Friday, March 20, 2009

BJA is pleased to announce the release of two competitive grant announcements under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act)

Recovery Act State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program: Combating Criminal Narcotics Activity Stemming from the Southern Border of the United States

All applications are due April 17, 2009.

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is pleased to announce that it is seeking applications for funding under the Recovery Act State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program: Combating Criminal Narcotics Activity Stemming from the Southern Border of the United States.

On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law the landmark American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the “Recovery Act”). As one of its many elements, the Recovery Act provides the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) with funding for grants to assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement (including support for hiring), to combat violence against women, to fight internet crimes against children, to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system, to assist victims of crime, and to support youth mentoring. DOJ is committed to working with our national, state, local and tribal partners to ensure this funding invests in the American workforce.

Specifically, under this solicitation, BJA will be making awards to provide assistance and equipment to local law enforcement along the Southern border to combat criminal narcotics activity.

For more information on this grant go to www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/recovery/RecoverySouthernBorder.pdf

Recovery Act Correctional Facilities on Tribal Lands Program

All applications are due May 4, 2009.

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is pleased to announce that it is seeking applications for funding under the Recovery Act Correctional Facilities on Tribal Lands Program.

On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law the landmark American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the “Recovery Act”). As one of its many elements, the Recovery Act provides the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) with funding for grants to assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement (including support for hiring), to combat violence against women, to fight internet crimes against children, to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system, to assist victims of crime, and to support youth mentoring. DOJ is committed to working with our national, state, local and tribal partners to ensure this funding invests in the American workforce.

Specifically, under this solicitation, BJA will be making awards to assist tribes in cost effectively constructing and renovating correctional facilities on tribal lands associated with the incarceration and rehabilitation of juvenile and adult offenders subject to tribal jurisdiction.

For more information on this grant go to www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/recovery/RecoveryTribalCorr.pdf

For more information on the Recovery Act, please read the Office of Justice Programs' Fact Sheet or go to http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/recoveryact.html.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Public Safety Technology in the News

Investing in Public Safety Through the Justice Assistance Grant Program
Enews Park Forest, (03/07/2009)

The U.S. Department of Justice is providing $2 billion for state and local law enforcement under the 2009 Recovery Act. The funds will be made available through the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program. The money can be used for efforts such as hiring police officers, buying radios and equipment, and supporting courts, corrections and drug and gang task forces. Sixty percent of the funds are awarded directly to states and 40 percent to local governments. Examples of how jurisdictions plan to use the funding include increasing police presence in high crime areas of Long Beach, Ca., police overtime for violence reduction efforts in Providence, R.I., upgrading the radio telecommunications infrastructure in Bowling Green, Ky., and installing in-car digital camera systems in police cruisers in West Jordan, Utah.
www.enewspf.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6219:investing-in-public-safety&catid=1&Itemid=88889791

UIC Receives $2 Million to Examine Police Organizations
WBBM Radio, (03/07/2009)

A team of top researchers will look into the current state of American policing under a $2 million National Institute of Justice grant awarded to the University of Illinois at Chicago. Over three years, the team will study 25 law enforcement agencies, including police departments in Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles, to determine what contributes to success among individual officers, supervisors and organizations. The researchers plan to develop and field test a new system called the National Police Research Platform, which will analyze police activities and advance new evidence-based practices. As part of the study, the Chicago Police Department will develop and evaluate innovative recruit training.
www.wbbm780.com/UIC-Receives--2-Million-to-Examine-Police-Organiza/3977011

Brilliant Doctor Develops DNA Study
Arizona Daily Wildcat, (03/06/2009), Rikki Mitchell

What began as a University of Arizona study on the genes affecting albinism could be a useful forensics tool. The study, led by Murray Brilliant of the Steele Children's Research Center at the university, examines genetic differences in hair, skin and eye color to potentially describe a person's appearance. With the new technology, a description of a person could be derived using a blood spot or semen sample from a crime scene, based on DNA. The study involved using cheek swabs gathered from 1,000 people to create their DNA blueprint. The blueprint was then compared to data samples of participants' hair, eyes and skin. Accuracy on hair color is about 80 percent, for eye color accuracy is 76 percent and for skin color accuracy is about 50 percent.
media.wildcat.arizona.edu/media/storage/paper997/news/2009/03/06/News/Brilliant.Doctor.Develops.Dna.Study-3663461.shtml

