Public Safety Technology in the News

SmartBadge Techs Up U.S. Police
iTnews, (05/13/2008), Liz Tay

A new type of police officers' badge will include a camera, Bluetooth technology, global positioning system technology, and radio, with possible future upgrades to include facial recognition for cross-checking motorists' licenses against police database records. Its developers have dubbed it the "SmartBadge" and hope that the tool will appeal to the law enforcement community because of the low cost, off-the-shelf technology. The tool was designed with foot patrol officers in mind to provide them access to the types of tools often available in cruisers that can make their jobs easier. The Albany, New York, police will be involved in testing this tool in late 2008.
www.itnews.com.au/News/75917,smartbadge-techs-up-us-police.aspx

Prisons Use RFID Systems To Track Inmates
Government Technology, (05/07/2008), Jim McKay

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, which is used extensively by retail establishments and other commercial businesses, is now being used by developed for use in correctional facilities to track inmates and staff and to prevent problems before they occur. Facilities in states such as California, Virginia, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, and Minnesota have implemented RFID inmate tracking systems. The use of RFID provides an added level of security to facilities, allowing staff to know where everyone inside the RF perimeter is at any time. Also, having this level of tracking and identification within a facility allows staff to keep known members of rival gangs away from each other. Furthermore, the system's capabilities can be used to expedite investigations involving inmates or staff by identifying individuals in the area at the time of an incident.
www.govtech.com/gt/312938

Online Maps Plot Crime in Dalton
Chattanooga Times/Free Press, (05/07/2008), Ryan Harris

Tyrone, Georgia, was a police department that used pushpins on a city map to plot criminal activity in its jurisdiction, but as of October 2007, the agency began using CrimeReports.org to plot that information. This change allows the agency to share the pushpin map with citizens of the community. The CrimeReports.org site allows users to register for e-mail alerts regarding crime activity in their area and to use the Google Maps feature to see visually where crimes are taking place. The city of Dalton, Georgia, joined the service last month at a cost of $100 per month; jurisdictions larger than 50,000 will be charged $200 per month. The service allows agencies to keep their citizenry involved and informed as to things happening in the city and it may allow citizens to help the police solve more crimes.
www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1375007/online_maps_plot_crime_in_dalton/

Sypherlink Introduces Out-of-the-Box Enhancement to Its NIE Gateway Solution for Law Enforcement; NIEM Harmonizer Enables Quick, Cost-Effective Data Sharing and NIEM Standards Conformance
FoxBusiness, (05/05/2008), Business Wire

Sypherlink, creator of the National Information Exchange (NIE) Gateway solution for law enforcement, has developed the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) Harmonizer, an off-the-shelf enhancement to the original product. This add-on will expedite the sharing of vital information in accordance with the NIEM standard. The Harmonizer will work behind the scenes to automate the sharing and conversion of data, which will allow agency staff and vendors to focus on their day-to-day tasks.
www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/technology/sypherlink-introduces-box-enhancement-nie-gateway-solution-law-enforcement-niem/#

NYPD Plans Surveillance Data Network
Byte and Switch, (05/07/2008), James Rogers

In support of the New York Police Department's Lower Manhattan Security Initiative (LMSI), the agency is anticipating a massive storage upgrade to capture and carry streaming video from the area. The project will cover Manhattan's financial institutions such as Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange, as well as Ground Zero and city hall. Cameras will be deployed on roughly 1,000 buildings in the area and an undisclosed number of police cruisers. The LMSI system will handle the feeds from these locations, as well as from NYPD's Real Time Crime Center and other cruisers from around the city. This project will also involve the creation of two data centers, facial recognition software, and the use of Microsoft's Virtual Earth. Another aspect of LMSI is the installation of satellite dishes on all police precincts to ensure communications and network capabilities in the event of a flood or other natural disaster.
www.byteandswitch.com/document.asp?doc_id=153218&WT.svl=news1_1

Norwalk Police To Examine Gunshot Detection Device
Greenwich Time, (05/11/2008), John Nickerson

To reduce and better investigate an increasing amount of reports regarding shots fired in the city, the Norwalk Police Department is considering the acquisition of gunshot location/detection technology. It is hoped that the technology, if proven to be applicable in Norwalk, will help the department respond more quickly to shots fired calls, which have recently increased to three to four calls a week. Presently, officers respond to these calls by starting at the origin of the complaint and working out from that point. With this technology, they hope to be able to focus their investigations more accurately on the location of the shots.
www.greenwichtime.com/ci_9221947

How Can CCTV Spot Suspects by Clothing Logos?
BBC News Magazine, (05/07/2008)

The vast and established network of video surveillance used in the United Kingdom means the odds of committing a crime and not being caught on tape either before, during, or after the fact are very low. However, capturing a clear image of a perpetrator's face is not always guaranteed in spite of the amount of surveillance being used. But, thanks to software used by the sponsors of sporting events to track the visibility of their brand during television coverage of an event, police may be able to increase the odds of conviction in instances where the perpetrator's identity is obscured. For example, a crime is committed by an individual wearing clothing that has the Adidas logo on it. A still image of that individual is provided to the software to begin the search. The software searches police data and images from other cameras located near the crime scene for a match to that logo image, which could in turn result in a better image of the individual's face. The advantage fo! r law enforcement is a reduction in time spent manually viewing footage hoping for a hit.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7386337.stm

Police, Fire Departments Making the Upgrade
Abilene Reporter-News, (04/28/2008), Celinda Emison

Governor Rick Perry recently handed down the Texas Radio Communications Interoperability Plan, which orders all counties and cities to have communications equipment capable of interoperability by 2015. Counties and cities that are part of the West Central Texas Council of Governments (WCTCOG) have for the past 5 years been making use of grant funds to improve out-of-date systems; improve interoperability between police, fire and emergency services; and purchase equipment capable of regional usage in the event of a disaster. A needs assessment study conducted in 2001 identified $93 million in equipment needs, and from 2002 to 2007, $10 million in grant funds have been expended to update and improve systems. However, the biggest hurdle remains outdated analog equipment, which agencies have been urged to update to digital. For the 19 counties that make up the WCTCOG, communications issues remain a top priority.
www.reporternews.com/news/2008/apr/28/police-fire-departments-are-making-the-upgrade/

City to Remove 'Blue Light' Crime Cameras
Baltimore Sun, (05/16/2008), John Fritze

The Baltimore City Police Department will soon begin replacing 102 of its 454 closed circuit street surveillance cameras. The 102 portable overt digital surveillance system "pods" were installed in 2005; the technology has become outdated, and the manpower needed to render them effective deemed too significant. The city uses other cameras tied to a system that can be monitored at central location; however, the pods must be monitored on location using a laptop-style controller. The pods, by design, were meant to be seen and that visibility meant to contribute to their deterrent value. The city of Chicago is also making plans to replace this type of unit as part of an effort to have all of its cameras networked to a central location.
www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.cameras16may16,0,2866474.story

Local Law Enforcement Tap into LInX
WHQR, (05/13/2008), Peter Biello

Twenty agencies in North Carolina, including the Wilmington Police Department and sheriff's offices in New Hanover, Brunswick, and Onslow, have joined the Law Enforcement Information Exchange (LInX) initiative. The project, initiated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS), has been established in nine regions nationally and is allowing officers from 20 North Carolina agencies access to that information network. Program Manager Brian Stampe likened the network to "Google for police officers." Agencies can use the network to search for potential leads in other agencies' information databases.
www.publicbroadcasting.net/whqr/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1277210§ionID=1