THE AUTOMATIC VEHICLE MONITORING SYSTEM IS INTENDED TO IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE DALLAS POLICE FORCE BY INCREASING OFFICER SAFETY, PERMITTING MORE EFFICIENT ASSIGNMENT OF PATROL UNITS TO CALLS, AND PROVIDING THE DISPATCHER WITH TIMELY, ACCURATE INFORMATION ON THE STATUS AND LOCATION OF PATROL UNITS. WHEN IMPLEMENTED, THE SYSTEM WILL ENABLE THE DISPATCHER TO KNOW THE LOCATION OF AND DIGITALLY COMMUNICATE WITH PATROL VEHICLES IN 78-SQUARE-MILE DISTRICT. SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT IS BEING CARRIED OUT IN TWO PHASES. THE FIRST PHASE, COMPLETED IN NOVEMBER 1976, CONSISTED OF TESTING THE LOCATION TECHNIQUE IN DALLAS AND PERFORMING THE DETAILED SYSTEM DESIGN. THE SECOND PHASE ENCOMPASSES THE HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE FOR VEHICLE LOCATION, THE DIGITAL COMMUNICATION OF STATUS MESSAGES, AND THE INTEGRATION OF STATUS MESSAGES WITH THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE EXISTING DISPATCH SYSTEM. THE PHASE I SYSTEM DESIGN AND SYSTEM TEST RESULTS ARE DESCRIBED, AS IS THE AUTOMATIC VEHICLE MONITORING COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEM. EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON THE MAN-MACHINE INTERACTION, INCLUDING THE OPERATION OF THE DISPATCHER'S CONSOLE. DIAGRAMS ILLUSTRATE SYSTEM FLOW, HARDWARE, AND DISPLAYS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED).