Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary

NLECTC Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary
Thursday, October 12, 2006

"New System Speeds Up Criminal Identification"
Chicago Tribune (10/06/06) P. C7; Yang, Tony C.

Rather than going through a long and complicated process of comparing criminal records via faxes and fingerprints, Cook County law enforcement officials now have access to a database that contains criminal records, tattoos, and other information used to identify criminals. The database is called the Criminal Apprehension and Booking System and is available to the more than 120 police departments in Cook County and funded by a $5 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security. Bill Cunningham of the Cook County sheriff's office says the database is easy to use. "Our goal is to have everybody on the same page when it comes to collecting information on bad guys," he explains. The database is expected to be used statewide very soon.
http://www.chicagotribune.com
/news/local/chicago/chi-06100
60246oct06,1,2262648.story?co
ll=chi-newslocalchicago-hed

"911 Dispatchers Now Able to Locate People in Distress"
Maui News (HI) (10/08/06); Fujimoto, Lila

The Maui Police Department is employing a new computer mapping system to track emergency calls. The technology directed police to an accident scene this summer after the dispatcher received only minimal information about the location of a car that went off the roadway. Nextel, Verizon Wireless, Cingular, T-Mobile, and Sprint are providing cellular service for the system. Police can also use the system to obtain the cell phone number of a caller. Nextel offered the service first, while the other carriers began participating in the program this year. Wireless carriers are charging each customer 66 cents per month for the service.
http://www.mauinews.com
/story.aspx?id=24017

"Computer Program Analyzes Statistics To Help Fight Crime"
East Valley Tribune (Mesa, AZ) (10/07/06); Richardson, Christian

Law enforcement officials in Mesa, Ariz., are hoping that using CompStat will make it easier for them to catch and locate criminals. "What it's going to do for the city of Mesa is it's going to make a much more efficient police department and a better crime fighter," says Mesa chief of police George Gascon. CompStat, which has already been used by the New York Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department, works by analyzing data to come up with statistics. Once the system is completely implemented, officials will be able to view data that is one week old, instead of months, in an effort to study crime statistics and arrest from the previous day. Detective Jeff Godown says the system has helped bring the crime rate down in Los Angeles for three years in a row. Mesa police plan to get together every other week to go over CompStat's numbers, with detectives eventually scheduled to participate, and then the public will be invited to join in. Godown says other agencies across the nation are also considering CompStat.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/

"State Program to Speed DNA Analysis in SoCal Sex Assault Cases"
San Francisco Chronicle (10/08/06)

California has launched a new program that seeks to hasten the process for comparing DNA samples of sexual assault victims to DNA samples of convicted sex offenders, according to state Attorney General Bill Lockyer. The program calls for the California Department of Justice to compare the victim's DNA sample to DNA profiles contained in the national criminal database in five days or less. More than 287,000 DNA samples still require testing by California's crime lab, which receives 20,000 DNA samples each month. The new program hopes to bypass the lengthy time process--testing of DNA samples taken from sexual assault victims can currently take as long as six months--by sending a separate sample for quicker analysis to the crime lab. Los Angeles County law enforcement personnel will be the sole participants in the program for now.
http://www.sfgate.com
/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n
/a/2006/10/08/st
ate/n215425D61.DTL&h
w=state+program+to+spee
d+DNA+analysis&sn=001&sc=1000

"State Prison in Jessup Transferring Inmates, Converting to Minimum-Security"
Washington Post (10/08/06) P. C2; Hernandez, Nelson

As part of its effort to transform the 128-year-old Maryland House of Correction into a minimum-security prison, the state Division of Correction has transferred roughly 1,100 medium- and maximum-security inmates at the Jessup facility to other prisons in the state. The remaining prisoners will be moved to the North Branch Correctional Institution in Cumberland next year. According to Maj. Priscilla Doggett with the Division of Correction, the prisoners are being moved from the Jessup facility because the maximum-security institute in Cumberland is a newly designed prison that can better serve the needs of maximum-security inmates. Doggett noted that the North Branch prison has a modern layout that makes it easier to track prisoners. The House of Correction, by comparison, is an antiquated facility where inmates have discovered how to jam cell locks, which poses a security risk to correctional officers and other inmates. The transfer of prisoners is one of a number of changes being made to Maryland's prison system in the wake of the fatal stabbing of Officer David McGuinn at the Jessup prison in July. For example, the Division of Correction's Acting Commissioner, John A. Rowley, said last month that he would spend $5 million on security improvements, including surveillance cameras, new protective equipment, and a larger staff of intelligence officers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com
/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/1
0/07/AR2006100700763.html