New Equipment Lets Headland PD Go Wireless
The Dothan Progress, (03/06/2009), Michelle Watson

Police in Hedland, Ala., are going wireless. The police department is using a $93,500 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice and a $25,000 grant from the Wiregrass Resource Conservation and Development Council to purchase new consoles, desktop computers and laptops. Data terminals will be installed in patrol cars, which will allow officers to automate traffic ticketing in the field. The system will allow officers to swipe driver's licenses, check the information and print out a ticket and download the information to the courthouse. Video and audio cameras will also be installed in police vehicles.
www.dothaneagle.com/dea/dothan_progress/news/article/new_equipment_lets_headland_pd_go_wireless/62591/

County Flips the Switch on New Digital Radio System
Woodbury Bulletin, (03/02/2009), Hank Long

Public safety departments in Washington County, Minn., have a new $15 million digital radio system. The 800 MHz system will allow police and fire departments in the county to communicate more efficiently. Washington County is one of the last jurisdictions in the Twin Cities area to transfer public safety communications from analog to digital. The county built 14 new towers across the county and installed a mainframe at the county government center. In old analog systems, "dead spots" are common in indoor spaces such as basements. With the new system, officials say few buildings will thwart signal transmission.
www.swcbulletin.com/articles/index.cfm?id=11912§ion=News

Emergency Notification System Ready for Enrollment
Malden Observer, 03/05/2009, Natalie Miller

Police in Walden, Mass., want residents to participate in an improved emergency community notification program. Residents can sign up on the city's Web site for the program, which allows the city to deliver emergency notification messages to residents via telephone. During a snowstorm in February, the city sent more than 16,000 calls in 16 minutes reminding residents that a snow emergency was in effect. The system can also be used to report a missing child or a hazardous incident. The new program replaces the city's reverse 911 system for less cost to the community and improves response time. The previous system could make about 64 calls a minute, while the new CodeRED system makes 1,000 calls a minute.
www.wickedlocal.com/malden/news/x1237138555/Emergency-notification-system-ready-for-enrollment

Crime Stoppers Group Embraces Technology
Longmont Times-Call, (3/3/2009), Scott Rochat

The Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers program has expanded the way residents can submit crime tips. The program now accepts anonymous text-messaging and Web-based "tip forms," in addition to telephone calls. People who want to submit a tip over the Web can visit www.nocrimestoppers.com and click on "Give a tip." The Web site also allows Crime Stoppers to pass tips to police agencies more quickly.
www.reporterherald.com/news_story.asp?ID=21840

Police Take the Fight onto the Web
New York Times, (3/8/2009), Brad Stone

Law enforcement agencies are using social networking sites as crime-fighting tools. Agencies are using sites well known to the public such as YouTube and MySpace to post information and receive tips. In addition, new Web services are being developed specifically to allow investigative agencies to share information. One service, CrimeDex, was created by a former police officer and is now owned by 3VR of San Francisco, which makes image recognition systems for surveillance cameras. The company says more than 1,000 law enforcement agencies and private agencies such as banks use CrimeDex. Users can submit information, photographs and videos related to possible crimes and compare the information with data from other agencies. Another law enforcement service, CrimeReports.com based in Salt Lake City, allows police to record crimes on a single nationwide map powered by Google. Citizens can view a map of crimes in their neighborhood and sign up to receive e-mail crime alerts.
www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/technology/08stream.html?scp=1&sq=law+enforcement+technology&st=nyt

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Learn More About Providing Services to Victims of Bullying

March 18, 2009—Join an Online Discussion
Learn More About Providing Services to Victims of Bullying

