Public Safety Technology in the News

Online Missing Persons System Unveiled
The Daily Gazette, (04/07/2008), Carl Scribner

In conjunction with the seventh annual New York State Missing Persons Day, specialists from the University of North Texas, Center for Human Identification, gave a presentation on the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUS) database. The system, operated by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), will be available in 2009 and will act as a central warehouse of records on unidentified remains and missing person reports. System data will be searched for any possible matches. The system will also use DNA, gathered from a family member, as a part of the identification process. NIJ plans to provide sample collection kits, requiring a swab inside the mouth of a family member, to family members free of charge. The public can log on to www.namus.gov to view and tour the site and preview the records currently on the system.
www.dailygazette.com/news/2008/apr/07/0407_database/

FBI Unveils N-DEx Rollout
Government Computer News, (04/02/2008), Wilson P. Dizard III

The first increment of the National Data Exchange (N-Dex) Network System has been launched. N-Dex is sponsored by the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Division. This first increment will allow 50,000 users access to a system that provides Federal, State, tribal, and local law enforcement with the ability to share information that is presently housed in individual agency data systems. Working with law enforcement nationwide, the FBI and Raytheon established the needs of the users and implemented these capabilities in the N-Dex system, which is scheduled for incremental release over the next 3 years. Raytheon indicates that the system will eventually support 200,000 investigators from about 18,000 agencies across Federal, State, tribal, and local jurisdictions.
www.gcn.com/online/vol1_no1/46052-1.html

Internet Scams Cost Consumers $240M
The Mercury News, (04/06/2008), Christine Simmons

The number of reported Internet scams was down last year in comparison to past years, but the dollar amount lost was up by $40 million, to a new high of $240 million, according to a government report that used data gathered from the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Other statistics from the report indicate an increase in ploys that involved pets, check cashing, and online dating. Furthermore, the amount lost by males was on average higher than females, and the overall amount lost increased with age.
www.mercurynews.com/nationworld/ci_8829968

Electronic Ticketing System Puts Police in the Fast Lane
Journal & Courier, (04/02/2008), Dorothy Schneider

Indiana State Police in West Lafayette adopted the use of e-ticketing earlier this year, which allows officers to scan licenses, capture images, and print citations from their cruiser. Once they find funding, other local departments hope to tap into the technology to support the purchase and use of such a system. The system has reduced the amount of time spent by officers issuing citations and warning by about half.
www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080402/NEWS/804020334

Kansas City Crime Lab Gets New Technology
KCTV Kansas City, (04/03/2008)

The Kansas City (Missouri) Crime Lab has received U.S. Department of Justice funding to help with investigating crimes in the city. One grant has helped the lab hire a full-time network caseworker to handle investigations that involve shell casing evidence. These casing can be checked against the National Ballistics Information Network. The second grant has helped the city purchase two new DNA robots that are capable of collecting and analyzing DNA evidence efficiently.
www.kctv5.com/news/15787833/detail.html

DNA Project Proves Effective in Case of Missing Stewartville Teenager
Post-Bulletin, (04/04/2008), Janice Gregorson

The year-old Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's Missing Persons DNA Project, designed to assist with identifying matches between missing people and unidentified remains, registered its first successful match between a missing teen and year old remains found in Florida. The process relies on DNA fingerprinting to make the matches. This project allows the family of a missing person to obtain closure, while assisting individual departments in solving cases and using resources effectively.
www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=2&a=335852

Old Room, New Purpose
MonroeNews.com, (04/04/2008)

Monroe County (Michigan) Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield is repurposing the vacant central dispatch room and creating a secure crime lab for his new crime unit. Since the department has investigators trained in the field of forensic computer examination, the department felt that the empty space would give investigators the space necessary to perform their tasks. Although the most prevalent computer crimes are those involving sexual predators, computer crime expands beyond that area. For example, one case being investigated by the unit began online with words and threats, but escalated to an actual physical assault. The creation of this unit signals a shift toward fighting crime of a specialized nature.
www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080404/NEWS01/506322489/-1/NEWS