"Author: Crime Prediction Possible"
Herald-Sun (NC) (10/05/06) P. C1; Dopart, BriAnne

RTI International behavioral scientist Colleen McCue says law enforcement can use similar analytical and computing strategies to predict when and where the next crime will occur, as today financial analysts use to steer their investing. Data-mining and predictive analysis techniques also are used today by large corporate marketing departments. McCue herself has used data-mining and predictive analysis for Virginia's Richmond Police Department before joining RTI. McCue's research there led to a 47 percent reduction in gunfire complaints on New Year's Eve 2003 compared to 2002, and her strategy deployed 50 fewer police officers than the year before. This saved Richmond $15,000. McCue says, "One of the things we found was that crime, like any other behavior, has a pattern." For instance, McCue discovered that many convicted suspects in rape cases in which a rapist did not know their victim often began their criminal career as small-time burglars who broke in houses, but often escaped with little or nothing. Identifying these patterns can abet preventive policing.
http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-775750.html

"Border Cameras Operating, But Not Online Yet"
Austin American-Statesman (TX) (10/05/06) P. B1; Castillo, Juan

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is implementing a border surveillance project in which cameras will enable U.S. citizens to watch the U.S.-Mexican border online and report crimes. Yet while 15 new cameras have begun operating since Perry's program kicked off on June 1 this year, and while the video feeds now are visible to law enforcement, they have yet to go live on the Internet. The program is backed by $5 million in state funding. "We have to make sure these things are secure and that they can handle the tremendous amount of hits we know we'll have through the servers," says Perry election campaign representative Robert Black. "You're going to get millions of people on it." Brooks County, Texas, rancher Mike Vickers says hundreds of illegal immigrants cross his property every day. He thinks this virtual video-watch program will be effective on private property such as his ranch.
http://www.statesman.com
/search/content/gen/ap/TX_Bo
rder_Cameras.html

"Lorain County Internet Site Alerts Police and Public"
Plain Dealer (Cleveland) (10/05/06) P. B1; Puente, Mark

Ohio has a new information sharing system that can post photos and images on cell phones and computers called Lorain Information Sharing Agreement (LISA). LISA was paid for by a $42,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and $42,000 in forfeited drug money from prosecutor Dennis Will. The system can post photos of missing children, images of a someone using a stolen credit card, and surveillance videos of crimes from across the county. LISA is not designed to be a substitute for the Amber Alert, but it allows police officers to post information about a suspect without any restrictions. Will says LISA was needed as a way for police to share information throughout Lorain county's 18 departments. Residents who have information on a crime can post it anonymously online. Currently, about 50 people have registered to receive alerts and 130 alerts have already been sent between departments and 35 have been sent to the public, according to Bill Visalden, a Sheffield detective.
http://www.cleveland.com
/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?
/base/lorain/1160037336226
810.xml&coll=2

"Tavern Camera Mandate Proposed"
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (10/04/06); Sandler, Larry

Milwaukee aldermen are considering the imposition of a mandate that would force all drinking establishments in the city, with the exception of restaurants and possibly smaller taverns, to install digital surveillance technology to reduce violence and other disorders both inside and outside. The measure would require the impacted establishments to install the cameras in such a way as to monitor parking lots and abutting streets and give a "panoramic, full-frame view" of the entire premises inside. The bars and nightclubs would have to keep images for at least a week and provide them to law enforcement upon request. Already, convenience stores in the city are required to have video cameras, as are any retail outlets where police have been called to at least three times in a year. Bar owners say the measure will cost them at least $10,000 for equipment and installation.
http://www.jsonline.com
/story/index.aspx?id=508261

"Hey Bad Guys, Try Finding These New Police Cameras"
Chicago Sun-Times (10/04/06) P. 18; Spielman, Fran

