Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary Thursday, August 17, 2006

"System Helps Fight Crimes More Efficiently"
Contra Costa Times (CA) (08/13/06); Kazmi, Sophia

Law enforcement agencies in both Alameda and Contra Costa counties have created their own technology systems that allow officers to conduct database searches by inputting a suspect's name or a license plate number. Officers in Alameda County can search a number of databases in the county and those operated by other law enforcement agencies. Officials note that the technology enables officers to obtain information much faster by eliminating the need to contact other agencies and wait for results. Police officers can conduct the searches via laptops in their police cruisers. The technology uses a secure wireless connection to access databases, and costs roughly $10,000 to install in each police car. Contra Costa County began using its Automated Regional Information Exchange System in 2004. The system gives officers the same capabilities as their counterparts in Alameda County. The Department of Homeland Security paid a portion of the roughly $1.5 million cost of installing the system.
http://www.contracostatimes.com
/mld/cctimes/email/news/15265014.htm

"Jeannette Police Add Mobile Computers"
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (08/14/06); Paterra, Paul

The Jeannette Police Department in Pennsylvania recently obtained a mobile-data system that lets officers input, access, and swap information more rapidly and precisely. The technology was provided by In-Synch Systems, which focuses on data-sharing technologies for police. Officers on patrol previously had no access to the department's records system, according to Jeannette police Chief Jeff Stahl, but now they have access immediately at the scene. This will enable officers to spend less time on paperwork, suggested Mayor Michael Cafasso. Funds for the project came from a federal grant via the Office of the National Drug Control Policy's Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center, which is overseen by the U.S. Army. The grant covered software, five software licenses, a server, two work stations, and four hours of training for the majority of the department's 14 officers. Stahl chose to purchase three notebook computers for use in the police cars, adding that the cars have mounts to allow the computers to be "transferred from car to car, or they can be brought in the station and used." The computers will enable such things as looking up suspects' photos and past criminal record. "If we dealt with [someone], it's going to pop up with that person's picture and all the information," Stahl said.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com
/x/tribunereview/news/westmoreland/s_465992.html

"Future Technology May Sniff Out Dangerous Liquids in Bags"
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (08/11/06); Johnson, Mark

Research is being done on how to develop a new airport scanning device that can search luggage for dangerous liquids through the use of light beams and electrons. Passenger carry-on bags are still being checked with the same scanning tools that were used before the Sept. 11 attacks. The machines do not analyze the content of liquids inside the luggage. A 2004 National Academies report found that airports use an ion mobility spectrometer which lets security wipe luggage to check for residue, but the if the luggage has been cleaned, residue may not be easily detected. The equipment cannot screen a passenger's skin or clothes, "leaving a primary source of trace chemicals untouched," says the report. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is well aware of the threat posed by liquid explosives being carried on an airplane. Substances used in nail polish remover, an antiseptic, and glycerin used in soaps and beauty products may all be used to make explosives. The bureau has 94 explosives-sniffing dogs as well as an additional 63 dogs trained to detect 19,000 different explosive odors, along with 320 agents who are certified explosives specialists. Owen Cote at MIT's Security Studies Program says it may take several years to develop new airport scanning technology, which is well worth the wait. "You can literally interrogate luggage through the bags," says Cote. "But that's exotic, exotic stuff. They don't have it now. There are people working ferociously on this."
http://www.jsonline.com/story
/index.aspx?id=482183

"Officer Becomes Crash Reconstruction Specialist"
Telegraph (IL) (08/14/06); Ellis, Cynthia M.

