By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 13, 2007 - Establishing the necessary components to enable the rule of law to function across Iraq's society is vital to creating stable institutions and lasting security in that country, a U.S. military lawyer said in Baghdad today. The Iraqi government is making measurable progress toward that goal by providing fair and impartial courts, professional lawyers, judges and police, and modern and humane detention facilities, Army Col. Mark Martins, Multinational Force Iraq's senior legal official, told reporters at a news conference.
"The rule of law is a principle of governance which holds that your fate depends not on who you are, what religious sect, what region, what tribe, but on what you did," Martins explained.
The rule of law stipulates "that all citizens, institutions, entities, public and private, including the state itself, are accountable to laws, laws that have been publicly passed by a body representative of the people," Martins said.
Laws are to be enforced equally by the police, who are themselves trained to follow the law, Martins said. An impartial, independent and evenhanded judiciary system interprets the law, he said.
A new judicial facility recently opened in Baghdad illustrates progress the Iraqi government is making to establish the rule of law, Martins said.
"This Rule of Law complex now provides a secure place in the heart of Baghdad for all participants in the criminal justice system," Martins explained, including police, investigators, witnesses, judges, court personnel and detainee guards.
Members of Baghdad's criminal justice system now "can work free from attack or intimidation," Martins pointed out. About 30 judges are expected to preside over court cases at the complex, which also features nearly 5,000 modern detention cells, he said.
The rule of law stipulates that citizens are not to take the law into their own hands, Martins pointed out. So, for the rule of law to succeed in Iraq, he said, its citizens need to accept it and put aside ages-old tribal and sectarian animosities.
Much progress is being made each day to establish the rule of law across Iraq, but more work needs to be done, Martins conceded.
"It will require the government, and eventually the people, to reject revenge and terror, which is the use of spectacularly violent attacks on civilians, to achieve a political end," Martins observed. "It will require acceptance of the rule of law."
Martins saluted Iraqi judicial officials' efforts in promoting the rule of law across Iraq, like Higher Judicial Council spokesman Judge Abdul Satar Bayrkdar, who accompanied the colonel at the news conference.
Hundreds of new Iraqi investigators and judges have been hired in recent months, Bayrkdar said, noting there are now about 1,000 judges presiding at courts located across the country. The new judges, he said, are lawyers with 10 or more years of courtroom experience who are vetted for loyalty and integrity by the government. The Iraqi legal system also provides oversight to ensure that all prisoners receive fair and humane treatment, he added.
Iraq's new legal system is obviously fairer and more efficient than the despotic, haphazard courts operated by late dictator Saddam Hussein's regime, Bayrkdar said. For example, 96 percent of all court cases heard in Iraqi courtrooms in 2006 were resolved, he said.
"This is the highest percentage in the history of the Iraqi courts," Bayrkdar said.
Iraq's judiciary system plays "a key part in the rule of law in ensuring that justice is delivered in a fair, expeditious and evenhanded manner" during civil and criminal trials, Jim Santelle, justice attache at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, said at the news conference.
Without an independent, fair and efficient criminal justice system, "the rule of law cannot stand and cannot survive," Santelle pointed out.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Preventing Terrorist Suicide Attacks by Michael Aman
As a subject matter expert in law enforcement, I often take assignments as a pre-publication technical reviewer for publishing houses. Some weeks ago I was asked to review the law enforcement related portion of an upcoming Administration of Criminal Justice text book for Jones and Barlett Publishers. In addition to monetary compensation, I was allowed to choose a copy of any of their titles. Naturally, I choose a book written by a cop and that was listed on www.police-writers.com.
Michael Aman, a detective with the El Paso Police Department (Texas) is the author of Preventing Terrorist Suicide Attacks. Michael Aman’s book is a practical look at suicide attacks and the information is squarely aimed at the first responders such as police officers and security officials. While the book is brief, only 90 or so pages, it has an extraordinarily high ratio of words to ideas. That is, there is a ton of information succulently presented in the book.
The book is divided into two sections: the first discusses the terrorist and terrorists groups that use human beings as delivery mechanisms; the second section uses the terrorists’ own methodology as a means to explore prevention. As an example, in the first section, Michael Aman covers the objectives of a suicide tactics. This becomes important because by understanding objectives and motivation, the first responder gets a clearer picture on what to look for, beforehand.
In the second section Aman concentrates on presenting the reader with practical means for prevention. As an example, on page 44, Aman provides a simple, yet powerful matrix with which to evaluate potential targets. The section on prevention has checklists, prevention tips, self-assessment questions and clear learning objects.
While the book makes an excellent reference for the first responder, its hidden potential may be to first line supervisors in law enforcement and private security, and those officers involved in bomb disposal units. Michael Aman’s book was developed as a result of his teaching a course on the subject. Therefore, the book is a teaching tool. If you are supervisor (in law enforcement or security) you should own this book so that you can teach your subordinates. Michael Aman lays out a clear path for you to increase your knowledge and the discussion questions are perfect for training at briefings, etc. If you are working in a bomb disposal unit, well, you are an expert. But, Michael, again, has given you a tool, already designed to use as a means to share your knowledge and expertise within your organization and community.
About Michael Aman
Michael Aman was a commissioned officer in the German Air Force from 1984 to 1993. Upon immigrating to the United States he joined the El Paso Police Department and has risen to the rank of detective. Michael Aman has served in the Gang Unit, Cold Case Squad, Criminal Investigations Division, Dignitary Protection Unit, and the Patrol Division.
Michael Aman has an MBA from the German Armed Forces University. During his law enforcement career, Michael Aman Developed a course for law enforcement officials called “Defense Against Terrorist Suicide Attacks.” Eventually, that course let to the book Preventing Suicide Terrorist Attacks.
About the reviewer
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA is a 24 year veteran of law enforcement. In his retirement he is a university professor and writer. He is the author of Police Technology; Leadership: Texas Hold ‘em Style; and, is currently working on. From NYPD to LAPD: An Introduction to Policing. You can view Raymond’s complete CV at www.police-technology.net/raymond.foster.cv.html.
Michael Aman, a detective with the El Paso Police Department (Texas) is the author of Preventing Terrorist Suicide Attacks. Michael Aman’s book is a practical look at suicide attacks and the information is squarely aimed at the first responders such as police officers and security officials. While the book is brief, only 90 or so pages, it has an extraordinarily high ratio of words to ideas. That is, there is a ton of information succulently presented in the book.
The book is divided into two sections: the first discusses the terrorist and terrorists groups that use human beings as delivery mechanisms; the second section uses the terrorists’ own methodology as a means to explore prevention. As an example, in the first section, Michael Aman covers the objectives of a suicide tactics. This becomes important because by understanding objectives and motivation, the first responder gets a clearer picture on what to look for, beforehand.
In the second section Aman concentrates on presenting the reader with practical means for prevention. As an example, on page 44, Aman provides a simple, yet powerful matrix with which to evaluate potential targets. The section on prevention has checklists, prevention tips, self-assessment questions and clear learning objects.
While the book makes an excellent reference for the first responder, its hidden potential may be to first line supervisors in law enforcement and private security, and those officers involved in bomb disposal units. Michael Aman’s book was developed as a result of his teaching a course on the subject. Therefore, the book is a teaching tool. If you are supervisor (in law enforcement or security) you should own this book so that you can teach your subordinates. Michael Aman lays out a clear path for you to increase your knowledge and the discussion questions are perfect for training at briefings, etc. If you are working in a bomb disposal unit, well, you are an expert. But, Michael, again, has given you a tool, already designed to use as a means to share your knowledge and expertise within your organization and community.
About Michael Aman
Michael Aman was a commissioned officer in the German Air Force from 1984 to 1993. Upon immigrating to the United States he joined the El Paso Police Department and has risen to the rank of detective. Michael Aman has served in the Gang Unit, Cold Case Squad, Criminal Investigations Division, Dignitary Protection Unit, and the Patrol Division.
Michael Aman has an MBA from the German Armed Forces University. During his law enforcement career, Michael Aman Developed a course for law enforcement officials called “Defense Against Terrorist Suicide Attacks.” Eventually, that course let to the book Preventing Suicide Terrorist Attacks.
About the reviewer
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA is a 24 year veteran of law enforcement. In his retirement he is a university professor and writer. He is the author of Police Technology; Leadership: Texas Hold ‘em Style; and, is currently working on. From NYPD to LAPD: An Introduction to Policing. You can view Raymond’s complete CV at www.police-technology.net/raymond.foster.cv.html.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Over 700 Police Officers
Police-Writers.com is a website that lists over 700 state and local police officers who have written books. With the addition of Timothy A. Perry, Neil Moloney and Howard A. Monta, the website now lists 702 state and local law enforcement officials who have written books.
Timothy A. Perry is currently the undersheriff of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (Washington) and has more than 35 years of law enforcement experience. He served twenty-five years with the Seattle Police Department; working in patrol, investigations and training. After retiring from the Seattle Police Department, he was the Chief of Police for the Clyde Police Department (Washington). Tim Perry has a BS in Police Science and the Administration of Justice; and, is the author of two law enforcement books: Basic Patrol Procedures and The Practical Mock Scene Manual: A Complete Manual to Aid the Police Trainer
According to the book description of Basic Patrol Procedures, it “has been revised and updated throughout! It includes sections on community oriented policing, law enforcement ethics, vehicle pursuits and other timely subjects. Basic Patrol Procedures, 2/E is reader friendly, yet packed with important information for the law enforcement student or police department recruit. It is perfect for a foundation for the law enforcement student of as an effective guide for training recruits. It is widely used in community college police training courses, it works well in criminal justice courses as a policing supplement, and it was written by an experienced street officer for his fellow officers.”
Neil Moloney’s law enforcement career has included Chief of the Washington State Patrol, Director of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Chief of Police of the Port of Seattle Police Department. Neil Moloney is the author of Renaissance Cop; Class of Twenty-Eight; and, Cops, Crooks and Politicians.
According to the book description of Renaissance Cop, it is “a story of political corruption and violence that Scott Allan Jackson and his city police colleagues encounter on the streets of a major city in the United States. While assigned to a beat in China Town, Jackson and Officer Pete Petersen are both shot. Officer Petersen dies from his wounds. Investigators identify the suspects as a group of renegade law enforcement officers. While assigned to the mayor’s security detail, Jackson is again injured in what the press describes as an attempt to assassinate the mayor. The officer kills the assailants. A newly elected reform mayor selects Jackson and his colleagues to root out the corruption that has existed in their hometown for more than a century. When the investigation is complete, a grand jury indicts the former mayor, the chief of police and the district attorney. However, three police officers die violent deaths before the case comes to trial.”
Howard A. Monta is a retired sergeant with the Seattle Police Department. He is the author of three law enforcement related books: How Police Officers Get Hired: The Key to Getting the Cop Job and Keeping It; Survive Low Morale, Stress and Burnout in Law Enforcement: (Identify & Manage the Eight Elements of Job Burnout); and, his autobiography, Like a Cat with Nine Lives
According to the book description of Like a Cat with Nine Lives, “This is the story of Howard A. Monta’s evolution from a picked-on, chubby kid, to a risk-taking adventurer who was drawn to a long career as an aggressive law enforcer. The saga spans his life from childhood in a poor Seattle neighborhood, to his retirement from the Seattle Police Department in 1997.The colorful narration of his infatuation for a New York girl whom he cajoled into marrying him, despite his outrageous behavior, will bring a smile to the face of even the most somber reader.”
