Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News

NLECTC Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary
Thursday, October 26, 2006

"Gunshot Sensors Are Giving D.C. Police Jump on Suspects"
Washington Post (10/22/06) P. A1; Klein, Allison

The FBI has paid for the installation of the ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System in Washington, D.C.'s 7th Police District in Southeast, where most of the city's homicides occurred in 2005. The coffee-can-sized sensors have been placed on top of several buildings in the area to pinpoint gunfire within two miles, accurately distinguishing it from firecrackers and car backfires. The sensors enable police to get to the scene of a shooting quickly, as they are typically notified prior to the first 911 call. The fact that the sensor can identify the spot where the gunfire originated within feet increases the chances that police will arrive at the scene before the suspect has a chance to flee. Of the three homicides brought to the attention of District police in the two months since the sensors' installation, one arrest was made. The pilot program could be expanded throughout the District and elsewhere, but the fact that ShotSpotter technicians were targeted by gang members in Los Angeles and Oakland means that installation plans will not be made public. The sensors are already in use in Chicago, Los Angeles, Charleston, S.C., and Rochester, N.Y., with installations planned for a dozen or so other cities.
http://www.washingtonpost.com
/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/
21/AR2006102100826_2.html

"Holding the Line"
Security Management (09/06) Vol. 50, No. 9, P. 64; Anderson, Teresa

On an average day, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents along the U.S.-Mexico border confiscate 5,400 pounds of illegal drugs, seize more than 210 fake documents, and arrest 3,256 people who try to enter the United States illegally. The challenges of securing the border are perfectly illustrated in and around San Diego, where officials must deal with several nearby land ports of entry and a large seaport. The most popular port of entry in the world is San Ysidro, located between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, and more than 41 million people and 17 million vehicles were processed there by CBP officials in 2005. CBP agents have been trained to find illegal aliens who use fraudulent documents or who hide in secret compartments inside vehicles. These agents have discovered illegal aliens inside the dashboard of minivans, inside engine compartments--even inside the gas tank of a truck that had been equipped with an alternative gas storage system. The tools used to secure the U.S.-Mexico border include cutting-edge technology, risk management policies, and enforcement policies. The Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, Harbor Police, and other law enforcement agencies must protect the Port of San Diego from threats like improvised explosive devices hidden on small ships. Shipping terminals and cruise ships at the port are protected from water-based attack by floating or submerged fences of steel cables that are capable of destroying the propellers of ships that draw too near.
http://www.securitymanagement.com

"In Fighting Crime, City Hopes Pictures Don't Lie"
Indianapolis Star (10/21/06) P. 1; Ryckaert, Vic

Indianapolis will soon join the growing list of U.S. cities that have installed security cameras in high-crime areas. The city's police plan to purchase 22 pole-mounted, bulletproof permanent cameras and an undetermined number of mobile cameras in late November. The motion-sensing cameras can detect gunshots and recognize faces and will be installed near sports stadiums, water treatment facilities, and other areas, though police are unsure when the cameras will be up and running. Images captured by the cameras are transmitted to a central computer at police headquarters and can be accessed by police on in-car computers. A $1 million Homeland Security grant will pay for the permanent cameras along with the necessary hardware and software, and future funding will come from money seized from drug dealers and other criminals. "We are adding officers to the streets and performing saturation patrols in high-crime areas," Mayor Bart Peterson said. "These cameras will be a great tool to complement those additional resources and increase police presence in neighborhoods."
http://search.indystar.com/sp?
gId=100&gcId=1974489&rNum=1
&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhttp://ww
w.indystar.com%2Fapps%2Fpbc
s.dll%2Farticle%3FAID%3D2006610210516

"Louisville Home To Digital Forensic Investigation Center"
Associated Press (10/19/06); Barrouquere, Brett

Kentucky law enforcement officials are hoping the new Kentucky Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory will move them closer to catching the bad guys and prosecuting them. The digital forensic center, partly funded by a $2.96 million federal grant, will be located at the University of Louisville's Shelby Campus. It will consist of computers and other equipment that can download information and photos. "In general, most departments don't have enough funding to perform an adequate examination on the type of digital evidence we can do here," says center director James Harris. Investigators will have 10 workstations to choose from to review digital images and audio clips. Lexington Police Chief Anthany Beatty says the center will help local law enforcement offer training and equipment, and create relationships with officers. The center will be available to Kentucky law enforcement agencies on a priority basis. http://www.kentucky.com/mld
/kentucky/news/15799392.htm

"Private DNA Lab Gives Family Sad News Faster"
Riverside Press-Enterprise (CA) (10/18/06) P. B5; LaRocco, Paul

The Redland, Calif., Police Department recently hired a private lab called Human Identification Technologies (HIT) to provide the DNA identification of a homicide victim. The move allowed the department to proceed faster than if it had used the state's overburdened crime labs, according to Sgt. Chris Catren. He noted that state labs often take weeks or months to provide identity results, and at the time of the cadaver's discovery, there had been no motive or alternative way to identify the victim. Forensic scientists used samples from an arm bone to remove a small amount of DNA, which was used to compare the DNA of living relatives. A positive result was obtained, even though "bone is the toughest sample there is right now in DNA," says Blaine Kern, president of HIT and a former sheriff's criminologist in San Bernardino County, Calif. http://www.pe.com/localnews
/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_B_bbody19.3df980b.html