Police officer Tom Kochan is the only certified crash reconstruction specialist in Wood River, Ill. Kochan obtained his certification from the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. William Webber, chief of the Wood River Police Department, noted that Kochan investigates crashes that result in fatalities or serious injury. Kochan completed coursework that emphasized mathematics and physics during his training as a crash reconstruction specialist, which also required him to finish four training programs provided by board-certified schools. Illinois is the sole state to launch an official program overseen by the Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. Kochan uses his training to determine how fast vehicles are traveling at point of impact and other factors important to investigating serious accident scenes. Kochan notes that his reconstruction reports can range from 20 to 200 pages.
http://www.zwire.com
/site/index.cfm?newsid
=17050449&BRD=1719&PAG=461&dept_id=25271&rfi=8

"City Rolls Out Virtual Images"
Contra Costa Times (CA) (08/11/06) P. F4; Snapp, Martin

Berkeley, Calif., is employing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to change complicated information into easily comprehendible images. A visit to the link at the city's Web site, http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/gis, presents a virtual image of a user's house that informs the user whether there is, for example, a creek beneath, as well as about permits, sewers, storm drains, and crime and traffic patterns in the area. A property can be accessed in multiple ways, including by address, owner of record, or simply by clicking on a map. Police and fire departments typically utilize GIS to decide where to spend their resources. For example, a single click calls up a map of car thefts in Berkeley. GIS enables access to three separate databases: crime, demographics, and licenses. Most of the city's GIS specialists are located throughout Berkeley's staff, including the new crime analyst at the police department. Although certain residents expressed concerns at a recent City Council meeting that GIS technology might result in privacy invasions, Pat DeTemple, Berkeley's GIS division managers, notes that the data is already public.
http://www.contracostatimes.com
/mld/cctimes/news/local/states/
california/alameda_county/oakland_berkeley/
15250482.htm?source=rss&channel=cctimes_
oakland_berkeley

"Police Post Surveillance Images on Internet"
Tennessean (08/13/06); Bottorff, Christian

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) in Tennessee has started using the Internet to post surveillance pictures of crime scenes in an effort to gather tips from the public. Citizens are asked to notify the police if they recognize anyone in the online pictures. Images are displayed in a slide-show fashion, and in the past have included scenes from parking lots where the suspects are leaving in getaway vehicles. East Precinct detective Matthew Filter says the online pictures can be especially helpful if suspects have no prior criminal records. The images are posted on MNPD's Web site under the heading of "Crimes in Progress." MNPD has stepped up its public awareness efforts in recent months to increase the number of visitors to the site, which has produced more than 16,000 hits since it was launched in November. The department's Amanda Sluss says MNPD intends to "keep up" with advances in technology as they emerge. "We felt this was a new and innovative way to place photos and surveillance images of criminal suspects in a public setting," she says.
http://www.ashlandcitytimes.com
/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060813
/NEWS03/608130367/1291/MTCN01

"Technology Exists to Flag Explosives, But It Carries Costs"
St. Paul Pioneer Press (08/11/06) P. 12A; McCutcheon, Chuck

Some security experts believe the airline industry should have already taken steps to counter the threat posed by liquids and other materials that can be used to make explosives. Charles Slepian of the Foreseeable Risk Analysis Center notes that examining the appearance of materials taken aboard airliners is inadequate for determining whether they are dangerous. Critics wants the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and other agencies to respond more quickly to the threat posed by unconventional explosives. The TSA has invested money in researching security measures that could identify explosives, but Michael Greenberger, director of the University of Maryland's Center for Health and Homeland Security, believes more action is needed to implement the technology. Slepian notes that HiEnergy Technologies has created a system that has reportedly correctly identified explosives a total of 100 percent of the time during trials conducted by the U.S. Navy. However, critics warn that the airline industry should not spend too much on screening technologies at the expense of funding other security measures. http://www.twincities.com
/mld/pioneerpress/15246660.htm

"Project Aims for a Wireless Omaha"
Omaha World-Herald (NE) (08/13/06); Sloan, Karen

The University of Nebraska at Omaha has teamed with the city to create a proposal and price estimate for bringing no-cost wireless Internet to sections of Omaha, Neb. The objective of the project, known as Wireless Omaha, is to provide the service to users in the city for free, according to the university's College of Information Science and Technology's associate dean, Hersham Ali. Wireless Internet permits individuals with equipped computers and laptops to go online without being linked to cable or phone lines. If Omaha proceeds with plans for wireless "hot spots," users would be allowed to get on the Internet both indoors and outside. Wireless Omaha is being created with financing from a National Science Foundation grant of $500,000 to the university. Part of that grant is financing the network of university students who are devising the plan. In addition, the grant will finance the equipment required to bring wireless to Elmwood Park, the initial region scheduled to get wireless.
http://www.omaha.com