Howard Monta said of How Police Officers Get Hired (Formerly entitled, Cops Who Succeed), the book “provides insight into the most exciting, most controversial, most scrutinized, and the most important occupation in our society. In addition to vividly describing the public expectations and actual duties of police officers, Chapters One through Four identify the personal qualities of those who are "cut out" to be cops. The application, testing, and training processes are meticulously described. Chapters Five through Eleven describe those elements of the law enforcement profession that cause stress, low morale, and eventual job burnout. Helpful methods of surviving the stress and trauma of police duties are offered. This information is not only directed toward prospective officers, it is also invaluable for experienced officers. The book will never be outdated. Similar requirements and problems that exist for cops today, existed in the 1960s, and will continue to be relevant for generations to come.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 702 police officers (representing 323 police departments) and their 1510 police books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Timothy A. Perry is currently the undersheriff of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (Washington) and has more than 35 years of law enforcement experience. He served twenty-five years with the Seattle Police Department; working in patrol, investigations and training. After retiring from the Seattle Police Department, he was the Chief of Police for the Clyde Police Department (Washington). Tim Perry has a BS in Police Science and the Administration of Justice; and, is the author of two law enforcement books: Basic Patrol Procedures and The Practical Mock Scene Manual: A Complete Manual to Aid the Police Trainer
According to the book description of Basic Patrol Procedures, it “has been revised and updated throughout! It includes sections on community oriented policing, law enforcement ethics, vehicle pursuits and other timely subjects. Basic Patrol Procedures, 2/E is reader friendly, yet packed with important information for the law enforcement student or police department recruit. It is perfect for a foundation for the law enforcement student of as an effective guide for training recruits. It is widely used in community college police training courses, it works well in criminal justice courses as a policing supplement, and it was written by an experienced street officer for his fellow officers.”
Neil Moloney’s law enforcement career has included Chief of the Washington State Patrol, Director of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Chief of Police of the Port of Seattle Police Department. Neil Moloney is the author of Renaissance Cop; Class of Twenty-Eight; and, Cops, Crooks and Politicians.
According to the book description of Renaissance Cop, it is “a story of political corruption and violence that Scott Allan Jackson and his city police colleagues encounter on the streets of a major city in the United States. While assigned to a beat in China Town, Jackson and Officer Pete Petersen are both shot. Officer Petersen dies from his wounds. Investigators identify the suspects as a group of renegade law enforcement officers. While assigned to the mayor’s security detail, Jackson is again injured in what the press describes as an attempt to assassinate the mayor. The officer kills the assailants. A newly elected reform mayor selects Jackson and his colleagues to root out the corruption that has existed in their hometown for more than a century. When the investigation is complete, a grand jury indicts the former mayor, the chief of police and the district attorney. However, three police officers die violent deaths before the case comes to trial.”
Howard A. Monta is a retired sergeant with the Seattle Police Department. He is the author of three law enforcement related books: How Police Officers Get Hired: The Key to Getting the Cop Job and Keeping It; Survive Low Morale, Stress and Burnout in Law Enforcement: (Identify & Manage the Eight Elements of Job Burnout); and, his autobiography, Like a Cat with Nine Lives
According to the book description of Like a Cat with Nine Lives, “This is the story of Howard A. Monta’s evolution from a picked-on, chubby kid, to a risk-taking adventurer who was drawn to a long career as an aggressive law enforcer. The saga spans his life from childhood in a poor Seattle neighborhood, to his retirement from the Seattle Police Department in 1997.The colorful narration of his infatuation for a New York girl whom he cajoled into marrying him, despite his outrageous behavior, will bring a smile to the face of even the most somber reader.”
Howard Monta said of How Police Officers Get Hired (Formerly entitled, Cops Who Succeed), the book “provides insight into the most exciting, most controversial, most scrutinized, and the most important occupation in our society. In addition to vividly describing the public expectations and actual duties of police officers, Chapters One through Four identify the personal qualities of those who are "cut out" to be cops. The application, testing, and training processes are meticulously described. Chapters Five through Eleven describe those elements of the law enforcement profession that cause stress, low morale, and eventual job burnout. Helpful methods of surviving the stress and trauma of police duties are offered. This information is not only directed toward prospective officers, it is also invaluable for experienced officers. The book will never be outdated. Similar requirements and problems that exist for cops today, existed in the 1960s, and will continue to be relevant for generations to come.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 702 police officers (representing 323 police departments) and their 1510 police books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Law Enforcement Technology
NLECTC Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary
Thursday, August 9, 2007
"Crime-Fighting Revolution"
Daily Times (08/06/07); Butler, Iva
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is creating a fusion center which will permit law enforcement agencies throughout the state to network when solving crimes. The center is situated in Nashville at the TBI headquarters and is 4,000 square feet. The center has 26 analysts, and data from throughout Tennessee is being entered into the center's computer. Within the coming few months, all the data from law enforcement agencies in Tennessee is scheduled to be online. The data is comprised of open records that anybody is allowed to acquire from any law enforcement agency in Tennessee. The plan is to move all the information into one location where analysts can conduct a more in-depth service and study crime trends. Some of the crimes that the TBI investigates are illegal drug production, sales and use, juvenile crime, and weapons.
http://www.thedailytimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
article?AID=/20070806/NEWS/70806001
"Coming Next in the Police Arsenal: Light Sabers?"
Indianapolis Star (08/08/07)
The Department of Homeland Security is trying to equip federal agents with a light-saber device giving off a bright strobe that would temporarily blind criminals, terrorists, and disruptive airplane passengers. It is the newest government plan to create a nonlethal weapon. To date, the Homeland Security Department has spent $1 million on testing the light-emitting diode (LED) incapacitator. If it yields good results, the department claims the device could be in the possession of thousands of police, border agents, and National Guardsmen within three years. The light-saber functions by temporarily blinding and confusing an individual. Once focused at somebody's eyes, several light pulses can be initiated, and the suspect's eyes cannot compensate fast enough to see.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/
20070808/NATIONWORLD/708080428/-1/LOCAL17
"High-Tech Cameras Give Cars the Boot"
Chicago Tribune (08/06/07)
On Aug. 3, the Chicago Department of Revenue stated it would erect cameras in 26 of its boot vans, which search city streets for vehicles that should be booted due to traffic breaches. A vehicle becomes eligible for a boot--which makes the car unmovable--when a driver acquires three tickets or more on any vehicle registered in his name and ignores multiple requests for payment. The new cameras have license-plate recognition technology that does away with the need to enter a vehicle's plate number into a handheld gadget to decide if it can be booted. In addition, the cameras read license plates on either side of a street at the same time, which will enable crews to drive down a street one time instead of twice. Three newly-outfitted vans are currently monitoring the streets. The Department of Revenue believes that all of its boot crews will employ the new technology by the end of this month.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/
chicago/chi-bootvanaug06,0,6926399.story
"Fingerprints May Soon Yield Gender Clues"
ScienceDaily (08/03/07)
British researchers have developed a novel fingerprinting technique that generates chemical clues regarding the suspected criminals gender and diet, according to research published in Analytical Chemistry. Gel tapes lift the prints, which are then examined in a spectroscopic microscope. Infrared rays irradiate the sample to produce a comprehensive chemical composition. An infrared array detector then processes the chemical structure. The chemical clues could suggest whether the suspect was a meat-eater or a vegetarian, and may distinguish traces of handled items, such as narcotics, gunpowder, and chemical or biological weapons.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=
UPI-1-20070803-23040200-bc-us-fingerprinting.xml
"MySpace Helps NLR Police Link to Students"
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (08/06/07); Carrick, Kayla
Police officers at Arkansas middle schools have erected MySpace pages, in order to be in touch with students who spend a lot of time on the Internet. In the last year, around 24 pages sponsored by police departments throughout the United States have come up on MySpace, which has around 160 million profile pages overall. School resource officers Jon Schwulst and Fran Hichens note that once in a while, students will utilize MySpace to inform officers about trouble at school. Hichens, who works at Poplar Street Middle School, explained that one of his students was putting "alarming" items on a MySpace page, and that another student informed Hichens about the problem through a MySpace page, thereby enabling Hichens to help the student get personal assistance. Miami-Dade, Fla., Police Department Sgt. Erick Palmer, who erected and manages his department's MySpace page, notes his department's presence dissuades online predators. Palmer was one of the initial police officers to create a viable MySpace page sponsored by a law enforcement agency. Miami-Dade's site, which gets over 5,000 hits every month, has been helpful in recruiting officers and promoting the department's youth-volunteer campaign. In addition, the department has gotten anonymous tips on MySpace that have resulted in drug busts. http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/197811/
"Understanding the National Data Exchange (N-DEx) System"
PoliceOne.com (08/07/07); Marshall, Mark A.
International Association of Chiefs of Police Mark A. Marshall says data-sharing has become the new "buzzword" among law enforcement groups. He states a superior system would obtain crime-related information from all involved law-enforcement interests and change it into relevant data, an idea that has became the basis for the National Data Exchange (N-DEx) project. N-DEx's goal is to share detailed, correct, up-to-date, and helpful data from all jurisdiction regions and offer new investigative tools that improve the country's ability to combat crime and terrorism. Marshall says at the heart of N-DEx is enabling law-enforcement groups to provide their incident information to a main repository where it is compared with events which are already on record to find connections between individuals, locations, things, or related activities. The events can then stay on file to be compared with all pending incoming incidents. Marshall notes that local, state, and tribal law enforcement investigators will be the leading beneficiaries of the program. He states that N-DEx will also offer contact data and collaboration tools for institutions working on cases of interest to all parties. http://www.policeone.com/writers/columnists/MarkMarshall/articles/1295732/
"Police Plan to Use New Tech to Find Missing Persons"
San Bernardino County Sun (08/02/07); Lopez, C.L.
Redlands, Calif.'s Police Department will soon implement new technology to be employed as a part of the department's Never Alone Safely Back Home program that was begun last year. The database-enrollment program is offered at no cost to city residents. Thumb prints, photographs, data, and sometimes samples of DNA are stored on file. The data is utilized to locate and identify people with memory loss who become lost. While in 2006 and 2007, the program has employed gadgets that were sported on the ankle and equipped with GPS technology to locate people with memory loss who wander away from their residences and get lost, Police Chief Jim Bueermann said recently that a new technology known as Project Lifesaver--which transmits a radio signal from a bracelet that is similar to a wristwatch--will be used. He noted that the Project Lifesaver gadget has the benefit of being more comfortable to wear than the GPS devices. While it is not known how much Project Lifesaver will cost, Bueermann stated he is thinking about utilizing grant funds so inhabitants can use the devices.