On March 18, 2009, at 2 p.m. (eastern time), in recognition of National Youth Violence Prevention Week (March 23–27), the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention will present an OVC Web Forum discussion with Patricia Agatston, Ph.D., and Susan Limber, Ph.D., on best practices for providing services to students who have been victims of bullying. Dr. Agatston is a Licensed Professional Counselor with the Cobb County School District’s Prevention/Intervention Center in Marietta, Georgia. As a counselor and prevention specialist with more than 20 years of experience, she provides training and technical assistance to schools to help them prevent bullying, drug use, and suicide, and teaches Internet safety. Dr. Agatston also is a nationally certified trainer and technical assistance consultant for the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. Dr. Limber is a faculty member within the Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life and a professor of psychology, both at Clemson University. Dr. Limber directed the first wide-scale implementation and evaluation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program and coordinates training for the program in North and South America. Dr. Agatston and Dr. Limber coauthored Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age.

http://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ovcproviderforum/asp/participate.asp

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Bombs, Bullets and Fast Talk

On March 27, 2009, Conversations with Heroes at the Watering Hole will feature a
discussion Special
James Botting, FBI (ret.) the author of Bullets, Bombs, and Fast
Talk: Twenty-Five Years of
FBI War Stories.

Program Date: March 27, 2009
Program Time: 2100 hours, Pacific
Topic: Bullets, Bombs, and Fast Talk: Twenty-Five Years of
FBI War Stories.
Listen Live:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2009/03/28/Bombs-Bullets-and-Fast-Talk

About the Guest
Special Agent
James Botting (ret.) served in the FBI for twenty-five years, sixteen as a crisis/hostage negotiator. He served as the team leader of the FBI’s Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT) from 1981 to 1995 and a supervisory member of its international Critical Incident Negotiation Team since its inception in 1985 until his retirement. He has personally negotiated numerous hostage/barricade incidents and responded to several high-profile events. He lives in California. James Botting is the author of Bullets, Bombs, and Fast Talk: Twenty-Five Years of FBI War Stories.

According to the book description of Bullets, Bombs, and Fast Talk: Twenty-Five Years of
FBI War Stories, “A desperate gunman holds a planeload of innocent passengers hostage. A heavily armed cult leader refuses to leave his compound, threatening mass suicide by a hundred of his brainwashed followers. A neo-Nazi militant in a cabin hideout keeps federal agents at bay with gunfire. A baby disappears; his only trace is an ominous ransom call to his parents. Prisoners riot, threatening the lives of prison officers and hundreds of other inmates. How do you react? What do you do? What do you say? Your words, your actions can save lives--or lose them.”

About the Watering Hole
The Watering Hole is
police slang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work and life. Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.

About the Host
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the
Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years. He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant. He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work. Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a Criminal Justice Department chair, faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University. He has experience teaching upper division courses in Law Enforcement, public policy, Law Enforcement Technology and leadership. Raymond is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One. He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in Law Enforcement.

Listen, call, join us at the Watering Hole:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2009/03/28/Bombs-Bullets-and-Fast-Talk

Program Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

NLECTC's 10th annual Innovative Technologies for Community Corrections Conference

NLECTC's 10th annual Innovative Technologies for Community Corrections Conference will be held on June 1-3, 2009 in San Diego, CA at the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina. The conference focuses on the implementation of technology as well as new technologies on the horizon. The cost to attend is $210 and includes continental breakfast and lunch during the event. An exhibit hall will also be set up for attendees to interact with technology vendors. Visit our website at: www.justnet.org/Pages/commcorr.aspx
for more information or to register.

Comments Needed! New NIJ Bomb Suit Certification Program Requirements

NIJ has completed the development of the draft certification program requirements by which bomb suits will be certified as compliant with the soon-to-be-released NIJ Bomb Suit Standard for Public Safety. The opportunity to provide comments on this document is open to industry technical representatives, public safety agencies and organizations, research, development and scientific communities, and all other stakeholders and interested parties. For a copy of the requirements and to submit comments go to: www.justnet.org/Pages/bomb_suit_req_comment.aspx