"Officials Plan to Monitor Greenway"
Contra Costa Times (CA) (08/11/06) P. F4; Heisler, Steve

In El Cerrito, Calif., police and parks officials are hoping to select an appropriate operating system to enable the monitoring of the Ohlone Greenway through surveillance cameras. A $350,000 Safe Route to Transit grant made the project possible, and the project involves a 2.5-mile paved trail, said El Cerrito environmental analyst Melanie Mintz. She said the cameras are expected to deter crimes. Det. Donald Horgan noted that most crimes along Ohlone tend to occur near Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations. Mintz and Horgan will choose the optimal wireless system to allow the monitoring of the trail from both the El Cerrito police station and squad cards. The cost is estimated to be $400,000, and officials are now focusing on MESH technology that offers more coverage and bandwidth compared to Wi-Fi, said Horgan. The technology might also be expanded in the future to allow access to police data. Horgan added that it will be necessary to choose a system that is compatible with the Richmond, Calif., dispatch center, which handles dispatch services for El Cerrito.
http://www.contracostatimes.com
/mld/cctimes/news/local/states/california
/contra_costa_county/el_cerrito/15250437.htm

"Santa Fe Police Go High Tech"
Santa Fe New Mexican (08/11/06) P. C1; Lopez, Henry M.

The Santa Fe Police Department's installation of laptops with wireless Internet capability into squad cars will enable officers to issue computer-generated traffic tickets, rather than write by hand. Santa Fe Police Chief Eric Johnson says the computerization will free up officers at police headquarters who previously have inputted written citations into the computer system. This will enable police to provide more coverage of Santa Fe. The department at first is purchasing 13 laptops, and hopes to purchase 19 more down the road. The project cost $203,000, out of which $178,000 was provided by the state. http://www.freenewmexican.com
/news/47725.html

"South Sioux City Police Find Network a Key Tool"
Omaha World-Herald (NE) (08/13/06); Sloan, Karen

South Sioux City, Neb., has a municipal wireless Internet that enables the police department to watch footage from any of the 135 city-wide mounted cameras through a laptop, while for instance sitting in a patrol car. South Sioux City is a large town of less than 12,000 residents and while use of the city wireless is free for city employees, city residents have to pay $40 per month for access. City Communications Director Lance Martin says the city also saves money from having free Internet access, and the police department says the wireless access on the road helps police offers share information.
http://www.omaha.com

"Psst, Your Car Is Watching You"
Time (08/14/06) Vol. 168, No. 7, P. 58; Roosevelt, Margot

Event-data recorders (EDRs) are microcomputers in black boxes concealed in a third of the cars now on the road. Though these microcomputers do not obtain voices in the event of a crash, as they do on airplanes, they can store as much as 20 seconds of information on speed, braking, and acceleration in the moments before a crash. The federal government is scheduled to publish this week regulations mandating auto manufacturers to standardize the recorders and make the data downloadable by everyone with commercial software. Certain consumer activists want stricter rules forcing carmakers to implement EDRs in each vehicle because objective crash information will result in design for better cars and highways. Meanwhile, privacy advocates want the government to keep police and insurance firms from looking at drivers' black boxes without approval. Police and legal prosecutors are lauding the EDRs, and in a minimum of 19 states, judges have allowed the information as proof in criminal trials. A Roman Catholic bishop in Arizona was found guilty in a hit-and-run accident after his car's black box revealed that he has braked prior to impact, showing that he had seen the pedestrian.
http://www.time.com/time
/magazine/article/0,9171,1223380,00.html

"Iris Scan Lets Officials See Who's Missing"
Tulsa World (OK) (08/10/06); Marshall, Nicole

