"Alaska's Wireless Net Built for Emergency"
Network World (08/22/06); Marsan, Carolyn Duffy
A unique partnership between federal, state and local government agencies in Alaska helped build the Alaska Land Mobile Radio (ALMR) system, a new $120 million wireless network for emergency communications. The system uses emerging IP-based standards to give federal agencies such as the Department of Defense, all state agencies, and local police and fire departments a common communications infrastructure. The P25-compliant system has four components: Highway coverage, which includes the installation of fixed wireless assets including towers and antennas to cover highways; in-building coverage, including federal buildings, airports, hospitals, and tunnels; gateways for legacy radio systems as well as maritime and cellular systems that do not support P25; and transportable systems, which can provide emergency communications beyond the fixed wireless infrastructure, replace a system that has failed, or provide additional capacity. ALMR, which currently has 9,000 users and has room for 5,000 more, has already been used in military exercises and real-world operations. In December 2004, a task force in Valdez, Alaska, used the system to protect the trans-Alaska oil pipeline system--an operation that involved officials from the FBI, the Alaska National Guard, the Alaska State Police, and Valdez police, fire, and emergency response, among others. "The after-action report was excellent," said Tim Woodall, ALMR program manager for the Defense Department in Alaska. "The system provided secure, on-demand communications." http://www.networkworld.com
/news/2006/082806-wireless-alaska.html
"Inmate Alert to Expand to Area Jails"
Newport News Daily Press (Va.) (08/19/06) P. C1; Williams, Beverly N.
Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine wants to broaden the state's Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) system to include local and regional prisons. VINE, which is currently being used primarily by the state's jail system, notifies crime victims of inmates' status changes. Kaine says it may take 2.5 years for the system to be expanded to include city, county, and regional prisons, which currently rely on manual reporting. VINE is an automated criminal tracking and notification system developed by Appriss that scans prison lists every 15 minutes and is capable of transmitting data via the Internet, emails, and automated telephone calls; individuals can also access the data through a toll-free number. VINE is a collaborative effor of the state, the Virginia Sheriff's Association, and the Virginia Community Policing Institute. A grant of $1.25 million from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance will fund the initial phase-in, and the state's annual cost is estimated to be approximately $600,000. Notifying victims of whether criminals have escaped, been released, or been transferred is a right under the state's Crime Victim and Witness Rights Act.
http://www.dailypress.com
/news/local/dp-01165sy0aug19,0,6695961.story?coll=dp-news-local-final
"Plans Speed Up to Replace Radio System"
Stamford Advocate (CT) (08/15/06); Springer, Brooke
A $15.2 million effort to replace Stamford, Conn.'s out-of-date emergency radio system may be implemented by the end of next year, two years sooner than previously expected. The city is near an agreement with one of two vendors: Motorola, which bid around $12 million, or M/A-COM, which bid around $14 million. The precise figures are being discussed. Stamford officials hope to present a contract to the Board of Finance prior to its next meeting on Sept. 14. The city's present communications system has a tower on top of Government Center and another backup tower at the Long Ridge Fire Company. The system has disintegrated greatly over the last two years, costing Stamford millions of dollars in repairs, according to financial papers. Stamford has earmarked $12.8 million to lease or purchase land to erect two more transmission towers and implement equipment in this fiscal year, and another $2.4 million in federal homeland security money has been received. Republican Town Committee chairman Christopher Munger wants Stamford to have the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center offer a free look at the consultant's proposal.
