Public Safety Technology in the News

Experimental Shoe-Print Database Sees the Soles of Criminals
Wired, (11/20/2008), Ryan Singel

A computer science professor at the University of Buffalo is conducting research to enhance computational forensics for shoeprints. Sargur Srihari is building a search engine containing thousands of shoe images from Internet shoe sites. When complete, the system would allow law enforcement forensics units to submit a photo of a shoe print from a crime scene to quickly obtain the gender, size and brand of shoe. The professor and his graduate students initially developed a shoe tread database containing more than 10,000 pairs of men's shoes. Students then stepped in powder to create images of the soles. Srihari is working on algorithms to identify likely matches for the images for partial foot prints. The work is being done with a $300,000 grant from the Office of Justice Programs' National Institute of Justice.
blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/11/professor-sees.html

Prisons Beefing Up Teleconferencing to Save Money
Associated Press via Hartford Courant, (11/23/2008)

Connecticut is the latest state to increase use of courtroom teleconferencing to improve public safety and save money. Connecticut finished installing teleconferencing equipment in all of its 18 correctional facilities in October. During that month about 150 inmates used the system to participate in hearings on parole, civil and family and immigration and customs matters. Corrections officials say using teleconferencing spares them from having to move inmates between the jail and hearings. Other states that are using teleconferences between judges and inmates include Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Caroline, South Dakota and Tennessee.
www.courant.com/news/local/statewire/hc-ap-ct-teleconferencinginov23,0,4504091.story

RISC: Repository for Individuals of Special Concern Rapid Search Functionality
FBI, (11/2008)

The FBI's Next Generation Identification (NGI) Repository for Individuals of Special Concern (RISC) rapid search functionality system will provide officers with important identifying fingerprint information. When this new system becomes functional, during a vehicle stop an officer could take a minimum of two or a maximum of 10 fingerprint images from an individual using a mobile device and submit it through a participating state's identification bureau to FBI RISC. RISC in turn performs a limited repository search of persons of special interest, such as wanted persons, known or suspected terrorists or sexual offender registry subjects. The goal of NGI is to process this submission within seconds, and the expectation is to respond with a red, yellow or green flag. A red response means a viable candidate has been identified and the response includes category of hit, FBI number and master name. A yellow response means the level of confidence that a candidate is viable is bel! ow the level required for a positive match, and green means the search did not identify a viable candidate. RISC will provide law enforcement with rapid/mobile identification services that quickly assess the potential threat level of an encountered individual. The FBI is currently prototyping this capability. Deployment of RISC will be dependent on capabilities of individual state and local agencies. For more information visit the FBI Web site at www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/ngi.htm or call (304) 625-5590.

Texas Prison Officials Plan Cell Phone Jamming Test
American Statesman, (11/26/08), Mike Ward

Texas wants to be the next state to test cell phone jamming technology in prisons. Prison inmates can use cell phones to commit criminal activities while incarcerated. Jamming prevents cell tower transmissions from reaching the phone. South Carolina recently tested jamming technology in one of its prisons and wants to conduct a pilot program to test the technology further. Federal law, however, allows federal agencies to obtain authority to jam cell signals, but states and localities are prohibited from doing so by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Local authorities are working with members of Congress and the FCC to determine if it is possible to revise the law.
www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/11/26/1126cellphones.html

High-Tech Radio Microwaves to Connect law enforcement in State
Sidney Herald, (11/18/2008), Louisa Barber

Public safety agencies in Montana have new tools to communicate easily across the state. As part of the Interoperability Montana Project, which has been underway for several years, authorities recently began using high-tech radio microwave technology to communicate securely using encrypted two-way radios. The state is also working on developing an interoperable mobile data system in cooperation with the state highway patrol and department of transportation.
www.sidneyherald.com/articles/2008/11/19/news/doc4923797542b02192281513.txt

TSA Tests Boarding Pass technology
Security Directory News, (11/25/2008), Leischen Stelter

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has completed a test of an automated system that encrypts personal passenger information on a boarding pass. The Laser Data Command's PassPro system uses images, fingerprints and documentation such as a driver's license or passport to confirm passenger identity. The information is encrypted and compressed into a barcode and printed onto the boarding pass, which can be scanned by airport security. The system is designed to improve security and speed passengers through the process. The system was tested at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport using law enforcement officers as a test group. Outcome of the testing is confidential.
www.securitydirectornews.com/article/sd200811kwrHDZ/TSA%20tests%20boarding%20pass%20technology

North Carolina law enforcement Finds Success in Tracking Crime Suspects
PR Newswire, (12/02/2008)

North Carolina has joined 11 other states that use a multijurisdictional computerized system that allows law enforcement agencies to search for criminals nationwide with a touch of a keyboard. Justice Xchange users have access to booking records, warrants and other information from law enforcement agencies in other states. The system can also be used to locate missing persons and witnesses. Other states currently using the system are Texas, New York, Florida, Washington, Kentucky, Utah, Arkansas, Indiana, South Dakota, Maryland and Arizona.
www.ibtimes.com/prnews/20081202/nc-appriss-crimetrack.htm

