NLECTC Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary

NLECTC
Thursday, February 8, 2007

"Aventura Police Use Web for Unsolved Murder"
Miami Herald (02/04/07) P. B5; Teproff, Carli

The Aventure Police Department decided to use MySpace.com and YouTube.com to hopefully receive leads in the 2001 slaying of an elderly man. Police posted footage of a person they are seeking in connection with the case at both Web sites. Police are hoping that the postings will lead to identification of the man, who can be seen on surveillance cameras interacting with the murder victim, who died in his apartment from injuries sustained during a vicious beating. South Florida Police have also employed the Internet to discourage violence at a middle school in Hollywood and identify suspects in two cases.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald
/news/breaking_news/16618057.htm

"Evasive Evidence"
Auburn Citizen (02/03/07); Elliott-Engel, Amaris

Police crime labs across the country are benefiting from technologies such as DNA testing, global positioning system (GPS) technology, digital imagery, and databases for fingerprints, tire tracks, and shoe prints. But experts stress that these tools need to be combined with witness interviews, motive, and other investigative approaches before evidence can be linked to a particular person. Courts in New York have since 2001 allowed the use of DNA evidence derived from short tandem repeat (STR) testing. W. Mark Dale at the State University of New York at Albany's Northeast Regional Forensic Institute notes that evidence "needs a seamless chain of custody" as well as be "protected from degradation." The forensic institute offers a 12-week, 12-credit program at the graduate level targeted to those with degrees in biology or chemistry. Participants learn about laboratory processes, microbiology, and presenting evidence in criminal trials. A total of 48 individuals graduated in 2006, but many more such trained workers are needed to fulfill demand. Al Pola, an instructor at Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, teaches students in the Legal Professions program how to roll fingerprints using a card and ink because not all police departments can afford automated fingerprinting systems.
http://www.auburnpub.com/
articles/2007/02/04/news/local_news/news01.txt

"Video Cameras and Microphones Outfit Vehicles Targeted for Theft"
Stockton Record (CA) (02/03/07); Brewer, Rick

The National Insurance Crime Bureau reported that the Honda Civic is the second most popular vehicle targeted by car thieves in California. The high theft rate involving the model prompted the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to include a Honda Civic among its roughly 20 bait cars. The cars employ video cameras and microphones that help police arrest car thieves. The agency is reluctant to reveal further details about the other types of car models used in the program or where the surveillance equipment is housed in the vehicles. In addition, CHP is also tight-lipped about where it places most of the cars because of concerns about alerting car thieves.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps
/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070203/A_NEWS/702030322

"Committee Endorses Surveillance Cameras"
Stamford Advocate (CT) (02/02/07); Lee, Natasha

A final vote on a proposal to install security cameras on city streets and in crime-ridden Stamford, Conn., neighborhoods is scheduled for Feb. 5. The Stamford Board of Representatives will render its decision on the plan, which obtained approval from the board's Public Safety Committee Jan. 31. Privacy hawks have criticized the plan for encroaching on civil liberties and targeting minority residents who live in the neighborhoods where the cameras would be installed. Law enforcement officials defend the use of the security cameras, saying they would deter crime, help investigate crimes caught on film, and monitor potential terrorist targets. "I'm hopeful that it will get approved," said committee Chairman Richard Lyons (D).
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com
/news/local/scn-sa-camera6feb02,0
,1607412.story?coll=stam-news-local-headlines

"$5M Earmarked for Photo Surveillance"
Philadelphia Daily Local News (02/02/07) P. 8; McDonald, Mark

As Philadelphia prepares to expand its surveillance camera program, city officials are asking the public to help by looking out for suspicious activity. A City Council committee recently approved a funding bill that would set aside $5 million for the program, but Mayor Street said the key to the surveillance program's success is the public. "I've always said that I want community people as a part of the monitoring process," he noted. "I don't want just police officers drawn down there. I want community people involved so no one will be able to reasonably accuse the police of abusing these cameras." So far the city has installed 18 cameras in and around Philadelphia's main streets, not including eight portable cameras that were recently installed. http://www.philly.com/mld
/dailynews/news/local/16604001.htm

"Chief Urges Council to Allow Stun Guns"
Washington Post (02/01/07) P. T3; Paley, Amit R.

