Rockport (KIII News) — The Rockport Police Department is the first municipal police department in the U.S. to equip their officers with Automatic Injury Detection technology -- software that sends out cellular alerts as soon as their vests are punctured.
Officers there said they would rather be safe than sorry, so when they found out about the new AID vests it seemed like a perfect fit.
"If there is ever an event it'll send out an alert with the officer's name, blood type and GPS location, just like an Amber Alert you would get on your phone," Officer Robert Hahn said.
Eric Zuniga is one of the officers equipped with the new AID vest.
"You see, with technology growing I like the concept of it," Zuniga said. "Hopefull we'll never need to use it, but it's one of those 'I'd rather not need it and have it than not have it and need it.'"
Patrol Division Commander Larry Sinclair said having AID is just a part of growing as a department and being proactive.
"Any department, any city, that doesn't stay on the front half of that wave of the technology, and seeing what's out there and what is really useful, what is really beneficial to their citizens and their employees, they are getting left behind," Sinclair said.
Sinclair said 19 of the 26 Rockport officers have an AID vest now.
The vests were completely free. The only thing the department has to pay for is the cell phone service that goes along with it.
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