Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary

NLECTC Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary
Thursday, September 21, 2006

"Police Used High-Tech Surveillance at Festival"
Lawrence Journal-World (KS) (09/15/06); Weslander, Eric

Lawrence, Kan., police used hidden-camera, thermal-imaging, and night-vision equipment at its recent Wakarusa Festival. The Government Security News journal reports that around $250,000 worth of such equipment was employed by police at the festival, enabling them to combat some drug-dealing activity that took place. The equipment was provided by NS Microwave, which stated that it was able to cover 85 percent of the festival premises with around six cameras. The firm constructs "covert" cameras disguised as various objects, including electrical boxes and birdhouses. They are able to see at night so long as there is some means of light close by, such as fire or a lantern. Four of NS Microwave's cameras were continuously deployed during the festival, and a minimum of two others were there to be utilized as required, the company stated. The computers were managed by a computerized command center in a trailer that was set up on a hill on the middle of some property in the park. NS Microwave provided the cameras to the festival for free in exchange for being allowed to provide a demonstration of its technology.
http://www2.ljworld.com/news
/2006/sep/15/police_used_hightech
_surveillance_festival/

"Grant to Fund Fight Against Digital Crime"
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (09/17/06); Crompton, Janice

The U.S. Justice Department wants to develop a national standard for investigating and preventing electronic and digital crime, and has awarded a $500,000 grant to Waynesburg College to take a leading role in this effort. Waynesburg will be called on to review current training practices, which are uneven and sometimes nonexistent at military agencies and police departments across the country, develop national standards, and create training modules that work with computers, the Internet, PDAs, and other forms of digital media. The training program would focus on collecting and preserving digital evidence, and provide techniques for managing digital equipment and data sources. Waynesburg will also use the money to buy equipment and software for a computer forensics lab, and with data collection from government databases likely to begin in January officials hope to complete the project in a year and a half. "We're going to teach [investigators] how to handle evidence and investigations in digital form," says Richard Leipold, a professor of computer science who chairs the mathematics and computer science department. In a statement, U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), added, "these same techniques can be helpful in detecting and tracking terrorist activity."
http://www.post-gazette.com
/pg/06260/721871-58.stm

"Auglaize County Aims for Video Arraignments by Year's End"
Lima News (OH) (09/15/06); Blake, Bob

A videoconferencing system that allows remotely located inmates to interact with judges during quick courtroom hearings will be put to use in Auglaize County, Ohio, by December. The system will utilize video cameras that will be deployed at the county's law enforcement center and in all of the county's courts. The deployment of the videoconferencing system means that inmates can interact with the courts while still in detention. The implementation of the system will not only increase courthouse security, it will free up the time of local sheriff's deputies who would normally need to physically escort the inmates to court. "What it's really for is security and manpower," explains Joe Lenhart, the county's administrator. Similar systems are in use in larger cities and counties across the nation
. http://www.limaohio.com
/story.php?IDnum=29885

"Dear Criminal: Smile for My Camera"
St. Petersburg Times (FL) (09/16/06) P. 1A; Lee, Demorris A.

Home video surveillance can provide evidence that can help law enforcement officials solve crimes. In Pinellas County, Fla., deputies from the Sheriff's Office watched tape before arresting the individual who they believe fired shots into a Clearwater home, and video also helped police in Largo arrest someone who they believe stole prescription pain pills from an apartment. "It's really very compelling when you go to trial to actually see the guy committing the crime, " says Larry McKinnon with the Tampa police. Homeowners are increasingly turning to video surveillance, which is outpacing all other segments of the electronic security market in growth, according to Joe Freeman, president and founder of the national security consultant firm J.P. Freeman. Freeman expects the video surveillance market to grow to $21 billion over the next five years, while Dallas-based digital technology researcher Park Associates projects that the number of homes with security systems will grow by almost 30 percent by 2009. Home surveillance cameras can cost anywhere from $25 to $1,000, and they are easy to use. "They have become so inexpensive that you can pick one up for 100 bucks, and the quality of the camera has been astounding," adds Sgt. Charles Degenhardt, who supervises Pinellas' burglary unit. http://sptimes.com/2006
/09/16/Tampabay/Dear_c
riminal__Smile_.shtml

"LAPD Adds 10 Cameras to Curb Skid Row Crime"
Los Angeles Times (09/15/06) P. B5; Winton, Richard