Police Setting Up Database on Gangs
Boston Globe, (11/30/2008), Jay Atkinson

Massachusetts law enforcement agencies will soon have access to a collaborative database containing information on violent street criminals, especially street gangs. The MassGangs database project was developed with a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice and will have information on a suspect's associates, criminal history and gang affiliation. Data can be shared immediately as it becomes available. Officers will fill out a form that assigns a point value to a suspect's gang-related criteria. Point values are assigned for categories such as "self admission" and "known group tattoo/marking." A score of 10 or more points will register a suspect as a member of a gang. Officials plan to launch the MassGangs database in January 2009.
www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/11/30/police_setting_up_database_on_gangs/

Johns Hopkins Tests Gunshot Detection System, Police Respond
Security Director News, (11/25/2008), Leischen Stelter

Johns Hopkins University is participating in a gunshot location pilot program. The SECURES Detection System has been installed using 93 sensors mounted on streetlights and buildings surrounding the university's 140-acre campus in Baltimore, Md. If the sensors detect a gunshot, a signal displaying the location is transmitted to the university's communications center, which notifies Baltimore Police to respond. The city of Baltimore will be evaluating the technology during the pilot to decide if it should be used in other parts of town.
www.securitydirectornews.com/article/sd200811pXovn0/Johns%20Hopkins%20tests%20gunshot%20detection%20system,%20police%20respond

Schools to Use Spray for Drug Detection
WSMV Nashville, (11/25/2008), Jonathan Martin

Metropolitan Nashville public schools have decided to use D4D spray to detect illegal drugs. The equipment for the test will be free through a partnership with the Office of Justice Programs' National Institute of Justice. The test can detect more than 10 different drugs based on a color chart. School officials plan to use the spray to test students' desks, cars, book bags and pockets. In the past the schools have used a dog to search for drugs. Officials decided to begin using the spray because of the number of students being busted with marijuana and cocaine.
www.wsmv.com/education/18145960/detail.html

Afghan National Police Training Continues Despite Obstacles

By Air Force Staff Sgt. Beth Del Vecchio
Special to American Forces Press Service

June 13, 2008 - Surrounded by Afghan National Police, the U.S. Army staff sergeant moved the water-bottle caps around in the dirt, as if on a checkerboard. But, there was no board, and this was no game. It was training. With different obstacles facing the trainers at Forward Operating Base Scorpion, unconventional methods of training are common. The language barrier may seem to limit the training, but the trainers and mentors are committed to mission execution, no matter what the means.

Army Staff Sgt. James Parks, a police mentor team member from Buffalo, N.Y., uses the bottle caps to demonstrate a wedge formation, a type of patrolling technique. That day, his group was working on the "rush and roll," the "low crawl," and other basic combat reactions under fire. This training usually is for soldiers; however, due to the counterinsurgency environment, the Afghan National Police need these skills to survive and defeat the enemy.

"We train them in basic combat skills so they can stay alive out there," Parks said. "It seems basic to us, but it's stuff that they just don't know to do when there is enemy contact."

The majority of the police training at the Regional Training Center in Kandahar is Afghan-led, but the three American and three coalition mentors work with Afghan police commanders and trainers to coach and advise the new recruits on basic combat skills.

"The language barrier is the biggest obstacle we face," Parks said.

Just like the bottle caps, the U.S. mentor team used colored blocks to demonstrate how to clear a building. They assigned colored blocks to each police officer on the clearing team and set corresponding colored blocks on the inside of the building. That way, the police would know by looking at the colored blocks where they needed to position themselves once inside the building.

Once the police officers finish the eight-week course at the RTC, they are sent out to districts in southern Afghanistan. But their training doesn't stop once they're in the field.

Regional Police Advisory Command South, with headquarters at FOB Scorpion, acts as a command post for several police mentor teams spread out through Afghanistan's southern districts. Nearly 10,000 ANP officers work in the field, and the mentor teams travel from district to district to train, advise and mentor the police.

Army Col. John Cuddy, Regional Police Advisory Command South commander, oversees training for the RTC and the police mentor teams.

"The mentors and the PMTs are the front-runners of our mission here," he said. "It's amazing what these men are doing with what they have."

Cuddy said the mentor teams visit the district police after they have left the regional training center and ensure they sustained those skills learned during training and are conducting their basic function as police officers: to serve and protect. The PMTs also ensure the police are getting paid and fed.

"If the ANP aren't paid, they go AWOL. If they aren't armed, they get killed in the night," he said.

Cuddy said reports of real progress come from the districts.

"We are getting feedback that the Taliban doesn't recognize the ANP they fight now," he said. "The ANP are starting to fight back. Before, they didn't have the training in basic fighting or survival skills, so they would surrender or run."

Afghan Brig. Gen. Nassurullah Zarifi, commander of the Afghan National Police Kandahar Regional Training Center, has more than 35 years of experience, including time with the Afghan National Army. He worked for 16 years as an instructor in the ANA before he was transferred to the RTC.

"We have 350 students here, but not enough instructors. The American and coalition instructors help us to educate our people," he said. "While they are here, my instructors, deputies and myself work hard to ensure the students are trained properly and will do their job correctly when they leave the RTC to go to their communities."

He said he receives positive feedback from the provinces about the police who graduated from the eight-week training program at the RTC.

"They are happy to have the new ANPs in their community," Zarifi said. "This is a long process, not a short-term answer. We are working on the security for the future of Afghanistan."

(Air Force Staff Sgt. Beth Del Vecchio serves with Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan Public Affairs.)