Public Safety Technology in the News

See a Crime? Text Sheriff at TIP411
Cape May County Herald.com, (04/28/2009), Joe Hart

Cape May County, N.J., introduced new technology on April 24 that enables anyone with a cell phone or computer to provide anonymous information to the sheriff's office through text messaging. Tipsters can send a message to TIP411that will enable real-time, two-way chat between the tipster and the sheriff's office. The technology also allows tipsters to attach photos or videos. Tips can also be submitted online at www.cmcsheriff.com. A third-party company removes the phone number from all messages and replaces it with an ID number before the message reaches the sheriff's office. Cape May County is the first sheriff's office in New Jersey to use this anonymous two-way texting technology.
www.capemaycountyherald.com/article/49344-see+crime+text+sheriff+tip411

Police Department Unveils Crime Tracking System, Twitter
Dunwoody Crier, (04/29/2009)

The Dunwoody (Ga.) Police Department and CrimeReports.com recently joined together in a new online crime alerting and mapping service to provide automated alerts and near real-time crime incident maps to area residents. Crime incident data is updated every night. The free service can be found at http://www.crimereports.com or on the Dunwoody Police Department Web site at http://www.dunwoodyga.gov/. Residents can sign up for daily, weekly or monthly e-mail alerts regarding crimes reported near their home, work or school locations. The police department also has joined Twitter, the real-time, short messaging system. Citizens can use Twitter to receive instant updates as the department posts information.
www.thecrier.net/articles/2009/04/29/front/atwitter.txt

County Crime Mapping Program Puts Stats in Citizens' Hands
Desert Dispatch.com (05/01/2009), Beatriz Valenzuela

Citizens living in San Bernardino County are now able to log into to a Web site maintained by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department to view information on crime in their neighborhoods. The Community Crime Mapping program is a first for southern California; it compiles crime data from each of the sheriff's stations and uses Google Maps and another geographic tool to show the locations of recent criminal activities. The system excludes the city of Barstow, which has its own police. Residents can either look at crime near a specific address or throughout an entire city. They can also sign up to receive crime alerts via e-mail. Information remains in the system for 90 days.
www.desertdispatch.com/news/mapping-5992-bernardino-program.html

Utah's Department of Natural Resources Deploys FATPOT Solution
Urgent Communications, (05/04/2009), Mary Rose Roberts

The Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has begun offering a global, common operational picture to dispatched personnel for wireless field reporting via a mobile interoperable solution called Portal One. The FATPOT Technologies software-based tool offers a single repository for all public safety data and gives field personnel access to computer-aided dispatch and records management (RMS) systems and the ability to share vital information with other public safety agencies. A mobile-based software suite automates functions and provides tools that can be used from remote locations, including an instant messaging tool. The agency can also now participate in a statewide interoperable network linking 130 public safety agencies.
urgentcomm.com/mobile_data/news/fatpot-solution-utah-portal-one-20090504/

DHS Begins Deploying Technology Component of Its Virtual Fence
NextGov, (05/08/2009), Jill R. Aitoro

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is installing a series of networked towers equipped with cameras and sensors as part of a project to monitor a section of Arizona's border with Mexico. SBInet, if fully funded, will eventually extend the technology along the entire Arizona border by 2011. DHS has nearly completed construction of a 670-mile fence along the U.S. southwestern border, and is now turning to adding technology. The initial phase, Tucson-1, includes installation of 200 ground sensors and nine towers equipped with day- and night-time cameras and radar. The equipment connects to eight microwave relay towers that can transmit images to a command-and-control system, which in turn will collect and integrate data.
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090508_8167.php

Mass. Criminal Database Deemed Public Safety Risk
Information Week, (05/08/2009), K.C. Jones

The outdated criminal justice information system used by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts hinders efforts to obtain information on criminals and crime, State Auditor Joe DeNucci has stated. A recent audit of the Criminal History Systems Board showed that the 25-year-old system is not capable of using fingerprints to verify criminal history or reconciling arrests with court dispositions. The board maintains records on criminals, missing and wanted people files, drivers and vehicles, and firearms licenses for use by law enforcement, prosecutors and courts. In a recent test, the system failed to identify 38,000 cases in which there had been convictions. Failure to use fingerprints to verify criminal information allows criminal charges to be entered against the wrong person, either through error or when an individual intentionally provides false information. The system allows access by unauthorized users and queries that have no legitimate work purpose, the audit indicated. ! DeNucci said the system had become outdated in part because of a lack of funding; the board has recently received funding to modernize the system and expects the work to be completed within two years.
www.informationweek.com/news/security/government/showArticle.jhtml

New York City Streamlining 911 Call Taking Process
Government Technology, (05/07/2009), Elaine Rundle

New York City plans to implement unified call taking, a technology-and-training way to streamline its 911 process. Previously, if someone called 911, a police department call taker determined the type of incident and initiated a conference call with the fire department if needed, before the information in turn was relayed to fire dispatch. The new system enables the initial call-taker to handle both fire- and law enforcement-related phone calls and share the information electronically. The goal is to get emergency response to the incident faster. The first phase of the project, involving cross-training and combining computer-aided dispatch systems, was implemented in early May. New York City's Emergency Communications Transformation Program is an initiative to enhance call taking and dispatch operations for its police, fire and emergency medical services departments.
www.govtech.com/gt/articles/663164?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Digital%20Communities_2009_5_11

Utah, San Jose Deploy Crime Analytics Tool
Government Technology, (05/07/2009), Andy Opsahl

Statewide, Utah has deployed a Web-based crime analytics tool called Command Central from vendor CrimeReports. Command Central uses analytics on reports of criminal activity and then maps crime trends, "hot spots," and peak times when selected crimes occur most frequently. The tool also offers mapping of the most recent crime incidents by beat or service area, pairing them with a visual map, and can compare (for a given date range) the number of incidents of specific crimes in various areas, trends and frequency of incidents. The system has been designed to be compatible with all law enforcement reporting systems. The city of San Jose, Calif., is in the process of installing Command Central in its cruisers to enable officers to get analytics in real time.
www.govtech.com/gt/articles/661996?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Digital%20Communities_2009_5_11

Dallas Police Department's Fusion Center Outsmarts Criminals
The Dallas Morning News, (05/08/2009), Scott Goldstein

Detectives in the Dallas Police Departments intelligence-gathering and analysis unit, one of 70 federally funded fusion centers nationwide, plays a critical role in crime solving by quickly analyzing and disseminating information to officers in the field. Dallas reported a 10-percent drop in crime last year and a nearly 19-percent decrease in the first quarter of 2009. Intelligence gathering operations such as this one received strong federal support following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The centers' main goal is to improve the swift analysis and sharing of intelligence to identify potential terrorist threats. However, in Dallas and in other cities, fusion center duties have broadened to include day-to-day crime solving.
www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/crime/stories/DN-fusion_09met.ART0.State.Edition1.4c8622a.html

L-1 Installs Full-Hand ID Biometrics System in Texas
Washington Technology (05/07/2009), David Hubler

L-1 Identity Solutions' Biometrics Division will upgrade the existing L-1 TouchPrint live scan system used by the state of Texas to include full hand scanners in addition to electronic finger and facial images. These images will be sent to the statewide automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS). Adding high-quality full hand images will improve matching accuracy, according to L-1 representatives. The improved system will also bring Texas into fuller compliance with the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, which established a comprehensive national system for the registration of sex offenders and offenders against children. Local jurisdictions are required to include a photo, fingerprints and palm prints in the offender registry.
washingtontechnology.com/articles/2009/05/07/l1-installs-full-hand-id-biometrics-system-in-texas.aspx