Information for criminal justice practitioners, students and academics.

"SWAT? No Sweat"

New Orleans Times-Picayune (06/25/06) P. 1; Swerczek, Mary

 

Robots have long been an essential part of law enforcement bomb squads, but local law enforcement agencies in New Orleans and other areas of the country are now using remote-controlled robots to help in situations involving SWAT team standoffs so that human lives are not unnecessarily put at risk. "They're getting more popular particularly as the technology that goes into these robots gets more sophisticated," explains Jim Pasco, executive director of the National Fraternal Order of Police. These robots are becoming more popular in the fight against crime due to their cutting-edge features, which include several maneuverable color cameras; the ability to climb stairs; the capability of opening windows and doors or dragging people to safety with their electric arms; and shooting a shotgun or water cannon. "They're pretty much standard equipment right now for law enforcement," says Austin Banks, senior special agent for the New Orleans field division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Officials note that such robots are being used to disarm roadside bombs and car bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are also useful in situations involving suspicious packages or hazardous chemicals, and they were used after the Sept. 11 attacks to search for World Trade Center victims.

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-15/1151219401101580.xml&coll=1

 

"Authorities Get Technology to Help Track Stolen Cars"

Columbus Dispatch (OH) (06/23/06) P. 5E; Zapotosky, Matt

 

Law enforcement agencies in Ohio are using vehicle-tracking technology to track stolen patrol vehicles. LoJack's LoJack systems have been installed in 14 Columbus police cruisers, 14 Highway Patrol cars, and three Columbus police helicopters. Cars wired with the LoJack system will transmit radio-frequency signals to notify police of the stolen vehicle's whereabouts. Unlike a global-positioning system, the LoJack car-security system will only give general information. The State Highway Patrol plans to install the system in 30 of its 1,100 cruisers and two of its 12 aircraft. LoJack expects its product sales to climb as word spreads about law enforcement agencies' use of the system.

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/06/23/1694072.htm

 

"Ohio Police Use Specialized Software to Track Down Data (and Bad Guys)"

Computerworld (06/23/06); Weiss, Todd

 

Nearly 1,000 Ohio police departments have discovered crucial new crime-fighting tools by obtaining access to the digital records retained by nearby law enforcement agencies. The Ohio attorney general's office has been working since December to connect area police departments and their criminal records with a statewide information interoperability initiative. Established by Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro, the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway Search Engine (OHLEG-SE) is meant to help broaden state and regional crime-fighting resources. OHLEG-SE is an Internet-based tool that can safely weed through various crime databases employing one log-in and query, making it simpler to utilize than separate crime databases. To make the various systems compatible, crime records management vendors recomposed their software so information from departments taking part could be changed into the OHLEG-SE format for simpler sharing of information. The vendors employ a special object-focused Global Justice XML Data Model and interoperability protocols from the Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative, which was created by the U.S. Department of Justice. The OHLEG-SE system is different from other new interoperability systems in that it is standards-based, which means police departments do not have to get new vendors. It is expected that OHLEG-SE will eventually be connected to the National Crime Information Center database run by the FBI.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9001405

 

"Metro Law Agencies Tune Up Radio Links"

Cox News Service (06/23/06); Cook, Rhonda

 

With the installation of a new $23 million communications system, Atlanta law enforcement agencies can coordinate their response to a crisis. Law enforcement officials say the system will allow the Georgia State Patrol and police officers in Atlanta, Fulton, and DeKalb counties to respond to a state or national event in a timely and efficient manner. Federal grants financed the new system, which connects departments across multiple counties using designated radio channels. Local law enforcement says the new system would have been useful during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and during the Fulton County courthouse shootings last year. "Communication in law enforcement is very important, and we have to work together," said Fulton Sheriff Myron Freeman. "Now we have the framework to make it better." http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/0623mettalk.html

 

"New York City Taps Mapping Software to Fight Domestic Violence"

TechWeb (06/23/06)

 

