'Textalyzers' Could Help Cops Bust Distracted Drivers

Chicago is one of the first cities to consider the use of "textalyzers," which would allow police officers to scan phones to see if they were in use during an accident.

1 minute read

January 17, 2018, 6:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Police Enfocement

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"In a bid to crack down on car crashes caused by people texting while driving, Chicago aldermen on Thursday discussed the concept of arming police with devices to tell how recently drivers had used their cellphones," reports John Byrne.

"While a handful of government agencies around the country are looking at incorporating textalyzer technology in police investigations, none has done so yet," according to Byrne. The discussions in Chicago were extremely preliminary, and the technology isn't yet available. Byrne lays out all the political and technological issues surrounding the early considerations of the technology.

Thursday, January 11, 2018 in Chicago Tribune

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