J. Edgar Hoover and the BOI-FBI Makeover: How a Name Change Sparked a Crime-Fighting Revolution

Before it became known as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the organization had a rich and transformative history. Established in 1908 as the Bureau of Investigation (BOI), its origins can be traced back to a growing need for a federal agency to combat various crimes and maintain law and order at a national level. This article explores the early years and evolution of the organization that eventually became the renowned FBI.

The BOI was created in response to the escalating crime rates and challenges faced by the United States in the early 20th century. At that time, law enforcement efforts were primarily the responsibility of local and state agencies, with limited federal involvement. However, the rapid expansion of interstate crime, including bank robberies, fraud, and crimes against the federal government, highlighted the necessity for a centralized investigative body.

One of the BOI's notable early successes came during the "Bureau War" era, led by its visionary director, J. Edgar Hoover. Under Hoover's leadership, the organization was modernized and professionalized, shifting its focus from individual cases to a more comprehensive approach that emphasized intelligence gathering and analysis. This transformation allowed the BOI to tackle organized crime, subversive activities, and other national security threats more effectively.

In 1935, the BOI was officially renamed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to better reflect its evolving role and expanded jurisdiction. The agency's mandate expanded beyond federal crimes, encompassing matters such as civil rights violations, domestic terrorism, espionage, and counterintelligence. This transition marked a significant milestone in the FBI's history, solidifying its position as the principal federal investigative agency in the United States.

Throughout the years, the FBI has played a crucial role in safeguarding the nation's security and upholding the rule of law. From investigating major crimes, apprehending fugitives, and gathering intelligence to preventing terrorist attacks and protecting civil rights, the FBI's responsibilities have expanded to address the changing landscape of crime and national security threats.

Today, the FBI is known for its highly skilled agents, advanced forensic techniques, and state-of-the-art technology. It collaborates closely with other federal, state, local, and international law enforcement agencies to combat a wide range of criminal activities and maintain the safety and well-being of the American people.

In conclusion, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, formerly known as the Bureau of Investigation, has undergone a remarkable evolution since its inception. From its humble beginnings as a response to escalating crime rates, it has grown into a preeminent federal agency dedicated to investigating and combating a diverse array of crimes. The FBI's commitment to excellence, professionalism, and the pursuit of justice has made it an integral part of the nation's law enforcement apparatus, shaping its history and continuing to shape its future.

U.S. Marshals Arrest Canadian Murder Suspect in Bay Area

Man wanted for allegedly murdering wife while children slept

San Francisco, CA - The Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force (PSWRFTF) announces the arrest of Harinder Singh Cheema, 30, who was taken into custody Thursday in Fremont, California. Cheema is wanted by Canadian authorities in Montreal for stabbing and killing his wife, Manpreet Kaur, while his children slept in 2007. After the killing, Cheema allegedly left his two infant children with a friend of his deceased wife and fled to the United States under the alias “Baljit Singh”. Cheema remarried and was employed as a luxury limousine driver in the Fremont area until his recent arrest.

PSWRFTF members developed information regarding the possible whereabouts of Cheema and set up surveillance within the 4000 block of Central Avenue in Fremont. After several hours, Cheema arrived driving a white Honda Accord. Cheema was immediately detained without incident.

“This arrest demonstrates that no matter how far you run, no matter where you go, you cannot escape justice,” said Don O’Keefe, the U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of California. “Our cooperative relationships with our international and domestic law enforcement partners were paramount in Cheema’s successful apprehension.”

Cheema was booked into the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s office and is being held without bail. He is awaiting extradition to Canada to answer for his alleged crime.

The San Francisco Fugitive Task Force is a division of the Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force and is part of a network of U.S. Marshals task forces across the country. Additional information about other Northern California fugitives can be found at www.northerncaliforniamostwanted.org.

