Ottawa-based C-Com Satellite Systems Inc. [CMI] is partnering with the Minnesota State Patrol to keep the U.S.-Canada border secure.

C-Com recently delivered a number of its iNetVu Mobile satellite-based antenna systems to the Minnesota State Patrol’s Commercial Vehicle Section. The effort is backed by a specialized international border security grant and designed to aid field personnel with the Minnesota patrol in conducting special safety and weight enforcement in the remote northern areas of the state, C-Com officials said.

The Internet connection provided by C-Com would let officers in the field access a number of Web sites that provide valuable information for law enforcement purposes, company officials said. The C-COM iNetVu antennas and service allow officers to gain high-speed Internet access in the most remote regions of the state where no cellular or radio contact is available, company officials said.

Patrol officers can access a number of Web sites that offer e-mail, federal and state regulations and statutes, motor carrier safety profiles, and driver and vehicle licensing information through computer-aided dispatch.

“The officers can also scan and send documents from the field,” said Steve Palodichuk, an information technology specialist with the Minnesota State Patrol.

The service essentially allows officers to stay in the field by “bringing the office” to them, said Captain Ken Urquhart, district commander for the state patrol’s commercial vehicle enforcement section.

–Paul Dykewicz