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com
/news/local/scn-sa-radio4aug15,0,696794.story
?coll=stam-news-local-headlines
"$6.5M Step Toward Public Safety"
Bergen Record (NJ) (08/15/06) P. L1; Brubaker, Paul
A $1 million U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant will allow Passaic County to build a $6.5 million fiber-optic data and voice network to link the county Prosecutor's office, Sheriff's Department, and 16 municipal police departments. "It's important that our law enforcement be able to communicate for security services without using the can and the string," said county board director Elease Evans in justifying her approval of the project. Gerald Volpe, county purchasing director, said the network will pay for itself within three years through the avoidance of costs associated with recurring phone charges and other communications fees. http://www.northjersey.com
/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkyJmZnYmVsN2Y
3dnFlZUVFeXk2OTc2MTU3
"LAPD to Get 300 Video Cameras in Cars"
City News Service (08/16/06); Marroquin, Art
The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a plan to install digital video cameras on the dashboards of 300 police cruisers by the start of next year as part of efforts to comply with a settlement reached with the U.S. Justice Department to avoid litigation over perceived civil rights violations. The mayor had set aside $5 million for the initiatives in his spending plan, which was subsequently rejected, requiring the LAPD to solicit bids for camera systems. The cameras would start recording when a cruiser's lights and siren are turned on to ensure officers are not making stops due to the color of drivers' skin alone. The video would be transferred to computers at district stations wirelessly for access by supervisors. An internal LAPD report said installation in all its roughly 1,600 police cars could save the department $3 million annually in costs linked to conduct investigations. http://www.officer.com
/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=32162
"Panel: Victims Need Early Warning About Paroled Sex-Offenders"
Associated Press (08/15/06); Thompson, Don
High-risk sex offenders' victims in California and the communities they would reside in following their release from jail would receive early warning when offenders are set to be paroled, under suggestions published on Aug. 15 by a task force established by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. In addition, offenders should be tracked closely with satellite monitoring and polygraph tests, the High-Risk Sex Offender Task Force recommends. The task force suggests that victims should be informed 90 days prior to the release of the individuals who attacked them, while area law enforcement agencies should be granted 60 days' notice. Schwarzenegger instructed the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to start adopting suggestions in the report, which is one of numerous initiatives occurring in California to toughen sex-offender laws. The Legislature is thinking about separate sex-offender legislation, and voters will be asked to vote in November on Proposition 83, also known as Jessica's Law, a measure that would make numerous sex offenders sport satellite-followed monitoring devices forever and ban them from residing with 2,000 feet of a school or park. Of around 10,000 sex offenders who are paroled, the task force states around 3,200 are regarded as most likely to perform new crimes. These parolees need to receive intensive treatment three to five years prior to their release and continual monitoring after they are paroled, the report says. http://www.mercurynews.com
/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/
california/northern_california/15281108.htm
"Eyeing Auto Thieves"
Government Technology (08/06/06) Vol. 19, No. 8, P. 50; McKay, Jim
New technology that reads license plates can help law enforcement officials locate stolen vehicles. The technology scans cars that are moving and parked, reads and connects the license plates with stolen or wanted plate numbers listed in a database, and informs the officer through an alarm, all in a matter of seconds. The Ohio State Police Department was one of the initial agencies to use the technology, equipping an area turnpike two years ago with a pair of stationary Remington Elsag devices that read license plates. Since then, state police have found 69 stolen vehicles due to the system. Numerous vendors make license-plate-reading technology, including DataWorks Plus, which resells Pips Technology. The system has a camera that scans license plates and reads them. A police car can be outfitted with as many as four cameras that can scan 1,000 license plates each hour. Every camera has three elements: An LED infrared component that functions like a flashlight shining over the plate; an infrared component to permit the camera to see both night or day; and a charged-couple video camera, which records a color "overview" of the vehicle itself. http://www.govtech.net
/magazine/story.php?id=100361
"Texas Funnels Grants to Homeland Security Projects"
Government Computer News (08/18/06); Lipowicz, Alice
