New York City – NYPD Plunking Down $1 Million on Typewriters

    9

    fileNew York City – The city is plunking down nearly $1 million on typewriters for its keystroke cops.

    Join our WhatsApp group

    Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email


    That’s right — typewriters.

    Despite the adoption of high-tech equipment that can read license plates from the air and detect radiological events before they happen, manual and electric typewriters continue to be used throughout the NYPD — and they won’t be phased out anytime soon, officials told The Post.

    In fact, just last year, the city signed a $982,269 contract with New Jersey-based Swintec for the purchase of thousands of new manual and electric typewriters over the next three years — some of which retail for as much as $649 apiece.

    And last month, the city signed a $99,570 deal with Afax Business Machines in Manhattan for the maintenance of its existing Brother, Panasonic and IBM Selectric typewriters.

    In both cases, NYPD expenditures account for the bulk of the contract, sources told The Post.

    Although most of the NYPD’s arrest-report forms have been computerized, cops still use typewriters to fill out property and evidence vouchers, which are printed on carbon-paper forms.

    There are typewriters in every police precinct, including one in every detective squad.

    “It just doesn’t make sense that we can’t enter these [vouchers] on computer,” one cop told The Post.

    When the typewriter ribbons run out, as they often do, officers say the search for a working machine turns into a scene right of the ’70s sitcom “Barney Miller.”

    “We have to sneak around the rest of the precinct in search of a ribbon to steal,” a cop said.

    The reliance on typewriters contributes to the slow pace of processing arrests, said Dr. Edith Linn, a retired NYPD cop and professor of criminal justice at Berkeley College in Manhattan.

    “The system is hobbled by redundant paperwork, misused personnel, broken equipment, backward technology,” Linn says in her 2008 book “Arrest Decisions.”

    Of the roughly 500 NYPD officers Linn interviewed for a study on arrest behavior, many mentioned the outdated equipment as part of their reason for being averse to making arrests for less serious crimes.

    But the few typewriter companies still in existence aren’t complaining.

    Ed Michaels, sales manager of Swintec, said police departments are among its biggest clients.

    “They have a lot of forms to fill out, so we’re still here,” he said.

    The NYPD insists it has made progress over the past five years digitizing many processing forms.

    The department also is working on software to eliminate the old machines, a rep said.


    Listen to the VINnews podcast on:

    iTunes | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Podbean | Amazon

    Follow VINnews for Breaking News Updates


    Connect with VINnews

    Join our WhatsApp group


    9 Comments
    Most Voted
    Newest Oldest
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments
    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    If someone like Bloomberg cannot have transformed these holdouts to electronic forms, what hope is there for the City ever becoming more efficient?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    The trafic cops where the first on the list to go high tech the safety of New Yorkers are at the bottom of the list

    noticed
    noticed
    14 years ago

    Why people don’t get it is surprising? Typewriters don’t get hijacked and are safe from the publics view. If you make a mistake you canrip the paper and start over no one will know. They are also great for addressing envelopes and you don’t need to enter anything. Plus seniors can volunteer and still feel comfortable using typewriters. Not everything that is old is no good. Sometimes waiting for the machine to go on could drive you a little bit. It is wonderful to know that people are still interested in oldfashioned stuff

    Avrohom Abba
    Avrohom Abba
    14 years ago

    I demand that the NYPD habve their guns taken away and be issued swords instead. Also, let the parking meter maids use only pens and paper and no registration bar scans anymore.
    The Fire Department should use buckets.

    Saving Money
    Saving Money
    14 years ago

    Firstly the whole article and concept is ridiculous.. a sham and a waste of money, time & effort.

    Secondly, ..”We have to sneak around the rest of the precinct in search of a ribbon to steal,” a cop said…This goes to show you how corrupt the Police are.. they themselves steal and admit it.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Ha ha those corrupt cops can change reports with a typewriter. I guess if it where computerized we would be able to weed out some of the corruption

    Aryeh
    Aryeh
    14 years ago

    It should not be easy to arrest someone. The police should have to go through difficult processes with each person they detain, so that they will feel the weight of their actions, no matter how correct. Too often, the police act like the parking squad, detaining people for nothing as if they were writing a parking ticket. I for one am in favor of requiring the parking police to use typewriters for their revenue blitz that has nothing at all to do with the public interest.

    me
    me
    14 years ago

    “Although most of the NYPD’s arrest-report forms have been computerized, cops still use typewriters to fill out property and evidence vouchers, which are printed on carbon-paper forms.”
    After which the typed form is scanned, checked by OCR software, proof read by the officer, electornially filed, and the original and carbon copy are thrown in the garbage, all of which could have been avoided if the report was typed on a computer in the first place. The computers could be on an internal network with word processing software only and no access to games or internet to interfere with productivity. The amount of money they save on typewriter ribbons alone would enable them to hire a few more police officers. Someone with these contracts must be a Bloomberg crony. There is no excuse for using 1980 technology in 2009.