August 18 2009
The Peoria, Illinois police department has adopted an ingenious weapon in its war on crime, a kind of modern-day Trojan Horse. Like the ancient Greeks who parked a giant wooden horse at the gates of Troy, the Peoria PD is parking a large armored vehicle at the gates of trouble. But unlike the fabled horse with its belly full of armed warriors, the police vehicle is usually unmanned–armed instead with a phalanx of mobile video surveillance cameras.
Nicknamed the Armadillo, the formidable and eyecatching eyesore is parked in front of “nuisance properties“: suspected drug houses or scenes of frequent disorderly conduct. The strategy: establishing a highly visible police presence without squandering patrol officer manhours. The result: shaming criminals and other scofflaws into modifying their behavior or beating a retreat. The prize: restoring a little peace and quiet to troubled neighborhoods.
The Armadillo is attracting attention, all right–nationwide! (And you thought armadillo sightings were “a Texas thang!”) Check out recent video newsclips from Fox and the Wall Street Journal and in online articles including wsjonline and gizmodo.
The Armadillo is rigged with four exterior-mounted SV-620 color cameras, a Safety Vision RoadRecorder 6000 PRO mobile DVR, and an interior-mounted SV-LCD70 display monitor. Plans are to add a fifth camera mounted behind the windshield to record the view from the inside looking out. And based on the success of (and citizen demand for) this prototype Armadillo, the Peoria PD may add similarly equipped vehicles to its crimefighting fleet, launching an armada of armored Armadillos!
Also of note: according to Jeff Wilson of the Peoria PD, the Armadillo is a top 10 contender in an International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) innovative policing contest. We’re rootin’ for the Armadillo, Friends!