New York City's Domestic Violence Hotline gets over 147,000 calls annually, and the city's police department handles over 600 domestic violence incidents per day. On June 26, the New York City Mayor's Office to Combat Domestic Violence began an advertising initiative across the city's subways, bus shelters, and news publications to foster domestic violence awareness. Because the campaign is bilingual and focused at regions more prone to domestic violence, the office is depending on mapping software to broadcast its message effectively. The campaign is part of the mapping technology the office has been employing since 2005, when it installed MapInfo's Windows-based MapInfo Professional mapping application to better configure relationships between information and geography. In addition, the office is utilizing MapInfo's MapMarker tool for mapping and studying information, which adds geographic coordinates to the office database's records. The Office to Combat Domestic Violence uses healthcare and law enforcement information along with city maps to decide where New York City's resources should be spent. In 2004, MapInfo donated $13,000 in mapping software to the office as part of its e-government initiative. http://www.informationweek.com/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=WZJC0MNNGX55QQSNDLRCKHSCJUNN2JVN?articleID=189601120

 

"Delaware County Upgrades Emergency Radio Network"

Columbus Dispatch (OH) (06/23/06) P. 2E; Wilson, Dana

 

Delaware County, Ohio, has outfitted their law enforcement and emergency-workers with radio communications equipment all using the same radio frequency. The 800 MHz digital system cost county taxpayers $15.6 million. The system covers the county, and recently was completed with a last payment to Motorola. Firefighters, police, and other emergency workers no longer will have to use 911 operators to relay information between each other. With the new system they can speak directly. In addition, the system also links county workers with Ohio's State Highway Patrol and emergency workers in other Ohio counties. The system relies on 12 towers, all built since 2004.

http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/06/23/20060623-E2-01.html

 

"Stamford May Fight Crime With Cameras"

Stamford Advocate (CT) (06/22/06); Jaksic, Vesna

 

Public Safety Director William Callion hopes to change a city ordinance in Stamford, Conn., to allow for the installation of cameras to prevent and investigate crimes. In 1999, the city ordinance limited camera use to traffic monitoring. City officials are concerned about privacy issues, and some are concerned that the cameras will merely add to the city's expenses and not limit expenditures on investigators or detectives. Law enforcement officials often use cameras owned by local businesses to solve crimes, and police believe additional cameras on city property would be helpful. The proposed changes for the ordinance would limit the use of the cameras to monitoring train stations and reservoirs, which could be possible terrorist targets. http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-cameras2jun22,0,992371.story

 

"Online Effort Is Planned Against Child Pornography"

New York Times (06/27/06) P. C3; Hansell, Saul

 

Yahoo!, Earthlink, AOL, Microsoft, and United Online have joined forces to help fight child pornography on the Web by giving $1 million to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for a new project that will identify child exploitation and hand over such cases to law enforcement officials. The different companies have already come together to fight spam and identity theft, according to AOL chief counsel John Ryan. A central database will be created to identify child porn images sent via email. "When the attorney general announced and asked for support in coming up with ideas to combat child pornography, it was natural for the same companies to put our heads together about what we could do collectively to rise to this challenge," says Ryan. This past May, the Justice Department asked several Internet companies if they would keep records of users' activities such as email sent and Web sites visited for as many as two years in an effort to help prosecutors. AOL scans its email for files of child porn and then sends them to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. "We felt this was ingenious and exactly the kind of serious step that needs to take place if we are not to put a dent in this problem but eliminate it," says the center's CEO Ernie Allen. Previous attempts at investigations were unsuccessful because Internet companies could not provide enough evidence to prosecutors, say law enforcement officials. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/technology/27porn.html

 

"DUI Offenders to Get GPS Tracking Devices"

Press Enterprise (PA) (06/22/06) P. B1; Bustamante, Claudia

 