Texas Gov. Rick Perry says the state will provide $86 million from federal homeland security grants to the Texas Data Exchange System and for electronic fingerprinting equipment. The Web-based data network will link more than 2,000 law enforcement databases in Texas, while the fingerprinting equipment will be used in 184 counties. Law enforcement will be able to use electronic scanners to submit fingerprints and receive results in just seconds. The database will be accessible to the state's 70,000 police officers, who will also be linked to federal databases. "In the post 9/11 environment, these technologies are important for the safety of Texans, and they build on the priorities Texas established in its Homeland Security Strategic Plan," says Perry. "Information sharing between law enforcement agencies is the foundation of a secure homeland, and these priorities allow Texas to build that foundation." http://www.gcn.com
/online/vol1_no1/41728-1.html
"Washington State Patrol Uses Technology to Catch Violent Criminals"
States News Service (08/16/06)
The Washington State Patrol reports that they have enhanced their record system to help officers and troopers identify career criminals who possess firearms. This is a new way law enforcement in Washington can communicate with each other to augment safety. "At no additional cost to citizens of the state, this is another tool we use that will bridge the gap to help protect our officers and communities from armed career criminals," says Chief John R. Batiste, Washington State Patrol. Typically, state and local investigators are aware of the federal statute that says a person with three prior convictions for crimes of violence will go to prison for 15 years to life, if in possession of a firearm. These investigators generally already have close working relationships with agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which is the agency that enforces the federal firearms laws. "The federal laws are for the most violent and dangerous criminals in our communities; and the lengthy mandatory sentences allow us to get the worst of the worst off the street," says ATF Special Agent in Charge Kelvin N. Crenshaw. By automating the process and integrating it into the current system, the Washington State Patrol, and any agency using their system, can now immediately notify any officer or trooper when they contact individuals flagged as "armed career criminals." "The armed career criminal notification system now available to all law enforcement officers in the State of Washington is a great step forward to make sure they can go home at the end of their watch," says Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske. This program still requires officers and troopers to use the same investigative techniques and protocols required by law; it is designed as a conduit for the sharing of information among law enforcement, and for the enhanced safety of officers and citizens throughout the state.
http://www.statehousenews.com
"Enforcement of Speed Limit With Cameras Debated"
Dallas Morning News (08/18/06) P. 8B; Heinkel-Wolfe, Peggy
The city council of Hickory Creek, Texas, by just one vote, has given the green light to the contentious use of cameras to enforce speed limits on Interstate 35E. According to the mayor, who cast the tie-breaking vote, the program would not cost the town a penny and ticket revenue would be shared with technology provider STS of Scottsdale, Ariz. But before the plan is implemented, it needs backing from the state Department of Transportation, which has already approved the use of cameras in stoplight tickets by classifying them as non-moving violations. The program, say opponents, could be viewed as a revenue grab by the town and faces enforcement issues if challenged in courts.
http://www.dallasnews.com
/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/denton/stories/DN-speedcameras_18wes.ART0.West.Edition1.3f56087.html
"Police Get Help in Fight Against Sex Crimes"
Duluth News Tribune (MN) (08/20/06); Nelson, Shelley
A $50 million grant from the U.S. Justice Department will allow the Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wis., to train members of law enforcement agencies in fighting online predators. The training will involve both technology and strategies and will also help boost data-sharing across agencies, according to Matthew Frank, Wisconsin Department of Corrections secretary. In addition to training, "the grant will be used to share information, to knit together technologies that are out there so law enforcement agencies who are investigating these criminals can share information, share leads, across not only county lines, but state lines" and eventually nationwide, said Frank. One of the developers of the county's approach is Lt. Tony Jones of the Ashland County Sheriff's Department, who has apprehended child sexual predators in Internet chat rooms after posing as a minor. Frank said the grant is a broadening of Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle's Sex Offender Apprehension and Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Initiative, under which teams of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors focus on unregistered sex offenders. The state has also created a list of the most serious sex offenders in the state, and 20 of 38 of them have been arrested since the onset of the effort in May. http://www.duluthsuperior.com
/mld/duluthsuperior/news/local/15318802.htm
"Demand on State Lab Has Soared"
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (08/19/06); Nunnally, Derrick; Forster, Stacy