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ANNOUNCES GRANTS TO ENHANCE EFFORTS TO FIGHT HUMAN TRAFFICKING

ATLANTA – Associate Attorney General Kevin J. O’Connor today announced almost $10 million in additional funding to supplement existing task forces and to expand the number of task forces working with community-based organizations to combat human trafficking. The Associate Attorney General made the announcement at the 2008 National Conference on Human Trafficking, where more than 350 representatives from federal, state, and local organizations gathered to discuss methods of investigating human trafficking and servitude and how best to provide services to trafficking victims.

“Human Trafficking is a serious crime and deserves the focused attention of law enforcement and victim service providers,” said Associate Attorney General O’Connor. “The task forces receiving funding today are made up of both of these important elements. We will continue to use all of the resources at our disposal to make sure that traffickers are convicted and that victims receive the assistance they need to recover.”

Since 2002, the Department has partnered with state and local law enforcement, and victim service organizations to convict 342 traffickers and assist 1,300 victims from 80 countries. In 2007 alone, the Department opened 154 new trafficking investigations.
Of the funds announced today, more than $4.1 million will go to task forces in: Washington, D.C.; Hawaii; Boston, Mass.; Suffolk County, N.Y.; New Jersey; Nassau County, N.Y.; San Jose, Calif.; Saint Paul, Minn.; Lee County, Fla.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Multnomah County, Ore. Three new task forces will be established in Westminster, Calif.; Homestead, Fla; and Pitt County, N.C. To date, the Department has provided more than $70 million in funding to these task forces.

In addition, the following victim service organizations have received funding to work with the task forces:

Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance
$230,000
International Rescue Committee, Miami, Fla.
$460,000
North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault
$460,000
Salvation Army, Orange County, Calif.
$460,000
Bilateral Safety Corridor
San Diego, Calif.
$230,000
YMCA of Greater Houston Area
Houston, Texas
$230,000
Heartland Alliance for Human Needs
Chicago, Ill. area
$230,000
Safe Horizon, Inc.
New York City and Nassau County, N.Y. areas
$230,000
Salvation Army Hawaiian and Pacific Island Division
$230,000
Justice Resource Institute, Inc.
Massachusetts
$200,000
Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST)
Los Angeles, Calif.
$230,000
Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach
$230,000
International Rescue Committee
Phoenix, Ariz.
$230,000
International Institute of Metropolitan St. Louis
St. Louis, Mo.
$230,000
Tapestri, Inc.
Atlanta, Ga.
$230,000
Catholic Charities of Venice, Inc.
Lee County, Fla.
$230,000
Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pa.
$230,000
Catholic Charities Oregon
$299,999
Salvation Army Alaska
$230,000
Refugees Services of Texas
$230,000
Northeastern University
$299,999
The Department also announced more than $400,000 to fund two studies conducted by Abt Associates, Inc. and San Diego State University Research Foundation. The studies will assess criminal justice strategies and collaborative programs across the country and internationally that focus on reducing the demand for commercial sex.

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice and assist victims. More information about OJP’s work on human trafficking can be found at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov. More information about the efforts of the Civil Rights Division to combat human trafficking can be found at http://www.usdoj.gov/whatwedo/whatwedo_ctip.html.

Criminal Intelligence Analyst Course

The Canadian Pacific Railway Police Service, Vancouver, BC is hosting an intensive 5-day Criminal Intelligence Analysis Course for intelligence officers and crime and intelligence analysts from October 20th to October 24th 2008. The course will be presented by the Alpha Group Center for Crime and Intelligence Analysis and taught by Warren Sweeney, a thirty-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and former Intelligence Analysis Coordinator for the RCMP Canadian Police College in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada)

This will be a "hands-on" course that takes a "learn-by-doing," practical approach to training. Students will actually perform tasks associated with intelligence analysis work. Each participant will also receive a copy of The Intelligence Analyst's Sourcebook. Written by Warren Sweeney, this manual explains how to conduct, prepare, and present intelligence to enhance the investigative and decision-making process.

