Southeastern Data Technologies

SEDataTech News

SEDataTech Partners With Prosirius Technologies

On Monday, October 13, 2003, Southeastern Data Technologies entered a business venture/partnership with Prosirius Technologies of Tampa, FL. Prosirius Technologies is a cutting edge company specializing in mobile technologies. This venture agreement will mean more mobile products for the law enforcement and public safety sectors. Together, we hope to bring you the best and most affordable mobile software available for the public safety sector. Please visit their site at Prosirius.Com.

VCFPalm on Court TV

Tampa, FL - July 29, 2002 - On Monday, July 29, 2002, the State of Florida tried a 19 year old teenager for vehicular homicide in the death of a 26 year old mother who was walking her infant baby. The crash happened in the year 2000 when the teenager was just 17 years old. The teen was driving a new Mitsubishi Eclipse when he failed to stop for a stop sign and took the curve at a rate of speed that was too fast for the intersection. The driver struck the mother killing her instantly. The baby was secured in a car seat attached to a stroller body and survived the crash without any injuries.

The lead homicide investigator, Dep. Dwaine Parker, a former Hillsborough County deputy now working for the Collier County Sheriff's Office, was allowed to use his VCFPalm software while on the witness stand to validate his homicide report against questions asked by the defense attorney. Dep. Parker used VCF for Windows for his calculations while working on the homicide report. Dep. Parker was able to show the jury that his calculations were correct and disproved many of the theories presented by the defense attorney.

During the trial, the defense presented its expert witness, a well known and leading crash reconstructionist and former IPTM instructor, who presented the jury with an animated crash recreation video of the defendants accounts of the crash. The expert witness was asked about Dep. Parker's finding, but could not disprove them to the jury. After the expert witness completed his testimony, the prosecution again called Dep. Parker to the stand and with the use of VCFPalm, disproved the defense's video and defendant's account of the crash. The jury found the teenager guilty of vehicular homicide and was sentenced on September 9th. In Florida, the sentence carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. The taped Court TV trial appeared shortly after the coverage of the Danielle Van Dam murder trial in California.

Here is what Dep. Parker had to say about using VCFPalm in the courtroom:

"VCF is a powerful tool in accident investigation and reconstruction. At the time you arrive at the scene, the VCFPalm version will allow you to quickly do some calculations to determine the focus of your investigation. Once you determine which formulas will be required to reconstruct your crash, VCFPalm will help remind you what information is necessary to gather in order to properly apply that information within the formulas. This information can then be saved and documented in the Palm and later transferred to the desktop version when you return to your office or send it directly to your printer for an excellent source of on-scene case notes. In either case, VCFPalm has been instrumental in allowing me the ability to begin a thorough on-scene investigation."

"Once the investigation is completed and you begin to write your report, the features of VCF allow easy transfer of the formulas used, and the results, right to your word document. This allows the reader to see a detailed description of the formula and what information you used to obtain your results. It also provides a great resource for recalling the details of your investigation when you are required participate in a deposition or trial, which is typically a year or more after the crash."

"Finally, VCF allowed me the opportunity to apply the defense theories to this case. I was then able to show the State's prosecutor in black and white why it was physically impossible that this crash could not have happened in the manner that the defense wanted the jury to believe. During this testimony, the defense lawyer asked me a question, which required the use of a speed formula. By using VCFPalm on the stand, I was able to provide the correct answer without hesitation or mathematical miscalculation. This reinforced the jury's perception of my ability to understand and apply the complex formulas we rely upon to prove our cases."

"All of this information combined with the continued support from Southeastern Data Technologies makes choosing VCF an easy to use problem solving tool for my reconstruction software library. For further information about using VCF in the field or in the office, please don't hesitate to email me at the address listed below."

Sincerely,
Dwaine Parker
Naples, Florida

If you wish to find out more information on the role of VCF in the courtroom, you may contact Dep.Parker via email at dparker1@swfla.rr.com.

September 16, 2002 - The Florida v Delrio case was aired on Court TV. Although the teenager was found guilty by the jury, the judge acquitted him within a week after the trial (and a closed meeting with his attorney) stating that there was not enough evidence for jury to have found the defendant reckless enough to convict him of vehicular homicide even though he did run the stop sign (????). The state is appealing the judges decision.

July 31, 2003 - The appellate court found no fault in the judges ruling to acquit Mr. Delrio of vehicular homicide. The State Attorney's Office stated that it will not pursue the case any longer and Mr. Delrio was given a citation for a stop sign violation, which was dismissed in traffic court since there were no witnesses to the incident.

December 19, 2004 - The Delrio case was aired as a segment of NBC's Dateline with Stone Phillips. Dep. Parker was interviewed on the show along with witnesses testifying to the defendants careless driving habits. However, the judge refused to comment or grant an interview with the reporters and Delrio's attorney refused to comment on anything outside of his defense statements. Three of the jurors were also interviewed, none of which were happy with the turn of events or the judges decision.

VCFPalm is Winner of CASL Developer Spotlight

Friday, July 26, 2002 - SEDataTech won the Developer Spotlight for the month of June, 2002. This contest is held monthly by CASLSoft and highlights the best software developed with CASL for the Palm OS. Thanks to all that voted for us in the Developer Spotlight contest. SEDataTech is part of the CASL Solution Provider Network.