Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. The website added three local law enforcement officials to the growing list of 581 police officers who have written books.
Detective Edward Burns (retired) served in the Baltimore Police Department's Drug Control Unit. Edward Burns is a retired 20-year veteran of the Baltimore, Maryland, Police Department, where he specialized in homicide investigation, and worked extensively on inner-city drug gangs. After retiring from the Baltimore Police Department, he began teaching in Baltimore middle and high schools. He has co-authored the book The Corner with David Simon, creator of the television program Homicide, and co-created the television series The Wire with Simon.
According to one review, The Corner, “is a powerful book, a window on aspects of America most people would rather ignore. To their great credit, the authors--David Simon wrote Homicide, the basis for the popular television show; Edward Burns is a former Baltimore police officer, now a public school teacher--refuse to sensationalize their subject or make its people into stereotypes. For a year the two hung out in a West Baltimore neighborhood that was a center of the drug trade. At the center of the narrative is the McCullough family--DeAndre, age 15, and his drug-addicted parents, Gary and Fran. While reading The Corner, there are times when we pity them, times when they make us angry”
Deputy Chief Joseph K. Loughlin of the Portland Police Department (Maine) is the co-author of Finding Amy: A True Story of Murder in Maine. Currently the Deputy Chief in charge of the Bureau of Operations, he is a 25 year veteran of the Portland Police Department.
According to Lloyd Ferriss of Blethen Maine Newspapers, the story is “told with riveting detail and empathy, "Finding Amy" is the true story of an unusual several-month police investigation that brought imprisonment to a psychopath who murdered a lovely young Biddeford woman in 2001. The authors, veteran mystery writer Kate Clark Flora and Capt. Joseph K. Loughlin of the Portland Police Department, combined talents to write this highly compelling insider's view of the hunt that netted Amy St. Laurent's killer.”
Jon F. Skaehill has a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice Administration and over twelve years of law enforcement experience. Jon Skaehill is a member of the Frisco Police Department. He is an eight-year veteran of his police department's SWAT team. He has drawn from his own tactical experiences and imagination in writing The Lion's Den. He is currently assigned as a patrol sergeant and SWAT team leader. Jon Skaehill is the author of The Lion’s Den.
According to the book description of the Lion’s Den, “Whether it's drug raids, high-risk apprehensions or hostage rescue takedowns, Lieutenant William Peterson and his SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) officers have done it all. In the face of any threat, they're ready to risk their lives to serve and protect. When citizens have a problem, they call the police. When the police have a problem, they call in Peterson and his SWAT team. Peterson loves his assignment as SWAT Commander and is in charge of one of the best tactical units in the country. But, for unknown reasons, his immediate supervisor is determined to see him fail. Peterson soon finds himself under fire from the police department. He is forced to defend his credibility, fight for his career and battle for the every existence of the SWAT team.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 581 police officers (representing 246 police departments) and their 1222 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, June 13, 2007
Sunday, June 10, 2007
First two from Idaho
Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. The website added the first two police officers from police departments in the State of Idaho that have written books: Steve Roos and Scott Shaw.
Steve Roos is a captain on the Idaho Falls Police Department (Idaho). He is also the author two novels: Deep Cover and Double Jeopardy. According to the book description of Deep Cover, “When young undercover police officer Jeff Foster takes on a special assignment--that of investigating Dennis Margo, a major drug dealer--he doesn't realize just how far the case will take him. He works his way into the dark world of drugs and violence, becoming the personal bodyguard to a dealer and an eyewitness to cold-blooded murder as he attempts to close in on a dangerous drug lord. Along the way he finds himself confronting some troubling questions: How far should he carry his undercover identity? Is his work compatible with his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? And how much should he reveal to Stephanie Evans, the woman he loves?”
Scott Shaw served 17 years with the Pocatello Police Department (Idaho). He went on to become the chief of police for the Preston Police Department (Idaho). He has two decades experience in criminal profiling and interrogation techniques; he developed the Investigative Protocol for Sex Offence Investigations, currently used by numerous police departments. His tenure as the chief of police, Preston Police Department, ended with his 2005 conviction on two felony counts. He pled guilty to using public money for personal purposes and then lying about it under oath.
Scott Shaw a the co-author of Eye of the Beast: The True Story of Serial Killer James Wood. According to Publisher’s Weekly, “Convicted and sentenced to death in 1993 for the kidnapping and murder of an 11-year-old Idaho girl, James Wood has been credited with at least 85 rapes, 185 robberies and dozens of murders. In this compelling if incomplete report, Birmingham News writer Adams, forensic psychologist Brooks-Mueller and former Pocatello PD investigator Shaw, who spearheaded the investigation, tell Wood's horrific story in straightforward language, evidently understanding that sensationalism would lessen the impact.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 578 police officers (representing 244 police departments) and their 1219 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.
Steve Roos is a captain on the Idaho Falls Police Department (Idaho). He is also the author two novels: Deep Cover and Double Jeopardy. According to the book description of Deep Cover, “When young undercover police officer Jeff Foster takes on a special assignment--that of investigating Dennis Margo, a major drug dealer--he doesn't realize just how far the case will take him. He works his way into the dark world of drugs and violence, becoming the personal bodyguard to a dealer and an eyewitness to cold-blooded murder as he attempts to close in on a dangerous drug lord. Along the way he finds himself confronting some troubling questions: How far should he carry his undercover identity? Is his work compatible with his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? And how much should he reveal to Stephanie Evans, the woman he loves?”
Scott Shaw served 17 years with the Pocatello Police Department (Idaho). He went on to become the chief of police for the Preston Police Department (Idaho). He has two decades experience in criminal profiling and interrogation techniques; he developed the Investigative Protocol for Sex Offence Investigations, currently used by numerous police departments. His tenure as the chief of police, Preston Police Department, ended with his 2005 conviction on two felony counts. He pled guilty to using public money for personal purposes and then lying about it under oath.
Scott Shaw a the co-author of Eye of the Beast: The True Story of Serial Killer James Wood. According to Publisher’s Weekly, “Convicted and sentenced to death in 1993 for the kidnapping and murder of an 11-year-old Idaho girl, James Wood has been credited with at least 85 rapes, 185 robberies and dozens of murders. In this compelling if incomplete report, Birmingham News writer Adams, forensic psychologist Brooks-Mueller and former Pocatello PD investigator Shaw, who spearheaded the investigation, tell Wood's horrific story in straightforward language, evidently understanding that sensationalism would lessen the impact.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 578 police officers (representing 244 police departments) and their 1219 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, June 08, 2007
Law Enforcement Technology News Summaries
NLECTC Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary
Thursday, June 7, 2007
"GPS Tracking of Offenders"
Deseret Morning News (06/03/07); Winslow, Ben
TrackerPAL is a recently released violator monitoring system that combines GPS, computer, and cell-phone technology into one miniscule unit fueled by a 20-hour battery. The waterproof gadget straps to a violator's ankle and monitors his movements utilizing GPS technology. At an around-the-clock monitoring center in Sandy, Utah, workers follow dozens of violators' locations. If the offenders go someplace they are not allowed, an alert appears on the screen. The TrackerPAL's cell unit permits operators and violators to speak with each other and can notify police or probation officers. In addition, it emits a 95-decibel siren if the violator wanders into a prohibited area or is hiding when authorities are looking for him. The software can be authorized to include off-limits locations, such as schools and parks. Although a violator can be followed to within 50 meters, TrackerPAL is restricted in that urban settings can cause signal problems. http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660226365,00.html
"County, Local Police Disagree on System to Link Databases"
Times Herald-Record (NY) (06/04/07); McKenna, Chris
Although it has been two years since officials in Orange County, N.Y., proposed creating a computer network for every police department in the county to share access to arrest reports, mugshots, and other records, only a partial network initiated by the police, not the county, exists today. Police chiefs are hoping that the county will adopt a program that is in use at 13 of the 31 departments. However, county officials are pursuing a method for linking records from different computer systems that would allow each department to keep its existing system. "Different agencies want to use different software to meet their needs," said Orange County Emergency Services Commissioner Walter Koury. "Let the software be the decision of each agency, but we will create a solution so that they will still be able to share data." The potential cost of such a system has not yet been determined, Koury said.
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/
20070604/NEWS/706040329/-1/NEWS
"Airport Protection System on the Way"
New York Newsday (06/05/07); Eisenberg, Carol
A $138 million, 57-mile system of sensors that will incorporate radar, video motion detectors, thermal imagers, and closed-circuit television is being erected around the perimeters of John F. Kennedy International (JFK), LaGuardia, Newark Liberty International, and Teterboro Airport. Designed by Raytheon, the virtual fence is already in use at Ben-Gurion International in Tel Aviv and Baghdad's airport. The system was in the works before the alleged plot to attack JFK was uncovered and is designed to prevent such an attack. "If you can't breach the perimeter of the airport, you can't reach the fuel farms," said one unnamed official. The system would send data in realtime to a central Port Authority Police station and airport command posts and will be another layer in airport security. But former head of security at Ben-Gurion Rafi Ron notes that the system will be useless if not combined with an adequate response force. "The question is not only detecting an intrusion but being able to respond to it in due time," says Ron, who now heads a transportation security firm in McLean, Va. "I think that most U.S. airports are relatively quick to invest in the technology, but fail to provide the human resources to respond to the detection when it occurs." The system should be operational by early next year.
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usair055243304jun05,
0,3104587,print.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-print
"Chicago Police Make Return to the Skies"
Chicago Sun-Times (06/01/07) P. 16; Spielman, Fran
Police in Chicago recently acquired a new, $2.1 million helicopter through Homeland Security funds that features night vision instrumentation that lets officers who wear special goggles see in the dark. The new helicopter also has a searchlight and a gamma radiation detector designed to help find such things as dirty bombs. In addition, it has a LoJack detection system for pinpointing stolen automobiles as well as a special map system. Its robust video cameras can downlink images to the city's 911 emergency center. Chicago's police department also has a helicopter previously used by the fire department that was retrofitted in 2006 for police use. http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/410147,CST-NWS-heli01.article
"Tavares Gets Own 911 System"
Orlando Sentinel (FL) (06/03/07) P. J1; Comas, Martin E.
Tavares, Fla., recently introduced its new 911 dispatching service. A minimum of two dispatchers will be available around-the-clock in City Hall, fielding calls for police service. Though the initial emergency calls began coming in on May 31 as Tavares began transferring sections of the city over to the new system, June 1 was the initial whole day the 911 system was totally operational. The system is necessary to handle the city's rapidly-expanding population and increasing amount of emergency calls. In 2006, Tavares police officers answered around 25,440 calls, a 47 percent gain over 2003. Employing highly innovative requirement, the Tavares dispatchers monitor four screens, and can determine the location of each 911 call that comes in, including those placed from the majority of cell phones. The system will eventually be improved so that it will inform dispatchers of every patrol vehicle's precise location. The new emergency communications system will cost Tavares around $500,000 initially; the expenses include buying equipment and paying for salaries and instruction for the new dispatchers. The yearly price for running the center will be between $350,000 and $400,000.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/orl-ltavares0307jun03
,0,5144198.story?coll=orl-news-headlines-lake
"Gun-Trace Plan Faces Hurdles"
Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA) (06/03/07) P. A1; Valencia, Milton J.