Law enforcement officials in Tulsa and Oklahoma counties will now be able to immediately identify children and adults reported missing who have since been found with a new system based on iris recognition and biometric technology and made by Biometric Intelligence & Identification Technologies. Family members will have access to a nationwide network called the CHILD Project, which stores eye images of those who are registered. The catalog will then allow law enforcement officials in the missing person's jurisdiction to quickly confirm their identity. "We can take a photograph of the human eye, specifically the iris," said Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel. "The iris works really like a fingerprint, and there are no two irises alike." Kevin O'Reilly at Biometric Intelligence & Identification Technologies insists the technology is not designed to replace DNA, photographs, or dental records, but rather provide the sheriff with a high-tech tool to quickly find missing persons. The network and registry is currently used in 22 states with about 80,000 people registered, and costs $25,000.
http://www.tulsaworld.com
/NewsStory.asp?ID=060810_Ne_A13_Iriss68710

"Municipal Wireless Networks' Latest Rage"
Inside Bay Area (CA) (08/07/06); Grady, Barbara

A number of cities are considering launching municipal wireless networks that can provide residents with access to the Internet. Santa Clara, Calif., and Tempe, Ariz., are among a handful of cities that have launched their own Wi-Fi networks. Oakland officials are exploring options to launch the city's own Wi-Fi network, which could also provide Web access to police, fire, public works, and recreation personnel. Creation of Wi-Fi networks requires the installation of wireless digital signal access nodes on tall buildings. Philadelphia is one of a small number of large cities in the country to support the launch of a Wi-Fi network for city residents. Both free and subscription services would be available through the city's plan. EarthLink is the main provider of Wi-Fi networks to cities, and will handle implementation of the technology in Philadelphia and collaborate with Google to install a system in San Francisco. Wireless Internet services can provide the same capabilities available via digital subscriber lines and cable modems. Installation of Wi-Fi networks is estimated to cost roughly $50,000 per square mile, according to research related to launching the technology in Philadelphia
. http://www.insidebayarea.com
/search/ci_4145964

"Keys to Fighting Crime May be Found on a Computer"
Morning Call (08/05/06) P. B3; Kraus, Scott

Software engineer Gary Lapinski is helping police in Allentown, Pa., analyze crime data. Lapinski's responsibilities include using crime data to detect trends in criminal activity and locations of special concern to police. In addition, he will use the data to help the city launch a computerized reporting system and evaluate crime data to hasten 911 response times. Monthly fees paid by phone customers are being allocated to pay for 70 percent or more of the project, which has a yearly cost of $49,500. Other police departments and neighborhood watch groups will also have access to the crime data.
http://www.mcall.com/news
/local/all-b3_5crimeaug05,0,6867468.story

"Easy to Resell, Prepaid Phones Rankle Carriers"
Wall Street Journal (08/15/06) P. B1; Sharma, Amol; Chon, Gina

There is a large market in the resale of prepaid phones in which the phones are sold across state lines, shipped to non-U.S. countries, or sold on the black market for use by nefarious characters who need cell phones, but want to remain anonymous. In a recent incident in Michigan, law enforcement arrested three men who had purchased massive numbers of cell phones from Wal-Mart, supposedly for resale in Texas. They were detained on suspicion of terrorism, however, because cell phones also can be used as detonators. Cellular telecoms retail prepaid phones at a discount, often below cost, in expectation that consumers will eventually order more advanced services on their prepaid phone. Prepaid phone sales have risen 44 percent since 2004 and reached $7.4 billion total in 2005. Verizon and TracFone have taken legal action to prevent resale of its prepaid phones, and Cingular Wireless restricts purchases of its GoPhone prepaid line to three phones per customer in order to preclude resales. The three men arrested purchased 80 cell phones, and a Wal-Mart employee who became suspicious of them tipped off police. Though they are still being detained, the FBI has said the men have no known links to terrorism.
http://online.wsj.com
/article/SB115560442291735762.html