Mobile County, Alabama Gives Deputies Reliable Access, Richer Information with NetMotion Wireless

SEATTLE, Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- NetMotion Wireless, a leading provider of mobile productivity and management software, today announced that the Sheriff's Department  in Mobile County, Alabama, has adopted NetMotion Mobility XE mobile VPN software to keep its deputies reliably connected to information while in the field.

"The main thing that sold us on NetMotion Wireless was being able to have the continuity of a connection," said Major Chad Tucker, Mobile County Sheriff's Office. "Certainly you are going to lose signal at some point during an eight-hour shift, that's just inevitable, and we didn't want our officers to have to continue to log in over and over and over again." Moreover, with connections through Mobility XE, "Deputies in the field are able to basically have an office in their car no different than inside of one of our buildings. We opened up the door to tons of information. The deputies love it. It simply changes the way they do business."

The system employs Mobility XE software in conjunction with a 3G cellular data network and Dell 6400 laptops in the patrol cars, giving officers direct access to information for serving Mobile County's 500,000 citizens. They have access to the MobileCop computer-assisted dispatch system, as well as a jail management system, criminal justice databases, e-mail and general Internet. Among other law-enforcement activities, deputies may access photographs of missing persons, suspects and vehicles, and perform Internet research for looking up property details and assisting investigations. From their patrol cars, officers also monitor remote video-surveillance cameras deployed in high-crime areas.

Through link optimizations and compression, Mobility XE also makes remote troubleshooting practical over the 3G network. The department's IT staff uses VNC remote-desktop software to troubleshoot the deputies' laptops while in the field. This often saves an hour of travel both inbound and outbound for a technical support trip – time that the deputies can now spend on active patrol.

According to Major Tucker, "Cop cars are now becoming more and more like an airplane, with many gadgets, controls, switches, buttons, tools and cameras. But it has to be easy, or the officers won't use it. That's true with any product.  We know that you have to keep things simple and Mobility XE allows that. Deputies simply open up their laptop when they start the car, they do one log in, and that's it."

Pam Cory, Vice President of Marketing for NetMotion Wireless, adds, "We're thrilled to have our product associated with the leading-edge law enforcement information system deployed in Mobile County. By optimizing data connections and ensuring reliability and security, we're able to make sure critical information is at the officers' fingertips. Our software does its job, so that the deputies in Mobile County can more effectively do theirs."

NetMotion Wireless enables more than 450,000 mobile workers around the globe to mitigate some of the most common challenges in mobile deployments today, including software application crashes as users move in and out of wireless coverage areas; roaming between Wi-Fi and wide-area cellular networks; secure connectivity; and, device and policy management. Mobility XE securely enhances mobile worker productivity at more than 1,600 of the world's most respected organizations across multiple industries including utilities, healthcare, communications, public safety, local government, transportation, field service and many others.

Additional information about NetMotion Wireless can be found at www.netmotionwireless.com.

About NetMotion Wireless

Based in Seattle, NetMotion Wireless develops software to enable businesses and agencies to maintain and optimize connections to applications as their mobile workers move in and out of wireless coverage areas and across various networks. NetMotion's award-winning mobile VPN, Mobility XE, enhances mobile worker productivity at more than 1,600 of the world's most respected organizations across multiple industries including utilities, healthcare, communications, public safety, local government, transportation, field service and many others. For more information about NetMotion Wireless or to evaluate Mobility XE at no charge, please visit www.netmotionwireless.com or call (206) 691-5500.

About the Mobile County Sheriff's Office

The Mobile County Sheriff's Office is the second largest in Alabama, with a staff of more than 500 who provide law enforcement services to 500,000 citizens throughout 1,200 square miles. Whether behind jail walls or in the cab of a patrol car, the Mobile County Sheriff's Office is constantly updating the technology used by its members each day in a relentless effort to fight crime. More information is available at www.mobileso.com.

SOURCE NetMotion Wireless, Inc.