California's Riverside County Probation Department, in conjunction with Temecula police, introduced on June 21 a tracking device equipped with GPS satellite technology. Starting in mid-July, as many as 130 repeat drunken driving offenders could be outfitted with the device, referred to as the first of its type in California for DUI cases. It could be worn as an anklet or bracelet. Probation Department director Mike DeGasperin explains that the new device would function as a "probation officer in the pocket of the offender" to stop repeat felon offenders, lower the number of accidents, and make certain individuals get the treatment they require. Results will be accessible in six months, after which the program could be broadened. The GPS bracelet, manufactured by Pro Tech Monitoring, is waterproof and tamper-resistant. The device works as an "electronic tether" that would inform a probation officer if somebody has entered a restricted area or exited a mandatory area, such as a treatment center. Financing for the program comes from a $600,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety. http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_dui22.1acc181.html

 

"County Rejects Prison Proposal"

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (06/23/06); Cholodofsky, Rich

 

Westmoreland County Prison in Pennsylvania will have to wait at least another seven months or longer for a $2 million security and systems overhaul now that Hempfield Township county commissioners have rejected a $2.7 million price tag as too expensive. The Westmoreland County Prison has never been updated, says county commissioner Tom Balya. Prison warden John Walton notes that some prison equipment no longer functions, but that the prison is able to take extra measures to ensure everyone's safety. Correctional Officers are locking cell doors with keys because of malfunctioning electronics. In addition, the prison's video surveillance is not equipped with 24-hour recording devices. The county commissioners plan to re-bid the security upgrade to contractors for a target price of $2 million; this process will take seven months or more. Westmoreland is interested in updating their video cameras with recording capability, and in ensuring full video coverage of suicide-watch cells. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/news/westmoreland/s_459212.html

 

"New Anti-Crime E-Training Tools"

Government Computer News (06/06/06); Wait, Patience

 

The Secret Service will begin providing access to its "Forward Edge II" training program later this summer or during the fall. Development of the program is reportedly nearing completion. State and local law enforcement agencies will be able to use the program's CD-ROMs to learn about suspicious electronic media, common tactics used by online child predators, and electronic crimes that will likely grow in the future. Other training information available via the program includes a virtual demonstration of three types of common electronic crimes investigations. Special Agent Stanley Crowder noted at the Techno Security 2006 conference that an Internet site for providing Web-based education, training, and evaluation could also be launched in the future. Crowder added that the program is designed to educate local law enforcement personnel. The Secret Service will handle distribution of the program to its field offices across the country. Crowder said law enforcement personnel interested in the program should submit a request to access the materials from the closest Secret Service field office. http://www.gcn.com/online/vol1_no1/40963-1.html

 

"Federal Officials Ground LA Sheriff's Unmanned Surveillance Drone Plans"

Associated Press (06/22/06)

 

Officials at the FAA are vexed that they were not alerted before the fact about a demonstration of a small, remote-controlled surveillance drone by the Los Angeles County sheriff's department earlier in June. The department is considering use of the small planes, which weigh about five pounds and can beam video images 250 feet, to track criminals, look for lost hikers, and monitor hostage situations. If testing proves successful, the sheriff's department will purchase 20 drones, each costing between $20,000 and $30,000. The drones, supporters say, are much cheaper to operate than the department's 18-helicopter fleet. Privacy advocates worry about the use of the planes to spy on citizens. http://www.ap.org

 

"Loxley Police Department Chooses ICOP In-Car Video"

PRNewswire (06/21/06)

 

ICOP Digital, Inc., a provider of digital in-car video systems for law enforcement, reports that the Loxley Police Department in Loxley, Alabama has selected the ICOP Model 20/20 in-car video units for fleetwide deployment. Remarking on the department's recently installed ICOP Model 20/20 system, Assistant Chief Al Adkins of the Loxley P.D. said, "We absolutely love the system. We purchased the entire package that ICOP had to offer, which included the ICOP Lite software backend system. ICOP's tech support team has been superb and we are looking forward to purchasing additional units in the future." Continuing, Adkins added, "At a recent Police Chief's conference in Alabama, we learned that other police departments did not have the advanced technology that we currently do, and many of those departments were very impressed with our ICOP Model 20/20. I firmly believe that all police agencies could benefit from this product." http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060621/flw004.html?.v=59