Participants will be taught how to turn data into information; how to distinguish differences between Tactical, Strategic, and Operational Intelligence; how to overcome resistance to the intelligence process, how to establish links between people, organizations, and events; how to chart events, commodity flow, and activities within the Criminal organization; how to present intelligence effectively in oral and written reports; how to use the power of the computer to assist the intelligence function; and money laundering secrets and techniques.

Tuition for the course is $525 and includes the week of instruction, the text, and related course materials. The course also fulfills the requirements of the California Department of Justice Certified Crime and Intelligence Analysis Program and may be used for Certification purposes. It is beneficial, but not required, to bring a laptop computer with you, which will permit the installation of a graphics program: ABC SnapGraphics 1.0.

To obtain a course brochure or to register for the course, please contact Diana Olson of the Alpha Group at (909) 484-2169 e-mail at: crimecrush@aol.com or contact Cst Ron Chomyn, Canadian Pacific Railway Police Service, SK, 306-931-7414, fax 306-931-7412 email ron_chomyn@cpr.ca Additional information about the content of the course can also be found on the Alpha Group website at www.alphagroupcenter.com

Criminal Intelligence Analysis Course

The Richardson Police Department, TX, is hosting an intensive 5-day criminal Intelligence Analysis Course for intelligence officers and Crime and intelligence analysts from November 17th to November 21st 2008. The course will be presented by the Alpha Group Center for Crime and Intelligence Analysis and taught by Warren Sweeney, a thirty-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and former Intelligence Analysis Coordinator for the RCMP Canadian Police College in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada)

This will be a "hands-on" course that takes a "learn-by-doing," practical approach to training. Students will actually perform tasks associated with intelligence analysis work. Each participant will also receive a copy of The Intelligence Analyst's Sourcebook. Written by Warren Sweeney, this manual explains how to conduct, prepare, and present intelligence to enhance the investigative and decision-making process.

Participants will be taught how to turn data into information; how to distinguish differences between Tactical, Strategic, and Operational Intelligence; how to overcome resistance to the intelligence process, how to establish links between people, organizations, and events; how to chart events, commodity flow, and activities within the criminal organization; how to present intelligence effectively in oral and written reports; how to use the power of the computer to assist the intelligence function; and money laundering secrets and techniques.

Tuition for the course is $525 and includes the week of instruction, the text, and related course materials. The course also fulfills the requirements of the California Department of Justice Certified Crime and Intelligence Analysis Program and may be used for Certification purposes. It is beneficial, but not required, to bring a laptop computer with you, which will permit the installation of a graphics program: ABC SnapGraphics 1.0.

To obtain a course brochure or to register for the course, please contact Diana Olson of the Alpha Group at (909) 484-2169 e-mail at: crimecrush@aol.com or contact Patricia Huesca-Dorantes PHd, Richardson Police Service, TX, 972-744-4742, fax 972-744-5921 email patricia.huesca-dorantes@cor.gov. Additional information about the content of the course can also be found on the Alpha Group website at www.alphagroupcenter.com.

Mind over Matter

The Bay Area Crime and Intelligence Analysts Association is proud to host the “Mind Over Matter” California Crime and Intelligence Analysts Association Training Conference for 2008. The event will be held September 23 through September 26, 2008 at the Pleasanton Hilton at the Club. Conference fees for the 3 ½ day event are $350.00. Once the schedule is finalized, we will be offering daily rates of $125.00.

Please see our website at http://www.baciaa.org/2008ConferencePage.htm for current links to the registration form and conference flyer.

We have planned a three and a half day event that consists of three concurrent tracks of learning, networking and, we hope, mind expanding enjoyment. We are still in the midst of confirming the speakers and finalizing the schedule. This year’s conference will provide you with a variety of new and interesting topics along with some familiar faces:

Keynote Speaker Brian Gray will provide a presentation on Basic Intelligence and Design Concepts. Other confirmed speakers and topics include:

