Used to be your average cop driving a black-and-white had a radio, a siren, a red flashing light and a partner.

Now, when cops hit the road, technology is riding shotgun.

Today’s police cruiser is a far cry from your father’s cherry-top. Advancing technology means the squad car in your rearview mirror might be equipped with a laser-guided tracking device, an automatic license plate recognition system, a mobile forensics lab and the ability to share and retrieve data, audio and video.

If you’re pulled over, chances are the officer already knows all about you and your vehicle before asking to see your license and registration.

Paramus, N.J., Deputy Police Chief Richard Cary calls the technology now deployed in police vehicles “force multipliers.” While they may not fully replace a Starsky-and-Hutch-style real-life partner, technology is making police work safer by feeding cops information at a pace unheard of just a few years ago, he said.

Developers of new crime-fighting gear for police cars are moving away from the Batmobile, with its atomic batteries and whiz-bang gadgetry, and toward the Knight Rider’s KITT, with its artificial intelligence. They’re not making cop cars faster, or equipping them with weapons. They’re making them smarter.

Some worry, however, that all this technology might become a distraction to officers, particularly when they are driving at high speeds. Investigators are now examining whether the state trooper who was driving New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine at a speed of 91 mph when his Chevy Suburban crashed on April 12 may have been distracted by a phone call, text messages and an e-mail sent to him.

Working to address concerns about technological distractions is Andrew Kun, co-director of Project 54 (named for one of TV’s most famous police cars, the cruiser from the 1960s show “Car 54, Where Are You?”) at the University of New Hampshire. The project is aimed at improving the interface between police officers and their in-car technology, using among other things voice commands that allow officers to keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.

“Police cars are pretty busy places. There’s a lot of equipment that is indispensable for everyday work but can distract from the primary task, which is driving,” said Kun, who envisions a wholly integrated car that could, for example, read a license plate, check it for violations, note its speed and location and print a ticket, all at a voice command from the officer. The project, funded by the Department of Justice, is aimed at making the most efficient use of police officers’ time while improving safety. And if it leads to more drivers getting tickets, at least you’re on your way faster.

Mike Fabbri is director of data solutions operations at Motorola, a company that, in addition to making cell phones and other electronics, has been helping police communicate for decades. He has helped transform a Chevy Suburban into a state-of-the-art “command vehicle” using the latest communications, video and wireless networking and computing power.

“Improving situational awareness is probably the No. 1 driver for this technology,” Fabbri said. “What contributes to the anxiety, the risk, the fear is not knowing what’s behind that door. So, to the extent you can provide information … the better decisions they are able to make and the safer they are.”

The Motorola command vehicle is all about data collection and networking. It can be equipped with multiple video cameras, stream video from cameras in the field or in other vehicles, and read and gather information about license plates by the dozens. All this, plus traditional voice communications are tied together by a wireless network available to all similarly equipped vehicles as they approach crime scenes.

All that communications and computing power doesn’t come cheap, though. “Starter kits” cost between $150,000 and $250,000, and systems for larger municipalities, like the one already deployed in Los Angeles, can cost millions.

A similar first responder surveillance system is available from Firetide, with headquarters near San Jose, Calif. That company’s product involves the installation of camera nodes in high crime areas that beam signals into police vehicles.

“When they drive into the vicinity, the node recognizes that they are there and automatically feeds the video. As they patrol, they will be able to view video in real time of what’s going on. If they see suspicious activity, they know how to approach,” said Ksenia Coffman, marketing manager for Firetide.

Already being used in Dallas and Rockford, Ill., the systems vary in cost depending on the size of the surveillance targets. Individual nodes sell for between $1,800 and $3,000.

Researchers at Georgia Tech, meanwhile, are taking their experience in designing cockpits for helicopters and applying it to police vehicles. They are working with Carbon Motors, an Atlanta-based startup that hopes to build the first line of vehicles specifically manufactured for law enforcement.

William Santana Li, chairman and CEO of Carbon, said the police cars of today are modified versions of regular cars; they’re awkwardly configured at best, dangerous to drive at worst.

“Georgia Tech has a skill set here that has not been applied to motor vehicles. We are marrying what we know from the automotive sector with the aerospace sector so that we have literally a cockpit,” he said.

“We’ve spent a lot of time with law enforcement agencies and come up with a list of critical requirements. We’re starting with a clean sheet of paper,” he said. He hopes to have the vehicles on the road within five years at a cost of $50,000 or so – about what a fully equipped cruiser costs today.

Others are pursuing better ways to enhance data. Sarnoff Corp. of Princeton, N.J., has developed the VideoDetective, a device that serves as a mobile video lab. It can take images – from a bank surveillance camera, for example – and enhance them to help identify suspects.

Mike Matisa, product manager for law enforcement products at Sarnoff, said the devices, which look like overgrown laptops, are available to local law enforcement agencies through the Department of Homeland Security’s technology-transfer program.

Coherent Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif., has a laser forensic unit called the TracER that can help police find clues like minute fibers, bodily fluids or fingerprints.

“There’s been a huge change in the technology that has allowed us to bring the size, weight and price down,” said Peter Schuman, director of investor relations at Coherent. The units currently cost about $45,000.

One of the most Batmobile-worthy devices is undergoing final testing by the Virginia Beach, Va.-based firm StarChase. The StarChase system actually fires a homing device that sticks to fleeing vehicles so they can be tracked using satellite technology.

Sean Sawyer, president of StarChase, said his company hopes the system will allow officers “to convert a dangerous, high-speed pursuit scenario into a more deliberate and controlled interdiction strategy.” No word yet on cost.