http://www.sbsun.com//ci_6525518?IADID=Search-
www.sbsun.com-www.sbsun.com
"Satellite Aids in Tracking Bank Robbers: Bad Guys Now Have to Worry About GPS Technology"
New Haven Register (08/05/07); Kaempffer, William
Global Positioning System (GPS) technology is being utilized in New Haven, Conn., to follow bank thieves, most likely the first time it has been used for that reason. "The banks will tend to use it in higher-risk locations because it's not the cheapest," explains Connecticut Bankers Association senior vice president Lindsey R. Pinkham. "That, to some degree, has limited its deployment." Industry sources claim one product being worked on is a computerized fiscal recognition system in a current database. While GPS technology functions in a similar fashion to traditional dye packs, which are placed alongside money and go off after the thief exits the bank, the GPS tracker silently transmits signals that permit police to precisely uncover the suspect's whereabouts on a computer screen. Throughout the country, GPS technology has been more and more used by police to solve a broad variety of crimes. A female bank robber was recently apprehended in New Haven after exiting the branch with money and a concealed transmitter. Police were able to find and arrest her in minutes by using GPS to locate her. http://www.nhregister.com
"Plate Scanners Give Police Rapid Tool"
Arizona Republic (08/01/07) P. 4; Sowers, Carol
Law enforcement groups in Arizona's Valley region are employing high-speed technologies to capture license-plate images and monitor stolen vehicles utilized in crimes. Police hope the scanners will get violent individuals off the streets sooner. The Scottsdale Police Department intends to use funds captured from illegal activities to purchase four high-speed license-plate scanners. Three of the gadgets will be erected on police cruisers, while the remaining device is a handheld one that can be transferred from one police cruiser to another. The license-plate scanners can read a plate in around one second. They then look through a "hot sheet" of wanted cars downloaded to officers' cruiser computers. If a match is found, certain readers utilize voice technology to notify the officer. The scanners have helped find numerous stolen vehicles and helped result in multiple arrests in Phoenix. http://www.arizonarepublic.com
"Radiation-Monitor Study Sought"
Washington Post (08/01/07) P. D2; O'Harrow, Robert Jr.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) chief Michael Chertoff has requested that the Defense Department's Defense Threat Reduction Agency create a team of independent experts to review the effectiveness of DHS radiation-detection machines used to scan trucks and cargo containers. A Government Accountability Office report found that the machines were not nearly effective as the DHS had advertised to Congress. In reaction to the report, Congress has mandated that Chertoff ensure that the machines are effective before implementing the machines as part of a $1.2 billion project. Chertoff has sent a letter to several lawmakers, promising that a "highly experienced team of technical and programmatic" experts will review the machines.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/
article/2007/07/31/AR2007073101901.html
"10 Fingerprints Needed to Enter US Soon"
Manila Bulletin (07/31/07)
A pilot program will be launched in late 2007 at 10 major U.S. airports to test the feasibility of digitally scanning all 10 fingerprints of incoming passengers rather than the two currently scanned under the U.S.-VISIT Program. The airports chosen for the pilot are Logan International, Chicago OHare International, George Bush Intercontinental, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Miami International, John F. Kennedy International, Orlando International, San Francisco International, and Dulles International. The new requirement will apply to passengers from countries participating in the U.S. Visa-Waiver program as well as those who require a visa to enter the Untied States. U.S. Department of Homeland Security operations director P.T. Wright says that the scanning of additional fingerprints would not take more time than the current procedure but would ensure near 100 percent accuracy. http://www.mb.com.ph/TOUR2007073199113.html#
"Sky Spies Target Crime"
Mirror (UK) (08/03/07) P. 6; Cunningham, Jimmy
The Republic of Ireland has acquired two Israeli-made Orbiter UAVs that will be used for military activities and for monitoring drug smuggling along the Irish border and coastline. The unmanned planes, which were purchased at a price of 780,000 euros, have a range of 15 kilometers, can be used to spy from an altitude of 15,000 feet, and contain two cameras that can be used day or night. They can be carried in a soldier's backpack, assembled in 10 minutes, and launched from a catapult. Israel has used the unmanned vehicles to pinpoint targets before fighter aircraft are called in. Switzerland will use the versatile craft to monitor soccer fans during Euro 2008. http://www.mirror.co.uk
"Mauritians Pioneer Emergency Preparedness Training in Second Life"
L'Express (07/23/07); Beedasy-Ramloll, Jaishree
Idaho State University researchers have established a virtual town where first responders can receive disaster training in the popular Web-based 3D virtual world Second Life. The town, which includes a police station, hospital, and residences, is located in Second Life's Play2Train section, which is a federally-funded collaborative effort involving the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and several universities. Real-life first responders can use their computers to visit the Play2Train area, where they can participate in several types of virtual training events, including Alternative Care Facility Mobile Quarantine and Healthcare Facility "Sidewalk Triage" for an Avian Flu Pandemic. The Second Life virtual world is populated by real-life people who control their "avatars" in the fictional world; these avatars are capable of interacting with and communicating with other avatars within the virtual world. Thus, the avatars can participate in the disaster-training exercises--including instructional courses and table-top exercises--which have some advantages over real-world training in that simulated weather conditions such as rain, snow, and lightning can be added to provide realism to the training. The researchers behind the Play2Train effort believe that the training exercises in the virtual world could eventually supplant real-world exercises. http://www.lexpress.mu/display_article.php?news_id=90612
"New Less-Lethal Series of Projectile Launchers for Law Enforcement and Military Now Available"
Market Wire (07/30/07)
Security With Advanced Technology, Inc., a leading provider of security products and services, reports that its new MK Series of less-lethal projectile launchers designed primarily for use by military and law enforcement are now available for sale and delivery. Developed by Veritas Tactical, a division of Security With Advanced Technology, the MK Series of less-lethal launchers are propelled by high pressured air and shoot PAVA-filled projectiles, which break open on impact releasing a cloud of potent PAVA powder that causes subjects to cough, choke and become temporarily debilitated. The powder is significantly stronger than the effect of pepper spray. The launchers give military and law enforcement officers the ability to deliver less-lethal rounds accurately at a point target at 50 meters, providing them with a tactical advantage in many control situations. The MK Series also delivers rounds up to 100 meters for riot and crowd control situations. http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0284005.htm
Thursday, August 9, 2007
"Crime-Fighting Revolution"
Daily Times (08/06/07); Butler, Iva
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is creating a fusion center which will permit law enforcement agencies throughout the state to network when solving crimes. The center is situated in Nashville at the TBI headquarters and is 4,000 square feet. The center has 26 analysts, and data from throughout Tennessee is being entered into the center's computer. Within the coming few months, all the data from law enforcement agencies in Tennessee is scheduled to be online. The data is comprised of open records that anybody is allowed to acquire from any law enforcement agency in Tennessee. The plan is to move all the information into one location where analysts can conduct a more in-depth service and study crime trends. Some of the crimes that the TBI investigates are illegal drug production, sales and use, juvenile crime, and weapons.
http://www.thedailytimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
article?AID=/20070806/NEWS/70806001
"Coming Next in the Police Arsenal: Light Sabers?"
Indianapolis Star (08/08/07)
The Department of Homeland Security is trying to equip federal agents with a light-saber device giving off a bright strobe that would temporarily blind criminals, terrorists, and disruptive airplane passengers. It is the newest government plan to create a nonlethal weapon. To date, the Homeland Security Department has spent $1 million on testing the light-emitting diode (LED) incapacitator. If it yields good results, the department claims the device could be in the possession of thousands of police, border agents, and National Guardsmen within three years. The light-saber functions by temporarily blinding and confusing an individual. Once focused at somebody's eyes, several light pulses can be initiated, and the suspect's eyes cannot compensate fast enough to see.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/
20070808/NATIONWORLD/708080428/-1/LOCAL17
"High-Tech Cameras Give Cars the Boot"
Chicago Tribune (08/06/07)
On Aug. 3, the Chicago Department of Revenue stated it would erect cameras in 26 of its boot vans, which search city streets for vehicles that should be booted due to traffic breaches. A vehicle becomes eligible for a boot--which makes the car unmovable--when a driver acquires three tickets or more on any vehicle registered in his name and ignores multiple requests for payment. The new cameras have license-plate recognition technology that does away with the need to enter a vehicle's plate number into a handheld gadget to decide if it can be booted. In addition, the cameras read license plates on either side of a street at the same time, which will enable crews to drive down a street one time instead of twice. Three newly-outfitted vans are currently monitoring the streets. The Department of Revenue believes that all of its boot crews will employ the new technology by the end of this month.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/
chicago/chi-bootvanaug06,0,6926399.story
"Fingerprints May Soon Yield Gender Clues"
ScienceDaily (08/03/07)
British researchers have developed a novel fingerprinting technique that generates chemical clues regarding the suspected criminals gender and diet, according to research published in Analytical Chemistry. Gel tapes lift the prints, which are then examined in a spectroscopic microscope. Infrared rays irradiate the sample to produce a comprehensive chemical composition. An infrared array detector then processes the chemical structure. The chemical clues could suggest whether the suspect was a meat-eater or a vegetarian, and may distinguish traces of handled items, such as narcotics, gunpowder, and chemical or biological weapons.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=
UPI-1-20070803-23040200-bc-us-fingerprinting.xml
"MySpace Helps NLR Police Link to Students"
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (08/06/07); Carrick, Kayla
Police officers at Arkansas middle schools have erected MySpace pages, in order to be in touch with students who spend a lot of time on the Internet. In the last year, around 24 pages sponsored by police departments throughout the United States have come up on MySpace, which has around 160 million profile pages overall. School resource officers Jon Schwulst and Fran Hichens note that once in a while, students will utilize MySpace to inform officers about trouble at school. Hichens, who works at Poplar Street Middle School, explained that one of his students was putting "alarming" items on a MySpace page, and that another student informed Hichens about the problem through a MySpace page, thereby enabling Hichens to help the student get personal assistance. Miami-Dade, Fla., Police Department Sgt. Erick Palmer, who erected and manages his department's MySpace page, notes his department's presence dissuades online predators. Palmer was one of the initial police officers to create a viable MySpace page sponsored by a law enforcement agency. Miami-Dade's site, which gets over 5,000 hits every month, has been helpful in recruiting officers and promoting the department's youth-volunteer campaign. In addition, the department has gotten anonymous tips on MySpace that have resulted in drug busts. http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/197811/
"Understanding the National Data Exchange (N-DEx) System"
PoliceOne.com (08/07/07); Marshall, Mark A.
International Association of Chiefs of Police Mark A. Marshall says data-sharing has become the new "buzzword" among law enforcement groups. He states a superior system would obtain crime-related information from all involved law-enforcement interests and change it into relevant data, an idea that has became the basis for the National Data Exchange (N-DEx) project. N-DEx's goal is to share detailed, correct, up-to-date, and helpful data from all jurisdiction regions and offer new investigative tools that improve the country's ability to combat crime and terrorism. Marshall says at the heart of N-DEx is enabling law-enforcement groups to provide their incident information to a main repository where it is compared with events which are already on record to find connections between individuals, locations, things, or related activities. The events can then stay on file to be compared with all pending incoming incidents. Marshall notes that local, state, and tribal law enforcement investigators will be the leading beneficiaries of the program. He states that N-DEx will also offer contact data and collaboration tools for institutions working on cases of interest to all parties. http://www.policeone.com/writers/columnists/MarkMarshall/articles/1295732/
"Police Plan to Use New Tech to Find Missing Persons"
San Bernardino County Sun (08/02/07); Lopez, C.L.
Redlands, Calif.'s Police Department will soon implement new technology to be employed as a part of the department's Never Alone Safely Back Home program that was begun last year. The database-enrollment program is offered at no cost to city residents. Thumb prints, photographs, data, and sometimes samples of DNA are stored on file. The data is utilized to locate and identify people with memory loss who become lost. While in 2006 and 2007, the program has employed gadgets that were sported on the ankle and equipped with GPS technology to locate people with memory loss who wander away from their residences and get lost, Police Chief Jim Bueermann said recently that a new technology known as Project Lifesaver--which transmits a radio signal from a bracelet that is similar to a wristwatch--will be used. He noted that the Project Lifesaver gadget has the benefit of being more comfortable to wear than the GPS devices. While it is not known how much Project Lifesaver will cost, Bueermann stated he is thinking about utilizing grant funds so inhabitants can use the devices.
