Case Study: Grayson County Sheriff Office Depends on Durabook R11 Tablet For Reliable In-Vehicle Computing
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Challenge
The Grayson County Sheriff’s Office in-vehicle rugged laptops were near the end of their service life and was not the ideal size and form factor to be a practical ergonomic solution in the squad cars.
Solution
The Grayson County Sheriff’s Office reviewed rugged devices from multiple vendors and found the Durabook R11 offered a superior combination of durability and functionality when compared with other devices. The R11 also had the ideal footprint for deployment in a sheriff vehicle.
Result
The Grayson County Sheriff’s Office deployed the Durabook R11 in its 40 vehicles and has found them to be reliable, more suitable from an in vehicle ergonomic standpoint, and able to survive the extreme conditions faced in the field.
Modern law enforcement is heavily dependent on technology, when a device is down, the officer is down. Reliability is everything. — Rob Crow, Chief Technician, Grayson County
Grayson County is located 60 miles north of Dallas in the North Texas region. The county covers approximately 980 square miles and has a population of over 130,000. The Sheriff’s Office, with approximately 190 employees, is responsible for being the responding law enforcement agency for one-third of the County’s
population including the unincorporated areas and small towns which lack police departments. While many of the Sheriff’s Office employees work the county jail, 40 officers drive the county’s roads each day. Their vehicles are outfitted with mobile computing technology that provides a platform for officers to access their criminal justice software, records management solutions, computer-aided dispatch system, in-car and body camera devices, cloud applications and more.
IN THE WINTER, TEMPERATURES ARE OFTEN IN THE LOW 30s FAHRENHEIT, AND IN THE SUMMER, IN-CAR TEMPERATURES CAN REACH THE 140s.
The device also needed to withstand the heavy vibration found on the county’s numerous unpaved roads and have a screen that was viewable in any lighting condition.
After reviewing devices from multiple vendors, Grayson County selected the Durabook R11 rugged tablet PC which features an 11.6ʺ FHD sunlight readable display and a powerful Intel Core processor, providing exceptional power for workers in public safety. It is the lightest 11.6” rugged tablet PC in its class at only 2.73 pounds and 0.78” thick, while remaining tough with Military Standard 810G and IP65 certifications for drop, shock, dust and water resistance. Paired with its detachable keyboard, the R11 becomes a flexible 2-in-1 solution.
The new Durabook R11 provided Grayson County sheriff officers with a device that delivered all the functionality and reliability needed, but also the smaller footprint it desired. The Durabook R11, paired with a mount from PMT Precision Mounting, allowed officers to move the rugged computing solution closer for reporting purposes, improving officer comfort, and out of the way when being used as an information terminal, freeing space in the vehicle.
Grayson County first began installing the Durabook R11 in 2014, but, due to the device’s exceptional reliability, it wasn’t until late 2018 that they had to send a device in for service.
“We had an unfortunate incident where one of our vehicles was totaled. The Durabook came through without a scratch. It was put in another vehicle and the officer was up and running. That’s the type of device reliability law enforcement needs.” said Rob Crow, Chief Technician, Grayson County.
TIPS OF SELECTING MOBILE DEVICES IN DEMANDING ENVIRONMENTS
Sunlight Readable Screen: In bright daylight environments, a minimum 500nits (brightness) display with a wide-viewing angle is
recommended.
Shock and Drop Protection: Computers used in the field by the military need to meet the MIL-STD-810G functional shock test from a height of at least
48 inches, providing protection from unexpected falls and vibrations.
4G LTE Connectivity: Public safety sectors can’t have down????me and delays. A carrier pre-certified device greatly reduces dispatch times and increases efficiencies for urgent response
in the field.
Wide-Temperature Range: Rugged computers can be exposed to extreme temperatures and should be rated to operate from -35F to 140F.
