Law Enforcement Technology

NLECTC Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary
Thursday, August 30, 2007

"Fingerprint Bank Gives Names to the Nameless"
Sacramento Bee (CA) (08/26/07) P. B1; Enkoji, M.S.

The FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division is the site of the nationwide fingerprint database, with 53 million sets in its criminal files. It also has civilian prints on file. The Clarksburg, W.Va., division will conduct 24 million checks annually, which will take around 10 minutes each. While the inclusion of old prints provides hope for people who continue to wait for information on a missing individual, new technology will make identifying someone faster and more complete, claims the bureau's Stephen Fischer. The expansion of the system also means that long-deceased individuals who were found guilty of misdemeanor crimes now stand a better chance of being identified. Due to more efficient identification and filing, certain police agencies are transmitting every set of fingerprints they obtain to the FBI database, including those guilty of misdemeanor charges. Eventually, the FBI will employ biometric identification that will enable investigators to match voices, palm prints, and people's irises. http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/345178.html

"Dallas Inmates Expected to Be Arraigned Via Video"
Dallas Morning News (08/21/07); Krause, Kevin

The jails in Dallas County will soon be equipped with video cameras so prisoners do not have to be transported to courtrooms to be arraigned before a judge. Judges will instead talk with defendants and their attorneys via video monitors, and documents will be faxed. In late August, county consumers are set to sanction spending $47,583 in reserve funds on the video arraignment system, which AT&T will provide. A pilot initiative that started in July in the George Allen jail has operated well with no reported problems. The county's other prisons and Parkland Memorial Hospital will also eventually be equipped with video communications systems. Employing video communication will enable inmates to be arraigned right away, without having to wait until the following day. This will lessen crowding in holding areas, county authorities point out. Dallas County Sheriff's Department Assistant Chief Deputy Mona Birdwell reports that her department currently transfers around 50 prisoners per day to the main courtroom at the Lew Sterrett Justice Center for arraignment on new or revamped charges. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/
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"Sheriff's Patrol Cars to Get New Camera System"
Jackson Citizen Patriot (MI) (08/23/07) P. A5; Quisenberry, Danielle

The Jackson County, Mich., Sheriff's Office and the Blackman Township public safety departments are replacing their current analog in-car video camera systems with digital systems. The digital system's cameras--which will be mounted near the rear-view mirror in patrol cars--will send video from the car to a server via a wireless connection so that the video cannot be altered or manipulated, according to Blackman Township Public Safety Director Mike Jester. He noted that this will help prevent defense attorneys from arguing in court that the tapes have been tapered with. In addition, officers will no longer have to worry about switching tapes, Jester said. The digital system will also allow law enforcement officials to more easily access incidents, and will deliver a picture that is far clearer than the video from the old analog system, said Jackson County Sheriff Dan Heyns. http://www.mlive.com/jackson/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-22/118787827240300.xml&coll=3

"GPS Tracking Like a Stakeout"
Telegram & Gazette (08/24/07) P. A1; Nugent, Karen

GPS technology has assisted in the arrest of arson suspects Michael P. Dreslinksi and John D. Rousseau. Rousseau was formerly charged with alleged involvement in five Clinton County fires last year, but the charges were dropped. In July, suspicions that the men were involved with criminal activity, along with their 15-year history with police, led law enforcement to obtain a "Blood warrant" for placing a GPS tracking device on Dreslinski's truck; the truck was then tracked to an abandoned paper mill shortly before a fire at the mill was reported. In Sterling and Holden, the men were also the prime suspects. Former president Ronald Reagan first authorized the use of GPS for civilians following military investigations of the technology in 1983. A Superior Court judge must issue a mandate to law enforcement for placing GPS devices on vehicles due to the expanse of area involved in the monitoring; the device can be used as legal evidence until it enters a private home. In the 1980s, courts ruled that law enforcement must have reasonable suspicion or probable cause in order to employ GPS technology in a case. Attorney Edward P. Ryan Jr. says obtaining a warrant circumvents the potential for the case being overturned by citing Article 14 of the Massachusetts Constitution, noting that citizens are immune to unreasonable searches and seizures. Dreslinksi and Rousseau have been arrested for burglary, impersonation, and breaking into police and railroad radio frequencies. http://www.telegram.com/article/20070824/NEWS/708240729/1116

"McLean Co. Uses Map Program to Test Sex Offenders' Compliance"
Pantagraph (08/25/07); Cima, Greg