Howard County, Md., Police Chief William J. McMahon would like to introduce a pilot program that would supply department officers with 25 Taser stun guns. However, in order to implement the program, a county law restricting the use of electronic weapons would have to be amended. Council members are currently concerned about safety issues, pointing out that 150 Taser incidents have been linked to deaths. McMahon urged the use of the weapons as a way to avoid dangerous struggles with conventional weapons that result in injuries to both officers and suspects. In a meeting with the County Council, McMahon offered to allow himself to be stunned by a Taser gun in order to demonstrate the weapon's safety. He described the five-second stun as "uncomfortable" but said there were no aftereffects.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2007/01/31/AR
2007013100940.html

"System That Quickly Pinpoints Gunshots Considered for City"
Reading Eagle (PA) (02/01/07); Henshaw, Steven

Reading, Pa., is exploring the possible purchase of the ShotSpotter sensor system, which roughly 15 U.S. cities use to determine where gunshots are fired from. The acoustic sensors have enabled police in some cities to locate where gunshots are fired from in 15 seconds or less. The system is connected to dispatchers that can send police to locations before any emergency calls are placed by local residents. The short response time provides police officers with more opportunity to arrive at crime scenes where suspects are still present and enhances the chance that ambulance crews can save shooting victims. Berks County Commissioner Thomas W. Gajewski became interested in acquiring the system for the city after watching a news story about ShotSpotter. However, he noted that local police departments will have the final say in determining whether they want to install the technology. Reading Mayor Tom McMahon said the first priority is obtaining federal funding for installing a network of security cameras in the city, but added that ShotSpotter could also be implemented if the necessary funding is acquired.
http://www.readingeagle.com

"Doyle, AG: We'll Fix State Crime Lab"
Madison Capital Times (WI) (02/03/07) P. B1; Callender, David

Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen is seeking to increase the number of analysts working at the state Crime Lab beyond the 15 requested last year by Gov. Jim Doyle. Van Hollen did not provide details about his plans but said he planned to raise the number of analysts working at the lab by "a substantially greater number" than originally requested. He indicated the number will be chosen based on the requirements of law enforcement and technologies employed by the lab. The state's backlog of criminal cases awaiting DNA tests exceeded 1,700 last year--the most since 2000.
http://www.madison.com/tct
/news/stories/index.php?ntid=117521

"Bush Seeks Money for Border Agents, Surveillance Gear"
Bloomberg (02/05/07); Roland, Neil

President Bush's $2.9 trillion budget for the fiscal year 2008 seeks a 1 percent increase for the amount of funding allocated to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), from $33.8 billion in fiscal 2007 to $34.3 billion in 2008. Bush is requesting that the DHS' Customs and Border Protection unit receive a 36 percent increase in funding, to $8.8 billion, with much of the additional funding paying for about 3,000 more border patrol agents and an increase in the use of surveillance technology on the U.S. southern border. "We'll need to put more effort to get the people who are the toughest nuts to crack," said DHS chief Michael Chertoff, alluding to U.S. efforts to crack down on illegal immigration. Chertoff said that Bush wants $1 billion allocated toward a project that would deploy cameras, sensors, and lights along the Arizona border with Mexico. The surveillance technology would be added to an additional 150 miles of border. Bush's budget would slash the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) budget from $6 billion this year to $5.2 billion in 2008, a 14 percent drop, while increasing airport security budgets by 7 percent and the Coast Guard's budget by 3 percent. Also, Bush would increase domestic nuclear detection funding by 17 percent.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/new
s?pid=20601087&sid=aAHrERjzBd84&refer=home

"ShotSpotter Is Here, Minneapolis, but It's Not Going to Save the Day"
Minneapolis Star Tribune (01/31/07) P. 1B; Coleman, Nick

Minnesota Star-Tribune columnist Nick Coleman says the ShotSpotter--a new, computerized system that locates gunshots and provides police with a good picture of where the shots are occurring--"is a good news/bad news thing." He states while on the positive side, ShotSpotter can help combat crime, the "bad news is your town has reached the point where it needs a computer system to track all the gunplay." Coleman stresses that ShotSpotter will not prevent individuals from being shot, but will just send police to the general area of "where your corpse lies on the sidewalk, cooling." He adds that the technology has not saved anybody's life and so far has not yielded any arrests. In addition, Coleman notes, ShotSpotter is just certified to be correct 80 percent of the time and it cannot locate a shooting accurately enough to justify dispensing a search warrant. Coleman writes that these concerns have prompted civil-liberties experts to warn that the technology may not warrant a police crackdown on everyone in a region. "In the end, it's still the citizens who are the 'shot spotters' who matter most," Coleman concludes.
http://www.startribune.com/357/story/970502.html

