Cop pursues burglary suspect in street clothes. Other cop mistakes him for the bad guy and shoots him. Tragic, yes, but the idea they're toying with to 'fix' this problem will only end up causing more deaths
One idea involves the use of radio frequency tags that would allow officers to pinpoint where other cops are in the city, Browne said. Another involves tags that would work gun-to-gun and use an infrared sensor: When a weapon is pulled from an officer's holster it would trigger a signal that would be sent to the gun of a nearby officer. The signal may be seen or heard. The research is preliminary. A spokesman for the federal lab said some of the ideas floated by the department, like the use of radio frequency tags, may not work.
One idea involves the use of radio frequency tags that would allow officers to pinpoint where other cops are in the city, Browne said. Another involves tags that would work gun-to-gun and use an infrared sensor: When a weapon is pulled from an officer's holster it would trigger a signal that would be sent to the gun of a nearby officer. The signal may be seen or heard.
The research is preliminary. A spokesman for the federal lab said some of the ideas floated by the department, like the use of radio frequency tags, may not work.
Technical solutions to personnel problems never work. And just wait until the first goblin comes up with his own bypass / jammer or steals one from a cop car.
There is no solution to this problem other than training and familiarization with the department. No magical buttons or lights or radio tags are going to help. This is the same reason I argue against "smart weapons" – a gun is a last resort item and you want it to do its job with the least points of failure in the way as possible.