Chicago police are installing 100 new surveillance cameras costing $1 million dollars in high-crime areas next year in the city's continuing efforts to deter gang- and drug-related activity. The new cameras have night vision capability, can rotate 360 degrees, cost $6,000 a piece, and can store and download digital recordings in minutes. They look like streetlights and, at 15 pounds, are smaller and lighter than the 200 older cameras currently watching the city's streets. The older cameras, which are equipped with a flashing blue light and tagged with the Chicago Police Department's logo, each cost $30,000 and weigh 100 pounds. Both cameras are able to transmit images to 911 call centers and district stations through microwave antennae. Officials hope future cameras will be able to detect gunshots. Although the new cameras will allow police to catch criminals who unknowingly break the law in an area under surveillance, some residents prefer the older cameras because they help scare off potential lawbreakers before the crime is committed. According to Mayor Richard M. Daley, the cameras are the "next best thing" to having a police officer on every corner.
http://www.suntimes.com
/news/metro/82289,CST-NWS-cameras04.article

"$4.8 Million Upgrade Will Expand Dispatch Capabilities"
Noblesville Ledger (TN) (10/03/06) P. 6; Sikich, Chris

Police in Hamilton County, Ind., put part of a $4.8 million Homeland Security grant towards new technology updating the county's crime-fighting resources. The Hamilton County and city of Carmel emergency dispatch centers are now equipped with New World software, which will help officers improve many different aspects of emergency response and perhaps inspire more cooperation between jurisdictions. The upgrade will allow the dispatch centers to provide backup for each other as well as simplify data-sharing and information-gathering. A new mapping system will let dispatchers find the precise locations of officers or people in need of assistance and make sure that the closest available officer is dispatched to a call. Officers will also be able to view the maps via laptop computers in squad cars. The upcoming record-management portion of the software, fully functional on Oct. 30, will provide a centralized location for various information and increase the ease of tracking crime statistics and trends. The new program is compatible with the city of Nobelsville's dispatch and records center, which was updated in 2001, though Nobelsville will not be able to integrate fully with the New World network. http://www.thenoblesvilleledger.com
/articles/9/077947-6299-093.html

"Police to Pilot New Forensics Weapon"
This is Bradford and District (UK) (10/05/06); Wright, Steve

In the United Kingdom, Operation Recall--a successful two-year-old investigation into West Yorkshire's unsolved rape and murder cases--recently received a huge boost when county police were one of four forces selected to pilot a cutting-edge DNA analysis program. The Forensic Science Service says that DNAboost, a computer-based analysis system, will help police identify 15 percent more offenders, and West Yorkshire police hope to use the program to solve 40 percent more cold cases. DNAboost allows investigators to make identifications in cases where more than one person has touched a surface or when a sample is small or of a low quality. Over the next few weeks, police will use the program to re-examine cases that were unsuccessfully analyzed during Operation Recall to see if DNAboost can make a match where the old technology failed.
http://www.thisisbradford.co.uk
/news/tibnews/display.var.9533
04.0.police_to_pilot_new_fore
nsics_weapon.php

"Madigan: Internet Crimes Against Children Presents Equipment for Waterloo Police Department to Track On-Line Predators"
US States News (10/04/06)

Attorney General Lisa Madigan recently reported the grant of state-of-the art computer hardware, forensic software, and training to the Waterloo Police Department. The equipment and training comes through a federal grant awarded to the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force as part of its mission of increasing the forensic capabilities of Illinois police agencies in the recovery of evidence in child exploitation cases. Madigan applauded the commitment by Chief Joseph Brauer and Captain Suzanne Sweet of the Waterloo Police Department in using the equipment and training to help protect Metro East children from sexual predators. "As younger children become more frequent Internet users, the need to protect them from the dangers lurking on-line has increased," Madigan said. According to a national survey of youth conducted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 34 percent of youth surveyed reported seeing sexually explicit material on-line, 9 percent of youth reported being harassed on-line and 13 percent of youth surveyed reported being solicited for sex on-line. "We must be vigilant in protecting the children of Illinois from the threat of on-line predators," Madigan said. "This equipment will further enhance the ability to identify, arrest and prosecute sexual predators." Illinois' Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) was created in 2004 and is funded through a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Currently, approximately 60 law enforcement agencies statewide are partners of ICAC and work collaboratively to combat child victimization in Illinois. ICAC's goal is to identify, arrest and convict sex offenders who prey on children using computer technology - including the Internet
. http://w3.nexis.com/sources
/scripts/info.pl?296938

