EarthLink calls the cops

EarthLink said Wednesday that it has a new strategy for its wireless division: selling to law enforcement and other emergency-services agencies.

Representative David Blumenthal said that on April 1 EarthLink will begin offering BlackBerry pagers loaded with software that lets emergency-services workers tap a database of private information on 98 percent of the U.S. adult population. The database, run by LocatePlus, includes names, addresses, phone numbers, prior addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers, real estate holdings, bankruptcies and criminal records.

The new EarthLink effort is meant for police, firefighters, paramedics and other emergency-services workers. The emergency-services industry generates a more than $100 million a year demand for wireless equipment and services. Companies including wireless providers Nextel Communications and equipment maker Motorola are all vying for the dollars.

The EarthLink equipment augments the older generations of radios that are part of the daily life of a police officer or firefighter, Blumenthal said. For instance, a police agency that's currently testing the gear is using it to more quickly find out who's supposed to be living inside a home that officers are staking out, he said.

Under the EarthLink plan, the BlackBerry is free, but the service costs $99 a month, Blumenthal said.

EarthLink sells several different wireless data-only services. For example, it resells wireless access inside more than 1,000 Boingo Wireless Wi-Fi-enabled locations and also has wireless linkups for laptops and personal digital assistants.

Two weeks ago, EarthLink announced a wireless service for the real estate industry.