A dozen engineering students at Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J., are completing a project that could help protect the lives New Jersey State Police.

The students have been working to improve the organization of high-technology equipment, such as on-board computer and communication devices and other items that are mandatory in every New Jersey State Police trooper car. A team of nine students started the project during the summer. Their finished state police car prototype was introduced at the New Jersey Department of Transportation 4th Annual Research Showcase held at Rowan University’s College of Engineering during the Fall Semester.

Funded with $350,000 from the State Police, New Jersey DOT, and the Federal Highway Administration, the team designed ways to not only best organize existing and future equipment, but also to produce the most ergonomically sound arrangement.

The goal of the work on the Ford Crown Victoria was to optimize the relationship between officer and equipment, including determining how to prevent the tools an officer uses every day from blocking his or her escape in an emergency. The students also are working to modify an armored vehicle.