Nationwide, a "track and map" effort dubbed Mayors Against Illegal Guns has been unfolding to monitor illegal gun ownership. The effort is being led by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. In Worcester, Mass., the initiative is being called "Where Did the Gun Come From?" and is part of a larger effort to encourage police, media outlets, and citizens to assess the source of a gun used in a criminal act instead of primarily focusing on the crime. A group called Main South Alliance for Public Safety is collaborating with a computer software maker to develop technology that can enhance weapons tracking. Community groups also say such technology could help neighborhoods better understand local crime. Officials say the program goes beyond the federal government's eTrace program. The software tracks a weapon based on such characteristics as its parts, make, model, caliber, or color. Users of the technology can also search for data based on ballistic testing. The Main South Alliance for Public Safety wants police chiefs statewide to take part in a pilot test the new software; the goal is to eventually expand it nationwide. But existing federal legislation known as the Tiahrt amendment bans the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives from releasing gun tracking data outside of law enforcement. Community groups say they do not want to infringe on the Second Amendment, but believe that a public tracking system would benefit communities. Leaders envision a Web site featuring a crime blog that residents could use to swap data about crimes, especially gun use.
http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=
/20070603/NEWS/706030498/0/FRONTPAGE
"Sheriff Dawson Seeks More Than $150,000 for Communications Upgrades"
Herald & Review (IL) (06/01/07); Tallon, Mary
Macon County Sheriff Jerry Dawson in Illinois is requesting from the local government an appropriation of $156,503.75 to upgrade and make digital his department's back-up radio system. The upgrade also would benefit the emergency management agency of Macon County, Ill., for the agency uses the Macon County Sheriff radio. The 800 MHz system is too outdated to receive technical support from the manufacturer at this point, notes Dawson, and has not been updated since 1979. All this makes it even harder to use and maintain.
http://www.herald-review.com/articles/2007/06/01/news/local_news/1023857.txt
"Germany Taking Hard Line to Foil Disruption at G-8"
Washington Post (06/06/07) P. A13; Whitlock, Craig
Germany has spent more than $100 million to secure the Group of Eight (G-8) summit, which is being held this week at the coastal resort of Heiligendamm. A seven-mile-long security fence crowned with razor wire will keep anti-globalization protesters at bay. The German government is being aggressive about securing the meeting after some 500 German police officers were injured when protesters rioted in Rostock last weekend; thus, 16,000 police officers will be on hand to secure the G-8 summit, and they will be reinforced by armored personnel carriers and helicopters. The protesters--many of whom aim to disrupt the summit--have been sharpening their tactics and strategies for the past several months, but so have German authorities. For example, German police, borrowing a tactic formerly used by the East German secret police, have quietly obtained "scent samples" of some protest leaders so that canine units will be able to sniff them out of crowds if necessary. Public demonstrations will not be allowed within a four-mile radius of the meeting. Just five miles up the road from Heiligendamm, protesters have established a base camp replete with a three-story lookout tower to spot police. There the protesters are practicing techniques aimed at thwarting security forces, such as disrobing and locking arms.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/
2007/06/06/AR2007060600568.html?hpid=topnews
"An Easy Segway Into Patrols"
Star-Ledger (NJ) (06/01/07) P. 17; Dilworth, Kevin C.
Police departments across New Jersey are purchasing the two-wheel Segway device to increase the range and effectiveness of community patrols. These hand-operated devices transport police officers in a standing position while the officers control the device. East Orange, N.J., police director Jose Cordero says his department is using Segways to harness the available resources to "close the gap between what the public would like to see, and things that we can do, given our current resources." Neptune, N.J., Police Chief Howard O'Neil says Segways create more opportunity for community interaction, especially with curious young people who ask his officers often about the device. A typical Segway can cost $6,000. Officers report that Segways can be useful for parade functions, community-related patrolling, and moving quickly on and across sidewalks, streets, and curbs. Many New Jersey departments are still evaluating the vehicle for its crime-fighting impact.
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/
base/news-7/118067486425610.xml&coll=1
"Eyes Opened to Find the Missing"
Telegram & Gazette (05/31/07) P. B4; Valencia, Milton J.
The Worcester County, Mass., sheriff's office has launched Iris Recognition Biometric Technology, which allows individuals to be identified by a unique eye scan. Sheriff Guy W. Glodis says the technology will be especially helpful in identifying missing children and seniors with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia. The iris scans could be loaded into a database much the same way fingerprint information is now, but Glodis says the iris scans are more effective for identification because they are less susceptible to manipulation and can even distinguish between identical twins. Because many kidnapped children are susceptible to entering altered mental states, they may not know they have been kidnapped or their original identity when they are recovered; therefore, such a database would be important in making a positive identification. In addition, dementia-affected seniors who wander away from their homes and then become lost could also be identified with the technology.
http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=
/20070531/NEWS/705310733/1008/NEWS02
"New Tools to Help Law Enforcement Find Missing Seniors"
9News (CO) (05/31/07); McGuire, Heidi
Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D) recently signed into law a bill intended to allow law enforcement to rapidly monitor individuals with Alzheimer's and other disabilities. Under Project Lifesaver, participants obtain a device with radio frequency technology such as a bracelet. The devices can aid in tracking a person who gets lost or needs help. Most of the counties in the Denver area now have the radio frequency devices, and other counties in the state will eventually have them. An estimated 64,000 people in Colorado suffer from Alzheimer's, and most require at-home care.
http://www.9news.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=71061
"Neighborhoods Lining Up for City's Cameras"
Columbus Dispatch (OH) (05/31/07) P. 1A; Ferenchik, Mark
Community leaders in several Columbus, Ohio, neighborhoods have expressed enthusiasm about extending the city's anti-crime surveillance camera initiative to their neighborhoods. For the past several years, the city's overburdened police department has been lobbying city leaders for additional police officers, cruisers, and gear. And several city neighborhoods have been requesting that the city deploy surveillance cameras. Mayor Michael B. Coleman has moved forward with a plan to test video surveillance technology as an anti-crime measure, and he is especially keen on using the cameras at city festivals and in certain neighborhoods. The cameras also could be deployed at parks and recreation centers. South Linden Area Commission President George Walker Jr., Northland Community Council President Dave Paul, and other community leaders say they would welcome the surveillance cameras with open arms. Greater Hilltop Area Commission Chairman Gary L. Baker II notes that community members seem to either love the idea or hate it. Columbus City Councilman Andrew Ginther was adamant that the cameras would supplement, not replace, police officers.
http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/
2007/05/31/CAMREDUX.ART_ART_05-31-07_A1_BT6SHQK.html
"Officers Push to Get Digital Video in Cars"
Augusta Chronicle (GA) (05/30/07) P. B1; Guffey, Michelle
The Aiken County, S.C., Sheriff's Office intends to replaces its patrol cars' VHS cameras with digital ones. The move is needed because VCR technology is becoming obsolete. The new cameras will be compact; they will be built into the vehicle's rearview mirrors, according to officials. The mirror can be activated to view the monitor, or deactivated to appear like an ordinary mirror. The digital cameras also feature no moving parts, and there is no need to handle any tape. Pictures and sounds are recorded onto a 16-hour flash disc that can be placed in any PC for viewing. The data can also be downloaded for delivery via email. The new process eliminates the need to remove the VHS tape, burn it on a disc, and hand-deliver it, officials say. The new cameras can also pinpoint the site of physical evidence by using a grid, and wireless microphones in the camera, the back seat, and on officers creates an audio log, officials say. Each digital camera costs about $4,000 and features one camera that points to the front and another positioned towards the back. http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/053007/met_130311.shtml
"Police Can Keep Eye on Schools"
Kansas City Star (05/30/07) P. LB1; Noble, Jason
The Liberty, Mo., Police Department and Liberty public school district have collaborated to upgrade the school district's security camera system so that police can significantly improve their response to school shootings and other emergencies. Security cameras have been a feature at Liberty schools for many years, and the upgrade is built upon an existing $2 million-plus security camera system that has historically been monitored by the district's technology employees. The upgrade links the cameras to the police department, enabling police dispatchers and police officers to directly monitor the live video feeds either in the dispatch office or via laptop computers in the field. The cameras provide views of nearly all common areas of the schools, meaning that if a school shooting occurs, police dispatchers will be able to track the shooter through the school and provide real-time information to responding police officers. In May, police and school officials conducted a test of the new technology, finding that they were able to quickly track down school resource officers as they moved through school buildings. The district's security company intends to provide police with blueprints of each school building to enhance the monitoring and response efforts. http://www.kansascity.com/317/story/127379.html
"City Police Could Get Major Upgrade for Over $18,000"
Springfield State Journal-Register (IL) (05/29/07) P. 17; Bolinski, Jayette
As of late May, the Springfield, Ill., Police Department was considering whether or not to approve spending over $18,000 on technology that will make mapping of crime and deadly accident scenes less difficult for officers. Department authorities want to buy a "total station," a device that allows police, engineers, and additional users to take correct measurements, obtain and plot information, and establish three-dimensional models of scenes. Acquiring the system would significantly reduce the amount of time police investigators spend at crime and accident scenes figuring and recording measurements. The Sokkia total station's price of $18,563 includes software and instruction. Software includes "Crash Math," which has different equations that crash scene reconstructionists need to determine what occurred during traffic accidents; "Professional Statement" to make reports faster and simpler to complete; "Virtual Earth," which permits users to access satellite images; and "Smart Corners," which helps with studying vehicle damage. One of the most attractive elements of the software is the ability to make 3-D images for investigators and juries. The Springfield City Council's finance committee was set to talk about the potential purchase at its May 29 meeting.
http://www.sj-r.com/Sections/News/Stories/115544.asp
"Law Enforcement Gets New Tool to Fight Crime in Dark"
9News (CO) (05/28/07); Bolton, Anastasiya
Homeland Security in the North Central Region of Colorado has purchased four night vision goggles for shared use by police departments from 10 counties within the jurisdiction. The regional purchase will enable police to access and use night-specialized devices that cost $3,500 each, and which individual departments could not have afforded. Night-vision goggles can be used for surveillance, to find someone who is lost, or for handling a known shooter, for instance. These goggles have been used by the U.S. military for years, but are new in police circles. http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=70903
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
"GPS Tracking of Offenders"
Deseret Morning News (06/03/07); Winslow, Ben
TrackerPAL is a recently released violator monitoring system that combines GPS, computer, and cell-phone technology into one miniscule unit fueled by a 20-hour battery. The waterproof gadget straps to a violator's ankle and monitors his movements utilizing GPS technology. At an around-the-clock monitoring center in Sandy, Utah, workers follow dozens of violators' locations. If the offenders go someplace they are not allowed, an alert appears on the screen. The TrackerPAL's cell unit permits operators and violators to speak with each other and can notify police or probation officers. In addition, it emits a 95-decibel siren if the violator wanders into a prohibited area or is hiding when authorities are looking for him. The software can be authorized to include off-limits locations, such as schools and parks. Although a violator can be followed to within 50 meters, TrackerPAL is restricted in that urban settings can cause signal problems. http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660226365,00.html
"County, Local Police Disagree on System to Link Databases"
Times Herald-Record (NY) (06/04/07); McKenna, Chris
Although it has been two years since officials in Orange County, N.Y., proposed creating a computer network for every police department in the county to share access to arrest reports, mugshots, and other records, only a partial network initiated by the police, not the county, exists today. Police chiefs are hoping that the county will adopt a program that is in use at 13 of the 31 departments. However, county officials are pursuing a method for linking records from different computer systems that would allow each department to keep its existing system. "Different agencies want to use different software to meet their needs," said Orange County Emergency Services Commissioner Walter Koury. "Let the software be the decision of each agency, but we will create a solution so that they will still be able to share data." The potential cost of such a system has not yet been determined, Koury said.
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/
20070604/NEWS/706040329/-1/NEWS
"Airport Protection System on the Way"
New York Newsday (06/05/07); Eisenberg, Carol
A $138 million, 57-mile system of sensors that will incorporate radar, video motion detectors, thermal imagers, and closed-circuit television is being erected around the perimeters of John F. Kennedy International (JFK), LaGuardia, Newark Liberty International, and Teterboro Airport. Designed by Raytheon, the virtual fence is already in use at Ben-Gurion International in Tel Aviv and Baghdad's airport. The system was in the works before the alleged plot to attack JFK was uncovered and is designed to prevent such an attack. "If you can't breach the perimeter of the airport, you can't reach the fuel farms," said one unnamed official. The system would send data in realtime to a central Port Authority Police station and airport command posts and will be another layer in airport security. But former head of security at Ben-Gurion Rafi Ron notes that the system will be useless if not combined with an adequate response force. "The question is not only detecting an intrusion but being able to respond to it in due time," says Ron, who now heads a transportation security firm in McLean, Va. "I think that most U.S. airports are relatively quick to invest in the technology, but fail to provide the human resources to respond to the detection when it occurs." The system should be operational by early next year.
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usair055243304jun05,
0,3104587,print.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-print
"Chicago Police Make Return to the Skies"
Chicago Sun-Times (06/01/07) P. 16; Spielman, Fran
Police in Chicago recently acquired a new, $2.1 million helicopter through Homeland Security funds that features night vision instrumentation that lets officers who wear special goggles see in the dark. The new helicopter also has a searchlight and a gamma radiation detector designed to help find such things as dirty bombs. In addition, it has a LoJack detection system for pinpointing stolen automobiles as well as a special map system. Its robust video cameras can downlink images to the city's 911 emergency center. Chicago's police department also has a helicopter previously used by the fire department that was retrofitted in 2006 for police use. http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/410147,CST-NWS-heli01.article
"Tavares Gets Own 911 System"
Orlando Sentinel (FL) (06/03/07) P. J1; Comas, Martin E.