http://www.sbsun.com//ci_6525518?IADID=Search-
www.sbsun.com-www.sbsun.com
"Satellite Aids in Tracking Bank Robbers: Bad Guys Now Have to Worry About GPS Technology"
New Haven Register (08/05/07); Kaempffer, William
Global Positioning System (GPS) technology is being utilized in New Haven, Conn., to follow bank thieves, most likely the first time it has been used for that reason. "The banks will tend to use it in higher-risk locations because it's not the cheapest," explains Connecticut Bankers Association senior vice president Lindsey R. Pinkham. "That, to some degree, has limited its deployment." Industry sources claim one product being worked on is a computerized fiscal recognition system in a current database. While GPS technology functions in a similar fashion to traditional dye packs, which are placed alongside money and go off after the thief exits the bank, the GPS tracker silently transmits signals that permit police to precisely uncover the suspect's whereabouts on a computer screen. Throughout the country, GPS technology has been more and more used by police to solve a broad variety of crimes. A female bank robber was recently apprehended in New Haven after exiting the branch with money and a concealed transmitter. Police were able to find and arrest her in minutes by using GPS to locate her. http://www.nhregister.com
"Plate Scanners Give Police Rapid Tool"
Arizona Republic (08/01/07) P. 4; Sowers, Carol
Law enforcement groups in Arizona's Valley region are employing high-speed technologies to capture license-plate images and monitor stolen vehicles utilized in crimes. Police hope the scanners will get violent individuals off the streets sooner. The Scottsdale Police Department intends to use funds captured from illegal activities to purchase four high-speed license-plate scanners. Three of the gadgets will be erected on police cruisers, while the remaining device is a handheld one that can be transferred from one police cruiser to another. The license-plate scanners can read a plate in around one second. They then look through a "hot sheet" of wanted cars downloaded to officers' cruiser computers. If a match is found, certain readers utilize voice technology to notify the officer. The scanners have helped find numerous stolen vehicles and helped result in multiple arrests in Phoenix. http://www.arizonarepublic.com
"Radiation-Monitor Study Sought"
Washington Post (08/01/07) P. D2; O'Harrow, Robert Jr.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) chief Michael Chertoff has requested that the Defense Department's Defense Threat Reduction Agency create a team of independent experts to review the effectiveness of DHS radiation-detection machines used to scan trucks and cargo containers. A Government Accountability Office report found that the machines were not nearly effective as the DHS had advertised to Congress. In reaction to the report, Congress has mandated that Chertoff ensure that the machines are effective before implementing the machines as part of a $1.2 billion project. Chertoff has sent a letter to several lawmakers, promising that a "highly experienced team of technical and programmatic" experts will review the machines.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/
article/2007/07/31/AR2007073101901.html
"10 Fingerprints Needed to Enter US Soon"
Manila Bulletin (07/31/07)
A pilot program will be launched in late 2007 at 10 major U.S. airports to test the feasibility of digitally scanning all 10 fingerprints of incoming passengers rather than the two currently scanned under the U.S.-VISIT Program. The airports chosen for the pilot are Logan International, Chicago OHare International, George Bush Intercontinental, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Miami International, John F. Kennedy International, Orlando International, San Francisco International, and Dulles International. The new requirement will apply to passengers from countries participating in the U.S. Visa-Waiver program as well as those who require a visa to enter the Untied States. U.S. Department of Homeland Security operations director P.T. Wright says that the scanning of additional fingerprints would not take more time than the current procedure but would ensure near 100 percent accuracy. http://www.mb.com.ph/TOUR2007073199113.html#
"Sky Spies Target Crime"
Mirror (UK) (08/03/07) P. 6; Cunningham, Jimmy
The Republic of Ireland has acquired two Israeli-made Orbiter UAVs that will be used for military activities and for monitoring drug smuggling along the Irish border and coastline. The unmanned planes, which were purchased at a price of 780,000 euros, have a range of 15 kilometers, can be used to spy from an altitude of 15,000 feet, and contain two cameras that can be used day or night. They can be carried in a soldier's backpack, assembled in 10 minutes, and launched from a catapult. Israel has used the unmanned vehicles to pinpoint targets before fighter aircraft are called in. Switzerland will use the versatile craft to monitor soccer fans during Euro 2008. http://www.mirror.co.uk
"Mauritians Pioneer Emergency Preparedness Training in Second Life"
L'Express (07/23/07); Beedasy-Ramloll, Jaishree
Idaho State University researchers have established a virtual town where first responders can receive disaster training in the popular Web-based 3D virtual world Second Life. The town, which includes a police station, hospital, and residences, is located in Second Life's Play2Train section, which is a federally-funded collaborative effort involving the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and several universities. Real-life first responders can use their computers to visit the Play2Train area, where they can participate in several types of virtual training events, including Alternative Care Facility Mobile Quarantine and Healthcare Facility "Sidewalk Triage" for an Avian Flu Pandemic. The Second Life virtual world is populated by real-life people who control their "avatars" in the fictional world; these avatars are capable of interacting with and communicating with other avatars within the virtual world. Thus, the avatars can participate in the disaster-training exercises--including instructional courses and table-top exercises--which have some advantages over real-world training in that simulated weather conditions such as rain, snow, and lightning can be added to provide realism to the training. The researchers behind the Play2Train effort believe that the training exercises in the virtual world could eventually supplant real-world exercises. http://www.lexpress.mu/display_article.php?news_id=90612
"New Less-Lethal Series of Projectile Launchers for Law Enforcement and Military Now Available"
Market Wire (07/30/07)
Security With Advanced Technology, Inc., a leading provider of security products and services, reports that its new MK Series of less-lethal projectile launchers designed primarily for use by military and law enforcement are now available for sale and delivery. Developed by Veritas Tactical, a division of Security With Advanced Technology, the MK Series of less-lethal launchers are propelled by high pressured air and shoot PAVA-filled projectiles, which break open on impact releasing a cloud of potent PAVA powder that causes subjects to cough, choke and become temporarily debilitated. The powder is significantly stronger than the effect of pepper spray. The launchers give military and law enforcement officers the ability to deliver less-lethal rounds accurately at a point target at 50 meters, providing them with a tactical advantage in many control situations. The MK Series also delivers rounds up to 100 meters for riot and crowd control situations. http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0284005.htm
Law Enforcement Technology
August 10, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists nearly 700 state and local police officers who have written books. The website added Captain Robert L. Snow’s latest book on law enforcement technology.
Captain Robert L. Snow is a 30 year veteran of the Indianapolis Police Department. He has served throughout the ranks as a police officer, sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. As a police executive, he has been the Indianapolis Police Department’s Commander of Planning and Research, the Chief’s Administrative Assistant, Executive Officer and Captain of Detectives. His current assignment is as the Commander of the Homicide.
Robert Snow graduated from Indiana University summa cum laude with degrees in Criminal Justice and Psychology. He has been a publishing writer for well over 20 years, with dozens of articles and short stories in such national magazines as Playboy, Reader’s Digest, LAW & ORDER, Action Digest, Police, and the National Enquirer.
Captain Robert Snow has written ten books including his newest, Technology and Law Enforcement: From Gumshoe to Gamma Rays. According to the description of Technology and Law Enforcement: From Gumshoe to Gamma Rays, “Beginning with the Night Stalker case, the Robert Snow illustrates how the use and reliance on new technologies in solving crimes has made policing and detective work more accurate and efficient in capturing and convicting criminals (and courts more recently in releasing innocents convicted of crimes). Capitalizing on the interest in all things forensic, this book illuminates the behind the scenes technologies that go into solving crimes and keeping dangerous criminals off the street. Robert Snow covers DNA and fingerprint technologies, vehicle technologies, undercover work, bomb detection, and other methods. Using many real life examples and first hand anecdotes, he shows how technology has become part and parcel of criminal justice efforts to solve crimes.”
The forward to Robert Snow’s book was written by Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA, the author of Police Technology. Police Technology is used in over 100 colleges and universities. According to one college professor, “I recently taught a police technology course at a local community college using Raymond Foster's Police Technology book as the base reference for the course and then punctuated the book will information and exercises from the accompanying website. Outstanding! The website is very informative, current and relevant. Several of the practicing law enforcement personnel including senior supervisors and managers had their eyes opened to the technology available to them now and the future potential for the technology to improve the service they provide their communities, understand contemporary issues in law enforcement and may compelling arguments to their respective governing counsels for funding and technology initiatives. Great book - understood and applied by students at all levels of experience.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 699 police officers (representing 321 police departments) and their 1502 police books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Captain Robert L. Snow is a 30 year veteran of the Indianapolis Police Department. He has served throughout the ranks as a police officer, sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. As a police executive, he has been the Indianapolis Police Department’s Commander of Planning and Research, the Chief’s Administrative Assistant, Executive Officer and Captain of Detectives. His current assignment is as the Commander of the Homicide.
Robert Snow graduated from Indiana University summa cum laude with degrees in Criminal Justice and Psychology. He has been a publishing writer for well over 20 years, with dozens of articles and short stories in such national magazines as Playboy, Reader’s Digest, LAW & ORDER, Action Digest, Police, and the National Enquirer.
Captain Robert Snow has written ten books including his newest, Technology and Law Enforcement: From Gumshoe to Gamma Rays. According to the description of Technology and Law Enforcement: From Gumshoe to Gamma Rays, “Beginning with the Night Stalker case, the Robert Snow illustrates how the use and reliance on new technologies in solving crimes has made policing and detective work more accurate and efficient in capturing and convicting criminals (and courts more recently in releasing innocents convicted of crimes). Capitalizing on the interest in all things forensic, this book illuminates the behind the scenes technologies that go into solving crimes and keeping dangerous criminals off the street. Robert Snow covers DNA and fingerprint technologies, vehicle technologies, undercover work, bomb detection, and other methods. Using many real life examples and first hand anecdotes, he shows how technology has become part and parcel of criminal justice efforts to solve crimes.”
The forward to Robert Snow’s book was written by Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA, the author of Police Technology. Police Technology is used in over 100 colleges and universities. According to one college professor, “I recently taught a police technology course at a local community college using Raymond Foster's Police Technology book as the base reference for the course and then punctuated the book will information and exercises from the accompanying website. Outstanding! The website is very informative, current and relevant. Several of the practicing law enforcement personnel including senior supervisors and managers had their eyes opened to the technology available to them now and the future potential for the technology to improve the service they provide their communities, understand contemporary issues in law enforcement and may compelling arguments to their respective governing counsels for funding and technology initiatives. Great book - understood and applied by students at all levels of experience.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 699 police officers (representing 321 police departments) and their 1502 police books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Police-Writers.com Annual Recognition
Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated the listing state and local police officers who have authored books, recognizes the literary contributions of police officers through the “Police-Writers.com Annual Recognition Program.”
In 2007, Police-Writers.com had one form of recognition, “Police-Writers.com Book of the Year.” In 2008, in order to recognize the ongoing career successes and community service aspects of all of the authors listed on the website, Police-Writers.com will have two forms of recognition: “Police-Writers.com Author of the Year” and “Police-Writers.com Book of the Year.”
Police-Writers.com Book of the Year:
The “Police-Writers.com Book of the Year 2008” focuses solely on the written contribution made by the police officer. It is that book found by the panel of judges to be the most significant literary contribution made by a police officer in the previous year. Entry requirements are:
The police officer is listed on www.police-writers.com. (There is no charge for listing on the website and interested police officers need only visit the FAQs section of the website and submit the necessary information); The award is open ONLY to United States state and local sworn law enforcement officials; The book was published in 2007; and, The application and three copies of the book are received by December 31, 2007.
Police-Writers.com Author of the Year:
The “Police-Writers.com Author of the Year” recognizes a published police author’s continuing career and community service successes. Entry requirements are:
The author is listed on www.police-writers.com. (There is no charge for listing on the website and interested authors need only visit the FAQs section of the website and submit the necessary information); Applications for this award are only taken from the author; This award is open to ALL state, local and federal sworn law enforcement officials, as well as civilian law enforcement employees and international police officers listed on the website; The author published a book anytime prior to December 31, 2007; and, The application, supporting documentation and three copies of the any book published by the author are received by December 31, 2007.
Award:
Selected authors will receive:
A Plaque indicating their award;
Press release distribution through the website; and,
Front page exposure on the website throughout the award year.
Additional information as well as application forms can be obtain on the website at www.police-writers.com. Police-Writers.com now hosts 699 police officers (representing 321 police departments) and their 1501 police books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
In 2007, Police-Writers.com had one form of recognition, “Police-Writers.com Book of the Year.” In 2008, in order to recognize the ongoing career successes and community service aspects of all of the authors listed on the website, Police-Writers.com will have two forms of recognition: “Police-Writers.com Author of the Year” and “Police-Writers.com Book of the Year.”
Police-Writers.com Book of the Year:
The “Police-Writers.com Book of the Year 2008” focuses solely on the written contribution made by the police officer. It is that book found by the panel of judges to be the most significant literary contribution made by a police officer in the previous year. Entry requirements are:
The police officer is listed on www.police-writers.com. (There is no charge for listing on the website and interested police officers need only visit the FAQs section of the website and submit the necessary information); The award is open ONLY to United States state and local sworn law enforcement officials; The book was published in 2007; and, The application and three copies of the book are received by December 31, 2007.
Police-Writers.com Author of the Year:
The “Police-Writers.com Author of the Year” recognizes a published police author’s continuing career and community service successes. Entry requirements are:
The author is listed on www.police-writers.com. (There is no charge for listing on the website and interested authors need only visit the FAQs section of the website and submit the necessary information); Applications for this award are only taken from the author; This award is open to ALL state, local and federal sworn law enforcement officials, as well as civilian law enforcement employees and international police officers listed on the website; The author published a book anytime prior to December 31, 2007; and, The application, supporting documentation and three copies of the any book published by the author are received by December 31, 2007.
Award:
Selected authors will receive:
A Plaque indicating their award;
Press release distribution through the website; and,
Front page exposure on the website throughout the award year.