The Value of Video System Allows Inmates to Appear in Court Without Ever Leaving Jail
The Eagle-Tribune, James A. Kimble

The installation and use of video conferencing in the Rockingham County (New Hampshire) Superior Court is the subject of debate. Prosecutors and jail officials believe it is needed from a cost savings and improved security standpoint. However, superior court officials see it as useless and costly. Rockingham County jail spends $275 a month on its system, which is wired with district courts in Salem and Portsmouth. Because of the belief in the effectiveness of the system, the Portsmouth District Court was brought onboard using $20,000 in funding from the jails budget. With the rise in the cost of gas and the amount of time needed to transport prisoners, jail officials and county attorneys feel the savings to the county would be significant, especially for those court appearances that are mandatory, but brief in nature. The superior court did have a system in place in 2001; however, the system was only in one court room, and setting up the system and shuttling judges from o! ne court to another was not timely or efficient. For these reasons the system was not used effectively, and was eventually dropped. However, because of changes in costs to support the system, rising gas costs, and the added security the system would provide, prosecutors and jail officials feel it is time to reevaluate the technology's use in the superior court.
www.eagletribune.com/punewsnh/local_story_096213634.html?keyword=secondarystory

Firearms Training Simulator Gives Police Recruits Experience With Guns in Tough Situations
Daily Freeman, (04/14/2008), Kyle Wind

Using a simulator purchased by Ulster County Community College, the Ulster County (New York) police academy trains officers and recruits on how to handle tough situations. The scenarios on the system are taken from 500 to 600 real-life situations from throughout the country. System equipment includes a retrofitted 9mm Glock pistol that is connected to the computer, and the computer projects the scenario to a wall or screen. Because the system is connected to the weapon, it can track the officer's shots, as well as muzzle location. This is useful when demonstrating to recruits exact muzzle location during a situation and the concept of muzzle drift. The scenarios also help to improve the trainees' powers of observation, but most importantly they learn in the controlled chaos of the simulation, when it is okay to make mistakes in order to learn. Future features of the system will allow officers the chance to train using less-than-lethal alternatives.
www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19481099&BRD=1769&PAG=461&dept_id=74969&rfi=6

Lynchburg Police Disappointed Over Silent Partner Alert System Response
The News & Advance, (04/01/2008), Carrie Sidener

Five hundred citizens have signed up to participate in the Silent Partner Alert system implemented by the Lynchburg Police Department 2 years ago, as opposed to the thousands that the department believed would sign up. The system provides the department with the ability to send mass e-mail messages to subscribers with information about anything from robberies and car crashes on major roads to missing person alerts. The messages can be sent to PDAs, computers, Blackberries, cell phones, or other devices capable of receiving e-mail. Because of the speed with which these alerts can be sent, they can help police solve a crime. Lynchburg was the second department to sign up for the service; currently seven departments in Virginia participate.
www.newsadvance.com/lna/news/local/article/lynchburg_police_disappointed_over_silent_partner_alert_system_response/3831/

Threats Go High-Tech
The Herald, (04/13/2008), Julia Reynolds

The new canvas for threatening gang graffiti is proving to be hard for police to patrol. Gangs are using the Internet, and specifically sites like YouTube. Police can pull a video from the site quickly if it is identified as a violation of policy. However, for police to act on these threats, the act must "cause victims to fear for their safety," according to Monterey County Deputy Assistant District Attorney Terry Spitz. Another issue is lack of enough resources for police to patrol not only sites like YouTube, but the Web as a whole. Salinas (California) police have a unit of computer forensic investigators that can work on such threats, but unit staff must also handle homicides or other major crime. If during the course of an investigation the threats seem credible, staff notify the victim, but this action is not required by law. These postings can, however, be used by detectives to gather information about local gangs, or as evidence should a crime occur.
origin1.montereyherald.com/news/ci_8909961?nclick_check=1