Public Safety Technology in the News

New Forensics Lab Planned in Tulsa
The Associated Press, (12/29/2008)

Oklahoma State University in Tulsa will be the site of a multimillion dollar forensic center for use by police and university students. The university medical college will provide $21.87 million of the construction costs. The city will provide $16.86 million. A property and evidence room and a forensic laboratory for use by the Tulsa Police Department will occupy the first two floors of the facility. Police say the additional room will help the department preserve the more than 36,000 items of evidence the police collect each year. Work in the lab includes fingerprint analysis, DNA testing, firearms examination, controlled substance analysis and handwriting analysis.
www.newsok.com/new-forensics-lab-planned-in-tulsa/article/3333771

Economy and Cybercrime Go Hand in Hand
MSNBC, (12/22/2009)

The economic crisis has opened new opportunities for cyber criminals. Spam campaigns are focusing on scams promoting services that claim to eliminate or leverage debt, mortgages and loan obligations. Other spammers are advertising drugs, pirated software or replicas. To guard against spammers, businesses and consumers need to ensure their spam filters and antivirus engines are up to date. When a spam e-mail appears to come from a trusted source, users can be tricked into clicking through to a malicious Web page. The most effective solutions against spam combine a strong reputation system with a complete filtering system that includes statistical analysis, signature filters and multilingual detection.
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28351543/

Stalking is More Prevalent Than You Think
St. Petersburg Times, (01/11/2009), William Proffitt

Stalking is more prevalent than previous thought, according to a National Institute of Justice study. The study found that 1 million women and nearly 400,000 men in the United States are stalked each year, and that 1 in 12 women and 1 in 45 men are stalked in their lifetimes. Stalking is a crime in all 50 states. Stalking includes conduct that causes someone to suffer substantial emotional distress. More serious stalking crimes include a credible threat with intent to produce reasonable fear of bodily injury or death. Cyber stalking or bullying also has increased in recent years.
www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/article962902.ece

New College Prof Helps Land National Institute of Justice Grant
Arizona State University, (01/08/2009)

Arizona State University will be the site of research centered on the psychology of decision making using forensic science expert evidence. The researchers will study how jurors respond to fingerprints, bite marks, handwriting, footwear impressions and other types of forensic evidence. Funded by a two-year, $496,450 grant from the National Institute of Justice, the research has implications for both policy and practice, according to professors at ASU. It could inform forensic scientists on how best to present testimony during trial. It could also be useful for policymakers when developing standards for the admissibility of forensic evidence in court. During the first phase of the project, researchers will create videotaped simulated trial segments that display forms of expert testimony presented by forensic scientists. The second phase will included the conducting of studies using jury-eligible participants, who will view the simulated trials and deliberate the forensic e! vidence presented.
asunews.asu.edu/node/6085

Colorado Schools Use 9-1-1 Call to Activate Incident Command System
PRWeb, (01/08/2009)

Colorado schools have a new tool to use in emergencies. The schools have adopted a system that allows schools to place a 911 call to activate a radio communications network that links school staff with professional responders arriving at the scene. Traditionally, schools facing an emergency have called 911 and waited for first responders to arrive. Under the new enhanced 911 system, schools can call 911 and be immediately connected with first responders through the schools' two-way radios. The radios allow school staff to communicate and work directly with police and other first responders during a crisis. The system will be used in accordance with procedures established by the National Incident Management System.
www.prweb.com/releases/schoolsafe/communications/prweb1839244.htm

NYPD Eyes Disrupting Cell Phones in Event of Terrorist Attack
FOXNews, (01/08/2009), Judith Miller

The New York Police Department is looking for ways to disrupt cell phone calls and other forms of communication among terrorists in the event of a terror attack. The need to disrupt communications is one conclusion draw in the aftermath of the November 2008 attack in Mumbai, India. In testimony prepared for the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly stressed the need for law enforcement practitioners to be able to disrupt cell phone and other communications. During the Mumbai attack, the terrorists' contacts used cell phones and other communication devices to direct the killing of hostages and adjust tactics while the attacks were underway. A three-member NYPD counterterrorism team visited Mumbai after the attack. As a result of that visit, the department has already changed some procedures and conducted new drills in response to vulnerabilities identified by the team.
www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/01/08/nypd-interrupt-cell-phone-service-event-terrorist-attack/

Electronic Traffic Tickets and Gunfire Detection; Technology in the Cop Car
OhMyGov.com, (01/02/2009)

Police in Maryland are using a new system that allows officers to issue electronic traffic citations more efficiently. E-TIX allows officers to scan the driver's license, select the violations and print a copy of the citation on waterproof, hard-to-rip paper. The process, which takes about five minutes, automatically sends the information to the state court system. The system is intended to reduce the amount of time officers spend on the side of the road with drivers, reducing the risk of accidents. Multiple violations can be included in one citation. The technology, developed by the Maryland State Police, is available free to law enforcement agencies in Maryland. The agencies pay for the hardware installation and technical support.
ohmygov.com/blogs/general_news/archive/2009/01/02/electronic-traffic-tickets-and-gunfire-detection-technology-in-the-cop-car.aspx

Tougher DUI Rules Take Effect in Illinois
The Telegraph, (01/01/ 2009), Steve Whitworth

A new Illinois state law requires first-time DUI offenders to equip their vehicles with a device that detects alcohol on their breath. Offenders will be issued a monitoring device driving permit, which allows them to use their vehicles only when it has been equipped with a breath alcohol interlock device. The driver must provide a breath sample with an alcohol content below 0.025 percent, or the vehicle will not start. Also under the law that took effect January 1, a first-time offender found driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher will face a six-month suspension of his driver's license. People who refuse to undergo breath analysis will have their licenses suspended for one year. The suspensions will occur 46 days after the arrest or testing date.
www.thetelegraph.com/news/state_21857___article.html/illinois_breath.html