Tavares, Fla., recently introduced its new 911 dispatching service. A minimum of two dispatchers will be available around-the-clock in City Hall, fielding calls for police service. Though the initial emergency calls began coming in on May 31 as Tavares began transferring sections of the city over to the new system, June 1 was the initial whole day the 911 system was totally operational. The system is necessary to handle the city's rapidly-expanding population and increasing amount of emergency calls. In 2006, Tavares police officers answered around 25,440 calls, a 47 percent gain over 2003. Employing highly innovative requirement, the Tavares dispatchers monitor four screens, and can determine the location of each 911 call that comes in, including those placed from the majority of cell phones. The system will eventually be improved so that it will inform dispatchers of every patrol vehicle's precise location. The new emergency communications system will cost Tavares around $500,000 initially; the expenses include buying equipment and paying for salaries and instruction for the new dispatchers. The yearly price for running the center will be between $350,000 and $400,000.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/orl-ltavares0307jun03
,0,5144198.story?coll=orl-news-headlines-lake
"Gun-Trace Plan Faces Hurdles"
Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA) (06/03/07) P. A1; Valencia, Milton J.
Nationwide, a "track and map" effort dubbed Mayors Against Illegal Guns has been unfolding to monitor illegal gun ownership. The effort is being led by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. In Worcester, Mass., the initiative is being called "Where Did the Gun Come From?" and is part of a larger effort to encourage police, media outlets, and citizens to assess the source of a gun used in a criminal act instead of primarily focusing on the crime. A group called Main South Alliance for Public Safety is collaborating with a computer software maker to develop technology that can enhance weapons tracking. Community groups also say such technology could help neighborhoods better understand local crime. Officials say the program goes beyond the federal government's eTrace program. The software tracks a weapon based on such characteristics as its parts, make, model, caliber, or color. Users of the technology can also search for data based on ballistic testing. The Main South Alliance for Public Safety wants police chiefs statewide to take part in a pilot test the new software; the goal is to eventually expand it nationwide. But existing federal legislation known as the Tiahrt amendment bans the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives from releasing gun tracking data outside of law enforcement. Community groups say they do not want to infringe on the Second Amendment, but believe that a public tracking system would benefit communities. Leaders envision a Web site featuring a crime blog that residents could use to swap data about crimes, especially gun use.
http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=
/20070603/NEWS/706030498/0/FRONTPAGE
"Sheriff Dawson Seeks More Than $150,000 for Communications Upgrades"
Herald & Review (IL) (06/01/07); Tallon, Mary
Macon County Sheriff Jerry Dawson in Illinois is requesting from the local government an appropriation of $156,503.75 to upgrade and make digital his department's back-up radio system. The upgrade also would benefit the emergency management agency of Macon County, Ill., for the agency uses the Macon County Sheriff radio. The 800 MHz system is too outdated to receive technical support from the manufacturer at this point, notes Dawson, and has not been updated since 1979. All this makes it even harder to use and maintain.
http://www.herald-review.com/articles/2007/06/01/news/local_news/1023857.txt
"Germany Taking Hard Line to Foil Disruption at G-8"
Washington Post (06/06/07) P. A13; Whitlock, Craig
Germany has spent more than $100 million to secure the Group of Eight (G-8) summit, which is being held this week at the coastal resort of Heiligendamm. A seven-mile-long security fence crowned with razor wire will keep anti-globalization protesters at bay. The German government is being aggressive about securing the meeting after some 500 German police officers were injured when protesters rioted in Rostock last weekend; thus, 16,000 police officers will be on hand to secure the G-8 summit, and they will be reinforced by armored personnel carriers and helicopters. The protesters--many of whom aim to disrupt the summit--have been sharpening their tactics and strategies for the past several months, but so have German authorities. For example, German police, borrowing a tactic formerly used by the East German secret police, have quietly obtained "scent samples" of some protest leaders so that canine units will be able to sniff them out of crowds if necessary. Public demonstrations will not be allowed within a four-mile radius of the meeting. Just five miles up the road from Heiligendamm, protesters have established a base camp replete with a three-story lookout tower to spot police. There the protesters are practicing techniques aimed at thwarting security forces, such as disrobing and locking arms.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/
2007/06/06/AR2007060600568.html?hpid=topnews
"An Easy Segway Into Patrols"
Star-Ledger (NJ) (06/01/07) P. 17; Dilworth, Kevin C.
Police departments across New Jersey are purchasing the two-wheel Segway device to increase the range and effectiveness of community patrols. These hand-operated devices transport police officers in a standing position while the officers control the device. East Orange, N.J., police director Jose Cordero says his department is using Segways to harness the available resources to "close the gap between what the public would like to see, and things that we can do, given our current resources." Neptune, N.J., Police Chief Howard O'Neil says Segways create more opportunity for community interaction, especially with curious young people who ask his officers often about the device. A typical Segway can cost $6,000. Officers report that Segways can be useful for parade functions, community-related patrolling, and moving quickly on and across sidewalks, streets, and curbs. Many New Jersey departments are still evaluating the vehicle for its crime-fighting impact.
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/
base/news-7/118067486425610.xml&coll=1
"Eyes Opened to Find the Missing"
Telegram & Gazette (05/31/07) P. B4; Valencia, Milton J.
The Worcester County, Mass., sheriff's office has launched Iris Recognition Biometric Technology, which allows individuals to be identified by a unique eye scan. Sheriff Guy W. Glodis says the technology will be especially helpful in identifying missing children and seniors with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia. The iris scans could be loaded into a database much the same way fingerprint information is now, but Glodis says the iris scans are more effective for identification because they are less susceptible to manipulation and can even distinguish between identical twins. Because many kidnapped children are susceptible to entering altered mental states, they may not know they have been kidnapped or their original identity when they are recovered; therefore, such a database would be important in making a positive identification. In addition, dementia-affected seniors who wander away from their homes and then become lost could also be identified with the technology.
http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=
/20070531/NEWS/705310733/1008/NEWS02
"New Tools to Help Law Enforcement Find Missing Seniors"
9News (CO) (05/31/07); McGuire, Heidi
Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D) recently signed into law a bill intended to allow law enforcement to rapidly monitor individuals with Alzheimer's and other disabilities. Under Project Lifesaver, participants obtain a device with radio frequency technology such as a bracelet. The devices can aid in tracking a person who gets lost or needs help. Most of the counties in the Denver area now have the radio frequency devices, and other counties in the state will eventually have them. An estimated 64,000 people in Colorado suffer from Alzheimer's, and most require at-home care.
http://www.9news.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=71061
"Neighborhoods Lining Up for City's Cameras"
Columbus Dispatch (OH) (05/31/07) P. 1A; Ferenchik, Mark
Community leaders in several Columbus, Ohio, neighborhoods have expressed enthusiasm about extending the city's anti-crime surveillance camera initiative to their neighborhoods. For the past several years, the city's overburdened police department has been lobbying city leaders for additional police officers, cruisers, and gear. And several city neighborhoods have been requesting that the city deploy surveillance cameras. Mayor Michael B. Coleman has moved forward with a plan to test video surveillance technology as an anti-crime measure, and he is especially keen on using the cameras at city festivals and in certain neighborhoods. The cameras also could be deployed at parks and recreation centers. South Linden Area Commission President George Walker Jr., Northland Community Council President Dave Paul, and other community leaders say they would welcome the surveillance cameras with open arms. Greater Hilltop Area Commission Chairman Gary L. Baker II notes that community members seem to either love the idea or hate it. Columbus City Councilman Andrew Ginther was adamant that the cameras would supplement, not replace, police officers.
http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/
2007/05/31/CAMREDUX.ART_ART_05-31-07_A1_BT6SHQK.html
"Officers Push to Get Digital Video in Cars"
Augusta Chronicle (GA) (05/30/07) P. B1; Guffey, Michelle
The Aiken County, S.C., Sheriff's Office intends to replaces its patrol cars' VHS cameras with digital ones. The move is needed because VCR technology is becoming obsolete. The new cameras will be compact; they will be built into the vehicle's rearview mirrors, according to officials. The mirror can be activated to view the monitor, or deactivated to appear like an ordinary mirror. The digital cameras also feature no moving parts, and there is no need to handle any tape. Pictures and sounds are recorded onto a 16-hour flash disc that can be placed in any PC for viewing. The data can also be downloaded for delivery via email. The new process eliminates the need to remove the VHS tape, burn it on a disc, and hand-deliver it, officials say. The new cameras can also pinpoint the site of physical evidence by using a grid, and wireless microphones in the camera, the back seat, and on officers creates an audio log, officials say. Each digital camera costs about $4,000 and features one camera that points to the front and another positioned towards the back. http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/053007/met_130311.shtml
"Police Can Keep Eye on Schools"
Kansas City Star (05/30/07) P. LB1; Noble, Jason
The Liberty, Mo., Police Department and Liberty public school district have collaborated to upgrade the school district's security camera system so that police can significantly improve their response to school shootings and other emergencies. Security cameras have been a feature at Liberty schools for many years, and the upgrade is built upon an existing $2 million-plus security camera system that has historically been monitored by the district's technology employees. The upgrade links the cameras to the police department, enabling police dispatchers and police officers to directly monitor the live video feeds either in the dispatch office or via laptop computers in the field. The cameras provide views of nearly all common areas of the schools, meaning that if a school shooting occurs, police dispatchers will be able to track the shooter through the school and provide real-time information to responding police officers. In May, police and school officials conducted a test of the new technology, finding that they were able to quickly track down school resource officers as they moved through school buildings. The district's security company intends to provide police with blueprints of each school building to enhance the monitoring and response efforts. http://www.kansascity.com/317/story/127379.html
"City Police Could Get Major Upgrade for Over $18,000"
Springfield State Journal-Register (IL) (05/29/07) P. 17; Bolinski, Jayette
As of late May, the Springfield, Ill., Police Department was considering whether or not to approve spending over $18,000 on technology that will make mapping of crime and deadly accident scenes less difficult for officers. Department authorities want to buy a "total station," a device that allows police, engineers, and additional users to take correct measurements, obtain and plot information, and establish three-dimensional models of scenes. Acquiring the system would significantly reduce the amount of time police investigators spend at crime and accident scenes figuring and recording measurements. The Sokkia total station's price of $18,563 includes software and instruction. Software includes "Crash Math," which has different equations that crash scene reconstructionists need to determine what occurred during traffic accidents; "Professional Statement" to make reports faster and simpler to complete; "Virtual Earth," which permits users to access satellite images; and "Smart Corners," which helps with studying vehicle damage. One of the most attractive elements of the software is the ability to make 3-D images for investigators and juries. The Springfield City Council's finance committee was set to talk about the potential purchase at its May 29 meeting.
http://www.sj-r.com/Sections/News/Stories/115544.asp
"Law Enforcement Gets New Tool to Fight Crime in Dark"
9News (CO) (05/28/07); Bolton, Anastasiya
Homeland Security in the North Central Region of Colorado has purchased four night vision goggles for shared use by police departments from 10 counties within the jurisdiction. The regional purchase will enable police to access and use night-specialized devices that cost $3,500 each, and which individual departments could not have afforded. Night-vision goggles can be used for surveillance, to find someone who is lost, or for handling a known shooter, for instance. These goggles have been used by the U.S. military for years, but are new in police circles. http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=70903
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
'Gophers' Golf for Injured Troops
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
June 7, 2007 – Inspired by pro golf's support of the troops, about 100 golfers hit the links each weekend for friendly competition that ultimately benefits injured servicemembers. Those who come away victorious from the informal games at Tournament Players Club Sawgrass in Jacksonville, Fla., donate a portion of their winnings to the cause, Dan McAuliffe, the games' organizer, said. Since December, the "Gophers," as the group calls itself, have raised nearly $2,000 in this manner.
"We play together week in and week out. ... We decided, 'Let's go to the golf course, and let's make a difference (for the troops)," McAuliffe, a former New York law enforcement officer, said. "I've got a great deal of respect for the guys in the uniform."
The money the group is raising will ultimately benefit Homes for Our Troops, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and Lickliter's adopted group, Wounded Warrior Project. Other PGA golfers have adopted troop-support groups, including Phil Mickelson who champions both Homes for Our Troops and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
All of these troop-support groups are members of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
The Gophers are expanding their fundraising efforts with a June 14 cocktail party, which will include a raffle of donated goods from community retailers. The tickets, selling at $150 per couple, already have pumped up the total the group will donate to America Supports You groups.
"I think we're between $10,000 and $15,000 ... that we've raised due to the ticket sales of the cocktail party," McAuliffe said. "Instead of doing a silent auction, ... every ticket that is bought, that ticket stub is good as a raffle ticket.
"Everybody's so willing to help," he added.
McAuliffe also emphasizes to those who question him that this is an apolitical venture. "This is not about party affiliation," he said. "This is about guys in uniform, and that's all it's about.
