality, the vehicles are designed to  meet requirements of high-stress situations, such as a police pursuit, in which it’s critical the officer stay focused for the best possible response.  in order to keep the officer and public safe, the equipment inside the vehicle must be designed to be intuitive and deliver information that will  make the mission as effective as possible. 

motorola was instrumental in developing the digital radio network technologies that first responders and government agencies use  for communications, and of course it is also known for its mobile phones and portable radios. can you talk a bit about the ways  that having experience in both of these sectors influenced the idea to develop – and the design of – the car? 

motorola has more than 80 years experience in serving government and public safety markets. we look at innovation through the lens of  our customers and work with first responders to develop meaningful products and solutions to enable fire, police, military, etc. to keep  our communities safer. the idea behind the ultimate patrol vehicle was to combine motorola’s game-changing technologies with GM’s  pedigree to continue to elevate the law enforcement experience and make officers more intelligent, aware, and safe – giving them the  information they need, when they need it. the technology inside the ultimate patrol vehicle is the culmination of years of research,  as well as a combination of new and existing technologies, organized in a way that enables police officers to do their job more effectively: 

-more eyes and ears on the street with integrated video cameras and recorders, ALPR/infrared cameras and LTE -high speed data, automatic license plate recognition, video technology and other advancements that are intuitive and built right into  the vehicle to save space and make public safety communications safer and more efficient.  -easy to use even in high stress situations: PTT on steering wheel, intuitive controls for radio, lights and sirens, ergonomic in-vehicle computer integration with LEX 700 mission critical handheld 

everything has one purpose – to make the complex, intuitive. 

motorola equipped officer patrol vehiclerear view with electronic detail of transmitters and motorola devices

is there any production future for the police patrol vehicle? will individual devices be sold to be retrofit into existing police vehicles,  or could motorola imagine partnering with car manufacturers to provide customizable fleets for squads or cities? 

the ultimate patrol vehicle provides the platform to demonstrate MSI’s versatile solutions for public safety communications – our technology  can be customized to fit specific customer needs, as well as public safety vehicles from any automotive manufacturer. the vehicle is yet another example of motorola’s customer-centric approach and commitment to innovation through the lens of its customers – to help them be best at what they do. 

where do you see the future of this longer-term, research-based design process that was adopted here, for both motorola  and the world at large? 

as broadband evolves, technology is becoming more complex. at motorola solutions, we’re looking at ways to simplify the information that’s being delivered to the end-user so that they receive the right information, at the right time, to help them do their jobs better. we’ll look at how individual products can work together as a system to provide more information to the end-user and make the complex, simple and more intuitive. 

motorola equipped officer patrol vehicleinterior cabin of the chevrolet impala outfitted with advanced motorola equipment

motorola equipped officer patrol vehicleinstallation process of the rear electronic components

motorola equipped officer patrol vehiclesteering wheel detail with equipped motorola radio transmitters

motorola equipped officer patrol vehiclethe SL series radio communicator