The use of DNA testing in crime investigations is becoming increasingly common in Milwaukee County, even for less urgent cases such as burglaries and illegal gun possession. Such rising demands are creating a backlog at Wisconsin's state crime lab, which received more than 1,100 new cases in the first six months of 2006, a 20 percent increase over the previous year. The office of Wisconsin's attorney general, Peg Lautenschlager, issued a memo on Aug. 2 recommending that law enforcement agencies across the state begin "judiciously narrowing the number of samples" sent from each individual case to accelerate the handling of all cases. The memo also pledged improvements in technology, including robotics, as well as enhanced management to satisfy growing demand. Norman Gahn, lead DNA prosecutor in the Milwaukee County district attorney's office, says the Wisconsin Legislature should allot $3 million in emergency funds to outsource the backlog at the crime lab and another $2 million in January to handle remaining cases and expand the crime lab. Mark Dale, director of the Northeast Regional Forensic Institute at the University of Albany, says that in most states and nationally, only about one in three cases sent for DNA testing are actually completely tested due to ballooning demand and lack of resources. Dale says it is common for major investigations to involve more than 100 DNA samples. http://www.jsonline.com
/story/index.aspx?id=485679
"NENA Urges FCC to Heed Cyren Call's Spectrum Plan"
TelecomWeb (08/22/06)
The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) is urging Congress and the FCC to back a proposal tabled by Cyren Call Communications for a national broadband network capable of integrating voice, data, and video on the 700 MHz spectrum band that broadcasters will have to relinquish by 2009 as they go digital. The plan has already gained backing from the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International. NENA says the spectrum choice, being adjacent to the one already used by public safety, is key, warning that the United States will "lose a tremendous opportunity" to boost public-safety and first-responder interoperability if the spectrum "is auctioned off and lost forever." http://www.telecomweb.com
/tnd/18810.html
"Go Wireless, But Go Safely"
Police and Security News (08/06) Vol. 22, No. 4, P. 11; Ashley, Steve
Although there are a number of advantages to connecting to the Internet via WiFi technology, including the ability to roam around with a laptop, using wireless technology presents several security risks that are not present when using wired Internet connections. Since a wireless signal does not necessarily stop at the walls of a building, unauthorized users outside may be able to receive the signal and hi-jack the user's Internet connection. Fortunately, there are a number of steps that WiFi users can take to help prevent this from happening. For starters, WiFi users should make sure that they have one of the two types of wireless security--Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and WiFi Protected Access (WPA)--enabled on their laptops and routers. WEP is an older specification that is fairly easy to break, while WPA is much more secure. In addition, WiFi users should go into their wireless access point's setup dialog and change the Service Set Identifier (SSID), which is the name of the network typically broadcast by the access point. The default setting is typically the brand name of the router. Users should also set the access point so that it does not broadcast the SSID, which can be accomplished by selecting a checkbox on the same setup page where the SSID name was changed. Finally, WiFi users should enable MAC filtering on their wireless access point. This prevents unknown users from accessing the WiFi connection. While these security measures will keep out honest people who accidentally access a WiFi network, someone who really wants to hack a network may still be able to do so.
http://www.policeandsecuritynews.com
"The Money Trail"
SC Magazine (07/06) P. 41; Kaplan, Dan
There is a robust online market for the selling of stolen personal information, and this illegal market depends on anonymous transactions to remain functional. The Internet provides people with the ability to hide while completing online transactions and visiting Web sites. In addition, many online payment transaction tools do not certify their users' identities, and so money can exchange hands though everyone remains cloaked, says RSA Consumer Solutions' Amir Orad. Web-based transaction services are the primary abettor of these anonymous monetary transactions for illegal goods, says Orad. Law enforcement often depends on tracing monetary transaction to locate cyber criminals, and they consider cloaked payment systems a major obstacle. Stolen personal information can sell for as cheap as $2 per person, for so much of it is available flooding the market it drives prices down. E-Gold, founded 10 years ago, is a payment company that has become a favorite of cybercriminals. E-Gold executive Bill Cunningham says that while people can make payments using e-Gold anonymously, to put money in the e-Gold system or take it out requires a third-party provider which usually demands proof of identity. http://www.scmagazine.com
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