"Mayor Wants Thousands of Cameras"
Charleston Gazette (WV) (01/31/07) P. P1C; Balow, Jim

The Charleston, W.Va., police department has installed two surveillance cameras intended to deter crime in public areas and observe violations that do occur so that perpetrators can be easily identified and caught. Mayor Danny Jones would like to expand the camera program into an initiative that would eventually feature thousands of cameras that would enable police officers to observe every public area in the city, although police Chief Brent Webster says the department needs to become more familiar with the existing cameras' workings and maintenance needs before adding more. The department has the capability to install both overt and covert cameras at a cost of approximately $4,500 each; officers operating the cameras can adjust the angles, pan, and zoom to see detailed coverage of an event and capture important data such as license-plate numbers. Webster says that eventually operation from police vehicles will be a possibility. However, some groups are concerned that the cameras may be excessively intrusive and impinge upon citizens' privacy. Webster says the expectation of privacy does not exist in public areas, although Jones concedes that the cameras should not be used to observe private property.
http://www.wvgazette.com
/section/News/2007013025

"Bill to Stop Online Sexual Predators Criticized"
San Francisco Chronicle (01/31/07) P. A2; Garofoli, Joe

Critics say the Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act, introduced in both the House and Senate as a way to combat online sexual predators, is ineffective and easy to circumvent. The bill would require convicted sexual offenders to register their email and instant messaging addresses with the National Sex Offender Registry, so social networking sites could compare the information with user profiles. The bill would also make it illegal for anyone over 18 to misrepresent their age on the Internet with the intention of engaging in criminal sexual activity with a minor. WiredSafety.com executive director Parry Aftab says offenders could easily use addresses or screen names other than those they register, and calls the bill "knee-jerk legislation." Others say the bill is ignoring the fact that users themselves must be educated as to the dangers of social networking sites. Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal, the leader of a coalition of 34 attorney generals considering legal action against MySpace, has taken issue with one the bill's provisions that would offer "liability relief" to social networking sites should a user be misidentified as a sexual predator. Blumenthal says the provision could be used to "provide blanket immunity." MySpace, which supports the bill, was sued last month by the families of four underage girls who were sexually abused by people they met on the site. MySpace has developed database technology for removing known sexual offenders from virtual communities, which it is currently beta-testing, and a system whereby parents can see if their children are creating multiple profiles, which will be deployed this summer.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin
/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/31/MNGK4N
S1KN1.DTL&hw=bill+to+curb+
online+sexual+predators&sn=001&sc=1000

"Florida Department of Law Enforcement Expands Deployment of SPYRUS PKI System to Meet Growing Requirement for Information Sharing and Authentication"
Business Wire (01/31/07)

SPYRUS, Inc., an innovator in security products and solutions, today announced that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has expanded its use of the SPYRUS Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) solution and has tripled its number of certificate licenses. The system enables authentication of law enforcement personnel accessing sensitive databases. FDLE will expand the number of licenses from 26,000 digital certificates issued to more than 80,000. FDLE originally installed the SPYRUS PKI System v5.0 solution in 2001 and grew the number of licenses from 10,000 to 26,000. "We have found that the SPYRUS PKI is the best fit to meet our unique requirements for information sharing between law enforcement agencies and officers in Florida," said Acting CIO Don Sherman of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. "The flexibility of implementation and high assurance security made this the ideal choice for our environment." The SPYRUS PKI System was originally installed as part of a National Institute of Justice (NIJ) sponsored initiative conducted in cooperation with FDLE. The SPYRUS PKI updates were deployed state-wide via the State of Florida's frame relay network (Criminal Justice Network or CJNet). With more than 300 law enforcement agencies connected to the network supporting more than 800 locations from the Georgia border to Key West, FDLE has standardized on SPYRUS as the security platform for accessing a broad range of data and applications by all authorized Florida law enforcement officials.
http://home.businesswire.com
/portal/site/google/index.jsp?n
dmViewId=news_view&news
Id=20070131005396&newsLang=en

"Where Gum Can Become Evidence"
Syracuse Post-Standard (NY) (01/31/07) P. B1; Baker, Robert A.