"It's about raising money for them just in case they need a helping hand when they get back, the money is there," he said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
June 7, 2007 – Inspired by pro golf's support of the troops, about 100 golfers hit the links each weekend for friendly competition that ultimately benefits injured servicemembers. Those who come away victorious from the informal games at Tournament Players Club Sawgrass in Jacksonville, Fla., donate a portion of their winnings to the cause, Dan McAuliffe, the games' organizer, said. Since December, the "Gophers," as the group calls itself, have raised nearly $2,000 in this manner.
"We play together week in and week out. ... We decided, 'Let's go to the golf course, and let's make a difference (for the troops)," McAuliffe, a former New York law enforcement officer, said. "I've got a great deal of respect for the guys in the uniform."
The money the group is raising will ultimately benefit Homes for Our Troops, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and Lickliter's adopted group, Wounded Warrior Project. Other PGA golfers have adopted troop-support groups, including Phil Mickelson who champions both Homes for Our Troops and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
All of these troop-support groups are members of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
The Gophers are expanding their fundraising efforts with a June 14 cocktail party, which will include a raffle of donated goods from community retailers. The tickets, selling at $150 per couple, already have pumped up the total the group will donate to America Supports You groups.
"I think we're between $10,000 and $15,000 ... that we've raised due to the ticket sales of the cocktail party," McAuliffe said. "Instead of doing a silent auction, ... every ticket that is bought, that ticket stub is good as a raffle ticket.
"Everybody's so willing to help," he added.
McAuliffe also emphasizes to those who question him that this is an apolitical venture. "This is not about party affiliation," he said. "This is about guys in uniform, and that's all it's about.
"It's about raising money for them just in case they need a helping hand when they get back, the money is there," he said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Addressing Shortfalls in Forensic Science Education
Are you interested in a career in forensic sciences? Do you teach forensic science courses? Are you a college administrator? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you'll want to read NIJ's latest fact sheet about an accredited forensic science curriculum that will take you on the right path.
The NIJ In Short Fact Sheet Addressing Shortfalls in Forensic Science Education describes the benefits of an accredited forensic science education program. Many crime labs find that new graduates from forensic education programs are not properly trained. A committee led by the American Academy of Forensic Science has developed an evaluation and accreditation process to help universities improve their curriculum. An accredited curriculum gives employers—such as crime lab directors—standard criteria to assess whether an applicant is qualified.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/216886.htm
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
The NIJ In Short Fact Sheet Addressing Shortfalls in Forensic Science Education describes the benefits of an accredited forensic science education program. Many crime labs find that new graduates from forensic education programs are not properly trained. A committee led by the American Academy of Forensic Science has developed an evaluation and accreditation process to help universities improve their curriculum. An accredited curriculum gives employers—such as crime lab directors—standard criteria to assess whether an applicant is qualified.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/216886.htm
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Terrorists Using Chlorine Car Bombs to Intimidate Iraqis
Editor's Note: The information is relevant to domestic law enforcment.
American Forces Press Service
June 6, 2007 – Anyone who doubts that al Qaeda would use chemical, nuclear or biological weapons need only look at the terror group's attacks in Iraq, Defense officials said. Al Qaeda and affiliated groups have used chlorine gas in attacks against civilians, Iraqi forces and coalition forces at least 15 times since October, according to U.S. officials in Baghdad.
"Chlorine is used by terrorists with the intent to harm or kill large numbers of civilians," an official said. "The attacks show that the terrorists are adaptable, but it reflects more on their maliciousness than their sophistication."
The first documented chlorine attack was Oct. 21, 2006, in Ramadi, a Multinational Force Iraq spokeswoman said. In that attack, terrorists drove a car bomb with 12 120 mm mortar shells and two 100-pound chlorine tanks. The attack wounded three Iraqi police officers and a civilian.
The first attack that received media attention was at Taji, where terrorists remotely detonated a 5-ton truck packed with 100 pounds of high explosives and two 1-ton chlorine tanks. The attack killed one civilian and wounded 114 others.
Other chlorine attacks occurred in Fallujah, Balad and Ramadi. The most recent attack was June 3 against Forward Operating Base Warhorse, in Diyala province. Again, a suicide car bomber launched the attack, and officials estimate it included two tanks of chlorine and 1,000 pounds of explosive. The cloud from the attack blew over Warhorse and sickened 65 servicemembers, Multinational Force Iraq officials said. All were examined and returned to duty.
Officials in Baghdad cannot tell from their records if anyone has died from chlorine inhalation. A Multinational Force Iraq spokesman said there are anecdotal reports that while the blasts from the attacks have killed, few have died solely from the gas. "We hear that an old man and some babies may have been killed, but we can't pin that down," the spokesman said.
"We have seen attempts made by insurgent forces - al Qaeda in particular - to use debilitating agents like chlorine in their (improvised explosive devices and car bombs) to cause casualties beyond just concussion and blast," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.
Whitman said the attacks have been of limited effectiveness, but that does not lessen concerns. "We continue to look at ways to prevent those materials from making their way to those who plant explosive devices," he said.
This is a difficult proposition because many chemicals, like chlorine, have legitimate civilian uses. Chlorine is used to purify water and in other industrial processes.
Without getting into details that could jeopardize operational security, U.S. servicemembers have gear to protect them from such weapons, a Pentagon official said. So the terrorists aim the weapon at civilians in an effort to intimidate populations.
"The car bombs themselves are designed to target innocent civilians," Whitman said. "It reflects the brutality of the enemy we are facing and the total disregard of life to use such an indiscriminate nature."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
June 6, 2007 – Anyone who doubts that al Qaeda would use chemical, nuclear or biological weapons need only look at the terror group's attacks in Iraq, Defense officials said. Al Qaeda and affiliated groups have used chlorine gas in attacks against civilians, Iraqi forces and coalition forces at least 15 times since October, according to U.S. officials in Baghdad.
"Chlorine is used by terrorists with the intent to harm or kill large numbers of civilians," an official said. "The attacks show that the terrorists are adaptable, but it reflects more on their maliciousness than their sophistication."
The first documented chlorine attack was Oct. 21, 2006, in Ramadi, a Multinational Force Iraq spokeswoman said. In that attack, terrorists drove a car bomb with 12 120 mm mortar shells and two 100-pound chlorine tanks. The attack wounded three Iraqi police officers and a civilian.
The first attack that received media attention was at Taji, where terrorists remotely detonated a 5-ton truck packed with 100 pounds of high explosives and two 1-ton chlorine tanks. The attack killed one civilian and wounded 114 others.
Other chlorine attacks occurred in Fallujah, Balad and Ramadi. The most recent attack was June 3 against Forward Operating Base Warhorse, in Diyala province. Again, a suicide car bomber launched the attack, and officials estimate it included two tanks of chlorine and 1,000 pounds of explosive. The cloud from the attack blew over Warhorse and sickened 65 servicemembers, Multinational Force Iraq officials said. All were examined and returned to duty.
Officials in Baghdad cannot tell from their records if anyone has died from chlorine inhalation. A Multinational Force Iraq spokesman said there are anecdotal reports that while the blasts from the attacks have killed, few have died solely from the gas. "We hear that an old man and some babies may have been killed, but we can't pin that down," the spokesman said.
"We have seen attempts made by insurgent forces - al Qaeda in particular - to use debilitating agents like chlorine in their (improvised explosive devices and car bombs) to cause casualties beyond just concussion and blast," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.
Whitman said the attacks have been of limited effectiveness, but that does not lessen concerns. "We continue to look at ways to prevent those materials from making their way to those who plant explosive devices," he said.
This is a difficult proposition because many chemicals, like chlorine, have legitimate civilian uses. Chlorine is used to purify water and in other industrial processes.
Without getting into details that could jeopardize operational security, U.S. servicemembers have gear to protect them from such weapons, a Pentagon official said. So the terrorists aim the weapon at civilians in an effort to intimidate populations.
"The car bombs themselves are designed to target innocent civilians," Whitman said. "It reflects the brutality of the enemy we are facing and the total disregard of life to use such an indiscriminate nature."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Police Officer Books
Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. Three police officers were added to the website: Billy Chase, Rick Darby and Charles Stone.
Billy Chase grew up in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He worked as a guard for the Connecticut State Correctional Department at the Whalley Avenue Correctional Facility in New Haven, Connecticut. After a short stint with the Monroe Police Department (Connecticut) he joined the Bridgeport Police Department (Connecticut). In 1992, he retired from the Bridgeport Police Department.
Billy Chase is the author of Chased: Alone, Black, and Undercover. According to Publisher’s Weekly, “Chase may well be one of the most courageous police officers now working a beat. As an undercover narcotics agent in Bridgeport, Conn., he has infiltrated black, Puerto Rican, Jamaican, Colombian and Italian mobs, fortified by smarts he acquired on the street in his own youth, and fueled by his hatred of drugs and organized crime. But while his primary struggle was waged against gangsters, he also fought racism: on more than one occasion, Chase held a gun on thugs he had arrested only to hear them yell for help, claiming he was robbing them; spectators were all too ready to believe the claim.”
Rick Darby is a veteran police officer and an Ordained Minister. He currently serves as the Police Chief of the Cornelia Police Department (Georgia). He has had the opportunity to teach over 5000 law enforcement officers both locally and internationally. Rick Darby has written feature articles for local newspapers and law enforcement training curriculum. His passion for people has allowed him to appear on local, national and international radio and television. He has also worked with troubled youth and taught Drug Education in Public Schools.
Rick Darby is the author of The Boyz in the Grove. According to the book description, “set in the late 1960's and early 1970's two old friends reminisce after not seeing each other for twenty years and the story begins to unfold. Jacob Hartley and Rick Darby reconnect in a hospital room and mutually agree not to talk about an incident that occurred thirty-four years earlier. Jacob asks Rick to share some of their childhood stories to bring him some peace during his last days of life. As Rick begins to share in the Southern style only he can, others show up to hear a story or two. He even shares one of his stories with a group of nurses. During that story he gets a little surprise that catches him off guard. After a day at the hospital Rick prepares to leave when Jacob throws him a curve. His request was more than Rick had bargained for.”
Charles Stone was a Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s agent for more than 25 years. As head of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Anti-Terrorist Unit, was one of the three primary investigative supervisors on the Atlanta Bomber Case. He is a co-author of the book that explores that case, Hunting Eric Rudolph.
According to Publisher’s Weekly, “This is a suspenseful account of the five-year hunt for the man behind the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Park bombing. Eric Rudolph is now also facing federal charges for bombings of a gay nightclub and two abortion clinics in Atlanta and Birmingham, Ala. Descriptive anecdotes of Rudolph and his family help Schuster, a CNN senior producer, and Stone, former head of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Anti-Terrorist Force, illustrate how a man on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List with a million-dollar reward on his head managed to elude the FBI for years by hiding out in the mountains of North Carolina.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 573 police officers (representing 241 police departments) and their 1208 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.
Billy Chase grew up in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He worked as a guard for the Connecticut State Correctional Department at the Whalley Avenue Correctional Facility in New Haven, Connecticut. After a short stint with the Monroe Police Department (Connecticut) he joined the Bridgeport Police Department (Connecticut). In 1992, he retired from the Bridgeport Police Department.
Billy Chase is the author of Chased: Alone, Black, and Undercover. According to Publisher’s Weekly, “Chase may well be one of the most courageous police officers now working a beat. As an undercover narcotics agent in Bridgeport, Conn., he has infiltrated black, Puerto Rican, Jamaican, Colombian and Italian mobs, fortified by smarts he acquired on the street in his own youth, and fueled by his hatred of drugs and organized crime. But while his primary struggle was waged against gangsters, he also fought racism: on more than one occasion, Chase held a gun on thugs he had arrested only to hear them yell for help, claiming he was robbing them; spectators were all too ready to believe the claim.”
Rick Darby is a veteran police officer and an Ordained Minister. He currently serves as the Police Chief of the Cornelia Police Department (Georgia). He has had the opportunity to teach over 5000 law enforcement officers both locally and internationally. Rick Darby has written feature articles for local newspapers and law enforcement training curriculum. His passion for people has allowed him to appear on local, national and international radio and television. He has also worked with troubled youth and taught Drug Education in Public Schools.
Rick Darby is the author of The Boyz in the Grove. According to the book description, “set in the late 1960's and early 1970's two old friends reminisce after not seeing each other for twenty years and the story begins to unfold. Jacob Hartley and Rick Darby reconnect in a hospital room and mutually agree not to talk about an incident that occurred thirty-four years earlier. Jacob asks Rick to share some of their childhood stories to bring him some peace during his last days of life. As Rick begins to share in the Southern style only he can, others show up to hear a story or two. He even shares one of his stories with a group of nurses. During that story he gets a little surprise that catches him off guard. After a day at the hospital Rick prepares to leave when Jacob throws him a curve. His request was more than Rick had bargained for.”
