COMPUTER MEMORIES, Chapter 60

LAW ENFORCEMENT TELETYPE SYSTEM
Several times I visited an early version of a store and forward communication system, called the LETS system (Law Enforcement Teletype System), located at the Highway Patrol in Phoenix. Instead of a computer, in those days they had old-fashion teletype machines that could receive a message over teletype lines, then punch paper tape at 10 characters per second.

This was a store and forward communication system, where the “store” function, was the hundreds of paper tapes lying here and there, waiting for the machine and line to become available, so the data on the tape could be transmitted to its destination.

When a line became available, each paper tape (about an inch wide, and sometimes they were yards long), was then taken to one of the dozens of machines, and the message was sent to the proper city. At any one time there might have been hundreds of paper tape messages, waiting to be transmitted to a variety of destinations. An almost impossible system to control and operate.

CALIFORNIA LAW ENFORCEMENT
TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM
While at Informatics I “received” a large contract to install two computers, one in Los Angeles, the other in Sacramento, connecting all of the law enforcement organizations in California, sharing files, and using the message “store and forward” concept.

I had heard that two or three companies had bid on the computer equipment portion of this contract. I talked to the State people who were responsible for selecting the winner, and determined (very quietly, I didn’t dare let them know why I was asking the questions) who I thought would win.

I then went to that computer company and convinced them they were going to win, and said I wanted the contract to install the software and create the needed application programs on those computers. I convinced them they should use their people to sell more computers, and let me install the computers they were selling to the State. They were so pleased to hear what I had to tell them, they agreed to hire my firm. Later, when the hardware contract was announced, I had the software contract all wrapped up before my competition even knew about it. That was fun, and profitable.

In Sacramento I also had contracts with the Departments of Education, Justice, and Highways, among others.