Norcross, Ga. – Declaring that the department’s new Leica 3D laser scanning system “will revolutionize the way we conduct operations and investigations”, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus used a press conference to introduce what he described as “the future of information collection and preservation”. The SAPD recently purchased a Leica Geosystems ScanStation 2 using grant funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The Leica ScanStation 2 can be used for forensic mapping at crash and homicide scenes, officer involved shootings, bomb/arson investigations and can also support the homeland security mission. “This extremely versatile 3D Laser Scanning System has many capabilities that include scanning, analyzing, measuring and diagramming scenes. It will help with everything from homeland security vulnerability and threat assessment planning, to crime scenes, and ultimately forensic presentation in court.” said Chief McManus.
Developed for versatility and productivity, the long-range, high accuracy laser scanner is able to collect 50,000 measurements per second enabling crime scene investigators to “freeze the scene in time.” Investigators will use the Leica ScanStation 2 to photograph and laser scan (measure) a crime scene. An embedded high-resolution digital camera within ScanStation 2 provides detectives with valuable photos of the scene that can be used to aid in scanning and in data processing. Once gathered, the scanning software produces diagrams, 3D scene reconstructions and other important documentation necessary to every crime scene investigation.
“The ScanStation 2 is used all over the world by the private sector to image, map and analyze critical infrastructure. Public safety agencies are recognizing that scanning can be a powerful homeland security tool to aid with the prevention, protection against, response to and recovery from terrorist acts” said Tony Grissim, Public Safety & Forensic Account Manager for Leica Geosystems. “The traffic we are seeing on our web site at http://www.leica-geosystems.com/us/forensic, tells us that interest in our solution is keen and growing”.
Leica Geosystems
With close to 200 years of pioneering solutions to measure the world, Leica Geosystems products and services are trusted by professionals worldwide to help them capture, analyze, and present spatial information. Leica Geosystems is best known for its broad array of products that capture accurately, model quickly, analyze easily, and visualize and present spatial information.
Those who use Leica Geosystems products every day trust them for their dependability, the value they deliver, and the superior customer support. Based in Heerbrugg, Switzerland, Leica Geosystems is a global company with tens of thousands of customers supported by more than 3’500 employees in 28 countries and hundreds of partners located in more than 120 countries around the world. Leica Geosystems is part of the Hexagon Group, Sweden.