Charles Stone was a Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s agent for more than 25 years. As head of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Anti-Terrorist Unit, was one of the three primary investigative supervisors on the Atlanta Bomber Case. He is a co-author of the book that explores that case, Hunting Eric Rudolph.
According to Publisher’s Weekly, “This is a suspenseful account of the five-year hunt for the man behind the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Park bombing. Eric Rudolph is now also facing federal charges for bombings of a gay nightclub and two abortion clinics in Atlanta and Birmingham, Ala. Descriptive anecdotes of Rudolph and his family help Schuster, a CNN senior producer, and Stone, former head of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Anti-Terrorist Force, illustrate how a man on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List with a million-dollar reward on his head managed to elude the FBI for years by hiding out in the mountains of North Carolina.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 573 police officers (representing 241 police departments) and their 1208 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, June 06, 2007
New Technology Tests for IEDs
Improvised explosive devices based on peroxide containing materials have increasingly been used in recent years by various terrorist organizations. The main reason is that such peroxide-based explosives can be easily “home-made” using inexpensive, readily available starting materials which can be purchased in most hardware and paint stores, even in bulk quantities.
A new patented peroxide explosive tester - ACRO-P.E.T., developed by Acro, Inc.(www.acrosec.com). The innovative pen-like tester is able to identify peroxide based explosives, such as Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP), which may appear in a variety of shapes and forms, including liquid explosives. Peroxide-based explosives are almost impossible to identify since they don't contain nitro groups and are colorless.
ACRO-P.E.T has been designed for rapid, on-site detection of peroxide-based explosives using three chemical solutions, through direct contact with the suspicious substance. Its main advantages are high sensitivity, high selectivity, fast response, simple operation, small size and cost effectiveness. For example, ACRO-P.E.T can detect less than 50 micrograms (0.00005 gram) of TATP.
ACRO-P.E.T. is based on an invention of Professor Ehud Keinan of the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. Prof. Keinan is the former Dean of the Technion's Faculty of Chemistry. He is a member of Acro's board of directors and the company's chief scientific advisor. Prof. Keinan is one of the world’s foremost experts in the science of improvised explosives, winner of the Technion award for security science and technology, and consultant to many US and European government agencies in the area of improvised explosives.
Acro’s Advisory Board includes General (ret.) Ehud Barak, former IDF Chief of Staff and former Prime Minister of Israel, Prof. K. Barry Sharpless, winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, and Prof. Richard A. Lerner, President and CEO of The Scripps Research Institute, which is considered one of the most influential scientific institutes worldwide.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
A new patented peroxide explosive tester - ACRO-P.E.T., developed by Acro, Inc.(www.acrosec.com). The innovative pen-like tester is able to identify peroxide based explosives, such as Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP), which may appear in a variety of shapes and forms, including liquid explosives. Peroxide-based explosives are almost impossible to identify since they don't contain nitro groups and are colorless.
ACRO-P.E.T has been designed for rapid, on-site detection of peroxide-based explosives using three chemical solutions, through direct contact with the suspicious substance. Its main advantages are high sensitivity, high selectivity, fast response, simple operation, small size and cost effectiveness. For example, ACRO-P.E.T can detect less than 50 micrograms (0.00005 gram) of TATP.
ACRO-P.E.T. is based on an invention of Professor Ehud Keinan of the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. Prof. Keinan is the former Dean of the Technion's Faculty of Chemistry. He is a member of Acro's board of directors and the company's chief scientific advisor. Prof. Keinan is one of the world’s foremost experts in the science of improvised explosives, winner of the Technion award for security science and technology, and consultant to many US and European government agencies in the area of improvised explosives.
Acro’s Advisory Board includes General (ret.) Ehud Barak, former IDF Chief of Staff and former Prime Minister of Israel, Prof. K. Barry Sharpless, winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, and Prof. Richard A. Lerner, President and CEO of The Scripps Research Institute, which is considered one of the most influential scientific institutes worldwide.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Atlanta, Seattle and Tucson
Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. Police-Writers.com added police officers who have written books from Atlanta, Seattle and Tucson.
Marc Harrold is a cum laude graduate of the University of Mississippi, School of Law where he received his J.D. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Clemson University. Prior to law school, Marc Harrold served the Atlanta Police Department as both a patrol officer and on a narcotics task force. He is currently a part-time police officer with the Oxford Police Department (Mississippi). Marc Harrold “has been published numerous times in law reviews, bar journals magazines and newspapers primarily in the areas of constitutional law, civil rights, First Amendment, identity theft, technology issues and immigration, asylum and refugee litigation.
Marc Harrold is the author of Observations of White Noise: An 'Acid Test' for the First Amendment and 5 Days Out: The Industrial Poetry of Delta Don McKabe. He is also the co-author of Mississippi Criminal Trial Practice (with Ronald J. Rychlak). According to the book description of 5 Days Out: The Industrial Poetry of Delta Don McKabe, “5 Days Out is the fictional, yet reflective, poetic journey recorded by "Delta" Don McKabe during his last days as a death row inmate inside Louisiana's famous Angola State Penitentiary. Hailed as an innovator in what has been tagged "industrial poetry," McKabe's verse speaks of the love, loss, fear and anger of a turbulent life while at the same time revealing an ironic glimmer of hope in the words of a condemned man.”
Steve Pomper has been a Seattle Police Department police officer since 1992. His assignments have included: Patrol, Community Police Team, and he served as a Field Training Officer for six years. Steve Pomper is the author of Is There a Problem, Officer? A Cop’s Inside Scoop on Avoiding Traffic Tickets. According to Steve Pomper, “It’s sad when drivers try to whine their way out of tickets they deserve, but it’s tragic when drivers talk officers into writing tickets they initially intended as warnings.” According to the book description, the reader will learn “when pulled over, it's not time to debate or argue; don’t mistake officer safety for officer rudeness; don’t take being stopped personally. It’s not about who you are; it’s about what you did; and, the phrases, and actions, that almost guarantee you'll get a ticket.”
Thornton Edwards is medically retired from the Tucson Police Department after 20 years of service. According to the book description of his book, Dancing with Ice, “What's it like to shoot someone, and then watch him die? Michael Callahan was about to find out. He was a street cop who always knew how to handle a situation. Why was this time different? His profession became his mistress and this destroyed his marriage. His world started to crumble, but the worst was yet to come. He was about to become a victim of the streets he protected. Michael Callahan had to face what he feared most: losing his health and his control. Based on a true story, this novel brings to life the trauma of an everyday hero.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 570 police officers (representing 238 police departments) and their 1205 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.
Marc Harrold is a cum laude graduate of the University of Mississippi, School of Law where he received his J.D. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Clemson University. Prior to law school, Marc Harrold served the Atlanta Police Department as both a patrol officer and on a narcotics task force. He is currently a part-time police officer with the Oxford Police Department (Mississippi). Marc Harrold “has been published numerous times in law reviews, bar journals magazines and newspapers primarily in the areas of constitutional law, civil rights, First Amendment, identity theft, technology issues and immigration, asylum and refugee litigation.
Marc Harrold is the author of Observations of White Noise: An 'Acid Test' for the First Amendment and 5 Days Out: The Industrial Poetry of Delta Don McKabe. He is also the co-author of Mississippi Criminal Trial Practice (with Ronald J. Rychlak). According to the book description of 5 Days Out: The Industrial Poetry of Delta Don McKabe, “5 Days Out is the fictional, yet reflective, poetic journey recorded by "Delta" Don McKabe during his last days as a death row inmate inside Louisiana's famous Angola State Penitentiary. Hailed as an innovator in what has been tagged "industrial poetry," McKabe's verse speaks of the love, loss, fear and anger of a turbulent life while at the same time revealing an ironic glimmer of hope in the words of a condemned man.”
Steve Pomper has been a Seattle Police Department police officer since 1992. His assignments have included: Patrol, Community Police Team, and he served as a Field Training Officer for six years. Steve Pomper is the author of Is There a Problem, Officer? A Cop’s Inside Scoop on Avoiding Traffic Tickets. According to Steve Pomper, “It’s sad when drivers try to whine their way out of tickets they deserve, but it’s tragic when drivers talk officers into writing tickets they initially intended as warnings.” According to the book description, the reader will learn “when pulled over, it's not time to debate or argue; don’t mistake officer safety for officer rudeness; don’t take being stopped personally. It’s not about who you are; it’s about what you did; and, the phrases, and actions, that almost guarantee you'll get a ticket.”
Thornton Edwards is medically retired from the Tucson Police Department after 20 years of service. According to the book description of his book, Dancing with Ice, “What's it like to shoot someone, and then watch him die? Michael Callahan was about to find out. He was a street cop who always knew how to handle a situation. Why was this time different? His profession became his mistress and this destroyed his marriage. His world started to crumble, but the worst was yet to come. He was about to become a victim of the streets he protected. Michael Callahan had to face what he feared most: losing his health and his control. Based on a true story, this novel brings to life the trauma of an everyday hero.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 570 police officers (representing 238 police departments) and their 1205 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.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
22 Months Undercover
Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. Michael Egbert of the Houston Police Department is the 564th state or local police officer to be added to the website.
Michael Egbert first experienced law enforcement during his enlistment with the United States Navy. In the Navy, he was temporarily assigned to the Armed Forces Police detachment on Guam. His short assignment in the Navy changed the career course of his life. After his discharge, Michael Egbert joined the Arapahoe County Sheriff Department as a jailer in 1973 and quickly transferred to patrol. He attended the state police training academy in Golden, Colorado and achieving certification in November 1974.
His law enforcement career accelerated when he was hand picked to join the Special Crime Attack Team then promoted to the rank of Sergeant in December 1977. Michael furthered his career by joining the Houston Police Department in April 1981 and obtaining Texas State certification and currently holds the highest certification, that of Master Peace Officer.
For a short while, Michael Egbert was assigned to the Houston Police Department Helicopter Patrol where he gained more than 700 hours of flight time as an observer in 1985. Michael received media attention for an assignment he worked from 1989 through 1991 where he was credited with over 4000 arrests during that two-year period. In 1997 Michael represented the Houston Police Department as a member of the International Police Task Force in Bosnia.
Michael Egbert is the co-author of S.C.A.T. According to the book description, “Michael Egbert spent 22 months with an undercover unit somewhere in Colorado where he dealt with an unbelievable array of career criminals. From spending the night in jail with a murderer to posing as an infamous underworld figure, Michael Egbert has a story to tell, a story that will keep you turning the pages, and wanting to read more. This book will give you a whole new appreciation for the brave men and women who protect and serve.”
One reader of S.C.A.T. remarked, “This was the first book I had ever read about law enforcement. I was hooked from the first chapter by its sensitivity. The stories showed brave men and women doing dangerous jobs while remaining sensitive to the victims. I laughed at times and bit my nails at other times anticipating what might happen next. I did not want the book to end and will be anxious to read Michaels next book. I sure hope there will be another one.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 564 police officers (representing 235 police departments) and their 1184 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.
Michael Egbert first experienced law enforcement during his enlistment with the United States Navy. In the Navy, he was temporarily assigned to the Armed Forces Police detachment on Guam. His short assignment in the Navy changed the career course of his life. After his discharge, Michael Egbert joined the Arapahoe County Sheriff Department as a jailer in 1973 and quickly transferred to patrol. He attended the state police training academy in Golden, Colorado and achieving certification in November 1974.
His law enforcement career accelerated when he was hand picked to join the Special Crime Attack Team then promoted to the rank of Sergeant in December 1977. Michael furthered his career by joining the Houston Police Department in April 1981 and obtaining Texas State certification and currently holds the highest certification, that of Master Peace Officer.
For a short while, Michael Egbert was assigned to the Houston Police Department Helicopter Patrol where he gained more than 700 hours of flight time as an observer in 1985. Michael received media attention for an assignment he worked from 1989 through 1991 where he was credited with over 4000 arrests during that two-year period. In 1997 Michael represented the Houston Police Department as a member of the International Police Task Force in Bosnia.
Michael Egbert is the co-author of S.C.A.T. According to the book description, “Michael Egbert spent 22 months with an undercover unit somewhere in Colorado where he dealt with an unbelievable array of career criminals. From spending the night in jail with a murderer to posing as an infamous underworld figure, Michael Egbert has a story to tell, a story that will keep you turning the pages, and wanting to read more. This book will give you a whole new appreciation for the brave men and women who protect and serve.”
One reader of S.C.A.T. remarked, “This was the first book I had ever read about law enforcement. I was hooked from the first chapter by its sensitivity. The stories showed brave men and women doing dangerous jobs while remaining sensitive to the victims. I laughed at times and bit my nails at other times anticipating what might happen next. I did not want the book to end and will be anxious to read Michaels next book. I sure hope there will be another one.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 564 police officers (representing 235 police departments) and their 1184 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, June 01, 2007
Online Criminology Degree
Editor’s Note: Hi Tech Criminal Justice was compensated for the review of the following website.
