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cjustice
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Posted: Thu Dec 8th, 2011 04:36 am | 1st Post |
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Public Safety Technology in the News
New iWatch Allows Citizens to Report Suspicious Activity
Savannah Morning News, (11/23/2011)
The Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department in Georgia has developed a website where citizens may submit tips on suspicious activity. Called iWatch Savannah (http://www.iwatchsavannah.com), the site targets residents who think they have seen something suspicious, but aren't certain whether it merits reporting. Users may explain why they are making the report and must leave their contact information in the event the police want to speak to them about the tip. The site permits downloading of photos or video. A related cell phone app is in development.
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Tippecanoe County Tests Video Conferencing in Court
JCOnline.com, (11/27/2011), Dorothy Schneider
Indiana's Tippecanoe County is in the process of installing video conferencing equipment at the county courthouse, county jail and local Indiana Department of Corrections facilities. Once the installation is complete, judges may hold hearings where prisoners' remain in their cells and "appear" on a computer monitor. The county expects the $10,000 system to pay for itself in transportation cost savings within two years; the county presently has five officers dedicated solely to transport duty, and some of their time will be freed up and allocated elsewhere. The system is presently in the testing phase.
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3-D Facial Recognition Technology Used to Confirm bin Laden's Death Now at Madison County Jail
Huntsville Times, (11/27/2011), Chris Welch
The Madison County Jail has become the first facility in the Alabama to install National Security Resources' 3-D facial recognition program, the same program used by the U.S. government to identify Osama bin Laden's body. The 3-D facial recognition system uses 40,000 points in making a match and is considered 99.2 percent effective. The $15,000 system will be used in the first phase of enrollment and at prisoner release. The jail plans to replace its current mug shot system with one the produces forensic-grade 3-D images.
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Cuyahoga Sheriff's Facebook Page Nets 1,000 Fugitives
WKYC.com, (11/29/2011), Kim Wendel
Since the launch of its Facebook® page in January 2010, the Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Sheriff's Office has made more than 1,000 arrests it can relate to information posted on the site. The page averages more than 5,000 views, and the sheriff's office uses it to share posts and collect tips from the public. Cuyahoga County has averaged two arrests per day that it can link to the site. The sheriff's office recently added a section on missing persons and noncompliant sex offenders and started a Twitter feed.
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Montgomery Proposes Using Cameras on School Buses to Catch Motorists Who Don't Stop
Washington Post, (11/29/2011), Victor Zapana
Cameras would be added Montgomery County, Md. school buses to snag motorists who don't stop for the buses under a proposal before the county council. If the bill becomes law, police could use external cameras on buses to ticket offending motorists. Currently, drivers who fail to stop when a school bus has deployed flashing lights and a stop arm face up to a $1,000 fine and three points on their record. Police issue between 25 and 30 tickets in the county each month. However, often offending drivers are not seen by police and can't be identified. Bus cameras would photograph the license plate of the offending vehicle, and the vehicle owner would receive a ticket in the mail carrying a maximum fine of $250. No points would be added to the owner's record. A public hearing is scheduled for January. According to the Institute for Transportation Research and Education at North Carolina University, since the 1970s, cars passing a stopped school bus have killed more than 400 children nationwide.
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Camden County Prosecutor Warns of Impact of Police Layoffs on Crime
CourierPostOnline.com, (12/01/2011)
Camden, N.J. needs an additional 100 to 150 police officers to keep the city's escalating violence in check, according to Camden County prosecutor Warren Faulk. Fourteen people have been killed in the city since October. In November, robberies increased 114 percent and aggravated assaults increased by 60 percent, compared to November 2010. In a meeting with the Courier-Post editorial board, Faulk expressed faith in Camden Police Chief Scott Thomson and the department's officers, but said more police are needed. Due to budget constraints, nearly 168 officers were laid off in January. About 60 percent of them have been rehired, but the department's 262-member force is still more than 100 officers short from its size before the layoffs.
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Some Corrections Workers in Michigan Will Be Equipped With Tasers
Jackson City Patriot, (12/ 01/2011), Danielle Salisbury
The Michigan Department of Corrections is equipping some officers at four facilities with Tasers in a pilot project to determine if the devices will reduce prison violence and injuries. Research done in other states has found that use of Tasers lowered the number of injuries to staff and inmates and can dissuade bad behavior. The devices transmit electric impulses through the wires tethering the probes into the target individual. The Michigan Corrections Organization, the corrections officer union, supports Taser implementation.
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FBI to Open Forensics Lab at UNM Dec. 6
New Mexico Business Weekly, (12/05/2011)
A new FBI lab that will provide the New Mexico region with one-stop, digital forensic services is in place at the University of New Mexico. The New Mexico Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory provides digital forensics services and assistance to law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction in New Mexico. Services cover terrorism, child pornography, homicide, violent crimes, theft or destruction of intellectual property, Internet crime and fraud. The lab is the second of its kind located on a university campus, and the 16th such facility in the FBI's national network of one-stop, full-service forensics laboratory and training centers devoted to the examination of digital evidence in support of criminal investigations.
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Brimfield Police Department Releases Its Own App for Cell Phones
Akron Beacon Journal, (12/05/2011), Paula Schleis
Citizens of Brimfield, Ohio, can now easily keep abreast of police department activities. The Brimfield Police Department app for iPhones and Androids allows cell phone users, at no cost, to see department posts to its Twitter, Facebook and Nixle sites, send in crime tips, e-mail officers and submit pictures and videos. To get the app, search "mypd" in your cell phone's store or market to download the My Police Department program, then select "Brimfield Police Department" from the 30 or so departments listed. Brimfield will pay $400 a year for the service and is the first department in Ohio to sign up.
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Feds Give San Juan PD $70K for Tactical Gear
The Monitor, (12/04/2011)
A Texas police department is receiving a dozen full suits of tactical body armor under a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. DHS awarded more than $70,000 to the San Juan Police Department, which will use the funds for leg protectors, chaps, vests with ballistic plates, helmets, face shields and one rapid-response vest. The suits will provide full protection to the members of the Law Enforcement and Emergency Regional Response Team (LEERRT) and the San Juan police SWAT team. The LEERRT team comprises SWAT members from San Juan, Alamo, Donna, Weslaco, Edcouch, Palmview, Sullivan, Mercedes and Palmhurst and is activated for operations involving various jurisdictions or state and federal agencies. The San Juan SWAT team is tasked with local operations. San Juan also was awarded two foldable shields, a large ballistic shield, a thermal imager and a light tower.
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