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is stepping up street patrols with a new network of surveillance cameras. With the system, the LAPD's Central Station can monitor a larger swath of the city. "We can prevent crime from occurring or we can respond directly to where crime is occurring based on what a single officer can see on monitors at the police station", says LAPD Capt. Andy Smith. The network consists of 36 cameras, with 16 in LA's core neighborhood and 10 in the fashion district. Estela Lopez, executive director of Central City East Association, says the cameras offer additional support for law enforcement. "We are finally bringing high technology to the most entrenched criminal culture in L.A. the drug supermarket that preys on our most vulnerable citizens and poses a threat to everyone in skid row, sheltered and unsheltered," Lopez says.
http://www.latimes.com

"Drug Detection Takes a Close-Up"
Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA) (09/13/06) P. B1; Ring, Kim

Police in Worcester, Mass., can now use high-powered, gyro-stabilized binoculars with night-vision capabilities to help in drug cases thanks to a grant from the Office of National Drug Policy Counter-Drug Technology Assessment Center, which funded training in use of the new equipment last month at a one-day "train the trainer" workshop on Orlando. The $7,500 device can also record images. The center last year provided the police department with funding to purchase a thermal imager. "That's the whole idea of that grant is that we can get things we wouldn't be able to afford," says Chief David Darrin, who attended the training seminar. http://www.telegram.com
/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=
/20060913/NEWS/609130517

"S.J. Considers Expanding Emergency Notification Systems"
Stockton Record (CA) (09/14/06); Kane, Greg

The San Joaquin County, Calif., Sheriff's Office employs a computer-run dialing system that warns inhabitants in the region of emergency evacuations, missing individuals, and additional crises via prerecorded phone messages. The system can dial and leave brief messages with up to 128 houses in 60 seconds, enough time to tell a substantial number of people of a coming flood, levee breach, or other hazardous situation, notes Les Garcia with the Sheriff's Office. Now, however, county authorities are investigating how to utilize this system as part of its area disaster planning. The county is especially vulnerable to emergencies because of its reliance on earthen levees and dams, says Supervisor Jack Sieglock. County Administrator Manuel Lopez and Emergency Services Director Ron Baldwin announced recently that the county is thinking about purchasing a newer version of its current system, usually referred to as Reverse 911. The plans are in the preliminary phase, and it is not known what the system will cost. Although Emergency Services has access to the Sheriff's Office's present system, Baldwin points out that its scope is restricted since it dials under 40 numbers at a time. Newer systems being launched by private firms, including Reverse 911, permit thousands of houses to be dialed within minutes, he adds.
http://www.recordnet
.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID
=/20060914/NEWS0
1/609140327&SearchID=
73257237723158

"System Addresses Communication Gap"
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (09/15/06); Okada, Bryon

Texas Director of Homeland Security Steve McCraw, along with other state and local officials, say a new system that enables law enforcement and government first responders to communicate through voice, video, and data during an emergency will address the communication gap issue among emergency response personnel. The system is located at Dallas Love Field and was purchased with a $979,100 grant from the Department of Homeland Security. It covers Dallas County and some areas in Collin County. The system features hand-held devices that let city and airport officials communicate. Emergency responders will also be able to communicate during major disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires. "If you've got a firefighter in Corpus Christi and he comes up to Dallas, he ought to be able to talk to a Dallas firefighter using his own equipment," says McCraw. State officials are hoping for a statewide system by Jan. 7.
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/15522207.htm

"Mesa Set for Taser Upgrade"
Arizona Republic (09/14/06) P. 6; Cronin, Mike

The Mesa, Ariz., Police Department plans to equip all of the city's 543 patrol officers with the X26, a more up-to-date model of the Taser stun gun. Authorities have earmarked $514,000 to buy the guns, although the City Council must sign off on the proposal, which may occur on Sept. 18. Police Chief George Gascon states that fatalities connected to Tasers have involved an existing condition, either medical or drug-related, and could not be directly blamed on the stun gun. Gascon is revamping the department's utilization-of-force protocol to make certain police officers circumvent these kinds of situations. In 2005, Mesa paid $2.4 million to an individual whom an officer shot twice with a Taser and became a quadriplegic. Sgt. Lee White notes that each study performed on Taser safety reveals a substantial reduction in injuries to both suspects and police officials, and he stresses that the new X26 model is safer for suspects than the version currently employed by Mesa police.
http://www.azcentral.com
/community/mesa/articles/0
914mr-taser0914Z11.html

"Westboro Ramps Up New Alert Systems"
Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA) (09/14/06) P. B1; Kalkie, Rushmie