Sean Bair – “Use Your IZE to ID a Series”
Samantha Gwinn – “ViCAP-Web”
Lori Hill – “Tactical Analysis” and “Case Visualization”
Julie Romano/Holly Carver – “Working as a Single Person Unit within a Law Enforcement Agency”
Dr. Kim Rossmo – “Geographic Profiling” and “Criminal Investigative Failures”
Ret. Lt. Ron Shreves – “Put Me In Chief, I’m Ready to Play: Sincerely, Your Crime Analyst”
Susan Smith – “Problem Oriented Policing and Rusty’s Last Chance Saloon”

Computer Interests:
Matthew Harris – “Veritracks, the Next Level”
Matthew Harris / Karen Vincent – Technical Workshop “How do I. . ?”
Travis Koopman – “Information Technology for Analysts”
Christina Novello – “Internet Safety Issues and Law Enforcement” and “Creating a Department Crime Analysis Intranet For the Non-Web Designer”

Don’t forget to make your room reservations at
http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/PLEPHHF-BAC-20080922/index.jhtml

We are accepting nominations for the CCIAA Member Awards http://www.crimeanalyst.org/nominations-2008.pdf

Please submit your entries for the Bulletin Contest too!
http://www.crimeanalyst.org/bulletin-contest-2008.pdf

Public Safety Technology in the News

Military WrapsTM Unveils New Camouflage Technology PIRATETM
Stockhouse.com, (06/13/2008)

To aid law enforcement and military personnel in achieving realistic training exercises, Military WrapsTM, Inc., which specializes in camouflage concealment, has created Photo-Immersive Realistic Aides for Training Environments (PIRATETM). The system is designed to accurately create and depict situations based on high-megapixel images that can be altered to enhance the perception of scale and perspective for the user, and then the images are printed to special vinyls. These vinyls can be used to make rooms, offices, city blocks, schools, or parade routes and then be applied to the interior or exterior of the agencies training facility.
www.stockhouse.com/News/USReleasesDetail.aspx?n=6939185

Tasers Getting More Prominent Role in Crime Fighting in City
The New York Times, (06/15/2008), Al Baker

One of the Nation's largest police forces is re-evaluating the use of the Taser as a less-lethal option for the department. However, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) isn't just putting the units out on the streets; it is using a study from the RAND Corporation, using feedback from department personnel about the study, and using an internal study between two similar departments (one with the Taser and one without) as a guide for the implementation of the Taser. The RAND study was commissioned in 2007 after a police-involved shooting found two things: that additional study would be needed based on current available Taser use data, and the department's 455 fatal police-involved shootings may have ended differently had a Taser been an alternative. For now, NYPD's plan is to move Tasers from the trunks of certain vehicles to the gun belts of the agency's 3,500 sergeants while continuing to analyze full implementation of the Taser units.
www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/nyregion/15taser.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin

GE Security's MobileTrace Helps Iredell County Sheriff Identify Narcotics-Tainted Cash
BusinessWire.com, (06/16/2008)

Iredell County Sheriff's Office officers using GE Security, Inc's MobileTrace were able to seize almost $300,000 cash from a rental car stop. The MobileTrace technology is portable and capable of detecting explosive and narcotics at the same time. The information collected by the units can be used as evidence and allows officers to evaluate findings in a timely fashion while in the field.
www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080616005275&newsLang=en

DuPont Announces New Kevlar Technology
Forbes.com, (06/16/2008), Randall Chase

The development of a more demanding National Institute of Justice (NIJ) standard for body armor has resulted in DuPont, Inc., producing a new Kevlar product. The new product is a lighter woven material coupled with a new process for coating the fibers. According to DuPont, the new material will stop the projectile sooner with less layers, allowing the remaining layers to protect against backface deformation. The new material will have a broad range of applications for the company, but initially the aim is greater protection for law enforcement against high-caliber handguns.
www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/06/16/ap5121589.html

Tech-Savvy: Mineral Co. Sheriff's Office Gets New Equipment
News-Tribune, (06/13/2008), Bobbie Carpenter