"Redford Twp. Chief Takes Steps To Upgrade"
Detroit Free Press (10/19/06); Meyer, Zlati

As part of an effort to keep up with the newest crime-fighting technology, Redford Township Police Chief John Buck is changing the department's guidelines and procedures. Buck says he wants the new rules to include the use of technology. "There's electronic fingerprinting submission and the ability to submit latent prints, and I want to have the rules reflect that," says Buck. "With laptops in cars, we need regulations to provide guidelines for usage." Buck says he may use school resource officers as bike patrols for the summer months and plans to host an open house for the police department in May. Buck was sworn in as the new police chief on Sept. 29, following the resignation of David Parker. Redford Township Police Officers Association President Eric Norman says he is pleased the department has been proactive in hiring more officers and bringing back dispatchers.
http://www.freep.com/apps
/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/2006
1019/NEWS02/610190411/1004/NEWS

"U.S. Unveils Plans for Border-Crossing Identification Cards"
Globe and Mail (CAN) (10/18/06) P. A18; Gorham, Beth

Americans will be able to use a small, relatively inexpensive identification card featuring radio-frequency identification technology when re-entering the United States from Canada, according to new plans from the Homeland Security Department. Americans will be able to use the new card, which costs $45 at most, in lieu of a passport, which costs $97. Machines installed at border crossings will read the cards and compare the cards to a government database containing information about travelers. The card will not display personal data. Canada has not yet decided whether it will introduce a similar card for its own citizens.
http://www.theglobeandmail.
com/servlet/story/LAC.20061018.PASS
PORT18/TPStory/TPInternational/America/

"Denver, Others Taking Interest in Baltimore's Surveillance System"
Associated Press (10/22/06); Witte, Brian

Despite its flaws, Baltimore's camera surveillance system has caught the attention of other cities looking to crack down on crime. Since May 2005, Baltimore has had some 300 cameras gracing its streets, including around 80 portable cameras equipped with a hard drive capable of storing digital video for up to five days and about 220 fixed closed-circuit cameras that regularly sweep areas and are controlled manually; the city plans to soon install an additional 100 cameras at a cost of about $3 million. An approximately $2 million Homeland Security grant went towards the roughly $8 million price tag for the initial 300 cameras, and the rest of the costs were offset by assets seized from drug dealers. Though the cameras record all the time, just those near critical downtown infrastructure are constantly monitored, with the rest being watched only during peak times. City police have said that crime decreased by about 15 percent in neighborhoods with cameras, but Baltimore State's Attorney Patricia Jessamy said that the cameras have not been helpful in violent crime cases, and that most of the arrests have been for minor crimes and small drug busts. Jessamy also said poor image quality and a lack of physical evidence in these cases has led to the dismissal of about 40 percent of the 600 charges between December and July that resulted from the cameras. Some believe the cameras are a good tool, but that the city needs to focus on job training and drug treatment as well if they want crime to go down. http://www.examiner.com
/a-356798~Denver__others_t
aking_interest_in_Baltimore_s
_surveillance_system.html

"Cameras Zoom In When Shots Fired"
Cincinnati Enquirer (10/17/06) P. 1A; Klepal, Dan

The Cincinnati City Council is pushing for the use of shot-sensor technology surveillance cameras to zoom in on individuals who fire gunshots. Council members want to spend about $6 million in the next two years on the digital cameras, which have already been tested in Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and East Orange, N.J. "For too long, gunshots have been part of the background noise on the street, unnoticed and unreported," says Jose Cordero, director of police in East Orange. "Now we know when and where a gunshot occurs in seconds. We can look through our cameras toward the shooter's location while officers are en route." Cordero says gun crime in areas where the system is located went down by 85 percent since purchasing the system last year. The cameras are activated by sound sensors that send the location of the gunshots along with a video to the 911 dispatch center. Police want the Cincinnati shot-sensor program to start off with about 100 cameras, which would cover between 12 and 20 high-crime areas. The estimated cost would be between $5 million and $10 million. Council members are hoping to receive federal money for the project. Cincinnati Police Capt. Jeff Butler is currently working on analyzing neighborhood crime to determine where to place the cameras. http://www.enquirer.com/today

"Police Chiefs to Ask Bush for More Anticrime Funds"
Wall Street Journal (10/24/06) P. A4; Schoofs, Mark; Block, Robert