 

"No Pictures Please: Researchers Develop System to Thwart Unwanted Video and Still Photography"

Georgia Institute of Technology (06/17/06)

 

A team of Georgia Tech researchers has developed a technology that can block the operation of video and still digital cameras using off-the-shelf sensors, lighting equipment, a projector, and a computer. The system detects digital cameras by scanning for the reflectivity and shape of their image-producing sensors. Principal commercial applications include the prevention of illegal video copying in theaters or other venues and protecting against surreptitious photography in small, restricted areas, such as government buildings or industrial environments. The image sensors in cameras are retroreflective, meaning that they direct light back to its origin instead of scattering it, which could make them easy to detect in a darkened theater. The researchers' prototype locates a camera's image sensors, known as CCDs, using visible light and two cameras, though a commercial application could employ invisible infrared lasers and photo-detecting transistors, transmitting information about a suspicious reflection's properties to a computer to determine if it is, in fact, a camera. "The biggest problem is making sure we don't get false positives from, say, a large shiny earring," said Jay Summet, a Georgia Tech research assistant. "We need to make our system work well enough so that it can find a dot, then test to see if it's reflective, then see if it's retroreflective, and then test to see if it's the right shape." Upon detecting a video camera, the system would overwhelm its CCD with a thin beam of white light that would render any video recorded unusable. Neutralizing still images in settings with higher levels of ambient light also shows commercial promise, because the image sensors in most digital cameras and cell phones are placed closer to the lens than in video cameras, making them easier to detect. Most of the remaining obstacles to commercialization involve developing better algorithms to eliminate false positives. http://gtresearchnews.gatech.edu/newsrelease/anti-camera.htm

 

"Information Model Reduces Crime"

Sheriff (06/06) Vol. 58, No. 3, P. 6; Matthews, John

 

The Sheriffs' Departments in Tulsa County, Okla., Pierce County, Wash., and Bergen County, N.J., participated in a project to evaluate the Jail Information Collection and Dissemination Model. The National Sheriffs' Association developed the model to improve collection and sharing of jail-related information. COPS Director Carl Peed notes that the model employs four stages. The first stage involves information collection, which covers any information related to internal jail security and criminal acts both inside and outside the jail. The second stage calls for the jail information officer or jail information team to handle coding of jail-related information. The information is then sent to the appropriate channels via normal or red-level procedures. The final step requires that the recipient of the information take responsibility for telling the distributor of the information whether or not the data proved useful. Sheriff Leo McGuire of the Bergen County Sheriffs' Department used the model to prevent drug and gang activity at the department's jail. McGuire said that the model has proved effective in reducing incidences of crime both inside and outside the jail. http://www.sheriffs.org

 

"The ABCs of Compression"

Law Enforcement Technology (06/06) Vol. 33, No. 6, P. 76; Burgiss, Sam

 

Police departments nationwide rely on video to help apprehend criminals and as evidence. Video can come in analog or digital form, including the digital video recorder (DVR) surveillance systems that are rapidly taking the place of VHS cassette-based systems. The benefits of digital technology include being able to store more data while using less space, decreased risk of distortion, and the ability to make copies without a loss of picture quality. However, if a police department does not use compression, it will not be able to successfully handle digital video because of its vast size. Compression allows a larger volume of data to be stored but also removes parts of the video. Ideally, a standard for digital video specifically for law enforcement will soon be established. Efforts to achieve this are ongoing, but as yet no standard has been created. In the meantime, law enforcement needs to gain greater experience and understanding of compressed digital video so that people will be willing to accept digital video as a believable witness. In one situation where video was used, officers had to identify a person who pulled an ATM machine from a parking lot using a tow truck. Police had to rely on an indistinct image of a truck going across the screen. However, it was possible to refine the picture sufficiently to display the truck's phone number, thereby allowing officers to get the needed data to resolve the crime. http://www.officer.com/magazines/let/