The Mineral County Sheriff's Office is purchasing laptops to be installed in 6 of the agency's 12 cruisers. These laptops must be in place and be used to transmit electronic traffic reports by 2009 in order to comply with a State mandated law. The first six laptops were purchased using a Federal grant from the Governor's Highway Safety Program, and additional laptops for the remaining cruisers will hopefully be funded through the county's budget. The sheriff's office used concealed weapons funding to purchase the mounts for the first six vehicles to be equipped with the laptops.
www.newstribune.info/news/x822800157/Tech-savvy-Mineral-Co-Sheriff-s-Department-gets-new-equipment

Police Use GPS-Equipped Bait Car to Catch Car Thieves
Government Technology, (06/09/2008), Jim McKay

Catching car thieves using a bait car began in the late 1990s, but required much police manpower to monitor the vehicle. Times have changed, and now officers can go about their regular duties instead of monitoring the vehicle. In Sacramento, California, the bait car is equipped with GPS that activates should the car be tampered with or started, and alerts police dispatch at the command center so they can track the vehicle's location and notify nearby officers to respond. Should the thief try to run when officers attempt to stop the vehicle, the dispatcher will be notified and has the ability to activate the car's kill switch, which will gradually slow down and shut off the vehicle. For added measure, the dispatcher can also lock the car to prevent the thief from running away on foot. Benefits of this type of system are huge, both for police and the public because it eliminates and/or significantly reduces the opportunity for a high-speed chase.
www.govtech.com/gt/366274?topic=117680

CSI: Anchorage-Summertime Sleuths
Anchorage Daily News, (06/16/2008), Megan Holland

Riding the popularity wave of the "CSI" series and subsequent spinoffs, a summer camp started by a South Anchorage High biology teacher draws on the popularity to teach students and maybe develop future forensic specialists. Students participate in mock crime scenes to gather and analyze evidence to help solve the "crime." Along the way, and without noticing because of the fun they are having, students learn biology, chemistry, and physics. The camp is operated by the Fraternal Order of Alaska State Troopers.
www.adn.com/crime/story/437803.html

DNA Evidence Gains Acceptance as a Key Tool in Robbery Cases
The Wall Street Journal, (06/19/2008), Gautam Naik

DNA evidence more commonly used for serious offenses like rape or murder is now being considered as an option for helping to solve property crimes. However, the down side to what seems to be an effective tool is the cost associated with such analysis. Analysis may be or can be more than some jurisdictions can afford. A five-city pilot project funded by the National Institute of Justice indicated that DNA evidence can have a powerful and positive affect on property crime investigations. According to Steve Allison of the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center at Denver University, "People committing serious crimes usually start on smaller ones. So through this process you can get these people identified and in the system earlier." This concept is now new in Great Britain, which has embraced a broader use of DNA evidence, and because of the results the U.S. Department of Justice funded this five-city project.
online.wsj.com/article_email/SB121384113207187445-lMyQjAxMDI4MTEzOTgxNDkxWj.html

Tracking the Event Horizon
Corrections.com, (06/17/2008), Ann Coppola

The 9th Annual Innovative Technologies for Community Corrections conference highlighted the latest innovations in tools for offender monitoring, as well as risk assessment and testing, but it also showcased tools and technology not yet available to practitioners. Conference attendees involved in various aspects of community corrections came from several foreign countries and 44 U.S. States. One technology on display was hybrid GPS tracking that incorporated cellular communications to ensure indoor tracking and monitoring. The conference sponsor, the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center-Rocky Mountain, introduced the newest version of Field Search and discussed the future release of a Macintosh compatible version. Of particular note was the increase in law enforcement attendees. Agencies are seeing advantages to working with those in the community corrections field due to the information produced as a result of offender monitoring.
www.corrections.com/news/article/18816

Pistol Cam: When Cops Draw This Point-and-Shoot, Say Cheese
Wired.com, (06/23/2008), Vince Beiser