In McLean County, Ill., geographic information system (GIS) technology has supplanted tape measures as law enforcement's method of tracking sex offenders' residency compliance. County attorney Bill Yoder says that while technology has assisted predators, "Technology has also given law enforcement a tool to fight back." A demonstration of the GIS exhibited a map of McLean with green dots designating the homes of sex offenders; the 500-foot distance offenders must keep between their homes and schools, parks, and other locations marked on the map is highlighted by semitransparent orange circles. Sheriff Mike Emery says the system's accuracy is "within an inch;" the map is available only to the sheriff's office and the McLean County Information Services. Violation of the residency compliance law for sex offenders is a felony with a five year sentence, and repeat offenders can receive up to seven years of jail time. http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2007/08/25/news/
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"Authorities Use GPS to Fight Graffiti"
Whittier Daily News (CA) (08/26/07); Scruby, Airan

Pico Rivera, Calif., police are employing the Graffiti Tracker to document and compare graffiti incidents that typically would be caught up in a sea of paperwork. The device uses cameras outfitted with GPS technology. Graffiti pictures are taken by cleanup crews and can be downloaded to a Web site, where they are studied and organized for reference. Pico Rivera public safety manager Steve Gutierrez stated that Graffiti Tracker has been beneficial since it was installed in September 2006. At that time, the city witnessed 828 vandalism incidents, while this past June, Pico Rivera had 324 "tags." Gutierrez pointed out that the city has had more than 60 arrests that have been directly linked to Graffiti Tracker. The system--which usually costs cities between $24,000 and $30,000 annually--categorizes graffiti by moniker, or the name a tagger utilizes, which enables individual taggers to be monitored via every vandalism act they perform. This permits police to concentrate efforts on the most active vandals, employing resources to catch the most harmful taggers first and rapidly lowering the amount of incidents in Pico Rivera. http://www.whittierdailynews.com/ci_6722437?source=most_viewed

"Eagle Firm Says Tracking Devices Will Hold Their Signals, Regardless of Location"
Idaho Statesman (08/25/07); Dey, Ken

Sky Detective's tracking technology will prevent suspected stalkers from approaching victims without notifying Garden City law enforcement. The Offender Ankle Device, an ankle bracelet, and the SD20 Cargo/Package Tracker, monitoring movement by being placed in a car or other vehicle, use GPS and cellular signals to monitor suspects. The ankle bracelet enables the court to instate zones around the victim so that the suspect is detected upon entering those zones and Garden City police are notified either by pager or cell phone. Through Sky Detective software, which works with Google Earth to produce satellite pictures, police can track the exact location of the suspect. Additionally, the victim could wear a device that monitors stalkers that are nearby in the case of a stalker venturing out of their zone. "It has a great potential to protect victims of crime while saving a lot of manpower and a lot of money for the department," says Capt. Cory Stambaugh. He adds that without the technology, victims' only defense is a court appointed no-contact order that can only be enforced if someone observes the suspect in violation of the order. Sky Detective also notifies law enforcement when the suspect is a certain distance from an exclusion zone, so they receive enough warning to remove the victim and wait for the suspect's arrival. Sky Detective founder and president Jerry Thompson says the technology is a solution to mitigate overcrowding prisons and to reduce costs for incurring inmates; the device costs less than $15 daily to run and can be paid for by the offender. http://www.idahostatesman.com/business/story/142052.html

"Proposal: Track Sex Offenders With GPS"
Daily Journal (N.J.) (08/24/07) P. 1A; Jackson, Miles

New Jersey lawmakers are pushing for a bill that would require convicted sex offenders to wear GPS devices upon their release from prison. For predators that lure children via the Internet, Assemblymen Nelson Albano (D-1) and Jeff Van Drew (D-1) said the technology would help law enforcement monitor such offenders and that the offenders should pay for the technology. The Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office has successfully caught predators that attempt to meet with underage children by using law enforcement agents posing as minors online. Van Drew says although many of those arrested have never sexually assaulted the minor, their intentions are clear. Albano and Van Drew also sponsored legislation that would increase sentences for repeat sex offenders and people who protect them, in addition to a bill restricting convicted offenders from using the Internet. http://www.thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070824/NEWS01/708240311/1002

"Missouri May List Online IDs of Sex Offenders"
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (08/22/07) P. D9; Bock, Jessica

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt announced Aug. 21 that he would support legislation that would add the email addresses and other electronic names used by sex offenders on the Internet to the state's registry of convicted sex offenders. The email addresses and screen names would also be made available to Internet service providers, instant messaging companies, and social networking sites. In addition, the legislation would restrict sex offenders' use of online identifiers to one screen name provided to law enforcement. Meanwhile, other states are also working to link email addresses to sex offender registries. In Illinois, for example, lawmakers passed legislation that forbids paroled sex offenders from communicating with children online. Another bill prohibits adults from engaging in sexual conversations online with minors with the intent of committing sexual abuse. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stcharles/story/
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"Hempfield Township's Dispatch Center Lacking Action"
Greensburg Tribune-Review (PA) (08/26/07); Peirce, Paul

