Dana Point, CA. The Telogis annual user group meeting, Telogis Latitude 2014, officially began tonight with a welcome reception for the more than 400 attendees gathered here. The theme for this year’s meeting is “Driving transformation through the power of connected intelligence,” and the first announcement, from Telogis and Ford Motor Company, (released earlier today at another event) was squarely on that topic.
The two companies have partnered to develop a solution to help law enforcement agencies safeguard against hazardous driving, considered to be a serious threat to officer and civilian safety. Available in early 2015, the new solution builds on the success of Ford Crew Chief powered by Telogis--their existing commercial vehicle telematics program. It is able to tap into a broader array of vehicle data specific to the police driving environment (think sirens and lights) through the new line of Ford Police Interceptor vehicles. This new version is designed to give police officers and police leadership the ability to identify and correct patterns of driving behavior that can put departments at higher risk of preventable collisions and other accidents.
“Vehicle accidents are the leading cause of officer fatalities, and even the slightest improvements in driver training and behavior within law enforcement organizations can potentially save lives,” said Bill Frykman, manager, business and product development at Ford Motor Company. “Whether in emergency operation or not, the combination of vehicle data from the Ford Telematics solution taken in context with driving situation will help illustrate to police organizations where changes can be made that will have a profound effect on officer safety.”
“Working in partnership with Ford, we’re delivering a solution for training and visibility for police departments that can be a game-changer for their safety programs,” said Greg Dziewit, vice president, commercial OEM at Telogis. “Combining exclusive Ford Interceptor vehicle data with the Telogis platform provides law enforcement agencies with unprecedented levels of intelligence about their fleet operations to drive safety, improve situational awareness during critical events and reduce overall costs.”
“We have a responsibility to the communities we serve and to our fellow officers to make safety behind the wheel one of our top priorities,” said Vartan Yegiyan, Director of Police Transportation II and Commanding Officer, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Motor Transport Division. “The collaborative process that exists with the LAPD, Ford and Telogis has allowed us to customize this solution to meet the unique demands of our organization and other Ford police fleets.”