"Click It and Ticket"
Boston Herald (10/03/06) P. 3; Fargen, Jessica

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino has proposed an ordinance that would allow for the placement of red light cameras at designated intersections in the city. The cameras would capture an image of the rear license plate of cars running red lights at the intersections. The car's owner would then be mailed a $100 ticket for a first offense, with fines increasing for subsequent offenses. An appeal is allowed. About 20 states currently use red light cameras, and studies have shown that they have cut down on violations and some types of accidents. However, Menino's effort to install red light cameras in Boston faces opposition from the Massachusetts Legislature, which has blocked several of Menino's previous attempts to bring the technology to his city. In addition, the National Motorists Association has said some studies have shown that red light cameras cause more rear-end collisions and that poor timing of traffic signals is responsible for red light running. "This is not an enforcement issue," said the National Motorists Association's Eric Skrum. "This is an engineering issue. If you have a problem intersection and you put up a camera, that problem still exists."
http://news.bostonherald.com
/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=160465

"Wired For Trouble"
Government Executive (09/15/06) Vol. 38, No. 16, P. 61; Perera, David

After more than a decade of struggling by federal law enforcers, the final contract for the Integrated Wireless Network (IWN) is expected to be worth $10 billion over 15 years and will be awarded in early 2007, although some close to the project, headed by the Department of Justice (DOJ), have expressed concerns about the actual effectiveness of the plan. The field of competitors for the contract to create an interoperable wireless radio communications and provide broadband data capabilities in the field for 80,000 federal law enforcement personnel in the Justice, Homeland Security, and Treasury departments narrowed this summer to Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics. The system will also address the concerns of Project 25, a national public-private land mobile radio standards-making body. However, some officials have questioned IWN's focus on federal interoperability, a system best suited for first responders, while others counter that the network is not necessarily meant for first responders. Some also contend that Project Safecom, a federal nationwide program funded by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for standardizing federal radio interoperability nationwide, should be involved in the project. Other officials contend that Safecom's time- and cost-intensive procurement process would alienate law enforcers at the state and local levels, and that IWN has the potential to receive more funding than Safecom. As it is, the Department of Justice's fiscal 2006 budget request for IWN was cut to $90 million, and industry insiders say the project needs much more funding in order for the system to be effective. Questions linger about the reliability of the network, and whether switching to a cellular infrastructure would help keep the technology relevant in the future.
http://www.govexec.com
/dailyfed/0906/092706mm.htm

"Modeling Terrorists"
IEEE Spectrum (09/06) Vol. 43, No. 9, P. 26; Goldstein, Harry

Prediction and prevention of terrorist incidents could be aided by new simulators, such as first-person shooter-type games in which synthetic human agents improvise because they follow individualized sets of complicated rules instead of an inflexible script; such simulators model terrorists and their accomplices through profiling of terrorist backgrounds, value systems, and other variables. The development of such simulations is fueled by a belief that terrorists' mindset, motives, and organizational makeup--and thus their actions and plots--could be determined by computers equipped with the appropriate software. Outside observers are betting that software designed to identify key members of a terrorist organization will be used by intelligence analysts to compile a list of people to terminate or apprehend so as to cripple the organization most effectively; this possibility generates concern about the moral implications of relying on such models to make life-and-death decisions, and also raises questions as to whether analysts will even avail themselves of such technology, should it become widely available. Experts such as Ball State University anthropologist Jim Nyce strongly doubt that these tools will be employed by the intelligence community, "because the cognitive, intellectual, and work requirements have not been taken into account in their design." Among the drawbacks of current intelligence analysis cited by experts is analysts' dependence on informal analytical methods, their tendency to make forecasts based on incorrect rules, and their responsibility after 9/11 to sift through even more data because of the elusive nature of terrorists and the conviction that the Internet is their primary means of communication. University of Pennsylvania professor Barry Silverman thinks analysts' job could be greatly enhanced by having computers model an individual terrorist's desired vision for the world and what actions he is willing to take to realize that vision. Silverman's team has produced simulated terrorists complete with physiological traits, long-term memories, value systems, and reasoning skills extracted from over 100 models and theories drawn from political science, anthropology, and psychology, along with empirical data from medical and social science field research, polls, and experiments.
http://www.spectrum.i
eee.org/sep06/4424