A brand-new, 15,000-square-foot state police dispatch facility in Hempfield Township, Pa., has still not hired its staff, making it a $2.1 million burden for the Pennsylvania law-enforcement institution. Harrisburg state police spokeswoman Linette Quinn stresses that the facility has not opened due to a "lack of funding." While area legislators stated they were not aware of the situation, they vowed to look into why the center is still empty. The center was among five regional consolidated dispatch facilities that state police initially intended to open by last year. The Hempfield Township facility, known as the Greensburg Consolidated Dispatch Center, was to facilitate calls for troops A and B, which includes 10 state police stations and eight southwestern counties. It was scheduled to employ around 60 individuals, primarily dispatchers who were already serving at different barracks across southwestern Pennsylvania. The facility was to have multiple state-of-the-art console stations with improved computer technology that would allow dispatchers to track the position of state police vehicles while they drove across the area. Pennsylvania Sen. Robert Regola (R) thinks the financing problem is the result of a continual power dispute between the state Legislature and state police administration. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_524164.html

"Eye in the Sky: Police Use Drone to Spy on V Festival"
Guardian Weekly (UK) (08/21/07) P. 6; Randerson, James

Several emergency services agencies in Great Britain--including the Staffordshire Police Department, the Merseyside Police Department, and the West Midlands fire service--have begun using or are planning to use remote-controlled unmanned spy drones in their operations. The Staffordshire Police Department used its drone to keep tabs on people at the recent V Festival. The department's drone is 70 cm wide and is equipped with high-resolution still and color video cameras, as well as infrared night vision capability. The drone cannot be heard from the ground once the device is 50 meters in the air, thanks to its four ultra-quiet carbon-fiber rotors, and it cannot be seen with the naked eye once it is 100 meters in the air. The vehicle takes off vertically and can be flown when it is out of sight, since it transmits images back to video goggles worn by the operator. The Merseyside Police Department has also been using drones to monitor disorderly situations and prevent antisocial behavior. Meanwhile, the West Midlands fire service has drawn up plans to use drones to get a close-up view of burning buildings. The increased use of drones worries some in Great Britain, including Noel Sharkey, an expert in robotics at Sheffield University, who says the use of the devices represents an unwarranted intrusion of privacy. http://www.guardian.co.uk/crime/article/0,,2153077,00.html

"Scientists Drug-Test Whole Cities"
Associated Press (08/21/07); Borenstein, Seth

Researchers at Oregon State University unveiled the results of drug testing on untreated wastewater samples from 10 unnamed American cities at the American Chemical Society in Boston in August. The tests, while unable to pinpoint individual users, can give a glimpse of drug trends in a particular location. In the study, traces of 15 different drugs were tested for in a source as little as one teaspoon of untreated sewage water. The science behind the study is that nearly every drug, legal and illegal, ends up passing from the human body to toilets to wastewater treatment plants. Among the findings of the study was that methamphetamine use in one urban area with a gambling industry was five times as rampant than in other cities and was nearly nonexistent in some smaller Midwestern locations. The drug found to be most excreted was caffeine. U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy chief scientist David Murray says the idea of drug testing wastewater samples interests his agency. The EPA is now testing federal wastewater samples to check to see if its a good way to monitor drug use. Another application would be to determine the potential harm caused to rivers and lakes from legal pharmaceuticals. http://www.abcnews.go.com/print?id=3507402

"Are Tasers Really Non-Lethal?"
Police (07/07) Vol. 31, No. 7, P. 32; Ho, Jeffrey D.

Ever since TASERs and other conducted electrical weapon (CEW) devices were introduced 30 years ago, there have been questions about whether the non-lethal weapons are safe to be used to control unruly suspects. However, several studies have found that CEWs are one of the safest weapons in a police officer's arsenal. For instance, a 2005 study entitled "Cardiac Safety of Neuromuscular Incapacitating Defensive Devices" found that the electrical output of a TASER would have to be increased to at least 42 times the standard level in order to induce cardiac arrest in a 258-pound animal. CEWs made by TASER International are not capable of producing this level of output. The study's findings mean that a TASER's safety threshold is higher than that of acetaminophen, which has a safety margin for lethality of approximately 10-to-one. Testing on humans also showed that CEWs are safe. In a study entitled "Cardiovascular and Physiologic Effects of Conducted Electrical Weapon Discharge in Resting Adults," 67 volunteers were subjected to a five-second, deployed probe application of a TASER X26. The study found that there were no changes in the subjects' electrocardiogram readings and markers for blood acid, kidney impairment, or cardiac muscle damage. Skeletal muscle break-down levels were elevated, though these markers were only elevated to the levels commonly seen after a workout. http://www.policemag.com/Articles/2007/07/Are-TASERs-Really-Non-Lethal.aspx