Online Criminology Degree is well constructed and easy to navigate website. The website is the criminology degree portal for Regis University’s School of Professional Studies. The first question you should ask when you land on any website offering to assist you with completing your college degree is about their accreditation. In essence, accreditation is the process whereby a third party examines a university’s academic program and determines it to be in compliance with the accrediting agencies requirements.
For the prospective student, accreditation is critical during your education and for your use of your degree. During your education, accreditation assures you that the school is focused on student performance, your ability to transfer credits to other schools and providing you access to the programs, financial aide and even scholarships. Perhaps just as important, if you plan to use your degree to help you land a job in the criminal justice field, or earn a promotion within the criminal justice field, you will find that many agencies only accept a certain type of accreditation – regional. As an example, the Illinois State Police, University of Texas System Police and the Michigan State Police require that the accrediting body of the college or university be from one of the six regional accrediting associations.
The Online Criminology Degree offered by Regis University is regionally accredited by the North Central Association. This means that your degree from them will meet or exceed job and promotional requirements. In essence, regional accreditation can be thought of as the gold standard for your education.
The most common question students ask is about the value of an online degree. They want to know if their future employer will look as an online education being somehow second class. Once you complete your degree, neither your diploma nor transcripts are stamped “online.” Generally, there is no way to tell if you attended Regis University via their Online Criminology Degree or attended at one of their “brick and mortar” campuses. Simply put, the mode of educational delivery is not nearly as important as the quality of the education.
The only caveat with online degrees concerns employer reimbursement. Some government agencies offer tuition reimbursement as a job benefit. There are well over 17,000 state and local police departments in the United States and probably just as many different tuition reimbursement schemes. Some pay none, some pay all. However, there are a few agencies that require students at least meet periodically, face-to-face with an instructor.
While some employers may restrict how you are reimbursed, programs like the Online Criminology Degree at Regis University’s School of Professional Studies are fully capable of using traditional government financial aide and military education benefits. Indeed, the Online Criminology Degree webpage has hyperlinks that allow you to explore some the different ways of paying for your college education.
There’s one thing for certain, a college degree will open doors to jobs, assignments and promotions that are closed to you. And, it will open doors you don’t even know exist. Click to explore the Online Criminology Degree at Regis University.
Online Criminology Degree is well constructed and easy to navigate website. The website is the criminology degree portal for Regis University’s School of Professional Studies. The first question you should ask when you land on any website offering to assist you with completing your college degree is about their accreditation. In essence, accreditation is the process whereby a third party examines a university’s academic program and determines it to be in compliance with the accrediting agencies requirements.
For the prospective student, accreditation is critical during your education and for your use of your degree. During your education, accreditation assures you that the school is focused on student performance, your ability to transfer credits to other schools and providing you access to the programs, financial aide and even scholarships. Perhaps just as important, if you plan to use your degree to help you land a job in the criminal justice field, or earn a promotion within the criminal justice field, you will find that many agencies only accept a certain type of accreditation – regional. As an example, the Illinois State Police, University of Texas System Police and the Michigan State Police require that the accrediting body of the college or university be from one of the six regional accrediting associations.
The Online Criminology Degree offered by Regis University is regionally accredited by the North Central Association. This means that your degree from them will meet or exceed job and promotional requirements. In essence, regional accreditation can be thought of as the gold standard for your education.
The most common question students ask is about the value of an online degree. They want to know if their future employer will look as an online education being somehow second class. Once you complete your degree, neither your diploma nor transcripts are stamped “online.” Generally, there is no way to tell if you attended Regis University via their Online Criminology Degree or attended at one of their “brick and mortar” campuses. Simply put, the mode of educational delivery is not nearly as important as the quality of the education.
The only caveat with online degrees concerns employer reimbursement. Some government agencies offer tuition reimbursement as a job benefit. There are well over 17,000 state and local police departments in the United States and probably just as many different tuition reimbursement schemes. Some pay none, some pay all. However, there are a few agencies that require students at least meet periodically, face-to-face with an instructor.
While some employers may restrict how you are reimbursed, programs like the Online Criminology Degree at Regis University’s School of Professional Studies are fully capable of using traditional government financial aide and military education benefits. Indeed, the Online Criminology Degree webpage has hyperlinks that allow you to explore some the different ways of paying for your college education.
There’s one thing for certain, a college degree will open doors to jobs, assignments and promotions that are closed to you. And, it will open doors you don’t even know exist. Click to explore the Online Criminology Degree at Regis University.
Humanity Behind the Badge
Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. Dee Dee Serpas’, Kenner Police Department (retired), first novel hit the bookshelves in May.
Following in the footsteps of her great-grandfather, Sheriff Paul Berthelot, Sheriff of St. John the Baptist Parish, and that of her father, who was president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. Two in the late 1950s, Dee Dee Serpas became a Police Officer. First with the East Jefferson Levee Board Police, she also joined the Kenner Police Department and was the only female to graduate from the academy that year. Later, she joined the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office as a street cop. This makes her the only known female in Louisiana to have held three peace officer commissions by the age of 21.
Dee Dee Serpas' new book, Behind the Badge in Atchafalaya Swamp: Welcome to the Atchafalaya Swamp Police Department, tells a moving story of the human beings behind the badge. Drawing strongly from her personal experiences, Dee Dee explores love and loss in the Bayous of Louisiana. In the unique environment of Louisiana cities, towns, bayous and swamps, her characters serve the community in front of the badge, but behind the badge they live, love and mourn.
Dee Dee Serpas is a regular contributor to Police-Writers.com. In addition to obtaining more information about her book, you can read her articles at www.police-writers.com/dee_dee_serpas.html.
Police-Writers.com now hosts 560 police officers (representing 234 police departments) and their 1179 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.
Following in the footsteps of her great-grandfather, Sheriff Paul Berthelot, Sheriff of St. John the Baptist Parish, and that of her father, who was president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. Two in the late 1950s, Dee Dee Serpas became a Police Officer. First with the East Jefferson Levee Board Police, she also joined the Kenner Police Department and was the only female to graduate from the academy that year. Later, she joined the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office as a street cop. This makes her the only known female in Louisiana to have held three peace officer commissions by the age of 21.
Dee Dee Serpas' new book, Behind the Badge in Atchafalaya Swamp: Welcome to the Atchafalaya Swamp Police Department, tells a moving story of the human beings behind the badge. Drawing strongly from her personal experiences, Dee Dee explores love and loss in the Bayous of Louisiana. In the unique environment of Louisiana cities, towns, bayous and swamps, her characters serve the community in front of the badge, but behind the badge they live, love and mourn.
Dee Dee Serpas is a regular contributor to Police-Writers.com. In addition to obtaining more information about her book, you can read her articles at www.police-writers.com/dee_dee_serpas.html.
Police-Writers.com now hosts 560 police officers (representing 234 police departments) and their 1179 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.
Law Enforcement Technology News Summaries
NLECTC Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary
Thursday, May 31, 2007
"Gov. Wants State to Track Gangs"
Los Angeles Times (05/26/07) P. B1; Halper, Evan
California could continue to experiment with using ankle bracelet technology to monitor the movements of gang members under a $48 million proposal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Welcomed by some law enforcement groups, the plan calls for the state to expand a pilot program in San Bernardino that uses ankle devices for violent parolees to Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Fresno. "The worst of the worst will get [global positioning] bracelets so we know exactly where they are and what they are doing," said Schwarzenegger. The goal is to monitor violent gang parolees similar to the way in which the state tracks high-risk sex offenders, in that they would be outfitted with an ankle bracelet and a statewide database for following their movements would be created. However, the proposal is expensive, considering the anklets, which feature an antenna, cost more than $3,000 per year, and thousands of dollars more would have to be spent on parole agents. San Bernardino has been using 20 ankle bracelets to track 50 gang members since last March. The devices have led the police to the scene of crimes such as a carjacking, drug trafficking, and shots fired at police officers, as well as to a suspect in a murder.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/
cal/la-me-gangs26may26,1,7907168.story
"Text Messages Help Law Enforcement"
News 10 Now (NY) (05/28/07); Des Rosiers, Joleene
Law enforcement officials are using text messages to prosecute criminals. Syracuse Lieutenant Joe Cecile says criminals often text people they victimized after they have committed a crime as a form of harassment. "The suspect wants someone to know. He does it almost in a way of bragging," Cecile says. He adds that attempts to erase sent messages are futile because the cell phone's memory chip records everything. "Whether they've erased it or not, they stay in that phone until the memory itself is taken out of it," Cecile says. http://www.news10now.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=106896
"VPD: Virtual Police Department"
Canada.com (05/29/07); Eustace, Chantal
The Vancouver Police Department will host a recruitment seminar on Thursday inside the Second Life virtual reality world. The most popular online metaverse is home to more than 6.7 million people who live, work, play, and learn inside the virtual reality world, and the VPD views the initiative as an opportunity to find real-life people who are tech-savvy. "As we move into the future, we're going to need people who understand technology--that are conversant with it, that understand the impact of it and understand how to use it," says Insp. Kevin McQuiggin, head of VPD's tech crimes division. The Great Northern Way Campus has assisted VPD on the virtual recruitment seminar, opening the doors of its virtual campus, training officers, and outsourcing avatars to create the VPD cyber uniforms. VPD officers will have their own personas in Second Life; a specially designed uniform, badge, belt, and radio; and will operate in the customs and commands of the virtual world. Second Life will give VPD an opportunity to meet people with technology skills as far away as England and Germany. VPD needs tech-savvy officers because technology has a hand in every major crime today, notes McQuiggin. "It's important for us, as an organization, to keep abreast of modern technology--both from an educational standpoint and an outreach standpoint, and from an investigative standpoint," he says.
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=
0c37d98d-c54f-44d3-9e72-0c19cf828565
"High-Tech Scanning"
Biloxi Sun Herald (MS) (05/25/07) P. A2; Fitzgerald, Robin
Gulfport is the initial law-enforcement group in Mississippi to test the Mobile Plate Hunter 900. The license-plate scanner connects cameras on police vehicles and laptop computers to a nationwide crime database. The system includes a pair of digital cameras connected to the top of a police cruiser. They scan license plates on vehicles that are both parked and in motion, employing infrared technology to see images at night. Equipment inside the police vehicle constantly scans license plates and checks them against a nationwide database of over 300,000 stolen cars and additional information. After the device goes off, the officer radios a dispatcher to confirm the data prior to pulling the vehicle over. Gulfport Police Chief Alan Weatherford stated that the scanner will save time and manpower. It costs around $20,000 to equip a patrol car with the scanner. http://www.sunherald.com/201/story/61783.html
"Cops Target Unsafe Drivers on Parkway"
Home News Tribune (05/29/07); Sahn, Michelle
In a bid to lower traffic accidents, New Jersey state troopers have stepped up their surveillance of reckless drivers along the Garden State Parkway. Over the next few weeks, state troopers stationed at certain exit and entrance ramp toll booths on the Parkway will be monitoring drivers that do not observe the speed limit, drive too closely to cars in front of them, or fail to wear their seatbelts. Drivers caught will be mailed a letter informing them of the infraction and of the risk their driving habits pose to themselves and fellow motorists. Law enforcement officials hope the campaign, conducted in partnership with the New Jersey Institute of Technology, will pinpoint driving behavior that causes fatal accidents. Troopers will use portable and existing cameras at select locations along the Parkway to spot aggressive drivers, tailgaters, and motorists without their seat belts. They hope the cameras will record hot spots so additional patrols can be dispatched. http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/
20070529/NEWS01/705290402/1001
"Getting Under the Skin of Drunk Drivers"
Buffalo News (05/24/07) P. A1; Watson, Stephen T.
Electronic monitoring devices that are worn on the ankle will soon be given to chronic drunk driving violators in Erie and Niagara counties in New York as part of a new DWI Court. Violators who participate in the court's program must wear the ankle bracelet called SCRAM (Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring Systems), stop consuming alcohol, and meet with counselors and probation officers. The devices are able to gauge how much alcohol a person has consumed by assessing the skin, and law officials say they can record tampering attempts and consumption of alcohol. Anyone apprehended for drinking will be brought in for questioning, and violations could mean the offender is removed from the program and sent back to prison. "If we can stop them from drinking, then half of the drinking-and-driving issue is taken away," said Jeffrey D. Smith, principal court analyst for the 8th Judicial District. A grant of $320,000 in federal funds will pay for 60 monitoring devices as well as the operation of the new court; the maker of the devices, Alcohol Monitoring Systems will also collect a daily $4 fee from the DWI Court which will eventually be paid by offenders. Judges are expected to make the devices mandatory in mid-June.
http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/82863.html?imw=Y
"Man Subdued by Police Taser Dies"
Los Angeles Times (05/26/07) P. B3; Griggs, Gregory W.
