Coast Guard Upgrades Law Enforcement Technology

The Coast Guard has instituted a new tool that will make law enforcement boardings more efficient and time friendly. The personal data assistant is an innovative tool that gives boarding team members the capability of paperless boardings, and makes for a more effective method of law enforcement operations in the Coast Guard.

The PDA is replacing the 4100 form that is required to be completed by the boarding officer during and after a boarding. The 4100 form can be a time consuming proposition for a boarding officer. The new PDA offers instantaneous information flow to sector and district command centers after conducting a boarding, and connects directly with the Marine Information and Law Enforcement (MISLE) database.

About the size of a palm pilot, the PDA is simple to operate. It fits in a pocket and is light weight. When conducting an inspection, the boarding officer type’s information about the vessel, such as length and model type. This generates a specific criteria checklist for that vessel type on the PDA. The device is battery powered, contains no plug, and is accompanied by a handheld printer that prints a receipt for the vessel owner upon completion of the boarding.

Before the PDA, boarding officers found themselves spending an extended amount of time after a boarding, manually typing every detail from the 4100 form into a computer. This proved to be a daunting, time-consuming task, considering petty officers participation in law enforcement is optional as a collateral duty, and other duties on the ship or at the station needed to be completed. Now, a simple plug in the computer transmits information from the PDA instantly to shore side command centers.

The Fifth District is leading the charge to fully outfit all its units with the new PDA’s and other Coast Guard districts are following suit.

While there are many upgrades that come with the PDA, there are also some negatives. The PDA isn’t designed to withstand heavy weather that boarding teams often encounter. The glare from the sun on a bright day can also make it difficult to read the screen.

“You have to remember that this is an electronic device in a marine environment,” said LCDR Jeffrey Randall, assistant chief of the Office of Law Enforcement for the Fifth District. “Proper care must be demonstrated while using them.”

In addition, while the PDA is more efficient than its predecessor, the overall amount of time dedicated to the boarding doesn’t really change.

“If a boarding officer conducts a boarding and entered it into MISLE yesterday, we will process it today and the owner/operator of the vessel will receive something from the district or the hearing office sooner, which is an upgrade” said Petty Officer Stephanie Decker, 4100 processor for the Fifth District, “However, even though the PDA’s cut back on the amount of time the boarding officers spend inputting information into MISLE, in most cases they increase the time it takes to do the actual boarding”.

While the 4100 forms may soon be relegated as a thing of the past, they still will remain on board coast guard vessels in the event a technical failure or damage occurs with the PDA.

“The PDA has its pros and cons, but the more and more you work with them, they will become second nature,” said Petty Officer Melissa Dunn, a boarding officer at Station Little Creek, Va.

Coast Guard Upgrades Law Enforcement Technology

The Coast Guard has instituted a new tool that will make law enforcement boardings more efficient and time friendly. The personal data assistant is an innovative tool that gives boarding team members the capability of paperless boardings, and makes for a more effective method of law enforcement operations in the Coast Guard.

The PDA is replacing the 4100 form that is required to be completed by the boarding officer during and after a boarding. The 4100 form can be a time consuming proposition for a boarding officer. The new PDA offers instantaneous information flow to sector and district command centers after conducting a boarding, and connects directly with the Marine Information and Law Enforcement (MISLE) database.

About the size of a palm pilot, the PDA is simple to operate. It fits in a pocket and is light weight. When conducting an inspection, the boarding officer type’s information about the vessel, such as length and model type. This generates a specific criteria checklist for that vessel type on the PDA. The device is battery powered, contains no plug, and is accompanied by a handheld printer that prints a receipt for the vessel owner upon completion of the boarding.

Before the PDA, boarding officers found themselves spending an extended amount of time after a boarding, manually typing every detail from the 4100 form into a computer. This proved to be a daunting, time-consuming task, considering petty officers participation in law enforcement is optional as a collateral duty, and other duties on the ship or at the station needed to be completed. Now, a simple plug in the computer transmits information from the PDA instantly to shore side command centers.

The Fifth District is leading the charge to fully outfit all its units with the new PDA’s and other Coast Guard districts are following suit.

While there are many upgrades that come with the PDA, there are also some negatives. The PDA isn’t designed to withstand heavy weather that boarding teams often encounter. The glare from the sun on a bright day can also make it difficult to read the screen.

“You have to remember that this is an electronic device in a marine environment,” said LCDR Jeffrey Randall, assistant chief of the Office of Law Enforcement for the Fifth District. “Proper care must be demonstrated while using them.”

In addition, while the PDA is more efficient than its predecessor, the overall amount of time dedicated to the boarding doesn’t really change.

“If a boarding officer conducts a boarding and entered it into MISLE yesterday, we will process it today and the owner/operator of the vessel will receive something from the district or the hearing office sooner, which is an upgrade” said Petty Officer Stephanie Decker, 4100 processor for the Fifth District, “However, even though the PDA’s cut back on the amount of time the boarding officers spend inputting information into MISLE, in most cases they increase the time it takes to do the actual boarding”.

While the 4100 forms may soon be relegated as a thing of the past, they still will remain on board coast guard vessels in the event a technical failure or damage occurs with the PDA.

“The PDA has its pros and cons, but the more and more you work with them, they will become second nature,” said Petty Officer Melissa Dunn, a boarding officer at Station Little Creek, Va.