NCJ Number
57712
Date Published
1976
Length
15 pages
Annotation
DESCRIBING COMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH SUPPORT BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, THIS PAPER REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPACT, PERSONAL ALARM SYSTEM FOR PRISON OFFICERS.
Abstract
RESPONDING TO A NEED FOR A POCKET-SIZED ALARM DEVICE FOR PRISON OFFICERS AND OTHERS WHO RISK ATTACK IN HOSTILE OR LONELY WORKING ENVIRONMENTS, A BRITISH RESEARCH LABORATORY HAS EVALUATED SEVERAL PRACTICAL HARDWARE APPROACHES. THE DEVICE MUST BE SMALL AND LIGHT ENOUGH TO BE CARRIED DISCREETLY IN THE CLOTHING WHILE THE OFFICER TOURS THE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY. IN AN EMERGENCY, THE OFFICER WOULD PRESS A BUTTON OR CLOSE A CONTACT BY SOME OTHER MEANS, CAUSING A SIGNAL TO BE TRANSMITTED TO A CENTRAL CONTROL ROOM. THE AUDIBLE AND VISUAL WARNING ALSO WOULD LOCATE THE SOURCE OF THE ALARM. FOR SEVERAL REASONS, THE USE OF RADIO FREQUENCIES WAS EXCLUDED. VARIOUS OTHER TECHNIQUES HAVE BEEN EXAMINED, INCLUDING CHEMICAL AND OPTICAL APPROACHES, AS WELL AS THE USE OF ULTRASONICS AND INDUCTIVE COUPLING. THE RESULTS OF COMPARATIVE TRIALS OF BOTH THE INDUCTIVE AND ULTRASONIC SYSTEMS INDICATE THAT THE INDUCTIVE MEDIUM IS LIKELY TO HAVE THE GREATER CHANCE OF SUCCESS. THE TRIAL OF THE INDUCTIVE UNIT SHOWED THAT MORE ADEQUATE COVERAGE IS PROVIDED, ALONG WITH A MORE RELIABLE PINPOINTING OF SPECIFIC LOCATIONS. THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE EXPERIMENT'S SUCCESS INCLUDE THE POSSIBILITY OF COMBINING A LOCATION ALARM SYSTEM WITH A PERIMETER ALARM SYSTEM SO THAT IN THE EVENT OF AN ESCAPE ATTEMPT THE STAFF NEAREST TO THE ESCAPE POINT COULD BE AUTOMATICALLY ALERTED. GRAPHIC DISPLAYS AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS ARE INCLUDED. (KBL)