The Simi Valley, Calif., police department does not believe a Taser is responsible for the death of a man who was shocked with a stun gun on May 15, 2007. "At this point, we don't believe there was any direct connection to its use," says Lt. Roy Jones. The police department continues to investigate the cause of death for Raymundo Guerrero Garcia, 31, and it may take four months for the results of toxicology tests to become available. Garcia died at a local hospital last week, several days after driving erratically in a neighborhood and drawing a low-speed chase that ended with a confrontation with the police. An officer is said to have shot Garcia, who refused to leave his Ford pickup and attempted to ram a patrol vehicle, with the Taser, which uses compressed nitrogen to launch two darts into the body. The gun can deliver a 50,000-volt shock in five-second intervals. The police department acquired the Tasers last August, and says they have been used in 16 arrests but have led to no permanent damage or injury so far. Taser International of Scottsdale, Ariz., also defended the stun gun, with representative Steve Tuttle saying, "When used properly, medical and law enforcement experts have concluded that Taser technology is among the most effective use-of-force interventions available to law enforcement officers to halt violent situations that pose a safety risk to an officer, suspect or innocent citizens."
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/state/la-me-taser26may26,1,25469.
story?coll=la-news-state&ctrack=2&cset=true
"Law Enforcement Officials Camp Out at UC Campus"
Charleston Daily Mail (WV) (05/23/07); Snyder, Karen
Law enforcement officials staged a vigil at the University of Charleston campus to raise awareness about efficient communication during an emergency. The Rural Law Enforcement Technology Center provided officers with the latest laser weapons and enabled them to participate in a mock-conflict with a "shooter." In light of the recent Virginia Tech tragedy, such simulated scenarios are critical in the time of a potential crisis. The center's Rod Maggard cited communication as the primary dilemma facing emergencies that occur in rural areas. Campus police were accompanied by state and federal officers that participated in discussions on combating potential terror attacks and other university crises, and measures for implementing the most effective communication strategies between local and state agencies during such emergencies.
http://www.dailymail.com/story/News/2007052322/
Law-enforcement-officials-camp-out-at-UC-campus/
"Law Enforcement Simulator Makes Stop at UC"
Charleston Gazette (WV) (05/23/07) P. P1C; Davison, James I.
On May 22, a simulation trailer stopped at the University of Charleston in West Virginia as part of a campus security conference between the school's police officers and law enforcement members from throughout the state. The conference's primary objective was to establish a permanent communication protocol between university police agencies and area county and federal law enforcement, stated university chief of security Jack Rinchich. Following the conference, officers got to test the simulator, which can fire pellets back at the shooter if they make an error. Known as the Mobile Decision Shooting Van, the program has over 200 scenarios, including a campus-shooting event. Rural Law Enforcement Technology Center representatives go around the United States to provide the innovative training opportunity to law enforcement, some of whom have not practiced with a target that is in motion. Center director Rod Maggard noted that the program determines an officer's weaknesses by putting them in realistic scenarios to find out how they act. University of Charleston safety officer Ron Mercer tried out the simulator, and stated that the program is superior to typical training forms such as stationary targets, because it helps prepare reflexes if one must shoot a suspect. http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/2007052214
"Sacramento Firm Hopes Its Vehicle Recovery System Will Take Flight"
Sacramento Business Journal (05/18/07); Turner, Melanie
In addition to making tracking devices for bikes and laptop computers, Sacramento, Calif.-based Pegasus Technologies makes a stolen-vehicle recovery system called VectorTrac. Pegasus sells the system, which costs between $20,000 and $150,000, to private security companies in Pakistan, the West Indies, Nigeria, Haiti, Kenya, and the island nation of Curacao. However, the device is not available in the United States because Pegasus has not been able to get FCC certification for its transmitter. According to Jason Cecchettini, Pegasus' sole employee, VectorTrac's signal does not transmit at a fast enough rate for the FCC. The FCC has set aside a radio frequency specifically for companies such as LoJack to track stolen vehicles. Though Pegasus could design a system that is similar to LoJack's, it would risk patent infringement if it did so, Cecchettini said. Instead of going head-to-head with LoJack, Pegasus is focusing on other services, including one that allows customers to track their vehicle's location over the Internet. http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2007/05/21/story16.html
"Call Center Workers Welcome New Facility"
Arizona Republic (05/16/07) P. 5; Sowers, Carol
A new police communications center in Scottsdale, Ariz., is larger and handles emergency calls better. Until late April, 11 operators were squeezed into an 1,800-square-foot room in the Scottsdale police station at Via Linda Drive and 95th Street. The five monitors they employed to find the location of police cruisers, speak with officers, accept 911 and other calls, and search information were piled on top of one another. The new facility provides the staff with 6,500-square-feet in one building, with their monitors situated at eye level on top of a curved desk, which can be raised to permit staff to stand. The new facility can house 20 dispatchers a shift, and will be able to handle over 600,000 emergency and non-emergency calls annually. The communications center is the first in the Valley to use the Viper Phone System by Positron. Though the system is not Internet-based, it employs related technology that offers Internet phone service to the public, according to the police department's communications division director Tom Melton. http://www.arizonarepublic.com
"Site to Give Data on Sex Offenders"
Los Angeles Times (05/22/07) P. C2
The social networking Web site MySpace has agreed to submit information to eight state attorneys general regarding registered sex offenders who made online pages prior to being discovered and removed from the site. Authorities hope to obtain such data as offenders' names and any email messages sent by them to aid in searching for potential lawbreakers. Similar information is being requested from Facebook.com, another social networking site, said Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood. MySpace deleted approximately 7,000 online profile pages created by registered sex offenders after the company implemented a system from Sentinel Technologies that lets firms compare user information with offender lists. MySpace initially declined to provide the requested data due to legal restrictions, according to MySpace legal counsel Mike Angus; in some states, privacy laws allow firms to hand over information only after the issuance of a legal subpoena. The attorneys general have also requested that MySpace establish methods of verifying age or parents' consent, but this can be difficult due to the lack of records--such as a driver's license--that can verify children's age. Meanwhile, MySpace is developing a technology called Zephyr intended to let parents see if their child has set up an online profile, according to the firm's chief security officer Hemanshu Nigam. The technology may be soon be shared with other social networking sites. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-myspace22may22,1,2098397.story
"Verizon Business Wins Contract With New York City to Provide State-of-the-Art Emergency Communications Services"
PRNewswire (05/22/07)
Verizon Business has begun work on implementing a new Enhanced 911 system designed to provide New York City's police, fire, and emergency medical personnel with state-of-the-art technology to help them locate and communicate with 911 callers. Verizon Business will provide the new system under a seven-year contract valued at as much as $195 million. The agreement with the city has an option for two two-year extensions, including upgrades in network and equipment technology to ensure that the system remains state of the art. A key feature will enable New York City's Police Department (NYPD) and Fire Department (FDNY), and the FDNY's Emergency Medical Services division for the first time to share redundant, dual-dedicated switches to receive and process E-911 calls. "Building on our experience in providing mission-critical communications services, Verizon Business is committed to assisting the city in protecting and serving the residents and visitors of the Big Apple," said Alex Coleman, group president for Verizon Business' government and education organization. "Once the city migrates to the new system, New Yorkers will know that their call for help will be handled by one of the most sophisticated, resilient and reliable E-911 systems available today." Verizon Business is overseeing implementation of a turnkey, fully managed E-911 service for the city that includes a new fiber-optic network, dedicated switches, routers, Centrex voice services, and Ethernet Private Line data network services. Implementation of the first phase of the new E-911 system has begun and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. All operations are currently planned to be migrated to the new system in 2008. http://sev.prnewswire.com/computer-electronics/
20070522/NYTU05822052007-1.html
"New Computer Model Predicts Crowd Behavior"
Arizona State University (05/22/07)
Arizona State University assistant professor in the School of Geographical Sciences Paul M. Torrens is developing a computer model that will realistically simulate the reaction and behaviors of people in a crowd. The computer model could be used by city planners, shopping center developers, and public safety and health officials to simulate situations that would be impossible to create in a live experiment, such as the evacuation of a city or large building. Torrens' goal is to create a simulation program that accounts for the panicked and desperate state that people would feel under such situations. The current behavior modeling programs have not proven to have the veracity this model could have, according to Torrens. In Torrens' model, each simulated person will behave independently and have different characteristics, such as age, sex, size, health, and body language. The program will also account for crowd and environmental features such as group panic and safety levels. Torrens said the model will be used for realistic experiments exploring "what if" and unforeseen scenarios that could affect cities. Additionally, the model can be used to explore sustainability in downtown settings, such as how can a city promote walking instead of driving and how pedestrian flow can fit better with city traffic. The spread of a pathogen through a city could also be simulated. The completed prototype model collects data from each element in the simulation every 60th of a second. Torrens' research is funded by a $400,000, five-year National Science Foundation CAREER Award. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070521094519.htm
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
"Gov. Wants State to Track Gangs"
Los Angeles Times (05/26/07) P. B1; Halper, Evan
California could continue to experiment with using ankle bracelet technology to monitor the movements of gang members under a $48 million proposal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Welcomed by some law enforcement groups, the plan calls for the state to expand a pilot program in San Bernardino that uses ankle devices for violent parolees to Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Fresno. "The worst of the worst will get [global positioning] bracelets so we know exactly where they are and what they are doing," said Schwarzenegger. The goal is to monitor violent gang parolees similar to the way in which the state tracks high-risk sex offenders, in that they would be outfitted with an ankle bracelet and a statewide database for following their movements would be created. However, the proposal is expensive, considering the anklets, which feature an antenna, cost more than $3,000 per year, and thousands of dollars more would have to be spent on parole agents. San Bernardino has been using 20 ankle bracelets to track 50 gang members since last March. The devices have led the police to the scene of crimes such as a carjacking, drug trafficking, and shots fired at police officers, as well as to a suspect in a murder.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/
cal/la-me-gangs26may26,1,7907168.story
"Text Messages Help Law Enforcement"
News 10 Now (NY) (05/28/07); Des Rosiers, Joleene
Law enforcement officials are using text messages to prosecute criminals. Syracuse Lieutenant Joe Cecile says criminals often text people they victimized after they have committed a crime as a form of harassment. "The suspect wants someone to know. He does it almost in a way of bragging," Cecile says. He adds that attempts to erase sent messages are futile because the cell phone's memory chip records everything. "Whether they've erased it or not, they stay in that phone until the memory itself is taken out of it," Cecile says. http://www.news10now.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=106896
"VPD: Virtual Police Department"
Canada.com (05/29/07); Eustace, Chantal
The Vancouver Police Department will host a recruitment seminar on Thursday inside the Second Life virtual reality world. The most popular online metaverse is home to more than 6.7 million people who live, work, play, and learn inside the virtual reality world, and the VPD views the initiative as an opportunity to find real-life people who are tech-savvy. "As we move into the future, we're going to need people who understand technology--that are conversant with it, that understand the impact of it and understand how to use it," says Insp. Kevin McQuiggin, head of VPD's tech crimes division. The Great Northern Way Campus has assisted VPD on the virtual recruitment seminar, opening the doors of its virtual campus, training officers, and outsourcing avatars to create the VPD cyber uniforms. VPD officers will have their own personas in Second Life; a specially designed uniform, badge, belt, and radio; and will operate in the customs and commands of the virtual world. Second Life will give VPD an opportunity to meet people with technology skills as far away as England and Germany. VPD needs tech-savvy officers because technology has a hand in every major crime today, notes McQuiggin. "It's important for us, as an organization, to keep abreast of modern technology--both from an educational standpoint and an outreach standpoint, and from an investigative standpoint," he says.
