What does automated and connected driving mean for the work of the police? Engineers, software specialists and police officers at the State Office for Central Police Services (LZDP) are researching this. The North Rhine-Westphalian police are working on the topic of automated driving in a laboratory that is unique in Germany. As part of the KoMoD-Polizei (Cooperative Mobility in the Digital Test Field Düsseldorf) project, work is being carried out on the patrol car of the future, among other things. What is developed can also be tested: on sections of the A57 and A52 federal highways as well as on a test field in the city of Düsseldorf.
"We are thinking along with the police right from the start when it comes to automated and connected driving," said Interior Minister Herbert Reul during his visit to the LZPD's development laboratory. "After all, we are the first port of call when it comes to safety on our roads. Traffic and road safety and the needs of the police must be taken into account right from the start."
Thomas Rosen, Head of the LZPD, said: "As a police force, it is important to actively follow the technical development of automotive IT driven by industry and research in order to be able to assess the potential impact on police work at an early stage. This is why we are already involved as an associated partner in the test field for fully automated driving - KoMoDnext - funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure."
Since March 2021, the North Rhine-Westphalian police have been an associate member of the KoMoDnext cooperation association, the Cooperative Test Bed for Mobility in Düsseldorf. Project partners include the Düsseldorf traffic control center, RWTH Aachen University, the German Aerospace Society and the companies Vodafone, Siemens, ZF Friedrichshafen and Swarco with their mobility and digital expertise.
As an associated partner, the police can contribute their own specialist expertise to the development and testing of the systems at an early stage. At the same time, tactical and investigative-strategic starting points can be created for the use of the technologies both for averting danger and for criminal prosecution. A further aim is to increase the safety of the police and road users.
Among other things, the project is researching how the traffic infrastructure can be influenced for the police in order to make operations safer for both the police and all other road users. "We want to make the roads themselves ready for action," said Reul, outlining a possible future scenario: "One day, the traffic lights may be switched to green for a police operation, streetcars and buses may be stopped and drivers will receive a notification on their display within seconds that an operation is underway."
