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$1 million donation from QUALCOMM
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Sept. 2006 – A $1 million gift, presented Sept. 13 by QUALCOMM to the San Diego Police Foundation (SDPF), will put state-of-the-art handheld communication devices and geographic-based location capabilities to work for the San Diego Police Department.
Qualcomm presents $1 million donation: l-r Kim Koro, President, Qualcomm Government Technologies; Bill Maheu, Exec. Asst. Chief, SDPD; Wenda Alvarez, President and CEO, San Diego Police Foundation; Delores McNeely, Chairwoman, San Diego Police Foundation Board of Directors; Mayor Jerry Sanders; and Police Chief William Lansdowne
The donation is the largest single gift ever received by the police foundation. It will help the police department implement advanced global tracking applications and position the department as an industry leader in patrol communications and broadband applications.
“Our police officers are dedicated and intelligent, but they don’t have all the tools they need to maximize efficient service,” said San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, who joined Police Chief William Lansdowne and SDPF President & CEO Wenda Alvarez in accepting the donation. “QUALCOMM’s gift to the San Diego Police Foundation is a generous and significant public safety and law enforcement contribution.”
“One of the greatest challenges faced by police officers in the field is that of convenient communications capabilities. The department has substantial technology needs that total more than $5 million,” Alvarez said. “We are grateful for QUALCOMM’s donation, which takes several priority items off the list.”
Approximately 60 percent of the $1 million will be invested in CDMA2000 wireless technologies to improve service response time b y increasing police dispatch options including GPS position location and broadband data. The remaining funds will be invested in handheld broadband wireless communications devices, giving police officers secure, on-the-street access to information and applications that are now available only through laptops or on desktop systems at police facilities.
Additionally, global positioning equipment will provide dispatchers with the ability to identify the police unit closest to an incident and, if necessary, call an officer off lower priority calls to respond to high-priority incidents. This technology is used by many public safety agencies, including the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and commercial enterprises worldwide.
Handheld cellular devices, including personal data assistants and smartphones, will accelerate two-way transmission of information such as reports, drivers’ license information, fingerprints, and legal information, as well as provide direct access to federal, state, regional and local law enforcement data systems. This is all made possible by the commercial deployment of third-generation CDMA wireless services nationwide.
“QUALCOMM is committed to the local San Diego community and we are very pleased that we can enhance public safety with advanced wireless communication tools that provide real-time access to critical information,” said Paul Jacobs, CEO of QUALCOMM.
“At a time when patrol cars and protective vests are long past their industry-accepted lives, these necessary technology advances are out of the police department’s budget range. With this donation we now have the ability to put the right communications tools within officers reach and make a significant difference,” said Police Chief William Lansdowne. “The San Diego Police Foundation and corporate supporters like QUALCOMM play a critical role in our ability to adopt these much needed, high-technology measures.”
Lansdowne added that putting police on the streets remains the San Diego Police Department’s number one priority. Meanwhile, current attrition depletes the ranks of sworn officers by approximately 15 each month, creating a work environment where communication capabilities and other technology advancements become even more important.
Kim Koro, president of QUALCOMM Government Technologies, announced QUALCOMM’s donation at the end of the Police Foundation’s annual “Beyond the Headlines” fundraising lunch attended by approximately 500 guests.