Additional information as well as application forms can be obtain on the website at www.police-writers.com. Police-Writers.com now hosts 699 police officers (representing 321 police departments) and their 1501 police books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
2008 Innovative Technologies for Community Corrections Conference - Call for Presenters
Is your agency involved in a technology project that is worthy of attention? Would you like to be a part of the 2008 Innovative Technologies for Community Corrections Conference agenda? NLECTC is pleased to issue a call for presenters for the 2008 conference.
Presentations should relate to the implementation of technology to solve an operational problem and/or management issues related to technology. Conference workshops are 90 minutes in length and are generally organized in four tracks:
Electronic Monitoring
Drug and Alcohol Testing
Information Technology
Management Issues (e.g. Training, Officer Safety, Communications, etc.)
Submission Guidelines
Persons interested in submitting a proposal for consideration should forward the following:
Workshop title
A clear, concise, accurate, description of the workshop
Complete contact information for each speaker
Brief biography of each of the speakers
Audio/Visual requirements for the presentation
Primary contact person for the workshop
Presentation summaries may be mailed, faxed or e-mailed, no later than December 15, 2007 to:
Joe Russo, Assistant Director
National Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology Center
2050 East Iliff Avenue
Denver, CO 80208
Phone: (800) 416-8086
Fax: (303) 871-2500
E-mail: jrusso@du.edu
NLECTC will provide for the expenses for all speakers (up to two per workshop) selected to present a workshop at the 2008 conference to include airfare, one night’s lodging, ground transportation and per diem. In addition, conference registration fees will be waived. NLECTC will not cover expenses for presenters representing vendors.
Presentations should relate to the implementation of technology to solve an operational problem and/or management issues related to technology. Conference workshops are 90 minutes in length and are generally organized in four tracks:
Electronic Monitoring
Drug and Alcohol Testing
Information Technology
Management Issues (e.g. Training, Officer Safety, Communications, etc.)
Submission Guidelines
Persons interested in submitting a proposal for consideration should forward the following:
Workshop title
A clear, concise, accurate, description of the workshop
Complete contact information for each speaker
Brief biography of each of the speakers
Audio/Visual requirements for the presentation
Primary contact person for the workshop
Presentation summaries may be mailed, faxed or e-mailed, no later than December 15, 2007 to:
Joe Russo, Assistant Director
National Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology Center
2050 East Iliff Avenue
Denver, CO 80208
Phone: (800) 416-8086
Fax: (303) 871-2500
E-mail: jrusso@du.edu
NLECTC will provide for the expenses for all speakers (up to two per workshop) selected to present a workshop at the 2008 conference to include airfare, one night’s lodging, ground transportation and per diem. In addition, conference registration fees will be waived. NLECTC will not cover expenses for presenters representing vendors.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Tennessee, Nebraska and Vermont
Police-Writers.com is a website that lists nearly 700 state and local police officers who have written books. The website added police officers from Tennessee, Nebraska and Vermont.
Joe D. Guy is a former McMinn County Sheriff's Department (Tennessee) deputy sheriff. Currently, Joe Guy is a writer who writes articles on history for Appalachian Life Magazine as well as a weekly newspaper column, "Beyond the Blue Line." He has also written for the nationally distributed Community Policing Exchange. Joe Guy is the author of three books: Beyond the Blue Line: Stories from the Other Side of Law Enforcement; Beyond the Blue Line: Volume 2: Sixty-Four New Stories from the Other Side of Law Enforcement; and, Indian Summer: The Siege and Fall of Fort Loudoun.
According to the book description of Beyond the Blue Line: Volume 2: Sixty-Four New Stories from the Other Side of Law Enforcement, “A State Trooper fights a belligerent clown….A former sheriff is assassinated in a small Tennessee town….Officers respond to a case of a biting duck….A naked man, a shotgun, and a camera…And that old lady the deputy just ticketed, isn’t she…the sheriff’s grandma? In Beyond the Blue Line: Volume 2, former police officer Joe D. Guy once again outdoes himself with a collection of humorous, heartwarming, and sometimes adventurous true stories from the other side of law enforcement.”
In 1982, Utah Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety Robert C. Wadman was appointed Chief of Police for Omaha Police Department (Nebraska). He was the first chief of the Omaha Police Department that was appointed from outside the ranks. Robert Wadman served as chief until 1986. Since 1997, Dr. Robert C. Wadman is a Professor at Weber State University (Ogden, Utah). He teaches criminal justice related courses such as: Introduction to Criminal Justice; Community Policing; Research Methods in Criminal Justice; Criminal Justice Management; Drugs and Crime; and, Victimology. Dr. Robert C. Wadman is the author of Law enforcement supervision: A case study approach; and the co-author of Community Policing and Crime Prevention in America and England and To Protect and to Serve: A History of Police in America.
According to the book description of To Protect and to Serve: A History of Police in America, “This readable book provides a comprehensive and detailed survey of the development of police organization, theory, and practice; and its role in American history. It examines how police have tried to maintain law and order in a democratic society, noting successes, failures, and continuing problems since the colonial period.
Rollie Powell is a retired detective from the Rutland City Police Department (Vermont). He is the author of Killjoy-A Cop's Fight Against Child Sexual Abuse. According to the book description, it “is the story of Rollie Powell's ten-year personal war against child sexual abuse, against the indifference and social denial that allows this crime to exist and grow at an alarming rate. As a detective with Rutland's Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Vermont he offers a full view of the issues from someone who has been on the frontlines - of the perpetrators, the victims, their families, the overloaded justice system and the public media reactions.”
Rollie Powell’s book offers to appendices: Prevention Guide and Resource Guide. “In the Prevention Guide, Powell offers techniques and methods for prevention through educating children, recognizing signs of abuse in children, providing love and support and getting professional help. The Resource Guide is a list of associations, organizations, state agencies and web sites, offering support and information.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 695 police officers (representing 317 police departments) and their 1491 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Joe D. Guy is a former McMinn County Sheriff's Department (Tennessee) deputy sheriff. Currently, Joe Guy is a writer who writes articles on history for Appalachian Life Magazine as well as a weekly newspaper column, "Beyond the Blue Line." He has also written for the nationally distributed Community Policing Exchange. Joe Guy is the author of three books: Beyond the Blue Line: Stories from the Other Side of Law Enforcement; Beyond the Blue Line: Volume 2: Sixty-Four New Stories from the Other Side of Law Enforcement; and, Indian Summer: The Siege and Fall of Fort Loudoun.
According to the book description of Beyond the Blue Line: Volume 2: Sixty-Four New Stories from the Other Side of Law Enforcement, “A State Trooper fights a belligerent clown….A former sheriff is assassinated in a small Tennessee town….Officers respond to a case of a biting duck….A naked man, a shotgun, and a camera…And that old lady the deputy just ticketed, isn’t she…the sheriff’s grandma? In Beyond the Blue Line: Volume 2, former police officer Joe D. Guy once again outdoes himself with a collection of humorous, heartwarming, and sometimes adventurous true stories from the other side of law enforcement.”
In 1982, Utah Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety Robert C. Wadman was appointed Chief of Police for Omaha Police Department (Nebraska). He was the first chief of the Omaha Police Department that was appointed from outside the ranks. Robert Wadman served as chief until 1986. Since 1997, Dr. Robert C. Wadman is a Professor at Weber State University (Ogden, Utah). He teaches criminal justice related courses such as: Introduction to Criminal Justice; Community Policing; Research Methods in Criminal Justice; Criminal Justice Management; Drugs and Crime; and, Victimology. Dr. Robert C. Wadman is the author of Law enforcement supervision: A case study approach; and the co-author of Community Policing and Crime Prevention in America and England and To Protect and to Serve: A History of Police in America.
According to the book description of To Protect and to Serve: A History of Police in America, “This readable book provides a comprehensive and detailed survey of the development of police organization, theory, and practice; and its role in American history. It examines how police have tried to maintain law and order in a democratic society, noting successes, failures, and continuing problems since the colonial period.
Rollie Powell is a retired detective from the Rutland City Police Department (Vermont). He is the author of Killjoy-A Cop's Fight Against Child Sexual Abuse. According to the book description, it “is the story of Rollie Powell's ten-year personal war against child sexual abuse, against the indifference and social denial that allows this crime to exist and grow at an alarming rate. As a detective with Rutland's Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Vermont he offers a full view of the issues from someone who has been on the frontlines - of the perpetrators, the victims, their families, the overloaded justice system and the public media reactions.”
Rollie Powell’s book offers to appendices: Prevention Guide and Resource Guide. “In the Prevention Guide, Powell offers techniques and methods for prevention through educating children, recognizing signs of abuse in children, providing love and support and getting professional help. The Resource Guide is a list of associations, organizations, state agencies and web sites, offering support and information.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 695 police officers (representing 317 police departments) and their 1491 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
12th National Workshop on Adult and Juvenile Female Offenders
Join us for the 12th National Workshop on Adult and Juvenile Female Offenders which will be held in Baltimore, Maryland, October 20-24, 2007, at the Inner Harbor Marriott at Camden Yards.
This national conference is sponsored by the Association on Programs for Female Offenders (APFO) and is locally hosted by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, and the Maryland Criminal Justice Association. This bi-annual forum offers those with an interest in female offenders an opportunity to attend intensive sessions and workshops on leading edge issues, and to meet and share information and concerns regarding the needs, management and treatment of adult and juvenile female offenders. This conference now attracts over 1,000 professionals nationally and internationally.
For additional information email apfoconference@msn.com or call 410-245-5611.
This national conference is sponsored by the Association on Programs for Female Offenders (APFO) and is locally hosted by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, and the Maryland Criminal Justice Association. This bi-annual forum offers those with an interest in female offenders an opportunity to attend intensive sessions and workshops on leading edge issues, and to meet and share information and concerns regarding the needs, management and treatment of adult and juvenile female offenders. This conference now attracts over 1,000 professionals nationally and internationally.
For additional information email apfoconference@msn.com or call 410-245-5611.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Small Towns, Big Cities and Officers at Risk
August 4, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists nearly 700 state and local police officers who have written books. The website added Warner Jack Berry, Scott Fielden and Dennis L. Conroy.
Warner Jack Berry served for twenty years in law enforcement in the cities of Memphis (Tennessee) Dallas (Texas) and West Helena (Arkansas). In 1982, he continued his law enforcement career for another 18 years when he became the chief of police of the Lakeview Police Department (Arkansas). After retiring from the Lakeview Police Department (Arkansas), he became the Justice of the Peace in Blake County (Arkansas). Jack Berry is the Author of When You are the Only Cop in Town: A writer's guide to small town law enforcement.
According to the book description of When you are the Only Cop in Town, it is “An indispensable guide to facts, procedures, and the how-to's of small town law enforcement from Debra Dixon, author of GMC: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict. Jack Berry has over 30 years in law enforcement, the last 17 as Chief in a small town. He also happens to be Debra's dad. Crack the covers of this book and enjoy a writer's feast of the funny, the odd, and the mundane. Find out what you need to know and what it's really like on the mean streets of Smallville, U.S.A.”
Scott Fielden has been affiliated with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office (Tennessee) since 1997, and is currently a reserve lieutenant. He holds a BA in marketing/management from East Tennessee State University, and is employed by Johnson & Johnson World Products as a senior pharmaceutical sales specialist. He is the author of Music City Blues: From the Training Academy to the Streets.
According to one reader/reviewer of Music City Blues: From the Training Academy to the Streets, “If you've ever wondered what it's really like to be a cop, "Music City Blues" provides the answer. From domestic disputes, DUI's, high-speed police pursuits and prostitution stings, the reader is introduced to a side of law enforcement not often seen by the public. Police can be both gruesome and glorious, and it's these moments of soul-wrenching tragedies and fist-pumping triumphs that bring the book to life.”
Dr. Dennis L. Conroy recently retired after over 30 years service with the Saint Paul Police Department (Minnesota). During his law enforcement career he worked a variety of assignments, including: Patrol Officer, Patrol Supervisor, Vice/Narcotics Investigator, Director of Professional Development Institute, Director of Field Training Program, Communications Center Supervisor, and Juvenile Officer, Director of Employee Assistance Program.