Residents in Worcester, Mass., will soon be able to receive email- and telephone-based emergency alerts from the local police department. The CitizenObserver email system, which is already used by 300 law enforcement agencies across 30 states, will go live in Worcester within the next two to three weeks. The phone-based alert system, known as Reverse 911, will be available in Worcester within three to six months. The email and telephone alerts are automatically sent to citizens in the event of an emergency situation, which could include terrorist attacks, hazardous materials spills, volatile weather, evacuations, crimes, and the presence of sex offenders. The email system will also allow citizens to send tips to police via email. A homeland security grant is helping to pay for the Reverse 911 system.
http://wt.us.publicus.com
/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20060914/NEWS/6
09140747/1005/NEWSSEVEN06

"Sex Offender Tracking Ramps Up"
Asheville Citizen-Times (NC) (09/14/06) P. 1A; Bolton, Kerra L.

Law enforcement officials in North Carolina will start receiving electronic updates on the whereabouts of repeat sex offenders in January. The state is rolling out a GPS monitoring system that is designed to alert law enforcement officials every time the registered sex offender approaches a playground, day care center, or some other area that is off limits. Sex offenders will wear an ankle bracelet that will wirelessly communicate to a central data center, which will be overseen by the state Department of Corrections, and each county will have its own system and will devote an officer to tracking the information. The state can program the satellite monitoring technology to focus on forbidden areas of its choice, such as schools, and certain systems are able to provide an immediate alert if a sex offender has entered a restricted area. Wireless technology is a key reason why electronic monitoring systems have improved over the years, says Steve Chapin, CEO of Pro-Tech, a vendor in Florida. "The battery life has improved, partly because of the improvements to the battery and wireless technology," adds Chapin. However, some observers are expressing concern that parents may let their guard down and that law enforcement may become lax in their investigations of crimes. "Because offenders may be identified by GPS as being near a crime scene, it is likely that law enforcement will have tunnel vision and will focus their investigation solely on a former offender even if that person did not commit the crime," says a briefing statement provided by the state chapter of the ACLU to state lawmakers.
http://www.citizen-times.com
/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=
/20060914/NEWS01/60913096/1119

"Gadget Helps Police Identify Stolen Cars"
East Valley Tribune (Mesa, AZ) (09/13/06); McDevitt, Katie

The City of Tempe, Ariz., bought two mobile license-plate scanning devices to automatically locate stolen cars and license plates. "The license plate reader program has to be able to differentiate that the cactus on the Arizona plates or a wheelchair isn't a number," says Tempe Sgt. Joe Brosius. "They have to program all these things into the computer to make sure the computer understands how to read a plate in Arizona." The gadgets can scan 8,000 to 10,000 vehicles per shift and identify plates from as far away as four traffic lanes. Each device costs $26,000 and they were purchased by a grant from the Arizona Automobile Theft Authority and money from the state. Every device features a camera that sits on top of a patrol car and a computer that goes inside the car. Brosius insists the devices will only be used to search for stolen vehicles, not locate individuals with warrants or suspended licenses. The system is expected to be in place by the end of the month.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com
/index.php?sty=73928

"GPS Ankle Bracelets Cut Costs, Jail Crowding In Hillsborough"
Tampa Tribune (09/13/06) P. 1; McCartney, Anthony

In Hillsborough County, Fla., suspects ordered by courts to wear GPS ankle bracelets are less likely to try to escape compared to those who are arrested and post bail, according to prison officials. More than 900 people in the county this year have been wearing the bracelets, of whom only 28 have attempted to flee the system, with just five now at-large. Sheriff's Col. David Parrish says the ankle bracelets have reduced jail congestion and allow those who cannot afford the bail to return home. He noted that during the month of August, 10 percent of almost 7,000 people out on bail failed to attend court appearances, compared to just 3 percent of those wearing GPS bracelets. The county rents the bracelets for roughly $8 daily, which is much lower than the more than $65 per day it costs to accommodate an inmate at one of the county's two jails. Prison officials are permitted to release offenders with ankle bracelets if they have not posted bail within 48 hours and their bails are set at $5,000 or less; judges more commonly order GPS monitoring for inmates and set strict conditions. However, although officials know the whereabouts of offenders equipped with the bracelets, the GPS technology does not prevent them from committing additional crimes. Re-offenders under GPS monitoring must remain in jail without bail.
http://www.tbo.com
/news/nationworld/MGBGS8551SE.html

"NYC Orders $500 Million Emergency Data Network"
Reuters (09/12/06); Parsons, Claudia

