Voyager Systems’ President, Christopher Maloney, Testifies Before Congress on Racial Profiling Technology
WASHINGTON, DC (July 19, 2001) – Today in Washington, DC, the President of Voyager Systems, Chris Maloney, testified before the House Committee on Government Reform on technology solutions relating to racial profiling. Maloney’s testimony focused on the technical issues inherent in the capture and analysis of contact demographics data by law enforcement officers. VSI’s newest product for the public safety market is a wireless data product called Voyager which has a number of law enforcement applications. Maloney’s testimony was predicated upon the knowledge of this product’s utility for law enforcement by staff members associated with the House Committee on Government Reform. VSI considers it a signal honor as the only technology company invited to testify before the Committee, who recognizes that the VSI technology directly, efficiently and affordably addresses the technology issues attendant to racial profiling. Click here to read the text of Maloney’s testimony.
Racial Profiling a Growing Concern
Racial profiling, or social stereotyping by law enforcement officers conducting traffic stops or citizen contacts, has become an issue of increasing public concern. Nine states have passed legislation mandating the capture and analysis of contact demographic information to protect both the citizens and the law enforcement agencies involved. At the Federal level, the proposed legislation called “End Racial Profiling Act of 2001” would mandate data collection by all state and federal law enforcement agencies on any police “stops”, as well as requires the Attorney General to report on the results of data collection studies. Voyager Systems developed one of it suite of applications, Voyager Contact™, as a portable, wireless tool for recording contact demographics and transmitting the information to a database for analysis. Voyager Contact eliminates the need for handwritten reporting and manual database entry. The Denver Police Department is currently field testing Voyager Contact.
Voyager Systems Held as a Racial Profiling Reform Leader
“Voyager Systems is honored to be recognized by the House Committee on Government Reform as a leader in the development of technology to support racial profiling legislation”, said Maloney. “We look forward to the opportunity to provide additional technical guidance on this important matter of national concern.” At the end of the day senior staffers approached Maloney from both the majority and minority sides of the Committee, congratulated him on his valued testimony, and ensured him of their interest in contacting Voyager Systems for further assistance as they moved this important measure toward legislation. Headquartered in San Diego, privately-held Voyager Systems, Inc. is a public safety communications solutions provider specializing in wireless applications development. Its customers include local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. VSI’s flagship wireless application suite, Voyager, provides records check, field interview and racial profiling reporting capabilities on various handheld personal digital assistants, phones and laptop devices communicating over wireless networks. Voyager Systems facilitates information access and enhances officer safety through its cost-effective, breakthrough technology.