The Miami Beach (FL) Police Department depends almost entirely on two-way handheld radios for its communications. However, the OEM batteries that powered their radios couldn't hold a charge longer than 8 hours, even when new. And as they aged, the batteries would hold a charge for less time and die completely, leaving officers without communications until they could get to a back-up battery. So the agency turned to Impact Power Technologies.

Miami Beach PD Tech Lt. David Hernandez knew they needed a battery that would last longer than a typical 12-hour shift and was determined to find one.

"It started with a trade show brochure from Impact Power Technologies (IPT), whose claims sounded too good to be true," said Lt. Hernandez. "But when the complimentary battery that IPT supplied tested out at 12 to 18 hours of run time every time, it was a game changer."

Thereafter, Miami Beach PD drafted a highly specific ITQ that required every vendor to provide two batteries and one charger for evaluation. The batteries were disseminated to different areas of the Department including car, motorcycle, K-9, ATV, Marine Patrol, and SWAT, where they were tested in the field for length of transmitting time and stand-by mode, as well as recharge duration. Meanwhile, their radio systems tech ran each battery through a series of tests for fit and function (both in the radio and on the officer), connection contact, durability, heat resistance, UL rating, charger agnostics, and fit in duty belt holsters, virtually tearing the batteries to pieces in the process.

At every stage of evaluation, IPT was the clear and uncontested leader, according to IPT. Plus, an unexpected advantage emerged in that the IPT battery was considerably lighter than all others, which would help reduce lower back issues some officers experience when carrying lots of equipment on their duty belts. Additionally, the IPT batteries safely charge on OEM or tri-chemistry chargers just in case personnel mix them up.

Hernandez said, "IPT's battery performance was like night and day over the OEM or any other battery we tested. It was easy to justify spending a few more dollars to replace the OEM with IPT, especially when we're getting between double and triple the lifespan in return value."

Armed with these results, the Miami Beach PD was able to make an initial purchase of approximately 100 IPT batteries. That was a little over two years ago and the IPT batteries are still running strong. Since then, Miami Beach PD has continued to deploy new IPT batteries in phases as part of their annual replacement budget. With the next purchase by the end of October, they will be almost fully equipped.

"We just tested the newest IPT battery for the Motorola XTS 3000/5000 radios that has 4700 milliamps and it's lasting quite a bit longer…over 30 hours on a charge," stated Hernandez. "I didn't think we could afford the upgrade, but IPT promised to hold the same price as their previous battery."

Ken Murphy, COO of IPT said, "IPT continually works to better our products, which means safer personnel and communities. We don't believe in up-charging our customers for increased capacity so, though it may cost us a bit more, it won't cost them more."

About Impact Power Technologies

Headquartered in Braintree, MA, Impact Power Technologies (IPT) LLC designs and manufactures portable power products for land mobile communications, bar code scanners, UPS systems, and portable printers. IPT's mission is to provide the highest quality control and customer support in the industry. IPT's proprietary Lithium Polymer and Lithium Ion chemistries, combined with their exclusive Battery Management System (BMS), guarantee the maximum run time, recharges, and lifespan. IPT's engineers can custom-design battery solutions for almost any need. IPT's Technology Center in Stuart, FL, works with ISO-9001, QS-9000 certified production partners in the United States, Asia, and Taiwan. www.impactpowertech.com