In the latest example of the entrance of big defense contractors into the lucrative civilian security market, Northrop Grumman has been awarded a five-year, $500 million contract by New York City to build and maintain a high-speed wireless data network for emergency service, a direct result of the lessons of 9/11. The network is expected to be operable in Lower Manhattan by the start of the next year and across the city by early 2008. Last August, Lockheed Martin signed a $212 million contract with the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority to develop an electronic security system composed of video cameras and motion detectors for city bridges, tunnels, and subway stations. New York is also considering the use of subway ticket machines made by GE and Cubic Corp. for the detection of traces of explosives.
http://today.reuters.com
/news/articlenews.aspx?t
ype=domesticNews&story
ID=2006-09-12T213419_
z01_N12328310_RTRUK
OC_0_US-DEFENSE-NORTHROP.xml&archived=False

"Jail Security Plans Put on Fast Track"
Toledo Blade (OH) (09/13/06) P. B1; Blake, Erica

In the wake of an escape by an inmate, officials in Lucas County, Ohio, are accelerating an initiative to set up a new camera security system at the county jail. County commissioners have allowed the sheriff's office to discuss a contract with an architectural firm to draw up plans. A proposal from consulting engineering firm DLZ is expected to be submitted to the county in approximately 10 days, costing between $500,000 and $750,000. The inmate escaped Aug. 21 by using a set of keys left unattended by corrections officers. "Even though we had human error, we'd have another line of defense with a better [camera] system in place," said Jail Administrator Jim O'Neal. Additional improvements to the jail include a $190,000 video visitation system that was installed in August that eliminates the need for visitors to access jail cell floors, making it more difficult to pass smuggled goods to inmates, said O'Neal. For the future, he hopes to expand arraignments via video, acquire control booths, and redesign jail entrances to improve screening of all those entering the jail
. http://toledoblade.com
/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID
=/20060913/NEWS03/609130380/-1/NEWS

"Perception vs. Reality: What Are the Issues?"
Sheriff (08/06) Vol. 58, No. 4, P. 47; Ogden, David A.; Ford, Dan

Sensational news reports, special-interest groups' rhetoric, and mistaken information can create an unrealistically negative public perception of the use of electronic control weapons (ECW) such as the Taser, write Orange County, Fla., Sheriff's Office Capt. David A. Ogden and Division Chief Dan Ford. Law enforcement agencies must respond with immediate attention, education, and communication in order to prevent the public-relations problem from escalating. Among the questions to address are what is the appropriate level of force, whether the standard of resistance should be "passive" or "active," and whether the agency has a policy in place and is training according to it. The people to involve in ECW education efforts can include city and county councils, political leaders, religious and other community leaders, the media, the general public, and--most importantly--the agency's law enforcement officers. Policies should be carefully written to fit the community, and the agencies should use internal and external training as well as meetings with the media and the community. Explanations of how ECWs work, how officers are trained, and the statistical data on ECWs' reduction of injuries and deadly force are among the matters to be communicated. The Orange County Sheriff's Office addressed the ECW public perception problem by creating a 12-member Taser Task Force Committee consisting of agency leaders as well as community representatives, with the community representatives making up the majority of the task force. The task force's recommendations for communicating with the community and improving policies and training have helped boost community understanding and support for the use of ECWs.
http://www.sheriffs.org

"Podcasting for Police Departments"
Police and Security News (08/06) Vol. 22, No. 4, P. 41; Kanable, Rebecca

The Franklin, Mass. Police Department has joined the NYPD in using podcasts to communicate with the communities they serve. Franklin PD's podcasts are hosted by Patrolman Brian Johnson, a 14-year veteran of law enforcement who thought the medium would provide a low-cost way for the department to show people that it does more than write tickets. The six episodes of the podcasts, which is entitled "Franklin's Finest," have highlighted the department's canine program, the tactical team, community service programs, and more. "They don't necessarily always see it, but our agency is more," Johnson said. "We have to highlight ourselves; we have to speak for ourselves. Towns aren't just saying, 'Here's more money.' We have to justify ourselves which is kind of new to agencies." In addition, podcasts can give the department another way to communicate directly with the public in the event of an emergency, though the department has not had an emergency warranting a podcast since it began using the medium last December. So far, each of the Franklin PD's podcasts have been downloaded several hundred times on average, although the department has no ways of knowing how many people are actually listening to the programs. However, feedback has been very good, and citizens have e-mailed the department asking for more and suggesting topics. "We'd love to increase the frequency, and we'd love to get more feedback from people as to what they'd like to hear," Johnson said.
http://www.policeandsecuritynews.com