Study at PSU focuses on voice-recognition software

Portland State computer science professors Warren Harrison and Bart Massey will continue working closely with local law enforcement groups in the hopes of developing and building portable radios that will allow police officers to communicate directly with the laptop computers now standard in police squad cars.

This year, Massey said, the professors hope to be able to develop usable voice-recognition software for this purpose. Apart from simplifying for officers the task of accessing the database while driving, the technology will be designed with the intent of broadening channels of communication between various law enforcement outfits and other emergency response personnel.

For the second straight year, the pair was awarded a $170,183 grant by the National Institute of Justice to fund their project “Using Portable Radios to Operate Mobile Data Terminals.” The two professors will also work with computer science faculty member Jim Larson.

The two professors have much experience with this line of work: Massey is citizen representative to the Portland Police Department’s Mobile Data Selection Committee and Harrison is a reserve deputy sheriff. They will present their recent findings and advances at the upcoming Government Open Source Conference to be held Oct. 15 to 16 at the Hilton Portland & Executive Tower Hotel.