In addition to this law enforcement experience, Dennis Conroy has 25 years of clinical experience includes working with children, adolescents, and adults. As a psychologist, his specific areas of interest are stress management, trauma response, hypnosis and working with law enforcement officers. Dennis Conroy is the author of Officers at Risk.
According to one reader of Officers at Risk, it “should be required reading for anyone training for a career in law enforcement and also for department administrators. The last two chapters explain how individuals and then departments can identify and manage stress related problems. For the individual, it should speak for itself. For police departments and correctional institutions, it can deter many potential problems from poor performance to costly and embarrassing lawsuits to suicides. I thank God that I was part of a department that in many ways pioneered employee assistance in law enforcement, and in a state that recognizes the long-term effects that can occur.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 689 police officers (representing 311 police departments) and their 1481 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Warner Jack Berry served for twenty years in law enforcement in the cities of Memphis (Tennessee) Dallas (Texas) and West Helena (Arkansas). In 1982, he continued his law enforcement career for another 18 years when he became the chief of police of the Lakeview Police Department (Arkansas). After retiring from the Lakeview Police Department (Arkansas), he became the Justice of the Peace in Blake County (Arkansas). Jack Berry is the Author of When You are the Only Cop in Town: A writer's guide to small town law enforcement.
According to the book description of When you are the Only Cop in Town, it is “An indispensable guide to facts, procedures, and the how-to's of small town law enforcement from Debra Dixon, author of GMC: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict. Jack Berry has over 30 years in law enforcement, the last 17 as Chief in a small town. He also happens to be Debra's dad. Crack the covers of this book and enjoy a writer's feast of the funny, the odd, and the mundane. Find out what you need to know and what it's really like on the mean streets of Smallville, U.S.A.”
Scott Fielden has been affiliated with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office (Tennessee) since 1997, and is currently a reserve lieutenant. He holds a BA in marketing/management from East Tennessee State University, and is employed by Johnson & Johnson World Products as a senior pharmaceutical sales specialist. He is the author of Music City Blues: From the Training Academy to the Streets.
According to one reader/reviewer of Music City Blues: From the Training Academy to the Streets, “If you've ever wondered what it's really like to be a cop, "Music City Blues" provides the answer. From domestic disputes, DUI's, high-speed police pursuits and prostitution stings, the reader is introduced to a side of law enforcement not often seen by the public. Police can be both gruesome and glorious, and it's these moments of soul-wrenching tragedies and fist-pumping triumphs that bring the book to life.”
Dr. Dennis L. Conroy recently retired after over 30 years service with the Saint Paul Police Department (Minnesota). During his law enforcement career he worked a variety of assignments, including: Patrol Officer, Patrol Supervisor, Vice/Narcotics Investigator, Director of Professional Development Institute, Director of Field Training Program, Communications Center Supervisor, and Juvenile Officer, Director of Employee Assistance Program.
In addition to this law enforcement experience, Dennis Conroy has 25 years of clinical experience includes working with children, adolescents, and adults. As a psychologist, his specific areas of interest are stress management, trauma response, hypnosis and working with law enforcement officers. Dennis Conroy is the author of Officers at Risk.
According to one reader of Officers at Risk, it “should be required reading for anyone training for a career in law enforcement and also for department administrators. The last two chapters explain how individuals and then departments can identify and manage stress related problems. For the individual, it should speak for itself. For police departments and correctional institutions, it can deter many potential problems from poor performance to costly and embarrassing lawsuits to suicides. I thank God that I was part of a department that in many ways pioneered employee assistance in law enforcement, and in a state that recognizes the long-term effects that can occur.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 689 police officers (representing 311 police departments) and their 1481 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ANNOUNCES FINDINGS ON DRAGON SKIN BODY ARMOR
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP) announced today that it has determined that the Pinnacle Armor, Inc. bulletproof vest model SOV 2000.1/MIL3AF01, is not in compliance with the requirements of OJP's National Institute of Justice (NIJ) voluntary compliance testing program for bullet-resistant body armor. Effective immediately, this body armor model will be removed from the NIJ list of bullet-resistant body armor models that satisfy its requirements. Pinnacle Armor, Inc. is the maker of "dragon skin" body armor.
NIJ, OJP's research, development, and evaluation component, has reviewed evidence provided by the body armor manufacturer and has determined that the evidence is insufficient to demonstrate that the body armor model will maintain its ballistic performance over its six-year declared warranty period.
Notwithstanding NIJ's determination, DOJ encourages public safety officers to wear their Pinnacle Body Armor, Inc. body armor, model SOV 2000.1/MIL3AF01 until replacement because research has shown that officers are more likely to suffer a fatal injury when not wearing body armor.
In addition, DOJ strongly recommends that public safety agencies and officers who purchase new bullet-resistant body armor verify, prior to purchase, that the body armor model appears on NIJ's list of models that comply with its most current requirements, the 2005 Interim Requirements for Bullet-Resistant Body Armor. A list of these models is available at www.justnet.org. DOJ also encourages public safety officers to follow body armor manufacturer "wear and care" instructions, and not to store armor in the trunk of their vehicle or other environments in which armor might be exposed to extreme heat or cold.
Information about the DOJ Body Armor Safety Initiative can be found at http://vests.ojp.gov
The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), headed by Assistant Attorney General Regina B. Schofield, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice and assist victims. OJP has five component bureaus: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the Office for Victims of Crime. Additionally, OJP has two program offices: the Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed strategy, and the Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking (SMART) Office.
NIJ, OJP's research, development, and evaluation component, has reviewed evidence provided by the body armor manufacturer and has determined that the evidence is insufficient to demonstrate that the body armor model will maintain its ballistic performance over its six-year declared warranty period.
Notwithstanding NIJ's determination, DOJ encourages public safety officers to wear their Pinnacle Body Armor, Inc. body armor, model SOV 2000.1/MIL3AF01 until replacement because research has shown that officers are more likely to suffer a fatal injury when not wearing body armor.
In addition, DOJ strongly recommends that public safety agencies and officers who purchase new bullet-resistant body armor verify, prior to purchase, that the body armor model appears on NIJ's list of models that comply with its most current requirements, the 2005 Interim Requirements for Bullet-Resistant Body Armor. A list of these models is available at www.justnet.org. DOJ also encourages public safety officers to follow body armor manufacturer "wear and care" instructions, and not to store armor in the trunk of their vehicle or other environments in which armor might be exposed to extreme heat or cold.
Information about the DOJ Body Armor Safety Initiative can be found at http://vests.ojp.gov
The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), headed by Assistant Attorney General Regina B. Schofield, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice and assist victims. OJP has five component bureaus: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the Office for Victims of Crime. Additionally, OJP has two program offices: the Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed strategy, and the Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking (SMART) Office.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Law Enforcement Technology
NLECTC Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary
Thursday, August 2, 2007
"Centre Island Police Put Latest Technology to Work"
New York Times (07/29/07) P. 5; Domash, Shelly Feuer
Law enforcement technology scans the license plates of every car driving onto Nassau County's Centre Island. Chief Dennis Weiner of the Centre Island Police Department says the agency tracks weather via radar-monitoring computers and software servers that are used as tools for criminal reports. Officers carry compact mobile scanners to transfer vehicle license and registration information onto computers, ride in night-vision binocular-equipped Volvos, and carry Tasers. The department has a centralized system for keeping reports of accidents, arrests, and officer diaries, among other features. The main headquarters' computer also provides address validations, 3-D area maps, and a comprehensive search engine. Departments with compatible software, such as Long Beach and Mamaroneck, can network and share the information from their systems. Such advanced technology at any law enforcement agency is remarkable, but it is especially atypical for Centre Island's small nine-officer department. Weiner said that the technology costs represents only 4 percent of a $1.6 million annual budget and that the department maximizes the efficiency of their allowed spending. He added, "Anytime you apply a technology that will increase officer effectiveness, you have an opportunity to increase the bang for each tax dollar spent on public safety."
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/29peopleli.html
"Prison Tests Keeping Out Some Drugs, and Visitors"
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (07/26/07) P. B1; Berard, Yamil
Visitors to prisons controlled by the Federal Bureau of Prisons are subject to a drug-testing machine that officials say is used to minimize drug usage in the facilities. The "minimally invasive" procedure takes swab samples from visitors' hands or clothes, and within seconds the results are produced. Authorities say the high-tech machine is so sensitive, it is unlikely that anyone who comes into contact with illegal substances would be able to bypass the test. Chemist James Woodford says, "If you go into a place where someone has smoked some meth or cocaine, there will be thousands if not hundreds of thousands of nanograms of pollution, and these ion scanners test at the nanogram level." Although the machines have been implemented for a decade to cut the incidences of visitors bringing inmates drugs, a 2003 Department of Justice Inspector General report revealed that efforts to impede drug trafficking did not decrease drug usage in prisons. Instead, the report found that staff members, who were not subject to the drug screening, smuggled drugs to inmates; the bureau is now seeking to implement a drug screening rule for employees. Visitors who test positive must wait 48 hours to visit the prison and will be tested every visit for one year, while a second positive test results in a 30-day wait period, thereafter subsequent positive tests result in longer waiting times. Yet University of North Texas professor Chad Trulson says that the machines might be hyper-sensitive, as the machines can detect a visitor who has shook hands with a drug-user, and he says officials should further evaluate the machines' usage. http://origin.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/state/17543473.htm
"Mapping Software Takes Bite Out of Crime"
Lima News (OH) (07/25/07); Stipe, Zach
The Lima, Ohio, Police Department is employing crime-mapping software to fight crime. The software can determine the precise number of crimes reported in a particular region, neighborhood, or precinct, and show where popular locations are for certain crimes. For example, the software can show the number of burglaries that took place in the Midway East neighborhood last year. Software icons such as the boxing glove (assault) and bags of money (larceny) are utilized to differentiate between various violations on a map revealing multiple crimes. All of the data is public record and updated each day. Lima-Allen County Neighborhoods in Partnership President John Schneider notes that the software is helpful because it can highlight the difference between where people think crimes occur and where they really do take place. "It can provide information to the citizens and enable closer collaboration between neighborhood activists, citizens and law enforcement," he states.
http://www.limaohio.com/story.php?IDnum=41011
"Police Seek System to ID Cars"
East Valley Tribune (AZ) (07/26/07); Powell, Brian
Scottsdale, Ariz., police are pursing technology that will take photos of as many as 1,000 license plates per hour in an effort to be instantly informed about vehicles that are stolen or involved in terrorism investigations or Amber Alerts. The department is trying to buy four automated license plate recognition systems, which will study license plates within range of the police cruiser. If there is a match, the officers are instantly informed and can then check the plate in the database. In addition, the obtained information could be utilized in any pending investigations. The typical vehicle will a have a pair of cameras facing front and two in the back to decipher the license plates of traffic coming from the opposite direction. All scanned data will be contained in an inside database, including the license plate number and image, vehicle color, time and date stamp, and GPS location. It is believed the data will be kept for 30 days. Scottsdale intends to employ state and federal money to finance the equipment.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/93929
"Technology Sketches New Faces in Green River Nightmare"
Seattle Times (07/25/07); Sullivan, Jennifer
A new computer-imaging technology has allowed the King County, Wash., Sheriff's Office to get an idea of what three previously faceless murder victims looked like. To create a composite image of the three young girls, who were killed by Gary L. Ridgway--the so-called Green River killer--more than 20 years ago, forensic experts put their skulls through a CAT scan machine at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. The machines subjected the girls' skulls to high levels of radiation to produce cross-dimensional images that were later downloaded into computers at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). A new type of software was then used to rebuild the girls' faces based on the shape of their skulls. Before the development of this software, forensic scientists commonly used clay on skulls to recreate faces--a process that has an accuracy rate of about 60 percent. By comparison, the new software can create an image that matches what the person actually looked like about 85 percent of the time. Investigators in King County are hoping that the improved accuracy of the images will help them to identify the three victims of the Green River killer.