The Syracuse, N.Y.-based Wallie Howard Jr. Center for Forensic Sciences, which has been around for eight years, announced on Jan. 31 that the center's DNA study on the saliva of a piece of gum had helped identity a victim's attacker. Last August, a man who had been beaten, tied up, and robbed in his Syracuse apartment told police that his attacker had spit his gum out while there. The attacker was already in police custody for two separate felonies. The center performs other study's besides DNA analysis. The 28 scientists and technicians working at the center use ovens and special lighting to obtain usable fingerprints off weapons. Guns are reconstructed and bullets discharged into water tanks so special markings on the bullets can be contrasted with bullets located at a crime scene. Suspected drugs are also tested, and debris from questionable fires is analyzed for chemicals that could reveal a cause. Proof from over 20 law enforcement agencies is sent to the center, where it is studied and utilized to make cases.
http://www.post-standard.com

"Antiterror Cameras Capturing Crime on T"
Boston Globe (01/29/07) P. B1; Daniel, Mac; Smalley, Suzanne

Federal homeland security grants totaling about $23 million have allowed Boston to install more than 450 security cameras since 2002 at the city's subway stations and at some bus stations. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) expects to install 50 more of the digital fiber-optic cameras by spring. MBTA Transit Police are using the digital images from surveillance cameras to arrest suspects who otherwise would probably not get apprehended. So far, roughly a dozen crimes have been solved using footage from the cameras. Officials say the cameras enable police to gain important clues such as clothing details and distinguishing features like tattoos. They also say the digital format allows recordings to be clearer than those on videotape because the images are stored on hard drives and do not degrade over time. Sergeant Detective Michael Adamson says detectives recently purchased a new video enhancement tool "because of the anticipated increase in forensic evidence that we'll be holding at the station." But some individuals are concerned about how the camera system is used when people are not doing anything wrong.
http://www.boston.com/news
/local/articles/2007/01/29/an
titerror_cameras_capturing_crime_on_t/

"Intranet Puts Data at Officers' Fingertips"
Portland Press Herald (Maine) (01/30/07) P. A1; Hench, David

Maine's Portland Police Department is utilizing a new secure intranet that immediately provides a broad range of data to patrol officers. The system employs wireless signals to connect laptop computers in every police car to searchable computer databases monitored at the station, which makes large amounts of data available to officers with a handful of keystrokes and allows in-depth bulletins to be easily accessible on the officer's laptop. The utilization of Web-based technology is beginning to catch on at police departments throughout the nation. Other police departments in Maine that employ wireless technology include the Lewiston Police Department, which transmits electronic bulletins to its officers at the start of every shift with the most recent information on wanted individuals and recent crimes. Providing officers with more detailed recent information means they can perform better by taking measures to stop problems instead of reacting to them, notes Portland patrol services head Capt. Vern Malloch. The system permits police to study logs from the various beats; briefings from the intelligence division; safety bulletins and special alerts; registered sex offenders; individuals who are on probation and on bail; and probation officers' names and numbers. Data about people usually includes pictures and recent contacts with the department.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com
/news/local/070130intranet.html

"'Sniffer-Bot' Algorithm Helps Robot Seek Scents"
New Scientist (01/24/07); Inman, Mason

Researchers in France have developed an algorithm that could allow robots to find the source of a faint scent even in the midst of air turbulence, much like a moth does. Massimo Vergassola and some of his colleagues at the Pasteur Institute in Paris tested their simple algorithm in a virtual environment and found that it not only allowed a virtual robot to successfully track and find the source of a scent, but it caused the virtual robot to move in complex back and forth sweeping motions, s-curves, and spirals that closely resemble the way a moth tracks a scent. The algorithm uses information received from the scent itself as well as information received when the scent is not detected, striking a balance between heading directly toward the point where it guesses the scent is coming from and wandering around collecting information but not making any progress toward the source. Vergassola says the algorithm could be implemented in an actual robot or be used for other applications that involve searching without much information, such as detecting the best paths for information to be sent through a network. This research "provides a new framework for understanding a large and significant class of problems encountered in real world situations," says the University of Pennsylvania's Alan Gelperin. He adds that by adding instruments that could gather information about the airflow around a robot, the algorithm could even be improved
. http://www.newscientisttech.com
/channel/tech/dn11023-snifferbot-a
lgorithm-helps-robots-seek-scents.html

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