U.S. police chiefs say they need more traditional crime-fighting funding from the federal government and less terrorism-prevention funding. Although some homeland security funding helps police fight traditional forms of crime, most of the expenditures typically go toward specialized equipment like bomb-squad robots. Police say they have enough funding to prepare for terrorism but not enough to handle a sharp uptick in traditional violence and street crime. "We don't need any more trucks and helicopters," says Minneapolis Police Chief Timothy Dolan. Similar complaints have previously been made by state emergency managers and local police. "Crime is something people in my community feel every day--not terrorism," said W.H. "Rickey" Ricks, homeland-security chief for the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Orlando, Fla. FBI statistics show that the crime rate is increasing, with violent crimes up 2.3 percent and homicides up 3.4 percent from 2004 to 2005. Police chiefs are meeting with Bush administration officials this week to discuss their funding concerns. http://online.wsj.com/article
/SB116165306787601574.ht
ml?mod=home_whats_news_us

"The Voice of Electronic Monitors: Echopass Tech Tracks Parolees"
East Bay Business Times (10/16/06); Sailors, John

SecureAlert has provided real-time monitoring of parolees to 125 towns, cities, counties, and agencies in 35 states. Parolees participating in the monitoring programs wear an ankle bracelet that connects to the global positioning system. SecureAlert's device is used to monitor the location of approximately 3,500 parolees, but the company expects its technology to monitor roughly 20,000 parolees before the end of this year. Echopass provides the voice system for parolee-monitoring programs using SecureAlert's technology. SecureAlert President Randy Olshen said the company decided to seek a partner to save costs compared to handling the voice system in-house. He added that Echopass was specifically selected because of its ability to meet the demands associated with increased adoption of the device. The demand for monitoring technologies is expected to grow because of tighter controls on paroled offenders and prison overcrowding.
http://www.eastbay.bcentral.com

"Practice Makes Perfect"
Washington Technology (10/16/06) Vol. 21, No. 20, P. 32; Beizer, Doug

The Indiana National Guard is using a multimedia learning tool to prepare itself for a range of natural and human disasters. Called "Red Cape: Crisis Action Planning and Execution" and made by Aptima, the multi-media training is a total learning environment that allows the guard to train on earthquakes, dirty-bomb attacks, prison riots, sports riots, fierce snowstorms, and other disaster possibilities. The technology uses Adobe flash, photos, video, and other integrated material. Scenarios cover not just a disaster site, but what happens in the surrounding area, in communities, and in hospitals and schools. "We understand, in physical skills, the idea of overlearning something so it becomes automatic behavior," says Aptima vice president Michael Paley. For instance says Paley, "You go to the rifle range over and over again to master that skill, and then you can apply it in times of stress."
http://www.washingtontechnology.com
/news/21_20/emerging-tech/29508-1.html

"Used Cellphones Hold Trove of Secrets That Can Be Hard to Erase"
Washington Post (10/21/06) P. A1; Nakashima, Ellen

Used cell phones contain a hoard of personal data for identity thieves and computer hackers to exploit, even when the devices have been supposedly cleansed of data by using the "reset" button. This data can be obtained by using off-the-shelf software. Law enforcement can also use the information on cell phones to help solve crimes. The Web site of smart phone manufacturer Palm has advice on how cellphone users can overwrite the data on their phones. Similar instructions can be found on the Web site WirelessRecyling.com.
http://www.washingtonpost.com
/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10
/20/AR2006102001647.html

"Lidar: The Speed Enforcement Weapon of Choice"
Law Enforcement Technology (10/06) Vol. 33, No. 10, P. 70; Solomon, Lisa

Numerous police departments are using lidar (light detection and ranging) laser technology to catch speeders. Officers are finding that the ability for lidar to focus on a particular vehicle and determine its speed with great accuracy to be useful when patrolling congested roadways. Though lidar units cost about $4,000 each and require more extensive training than radar, police departments quickly recoup their investments, as officers spend less time in court and do not have to calibrate the device each time it is used. Lidar has also increased the number of guilty pleas and guilty verdicts, with some officers noting that judges do not ask as many questions about accuracy when they find out lidar was involved. The latest lidar units are as small as binoculars and provide photo evidence of speed violations. However, law enforcement experts stress that lidar should be used in conjunction with--not as a replacement for--radar, as radar covers greater distances and allows officers to monitor the speed of vehicles in numerous lanes on both sides of the road.
http://www.officer.com/magazines/let/

"Eyes In the Forest"
Government Technology (10/01/06) Vol. 19, No. 10, P. 48; Harris, Chandler

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) in the Amador-El Dorado region recently installed a camera-based fire detection system that can detect and locate fires up to at least 60 miles away, according to recent use. CDF regional chief Bill Holmes secured grant money to install the system near old lookout towers in 2003 after learning that such systems exist and were in use in South Africa, Greece, Chile, and Canada. He chose the Firehawk fire detection system, which includes a mounted rotating video camera, detection software, and two monitor screens at CDF regional headquarters. These tools, plus a keyboard, joystick, and necessary cable, cost the CDF $10,000. The rotating camera automatically analyzes 21 vectors per rotation, and the CDF also can control the camera itself through the joystick and options to zoom in-and-out. By detecting fires early as well as by confirming or dispelling reports of fires, the Firehawk system has saved more than it cost. Budget cuts in the 1990s eliminated many employed fire lookouts; now Holmes is looking for funds to install more Firehawk systems in his region. http://www.govtech.net
/magazine/story.php?id=101366