Public Safety Technology in the News

Technology on Horizon to Prevent Officers From Being Dragged
Dallas Morning News, (05/12/2009), Jason Trahan and Tanya Eiserer

Research is under way to use "directed energy" technology to disable a suspect's car when a driver is stopped by police and attempts to flee. Police have been hurt in incidents in which a driver accelerates after being stopped and approached by officers. Military scientists and private laboratories in California and Michigan are developing directed energy beams that could be aimed at a vehicle to burn out its circuitry. The challenge is to determine the frequencies in the right amounts so that the suspect's car is disabled, not the police car. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is working with an aerospace laboratory to study the technology. To prevent a dangerous person from driving away, police officers can attempt to pull the suspect from a vehicle or stop it by grabbing keys or engaging the emergency brake, but that can result in the officer being dragged.
www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/051209dnmetcopstop.4471e7e.html

Cell Phone Planted at Prison Yields Two Arrests
Baltimore Sun, (05/13/2009)

Officials have uncovered crimes by recording inmate conversations from a contraband cell phone planted by authorities in a Baltimore prison. Authorities charged two men with armed robbery in connection with a home invasion plot that resulted in one person being shot and killed. Cell phones are routinely smuggled into prisons and can be used for illegal activities. A seven-month investigation that included wiretaps on illegal prison cell phones led to the federal indictment of 24 people believed to be members of a violent gang. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has asked for permission to test signal-jamming technology that could render prison cell phones useless.
www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.crimebriefs13a0may13,0,3004666.story

NYPD Unveils 40 Hybrid Patrol Cars
Newsday, (05/04/2009), Rocco Parascandola

The New York Police Department has 40 new hybrid patrol cars, increasing initial cost but improving fuel efficiency. The cars are being dispatched to congested precincts and precincts that cover wide tracts of land. Mayor Michael Bloomberg noted that the Nissan Altima hybrids are made in Smyrna, Tenn., while the Crown Victorias and Chevy Impalas that make up most of the department's fleet of patrol cars are made in Canada. Most of the city's 3,300 hybrid cars are assigned to sanitation, buildings, parks and transportation. The Altimas each cost about $25,400 before lights and sirens are added, which is about $1,400 more than the Impala and $500 more than the Crown Victoria. But the Altimas are about twice as efficient on gas mileage.
www.officer.com/web/online/Top-News-Stories/NYPD-Unveils-40-Hybrid-Patrol-Cars/1$46500

Computer Graphics Inform, Connect Prosecutors With Jury
Detroit Free Press, (05/19/2009), Amber Hunt

Technology is playing a stronger role in presenting criminal cases to juries. Texas attorney Howard Nations says today's jurors are accustomed to a visual, digital world. Prosecutors employ sophisticated computer graphics, aerial satellite photos and other technology that allow jurors to visualize the case. Prosecutors in Macomb County, Mich., plan to use computer graphics during an upcoming murder case in June to depict the crime scene. According to Nations' law firm, studies show that when jurors deliberate, 8 percent of what they remember comes from what they hear; 55 percent of what they remember comes from what they see.
www.freep.com/article/20090519/NEWS05/905190332

Mock NYC Terror Attack Brings Up 9/11 Memories
Associated Press, (05/17/2009)

More than 800 first responders participated in a recent disaster response exercise near the World Trade Center site, the scene of the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City. The two-hour mock terrorist attack exercise held May 17 simulated an explosion on a New Jersey-bound PATH commuter train in a tunnel. Police, firefighters and other emergency personnel worked with 150 volunteers posing as injured passengers. The purpose of the drill was to improve interagency cooperation in the event of a real disaster. Firefighters used lightweight aluminum carts that fit onto train tracks to transport the most severely "injured" passengers. The carts were developed following the 2005 bombings on the London subway system.
cbs4.com/national/responders.wtc.training.2.1011618.html

Rural Oregon Area Boasts a Top Evacuation System
The Oregonian, (05/16/2009), Richard Cockle

A sophisticated evacuation system in rural Oregon is attracting attention for its utility and efficiency. An advanced wireless system in Umatilla and Morrow counties allows first responders to communicate across 1,000 square miles, watch disasters on monitors linked to 65 remote-controlled cameras and reverse traffic on highways. The $7.5 million system was built five years ago to protect residents living near the U.S. Army's Umatilla Chemical Depot. The area covered by the system is bigger than Seattle and its suburbs. Officials in command centers can override traffic signals, control electronic message boards and activate 19 drop-down barricades to reroute traffic.
www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/northcentral_oregon_features_n.html

Bringing Community Policing to Your Computer
Black Voice News, (05/14 2009), Chris Levister

Crime mapping technology is allowing residents of San Bernardino, Calif., to track crime in their city. The city police department is using CrimeView Community to allow users to view by date and location specific crimes such as robbery, assault, rape and homicide, up to five miles from an address. The department allows access through its Web site, http://www.SBPDonline.org. The service is possible through a $100,000 federal grant. City leaders say the service provides residents with a better idea of police activities, helps the department reach out to citizens and encourages residents to help police address crime.
www.blackvoicenews.com/content/view/43142/3/

DHS Approves Labs for P25 Compliance Program
UrgentCommunications, (05/07/2009), Donny Jackson

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has approved eight laboratories to test equipment as part of the Project 25 Compliance Assessment Program (P CAP). The testing program is designed to ensure equipment interoperates as specified in the P25 program, which is focused on developing standards that allow radios and other components to interoperate regardless of manufacturer, enabling emergency responders to communicate easily. Most of the labs are in the United States; one is in New Zealand. CAP is managed in partnership with the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Under the program, labs will test equipment and provide detailed test reports to manufacturers, who will use the reports to create summary test reports, which will be published at www.rkb.us.
urgentcomm.com/test_and_measurement/news/p25-compliance-labs-approved-20090507/