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/
web/vortex/display?slug=ridgway25m&date=20070725&query=Technology+Sketches+
New+Faces+in+Green+River+Nightmare
"Technology, Police Work Nab Burglars"
Farmington Daily Times (NM) (07/28/07); Frolik, Cory
The Aztec, N.M., Police Department recently used reverse 911 to stop a series of crimes. Reverse 911 is a system that the San Juan County Communications Authority obtained several years back utilizing funds provided by the U.S. Homeland Security Department. By employing the Qwest 911 database and the assistance of an external firm to geocode the data, the system can connect the telephone numbers and addresses of inhabitants. The communications center then places that data on a server that law enforcement officials can access via the Internet. The reverse 911 system focuses on telephone numbers of a particular geographic location. Police can then transmit a prerecorded message to people in that region. On July 13, for instance, the 911 communications facility broadcast a prerecorded message to people who reside near where the Aztec crimes occurred. A citizen responded to the message by contacting police on July 15, claiming to have witnessed a man breaking into one of the houses, who was later arrested. http://www.daily-times.com/news/ci_6484144
"The All-Seeing Infrared Eye"
Buffalo News (07/27/07) P. D1; Meyer, Brian
With the help of a pair of infrared cameras, Buffalo, N.Y., police have randomly scanned almost 92,000 license plates in the hunt for violators. During a 10-month period, police gave out almost 4,400 tickets and summonses based on data obtained from mobile plate readers. Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown is so pleased with the results that he would like to back a proposal by Police Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson to widen the program by adding five more cameras and providing them to every police district. Plans to expand the program, however, are being attacked by the New York Civil Liberties Union, which refers to the cameras as "Big Brother technology." The $125,000 needed to increase the program can be financed via state efficiency grants that are earmarked to upgrade city operations. The cameras are outfitted on the tops of police cars. After scanning plates and confirming them through computer databases, the system automatically notifies the officer inside the vehicle of outstanding warrants. Prior to expanding the program, the Buffalo Common Council and the city's control board would have to sanction plans to employ state efficiency grants to purchase more cameras. http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/128168.html
"Technology Solution to DUI Problems"
Beckley Register-Herald (07/29/07); Porterfield, Mannix
Though tougher penalties could help reduce drunk-driving crimes, West Virginia Sen. Dan Foster (D) contends that the "ultimate solution" to getting such motorists off the state's roads might occur if innovative technology is employed. Foster's Judiciary Subcommittee A panel intends to work over the August interim on a group of reforms in West Virginia's statutes dealing with drunk drivers. One plan is to enact an "aggravated DUI" measure, which raises the penalty if the drunken motorist has a blood alcohol level of 0.15 or higher. Another idea is to make interlocks required for all initial violators. The driver must blow into a device that determines blood alcohol content, and if it is over the legal limit, the car ignition will not start. In addition, Foster hopes that within a decade, advanced technology will be implemented in a car's steering wheel so that sensors can obtain blood alcohol content from a motorist's hands. "That's the ultimate solution, unless you put everybody in jail forever, which we really can't do," Foster says. http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_210223147.html
"Police Chief Offered Prophetic Words About Bulletproof Vests in November"
Glenwood Springs Post Independent (CO) (07/30/07)
Glenwood Springs, Colo., Police Chief Terry Wilson recently stated that bulletproof vests regularly help save the lives of police officers that are injured in the line of duty. That seems to have been the situation on July 29 when a Glenwood officer was hit in the chest while apprehending two males near the Glenwood Springs Airport. Such vests were once cumbersome and uncomfortable to wear, while the current ones are lighter and easier. The bulletproof vests are manufactured from Kevlar, a formidable weave of fiber substance that traps a bullet and rejects it, Wilson explained. "There are grades of thickness that are intended for the shape and size of the bullet to penetration versus the point of contact," Wilson said late last year. "Technology has made [bulletproof vests] so much more wearable and made it so officers will wear them." Wilson also stated that while the law does not mandate that police wear these vests, he has noticed over the past two decades that most of them have begun putting the vests on.
http://www.postindependent.com/article/20070730/VALLEYNEWS/70730002
"Ankle Bracelet Latest Fashion for Offenders"
Omaha World-Herald (NE) (07/25/07) P. 1A; Dejka, Joe
Nebraska's probation department is tracking around 150 individuals who are wearing alcohol-monitoring bracelets. The state's violators are part of a pilot plan to study the new technology, which measures alcohol excreted via perspiration. Alcohol Monitoring Systems of Denver produces the bracelet, which it refers to as the Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor. It collects samples each hour and records the data, usually while the offender is sleeping, and then transmits it to law enforcement. The ankle bracket looks like a pair of cell-phone chargers linked together, and is worn round-the-clock. An alarm goes off if the wearer attempts to place any item between the bracelet and the skin. Preliminary figures in the Nebraska pilot program suggest that the bracelet is efficient and difficult to terminate. Sarpy County public defender Tom Strigenz notes that the bracelet will permit certain defendants charged with alcohol-associated crimes to wait for their trials outside of prison, instead of taking up jail space at taxpayers' expense. http://www.omaha.com
"More Than Meets the Eye"
Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA) (07/26/07); Croteau, Scott J.
Taser International is working with iRobot of Burlington, Mass. to equip robots with taser technology to help bring dangerous individuals under control. The technology evolution has helped law enforcement in Central Massachusetts find missing persons in the woods, get data more rapidly in police vehicles, and locate hard-to-find evidence. When the Hudson Police Department purchased a thermal imaging camera a few years ago, it wound up being a worthwhile investment. A pair of males suspected of breaking into a firm were found in the woods when police utilized the camera to track their movements. The Massachusetts State Police employ the same technology in their multiple Air Wing helicopters to help find suspects and locate missing persons. Meanwhile, Worcester police's laptops can obtain data from the Registry of Motor Vehicles, criminal background reports, and driver's license pictures, and will be able to access all police department data in the near future, including email and reports. Such technology is often expensive; one way police departments in the region get new technology is via the New England State Police Information Network, which possesses surveillance equipment and recording gadgets and has staff that departments can utilize.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20070726/NEWS/
707260749&SearchID=73288349204674
"City Focuses on Video Crime Fighting Tool"
Eagle-Tribune (MA) (07/26/07); LaBella, Mike
Haverhill, Mass., Police Chief Alan DeNaro plans to implement 12 or more video cameras in local neighborhoods by the end of this year, followed by more cameras throughout Haverhill as additional grant money is available. The monitors employ a wireless, closed-circuit TV system to transmit live video to laptop computers in police cars. The system enables an officer to see two places at once--the neighborhood he or she is patrolling and the one being monitored by the camera. "Eventually we'd like to get a portable setup that can be moved from one problem location to another, such as an area of illegal dumping, or where drugs and prostitution are a problem," DeNaro noted. He added that after the camera sites have been decided, the approval of building owners and of firms that possess utility poles in Haverhill has to be acquired. Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini is in full support of the surveillance system. "Police are short-handed, we have problems with graffiti, and this is a means of doing what we're trying to do in other departments--using technology as a better means of coverage," he stated.
http://www.eagletribune.com/punewshh/local_story_
207093819?keyword=secondarystory+page=0
"E-Tracking Enhances War on Meth"
Newark Star Ledger (07/19/07) P. 58; Jafari, Samira
New computerized tracking systems are helping law enforcement in their fight to locate and dismantle methamphetamine (meth) rings. Tracking systems installed in pharmacies notify law enforcement whenever someone purchases pseudoephedrine, a main ingredient used to make meth. The system automatically takes the name, address and driver's license information of the buyer, then contacts law enforcement through email when the customers goes over the purchase limit. Tracking systems closely monitor purchasing patterns for people who try to circumvent the law by going to more than one pharmacy to purchase the drug. New models allow police officers to track purchases by street or neighborhood.
http://www.newsday.com/search/sns-ap-tracking-meth,0,4587626.story
"Advance Driving Class for Police"
WSIL-TV (07/20/07)
The Southern Illinois Criminal Justice Program's S-I-U advance driving course can help police officers and emergency responders improve their skills behind the wheel in a number of specific situations to minimize potential risks. One exercise students are required to complete is called the Serpentine, which helps drivers with comfortable hand-positioning and handling of a vehicle. Another obstacle includes the Skid-pad, which helps drivers learn to control their vehicles on slippery surfaces. Additional training is offered in the eight-hour course on off-road recovery, controlled braking, and vehicle handling. However, before students get to the obstacle courses on the driving range, they must complete classroom training on high-speed pursuits. Lead instructor Dan Shannon notes, "We [emergency responders and police officers] spend a lot of time and hours behind that wheel in all kinds of conditions," which is why advanced driving skills are necessary. http://www.wsiltv.com/p/news_details.php?newsID=2781&type=top
"The FBI's RCFL Program is Offering a Free Webinar About Digital Evidence for Law Enforcement"
Sheriff (06/07) Vol. 59, No. 3, P. 36; Cocuzzo, Gerard J.
The FBI has created the Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory (RCFL) Program to train law enforcement communities about digital evidence technology. Criminals are increasingly being caught by evidence such as online searches and email, among other digital evidence, so the FBI's initiative introduces responders to this realm of knowledge via training center and a digital evidence laboratory. Law enforcement agencies from all levels are involved in working with FBI forensics experts and the RCFL has assisted in investigations such as 9/11 and Enron since the program's inception. Sheriff Gary T. Maha, serving on the RCFL Program's National Steering Committee, said, "Law enforcement must get ahead of the criminals when it comes to high-tech, and the way to do that is through education and training." http://www.sheriffs.org
Thursday, August 2, 2007
"Centre Island Police Put Latest Technology to Work"
New York Times (07/29/07) P. 5; Domash, Shelly Feuer
Law enforcement technology scans the license plates of every car driving onto Nassau County's Centre Island. Chief Dennis Weiner of the Centre Island Police Department says the agency tracks weather via radar-monitoring computers and software servers that are used as tools for criminal reports. Officers carry compact mobile scanners to transfer vehicle license and registration information onto computers, ride in night-vision binocular-equipped Volvos, and carry Tasers. The department has a centralized system for keeping reports of accidents, arrests, and officer diaries, among other features. The main headquarters' computer also provides address validations, 3-D area maps, and a comprehensive search engine. Departments with compatible software, such as Long Beach and Mamaroneck, can network and share the information from their systems. Such advanced technology at any law enforcement agency is remarkable, but it is especially atypical for Centre Island's small nine-officer department. Weiner said that the technology costs represents only 4 percent of a $1.6 million annual budget and that the department maximizes the efficiency of their allowed spending. He added, "Anytime you apply a technology that will increase officer effectiveness, you have an opportunity to increase the bang for each tax dollar spent on public safety."
