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Politics & Government

CSI Gadget Coming to Crystal Lake Police Department

City Council approves the $17,000 purchase of a robot laser to aid in the rendering of crime-scene drawings.

Tape measurements, chalk outlines and scribbled calculations are out at the when it comes to investigating crime and accident scenes.

members Tuesday night unanimously approved the $17,214 purchase of a computerized laser-measuring device that renders “highly accurate accident and crime-scene drawings.”

“I see this being a very valuable tool,” Councilman Ralph Dawson said Wednesday morning. “Think of traffic accidents at intersections and all that time investigators take recording the measurements. This will get it done a lot faster and free-up traffic at crash sites sooner.”

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According to a Crystal Lake Police Department document, the recently purchased device is “vastly superior” to other techniques such as hand-drawn illustrations that are less accurate and more time consuming.

The digital technology produces accurate angle-and-distance measurements, which are needed for crime-scene reconstructions requiring accurate illustrations to a fraction of an inch, a police official said.

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City Council members voted to purchase the device officially called The Robotic Auto-Tracking Reflectorless Total Station System. Carol Stream-based Positioning Solutions Company is the low bidder at $17,214. The deal includes a two-year warranty on parts and labor, a free loaner if repair is needed in the next two years, on-site training and calibration.

The other bidder was Griner & Schmitz Inc., from Kansas City, Mo., who was selling a robot laser for $29,350.

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