The History of the Irvine Police Department (page 6)
Irvine continued its rapid growth through the 1990s and the Irvine Police Department remained dedicated to making Irvine the safest city possible. In 1991, the Department installed modern computer terminals (Mobile Data Computers or MDCs) in the patrol vehicles. These computers gave officers immediate access to information normally provided by communicating with dispatchers. The Department also updated its vehicle locators allowing dispatchers to know the location of units in the field via a modern Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system.
The Department continued to improve through the advances in law enforcement technology by equipping officers with .45 caliber semi-autmatic handguns replacing their original .357 service revolvers.
After ten years at the helm, Chief Charles Brobeck retired in 2001. By the time of his retirement, the Police Department had grown to 161 sworn officers serving a growing population of over 149,000 residents in a 49 square mile area.
Chief Michael Berkow became Irvine’s third Chief of Police and instituted a comprehensive reorganization of the Department based on the concept of "geographic based policing." The goal was to bring officers into closer contact with the residents and businesses in the areas they patrol to facilitate better communication and partnerships that could lead to improving the quality of life and community safety.