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/29peopleli.html
"Prison Tests Keeping Out Some Drugs, and Visitors"
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (07/26/07) P. B1; Berard, Yamil
Visitors to prisons controlled by the Federal Bureau of Prisons are subject to a drug-testing machine that officials say is used to minimize drug usage in the facilities. The "minimally invasive" procedure takes swab samples from visitors' hands or clothes, and within seconds the results are produced. Authorities say the high-tech machine is so sensitive, it is unlikely that anyone who comes into contact with illegal substances would be able to bypass the test. Chemist James Woodford says, "If you go into a place where someone has smoked some meth or cocaine, there will be thousands if not hundreds of thousands of nanograms of pollution, and these ion scanners test at the nanogram level." Although the machines have been implemented for a decade to cut the incidences of visitors bringing inmates drugs, a 2003 Department of Justice Inspector General report revealed that efforts to impede drug trafficking did not decrease drug usage in prisons. Instead, the report found that staff members, who were not subject to the drug screening, smuggled drugs to inmates; the bureau is now seeking to implement a drug screening rule for employees. Visitors who test positive must wait 48 hours to visit the prison and will be tested every visit for one year, while a second positive test results in a 30-day wait period, thereafter subsequent positive tests result in longer waiting times. Yet University of North Texas professor Chad Trulson says that the machines might be hyper-sensitive, as the machines can detect a visitor who has shook hands with a drug-user, and he says officials should further evaluate the machines' usage. http://origin.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/state/17543473.htm
"Mapping Software Takes Bite Out of Crime"
Lima News (OH) (07/25/07); Stipe, Zach
The Lima, Ohio, Police Department is employing crime-mapping software to fight crime. The software can determine the precise number of crimes reported in a particular region, neighborhood, or precinct, and show where popular locations are for certain crimes. For example, the software can show the number of burglaries that took place in the Midway East neighborhood last year. Software icons such as the boxing glove (assault) and bags of money (larceny) are utilized to differentiate between various violations on a map revealing multiple crimes. All of the data is public record and updated each day. Lima-Allen County Neighborhoods in Partnership President John Schneider notes that the software is helpful because it can highlight the difference between where people think crimes occur and where they really do take place. "It can provide information to the citizens and enable closer collaboration between neighborhood activists, citizens and law enforcement," he states.
http://www.limaohio.com/story.php?IDnum=41011
"Police Seek System to ID Cars"
East Valley Tribune (AZ) (07/26/07); Powell, Brian
Scottsdale, Ariz., police are pursing technology that will take photos of as many as 1,000 license plates per hour in an effort to be instantly informed about vehicles that are stolen or involved in terrorism investigations or Amber Alerts. The department is trying to buy four automated license plate recognition systems, which will study license plates within range of the police cruiser. If there is a match, the officers are instantly informed and can then check the plate in the database. In addition, the obtained information could be utilized in any pending investigations. The typical vehicle will a have a pair of cameras facing front and two in the back to decipher the license plates of traffic coming from the opposite direction. All scanned data will be contained in an inside database, including the license plate number and image, vehicle color, time and date stamp, and GPS location. It is believed the data will be kept for 30 days. Scottsdale intends to employ state and federal money to finance the equipment.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/93929
"Technology Sketches New Faces in Green River Nightmare"
Seattle Times (07/25/07); Sullivan, Jennifer
A new computer-imaging technology has allowed the King County, Wash., Sheriff's Office to get an idea of what three previously faceless murder victims looked like. To create a composite image of the three young girls, who were killed by Gary L. Ridgway--the so-called Green River killer--more than 20 years ago, forensic experts put their skulls through a CAT scan machine at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. The machines subjected the girls' skulls to high levels of radiation to produce cross-dimensional images that were later downloaded into computers at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). A new type of software was then used to rebuild the girls' faces based on the shape of their skulls. Before the development of this software, forensic scientists commonly used clay on skulls to recreate faces--a process that has an accuracy rate of about 60 percent. By comparison, the new software can create an image that matches what the person actually looked like about 85 percent of the time. Investigators in King County are hoping that the improved accuracy of the images will help them to identify the three victims of the Green River killer.
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/
web/vortex/display?slug=ridgway25m&date=20070725&query=Technology+Sketches+
New+Faces+in+Green+River+Nightmare
"Technology, Police Work Nab Burglars"
Farmington Daily Times (NM) (07/28/07); Frolik, Cory
The Aztec, N.M., Police Department recently used reverse 911 to stop a series of crimes. Reverse 911 is a system that the San Juan County Communications Authority obtained several years back utilizing funds provided by the U.S. Homeland Security Department. By employing the Qwest 911 database and the assistance of an external firm to geocode the data, the system can connect the telephone numbers and addresses of inhabitants. The communications center then places that data on a server that law enforcement officials can access via the Internet. The reverse 911 system focuses on telephone numbers of a particular geographic location. Police can then transmit a prerecorded message to people in that region. On July 13, for instance, the 911 communications facility broadcast a prerecorded message to people who reside near where the Aztec crimes occurred. A citizen responded to the message by contacting police on July 15, claiming to have witnessed a man breaking into one of the houses, who was later arrested. http://www.daily-times.com/news/ci_6484144
"The All-Seeing Infrared Eye"
Buffalo News (07/27/07) P. D1; Meyer, Brian
With the help of a pair of infrared cameras, Buffalo, N.Y., police have randomly scanned almost 92,000 license plates in the hunt for violators. During a 10-month period, police gave out almost 4,400 tickets and summonses based on data obtained from mobile plate readers. Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown is so pleased with the results that he would like to back a proposal by Police Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson to widen the program by adding five more cameras and providing them to every police district. Plans to expand the program, however, are being attacked by the New York Civil Liberties Union, which refers to the cameras as "Big Brother technology." The $125,000 needed to increase the program can be financed via state efficiency grants that are earmarked to upgrade city operations. The cameras are outfitted on the tops of police cars. After scanning plates and confirming them through computer databases, the system automatically notifies the officer inside the vehicle of outstanding warrants. Prior to expanding the program, the Buffalo Common Council and the city's control board would have to sanction plans to employ state efficiency grants to purchase more cameras. http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/128168.html
"Technology Solution to DUI Problems"
Beckley Register-Herald (07/29/07); Porterfield, Mannix
Though tougher penalties could help reduce drunk-driving crimes, West Virginia Sen. Dan Foster (D) contends that the "ultimate solution" to getting such motorists off the state's roads might occur if innovative technology is employed. Foster's Judiciary Subcommittee A panel intends to work over the August interim on a group of reforms in West Virginia's statutes dealing with drunk drivers. One plan is to enact an "aggravated DUI" measure, which raises the penalty if the drunken motorist has a blood alcohol level of 0.15 or higher. Another idea is to make interlocks required for all initial violators. The driver must blow into a device that determines blood alcohol content, and if it is over the legal limit, the car ignition will not start. In addition, Foster hopes that within a decade, advanced technology will be implemented in a car's steering wheel so that sensors can obtain blood alcohol content from a motorist's hands. "That's the ultimate solution, unless you put everybody in jail forever, which we really can't do," Foster says. http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_210223147.html
"Police Chief Offered Prophetic Words About Bulletproof Vests in November"
Glenwood Springs Post Independent (CO) (07/30/07)
Glenwood Springs, Colo., Police Chief Terry Wilson recently stated that bulletproof vests regularly help save the lives of police officers that are injured in the line of duty. That seems to have been the situation on July 29 when a Glenwood officer was hit in the chest while apprehending two males near the Glenwood Springs Airport. Such vests were once cumbersome and uncomfortable to wear, while the current ones are lighter and easier. The bulletproof vests are manufactured from Kevlar, a formidable weave of fiber substance that traps a bullet and rejects it, Wilson explained. "There are grades of thickness that are intended for the shape and size of the bullet to penetration versus the point of contact," Wilson said late last year. "Technology has made [bulletproof vests] so much more wearable and made it so officers will wear them." Wilson also stated that while the law does not mandate that police wear these vests, he has noticed over the past two decades that most of them have begun putting the vests on.
http://www.postindependent.com/article/20070730/VALLEYNEWS/70730002
"Ankle Bracelet Latest Fashion for Offenders"
Omaha World-Herald (NE) (07/25/07) P. 1A; Dejka, Joe
Nebraska's probation department is tracking around 150 individuals who are wearing alcohol-monitoring bracelets. The state's violators are part of a pilot plan to study the new technology, which measures alcohol excreted via perspiration. Alcohol Monitoring Systems of Denver produces the bracelet, which it refers to as the Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor. It collects samples each hour and records the data, usually while the offender is sleeping, and then transmits it to law enforcement. The ankle bracket looks like a pair of cell-phone chargers linked together, and is worn round-the-clock. An alarm goes off if the wearer attempts to place any item between the bracelet and the skin. Preliminary figures in the Nebraska pilot program suggest that the bracelet is efficient and difficult to terminate. Sarpy County public defender Tom Strigenz notes that the bracelet will permit certain defendants charged with alcohol-associated crimes to wait for their trials outside of prison, instead of taking up jail space at taxpayers' expense. http://www.omaha.com
"More Than Meets the Eye"
Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA) (07/26/07); Croteau, Scott J.
Taser International is working with iRobot of Burlington, Mass. to equip robots with taser technology to help bring dangerous individuals under control. The technology evolution has helped law enforcement in Central Massachusetts find missing persons in the woods, get data more rapidly in police vehicles, and locate hard-to-find evidence. When the Hudson Police Department purchased a thermal imaging camera a few years ago, it wound up being a worthwhile investment. A pair of males suspected of breaking into a firm were found in the woods when police utilized the camera to track their movements. The Massachusetts State Police employ the same technology in their multiple Air Wing helicopters to help find suspects and locate missing persons. Meanwhile, Worcester police's laptops can obtain data from the Registry of Motor Vehicles, criminal background reports, and driver's license pictures, and will be able to access all police department data in the near future, including email and reports. Such technology is often expensive; one way police departments in the region get new technology is via the New England State Police Information Network, which possesses surveillance equipment and recording gadgets and has staff that departments can utilize.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20070726/NEWS/
707260749&SearchID=73288349204674
"City Focuses on Video Crime Fighting Tool"
Eagle-Tribune (MA) (07/26/07); LaBella, Mike
Haverhill, Mass., Police Chief Alan DeNaro plans to implement 12 or more video cameras in local neighborhoods by the end of this year, followed by more cameras throughout Haverhill as additional grant money is available. The monitors employ a wireless, closed-circuit TV system to transmit live video to laptop computers in police cars. The system enables an officer to see two places at once--the neighborhood he or she is patrolling and the one being monitored by the camera. "Eventually we'd like to get a portable setup that can be moved from one problem location to another, such as an area of illegal dumping, or where drugs and prostitution are a problem," DeNaro noted. He added that after the camera sites have been decided, the approval of building owners and of firms that possess utility poles in Haverhill has to be acquired. Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini is in full support of the surveillance system. "Police are short-handed, we have problems with graffiti, and this is a means of doing what we're trying to do in other departments--using technology as a better means of coverage," he stated.
http://www.eagletribune.com/punewshh/local_story_
207093819?keyword=secondarystory+page=0
"E-Tracking Enhances War on Meth"
Newark Star Ledger (07/19/07) P. 58; Jafari, Samira
New computerized tracking systems are helping law enforcement in their fight to locate and dismantle methamphetamine (meth) rings. Tracking systems installed in pharmacies notify law enforcement whenever someone purchases pseudoephedrine, a main ingredient used to make meth. The system automatically takes the name, address and driver's license information of the buyer, then contacts law enforcement through email when the customers goes over the purchase limit. Tracking systems closely monitor purchasing patterns for people who try to circumvent the law by going to more than one pharmacy to purchase the drug. New models allow police officers to track purchases by street or neighborhood.
http://www.newsday.com/search/sns-ap-tracking-meth,0,4587626.story
"Advance Driving Class for Police"
WSIL-TV (07/20/07)
The Southern Illinois Criminal Justice Program's S-I-U advance driving course can help police officers and emergency responders improve their skills behind the wheel in a number of specific situations to minimize potential risks. One exercise students are required to complete is called the Serpentine, which helps drivers with comfortable hand-positioning and handling of a vehicle. Another obstacle includes the Skid-pad, which helps drivers learn to control their vehicles on slippery surfaces. Additional training is offered in the eight-hour course on off-road recovery, controlled braking, and vehicle handling. However, before students get to the obstacle courses on the driving range, they must complete classroom training on high-speed pursuits. Lead instructor Dan Shannon notes, "We [emergency responders and police officers] spend a lot of time and hours behind that wheel in all kinds of conditions," which is why advanced driving skills are necessary. http://www.wsiltv.com/p/news_details.php?newsID=2781&type=top
"The FBI's RCFL Program is Offering a Free Webinar About Digital Evidence for Law Enforcement"
Sheriff (06/07) Vol. 59, No. 3, P. 36; Cocuzzo, Gerard J.
The FBI has created the Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory (RCFL) Program to train law enforcement communities about digital evidence technology. Criminals are increasingly being caught by evidence such as online searches and email, among other digital evidence, so the FBI's initiative introduces responders to this realm of knowledge via training center and a digital evidence laboratory. Law enforcement agencies from all levels are involved in working with FBI forensics experts and the RCFL has assisted in investigations such as 9/11 and Enron since the program's inception. Sheriff Gary T. Maha, serving on the RCFL Program's National Steering Committee, said, "Law enforcement must get ahead of the criminals when it comes to high-tech, and the way to do that is through education and training." http://www.sheriffs.org
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