Cerulean's PacketCluster Patrol Helps Indiana Police Arrest Murder Suspect.

Business/Technology Editors

MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 13, 2000

Carmel patrol officer identifies California fugitive using

Cerulean's wireless mobile information system

Police officers in Carmel, Ind., arrested a Los Angeles murder suspect recently by using Cerulean Technology's PacketCluster Patrol wireless mobile information system. The Feb. 23 incident is the latest in a series of high-profile arrests police departments across the country have made with the help of Cerulean's crime-fighting software technology. More than 40,000 officers in 650 law enforcement agencies use Cerulean's PacketCluster Patrol to increase crime-fighting efficiency and ensure officer safety.

Using PacketCluster Patrol, Carmel patrol officers can access multiple government information systems, including national, state and local databases such as the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and computer-aided dispatch (CAD) applications in real time. On Wednesday, Feb. 23 Officer Curtis Scott used PacketCluster Patrol to run a routine license plate check on a 1987 Buick driving on U.S. Route 31.

The system revealed that the license plate did not match the vehicle registration. Scott signaled to the driver to pull the car over, then queried the system for routine drivers license information. Within seconds, PacketCluster Patrol identified that the driver was wanted on an outstanding warrant in a Los Angeles murder case. PacketCluster Patrol alerted all on-duty officers by flashing the information on their patrol car-based laptop computers.

Within minutes, more than half a dozen back-up patrol cars arrived on the scene to assist Scott and ensure the suspect was taken into custody safely. Scott arrested him without incident. This case is an example of how PacketCluster Patrol makes officers safer by arming them with the critical criminal data they need to approach a potentially dangerous situation.

"With PacketCluster Patrol, our officers do more routine license plate checks than ever before because they can tap into critical crime-fighting information in seconds," said Carmel Police Chief Michael Fogarty. "Like the recent arrest of a suspect wanted for murder in Los Angeles, there have been numerous times that we've received information back through PacketCluster Patrol that has increased the apprehension of suspended drivers and people wanted on warrants for arrest. PacketCluster is a critical tool for our patrol officers and investigators."

PacketCluster Patrol clears air waves and improves community policing efforts

Before PacketCluster Patrol, Carmel police officers used a two-way radio dispatch system to obtain law enforcement information and relay emergency requests for back up. "Our officers couldn't request as many queries via the radio dispatch system, particularly during second shift when the radio frequency is especially busy with routine calls for service and traffic accidents," Fogarty said.

Since 1998, Carmel's almost 50 patrol officers, along with investigators, have had on-the-spot access to important law enforcement information. This has helped them improve community policing efforts to protect more than 35,000 people living in Carmel's neighborhoods.

"Every day PacketCluster Patrol helps officers and public safety personnel do their jobs safely and more efficiently," said David Rosi, vice president of marketing at Cerulean Technology. "But, it's in cases like this one where we see the real power of mobile computing technology. With immediate access to a whole host of crime-fighting information stored in multiple federal, state and local systems, officers can make the right decision on the spot. This blend of police skills and digital age technology is making communities safer across the country."

About Cerulean Technology, Inc.

Marlborough, Mass.-based Cerulean Technology, Inc. is the leader in wireless application solutions for mobile workforces in public safety. Over 40,000 users at 650 public safety agencies use Cerulean software to keep neighborhoods and streets safer across the United States. Cerulean's PacketCluster represents the de facto standard in public safety mobile applications. The PacketCluster suite of products are sold through a direct sales force and a network of worldwide systems integrators and carriers, including AT&T Wireless, Bell Atlantic Mobile, GTE, Mobex and more than 50 others. For more information, visit Cerulean's Web site at www.cerulean.com.

PacketCluster is a registered trademark, and PacketCluster Patrol and Cerulean are trademarks of Cerulean Technology, Inc.