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=
0c37d98d-c54f-44d3-9e72-0c19cf828565
"High-Tech Scanning"
Biloxi Sun Herald (MS) (05/25/07) P. A2; Fitzgerald, Robin
Gulfport is the initial law-enforcement group in Mississippi to test the Mobile Plate Hunter 900. The license-plate scanner connects cameras on police vehicles and laptop computers to a nationwide crime database. The system includes a pair of digital cameras connected to the top of a police cruiser. They scan license plates on vehicles that are both parked and in motion, employing infrared technology to see images at night. Equipment inside the police vehicle constantly scans license plates and checks them against a nationwide database of over 300,000 stolen cars and additional information. After the device goes off, the officer radios a dispatcher to confirm the data prior to pulling the vehicle over. Gulfport Police Chief Alan Weatherford stated that the scanner will save time and manpower. It costs around $20,000 to equip a patrol car with the scanner. http://www.sunherald.com/201/story/61783.html
"Cops Target Unsafe Drivers on Parkway"
Home News Tribune (05/29/07); Sahn, Michelle
In a bid to lower traffic accidents, New Jersey state troopers have stepped up their surveillance of reckless drivers along the Garden State Parkway. Over the next few weeks, state troopers stationed at certain exit and entrance ramp toll booths on the Parkway will be monitoring drivers that do not observe the speed limit, drive too closely to cars in front of them, or fail to wear their seatbelts. Drivers caught will be mailed a letter informing them of the infraction and of the risk their driving habits pose to themselves and fellow motorists. Law enforcement officials hope the campaign, conducted in partnership with the New Jersey Institute of Technology, will pinpoint driving behavior that causes fatal accidents. Troopers will use portable and existing cameras at select locations along the Parkway to spot aggressive drivers, tailgaters, and motorists without their seat belts. They hope the cameras will record hot spots so additional patrols can be dispatched. http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/
20070529/NEWS01/705290402/1001
"Getting Under the Skin of Drunk Drivers"
Buffalo News (05/24/07) P. A1; Watson, Stephen T.
Electronic monitoring devices that are worn on the ankle will soon be given to chronic drunk driving violators in Erie and Niagara counties in New York as part of a new DWI Court. Violators who participate in the court's program must wear the ankle bracelet called SCRAM (Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring Systems), stop consuming alcohol, and meet with counselors and probation officers. The devices are able to gauge how much alcohol a person has consumed by assessing the skin, and law officials say they can record tampering attempts and consumption of alcohol. Anyone apprehended for drinking will be brought in for questioning, and violations could mean the offender is removed from the program and sent back to prison. "If we can stop them from drinking, then half of the drinking-and-driving issue is taken away," said Jeffrey D. Smith, principal court analyst for the 8th Judicial District. A grant of $320,000 in federal funds will pay for 60 monitoring devices as well as the operation of the new court; the maker of the devices, Alcohol Monitoring Systems will also collect a daily $4 fee from the DWI Court which will eventually be paid by offenders. Judges are expected to make the devices mandatory in mid-June.
http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/82863.html?imw=Y
"Man Subdued by Police Taser Dies"
Los Angeles Times (05/26/07) P. B3; Griggs, Gregory W.
The Simi Valley, Calif., police department does not believe a Taser is responsible for the death of a man who was shocked with a stun gun on May 15, 2007. "At this point, we don't believe there was any direct connection to its use," says Lt. Roy Jones. The police department continues to investigate the cause of death for Raymundo Guerrero Garcia, 31, and it may take four months for the results of toxicology tests to become available. Garcia died at a local hospital last week, several days after driving erratically in a neighborhood and drawing a low-speed chase that ended with a confrontation with the police. An officer is said to have shot Garcia, who refused to leave his Ford pickup and attempted to ram a patrol vehicle, with the Taser, which uses compressed nitrogen to launch two darts into the body. The gun can deliver a 50,000-volt shock in five-second intervals. The police department acquired the Tasers last August, and says they have been used in 16 arrests but have led to no permanent damage or injury so far. Taser International of Scottsdale, Ariz., also defended the stun gun, with representative Steve Tuttle saying, "When used properly, medical and law enforcement experts have concluded that Taser technology is among the most effective use-of-force interventions available to law enforcement officers to halt violent situations that pose a safety risk to an officer, suspect or innocent citizens."
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/state/la-me-taser26may26,1,25469.
story?coll=la-news-state&ctrack=2&cset=true
"Law Enforcement Officials Camp Out at UC Campus"
Charleston Daily Mail (WV) (05/23/07); Snyder, Karen
Law enforcement officials staged a vigil at the University of Charleston campus to raise awareness about efficient communication during an emergency. The Rural Law Enforcement Technology Center provided officers with the latest laser weapons and enabled them to participate in a mock-conflict with a "shooter." In light of the recent Virginia Tech tragedy, such simulated scenarios are critical in the time of a potential crisis. The center's Rod Maggard cited communication as the primary dilemma facing emergencies that occur in rural areas. Campus police were accompanied by state and federal officers that participated in discussions on combating potential terror attacks and other university crises, and measures for implementing the most effective communication strategies between local and state agencies during such emergencies.
http://www.dailymail.com/story/News/2007052322/
Law-enforcement-officials-camp-out-at-UC-campus/
"Law Enforcement Simulator Makes Stop at UC"
Charleston Gazette (WV) (05/23/07) P. P1C; Davison, James I.
On May 22, a simulation trailer stopped at the University of Charleston in West Virginia as part of a campus security conference between the school's police officers and law enforcement members from throughout the state. The conference's primary objective was to establish a permanent communication protocol between university police agencies and area county and federal law enforcement, stated university chief of security Jack Rinchich. Following the conference, officers got to test the simulator, which can fire pellets back at the shooter if they make an error. Known as the Mobile Decision Shooting Van, the program has over 200 scenarios, including a campus-shooting event. Rural Law Enforcement Technology Center representatives go around the United States to provide the innovative training opportunity to law enforcement, some of whom have not practiced with a target that is in motion. Center director Rod Maggard noted that the program determines an officer's weaknesses by putting them in realistic scenarios to find out how they act. University of Charleston safety officer Ron Mercer tried out the simulator, and stated that the program is superior to typical training forms such as stationary targets, because it helps prepare reflexes if one must shoot a suspect. http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/2007052214
"Sacramento Firm Hopes Its Vehicle Recovery System Will Take Flight"
Sacramento Business Journal (05/18/07); Turner, Melanie
In addition to making tracking devices for bikes and laptop computers, Sacramento, Calif.-based Pegasus Technologies makes a stolen-vehicle recovery system called VectorTrac. Pegasus sells the system, which costs between $20,000 and $150,000, to private security companies in Pakistan, the West Indies, Nigeria, Haiti, Kenya, and the island nation of Curacao. However, the device is not available in the United States because Pegasus has not been able to get FCC certification for its transmitter. According to Jason Cecchettini, Pegasus' sole employee, VectorTrac's signal does not transmit at a fast enough rate for the FCC. The FCC has set aside a radio frequency specifically for companies such as LoJack to track stolen vehicles. Though Pegasus could design a system that is similar to LoJack's, it would risk patent infringement if it did so, Cecchettini said. Instead of going head-to-head with LoJack, Pegasus is focusing on other services, including one that allows customers to track their vehicle's location over the Internet. http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2007/05/21/story16.html
"Call Center Workers Welcome New Facility"
Arizona Republic (05/16/07) P. 5; Sowers, Carol
A new police communications center in Scottsdale, Ariz., is larger and handles emergency calls better. Until late April, 11 operators were squeezed into an 1,800-square-foot room in the Scottsdale police station at Via Linda Drive and 95th Street. The five monitors they employed to find the location of police cruisers, speak with officers, accept 911 and other calls, and search information were piled on top of one another. The new facility provides the staff with 6,500-square-feet in one building, with their monitors situated at eye level on top of a curved desk, which can be raised to permit staff to stand. The new facility can house 20 dispatchers a shift, and will be able to handle over 600,000 emergency and non-emergency calls annually. The communications center is the first in the Valley to use the Viper Phone System by Positron. Though the system is not Internet-based, it employs related technology that offers Internet phone service to the public, according to the police department's communications division director Tom Melton. http://www.arizonarepublic.com
"Site to Give Data on Sex Offenders"
Los Angeles Times (05/22/07) P. C2
The social networking Web site MySpace has agreed to submit information to eight state attorneys general regarding registered sex offenders who made online pages prior to being discovered and removed from the site. Authorities hope to obtain such data as offenders' names and any email messages sent by them to aid in searching for potential lawbreakers. Similar information is being requested from Facebook.com, another social networking site, said Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood. MySpace deleted approximately 7,000 online profile pages created by registered sex offenders after the company implemented a system from Sentinel Technologies that lets firms compare user information with offender lists. MySpace initially declined to provide the requested data due to legal restrictions, according to MySpace legal counsel Mike Angus; in some states, privacy laws allow firms to hand over information only after the issuance of a legal subpoena. The attorneys general have also requested that MySpace establish methods of verifying age or parents' consent, but this can be difficult due to the lack of records--such as a driver's license--that can verify children's age. Meanwhile, MySpace is developing a technology called Zephyr intended to let parents see if their child has set up an online profile, according to the firm's chief security officer Hemanshu Nigam. The technology may be soon be shared with other social networking sites. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-myspace22may22,1,2098397.story
"Verizon Business Wins Contract With New York City to Provide State-of-the-Art Emergency Communications Services"
PRNewswire (05/22/07)
Verizon Business has begun work on implementing a new Enhanced 911 system designed to provide New York City's police, fire, and emergency medical personnel with state-of-the-art technology to help them locate and communicate with 911 callers. Verizon Business will provide the new system under a seven-year contract valued at as much as $195 million. The agreement with the city has an option for two two-year extensions, including upgrades in network and equipment technology to ensure that the system remains state of the art. A key feature will enable New York City's Police Department (NYPD) and Fire Department (FDNY), and the FDNY's Emergency Medical Services division for the first time to share redundant, dual-dedicated switches to receive and process E-911 calls. "Building on our experience in providing mission-critical communications services, Verizon Business is committed to assisting the city in protecting and serving the residents and visitors of the Big Apple," said Alex Coleman, group president for Verizon Business' government and education organization. "Once the city migrates to the new system, New Yorkers will know that their call for help will be handled by one of the most sophisticated, resilient and reliable E-911 systems available today." Verizon Business is overseeing implementation of a turnkey, fully managed E-911 service for the city that includes a new fiber-optic network, dedicated switches, routers, Centrex voice services, and Ethernet Private Line data network services. Implementation of the first phase of the new E-911 system has begun and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. All operations are currently planned to be migrated to the new system in 2008. http://sev.prnewswire.com/computer-electronics/
20070522/NYTU05822052007-1.html
"New Computer Model Predicts Crowd Behavior"
Arizona State University (05/22/07)
Arizona State University assistant professor in the School of Geographical Sciences Paul M. Torrens is developing a computer model that will realistically simulate the reaction and behaviors of people in a crowd. The computer model could be used by city planners, shopping center developers, and public safety and health officials to simulate situations that would be impossible to create in a live experiment, such as the evacuation of a city or large building. Torrens' goal is to create a simulation program that accounts for the panicked and desperate state that people would feel under such situations. The current behavior modeling programs have not proven to have the veracity this model could have, according to Torrens. In Torrens' model, each simulated person will behave independently and have different characteristics, such as age, sex, size, health, and body language. The program will also account for crowd and environmental features such as group panic and safety levels. Torrens said the model will be used for realistic experiments exploring "what if" and unforeseen scenarios that could affect cities. Additionally, the model can be used to explore sustainability in downtown settings, such as how can a city promote walking instead of driving and how pedestrian flow can fit better with city traffic. The spread of a pathogen through a city could also be simulated. The completed prototype model collects data from each element in the simulation every 60th of a second. Torrens' research is funded by a $400,000, five-year National Science Foundation CAREER Award. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070521094519.htm
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
NIJ Corrections Technology Institute
Dates: September 16 – 21, 2007
Location: Washington, D.C.
Application Deadline: July 13, 2007
Overview
NIJ's annual Technology Institute for Corrections is designed for corrections managers to learn about and discuss technology initiatives and issues affecting the corrections community.
Agenda
During the weeklong institute, attendees will receive information and assistance about existing and developing technologies, problem solving relating to technology implementation, and exchange technology lessons learned. Attendees also will participate in briefings and demonstrations at various locations in the metropolitan area, which may include agencies within the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center, and local corrections facilities.
Goals
Provide participants the opportunity for continual education on technologies applicable to corrections.
Provide participants the opportunity to meet and interact with other corrections professionals.
Provide NIJ the opportunity to improve and build on its technology development programs based on participant experience and comments.
Application
Attendance is limited to 25 mid-level managers from State and local corrections and community corrections agencies who are involved with technology and technology initiatives within their departments.
Applications may be obtained online by visiting www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/events/techinstitutes/corrections.htm or by contacting Laura Luhn at 800-248-2742 ext.5145 or lluhn@nlectc.org. An agency may submit one application for consideration. Former attendees from previous Institutes will not be considered. The application must be completely filled out for the applicant to be considered. All travel, lodging, and meal expenses for participants are paid by NIJ.
Send completed applications to:
Laura Luhn
Administrative Coordinator
NLECTC-National
2277 Research Blvd., MS-8J
Rockville, MD 20850
Fax: 301-519-5149
Deadline
The deadline for receiving applications is July 13, 2007. All applicants will receive notification by mail as to the decision regarding their application.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