The SWAT team of the Orange County (New York) Sheriff's Office has recently begun using the PistolCam. The PistolCam is a small device, combining a video camera, a flashlight, and a laser sight, that attaches to the underside of a gun barrel. The camera begins recording when the gun is drawn and can store an hour of video. Developed by Legend Technologies, the PistolCam is priced at $695.
www.wired.com/gadgets/miscellaneous/magazine/16-07/st_pistolcams

Criminal Intelligence Analysis Course

The Anderson Police Department, SC, is hosting an intensive 5-day Criminal Intelligence Analysis Course for intelligence officers and crime and intelligence analysts from August 18th to August 22nd 2008. The course will be presented by the Alpha Group Center for Crime and Intelligence Analysis and taught by Warren Sweeney, a thirty-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and former Intelligence Analysis Coordinator for the RCMP Canadian Police College in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada)

This will be a "hands-on" course that takes a "learn-by-doing," practical approach to training. Students will actually perform tasks associated with intelligence analysis work. Each participant will also receive a copy of The Intelligence Analyst's Sourcebook. Written by Warren Sweeney, this manual explains how to conduct, prepare, and present intelligence to enhance the investigative and decision-making process.

Participants will be taught how to turn data into information; how to distinguish differences between Tactical, Strategic, and Operational Intelligence; how to overcome resistance to the intelligence process, how to establish links between people, organizations, and events; how to chart events, commodity flow, and activities within the criminal organization; how to present intelligence effectively in oral and written reports; how to use the power of the computer to assist the intelligence function; and money laundering secrets and techniques.

Tuition for the course is $525 and includes the week of instruction, the text, and related course materials. The course also fulfills the requirements of the California Department of Justice Certified Crime and Intelligence Analysis Program and may be used for Certification purposes. It is beneficial, but not required, to bring a laptop computer with you, which will permit the installation of a graphics program: ABC SnapGraphics 1.0.

To obtain a course brochure or to register for the course, please contact Katie Brown, Anderson County Sheriff's Office, 305 Camson Rd, Anderson SC 29625. You may also register by phone by calling Ms Brown at (864) 222-6601, or by faxing your registration form to her at (864) 260-4354. email contact is kgbrown@andersonsheriff.com. or Diana Olson of the Alpha Group at (909) 484-2169 or contact by e-mail at: crimecrush@aol.com.

Additional information about the content of the course can also be found on the Alpha Group website at www.alphagroupcenter.com

Public Safety Technology in the News

Digital Forensics: How Experts Uncover Doctored Images
Scientific American, (06/2008), Hany Farid

Fake photographs are nothing new, but advances in technology have made it easier to create doctored images and more difficult to detect them. In response, researchers are now advancing the technology used for the forensic analysis of digital images. For example, computer software may be used to analyze photographs for evidence of light source inconsistencies, cloned areas, and appropriate pixel correlations based on the alleged camera. The ability to authenticate digital photographs will support their submission as evidence in a court of law.
www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=digital-image-forensics

Long-Promised, Voice Commands Are Finally Going Mainstream
WIRED, (06/04/2008), Alexander Gelfand

Changes in the power of computers and processors are poised to change the state of voice recognition technology. The changes could bring voice recognition to the forefront in electronic security, as a validation tool or in user interfaces, and as an appliance option or everyday computer tool. The technology has been available since the 1950s, and with recent gains in programming the technology can interpret human speech more accurately. Commercial applications are already available for portable GPS units and vehicle applications. In Europe, a voice-controlled oven was recently released by Indesit. As a security measure a person's voice is as unique as a fingerprint or iris, so the use of voice recognition for phone or face-to-face applications can be more secure than username or password combinations, or even pin numbers.
www.wired.com/software/coolapps/news/2008/06/speech_tech

MSU Researcher Creates System Helping Police to Match Tattoos to Suspects
www.newsroom.msu.edu, (05/27/2008)

Biometrics is the ability to use an individual's anatomical or behavioral attributes for identification purposes. A researcher at Michigan State University has expanded that ability to include scars, marks, and tattoo recognition to aid in identifying individuals. Referred to as "Tattoo-ID," the software developed by Anil Jain uses databases of distinguishing marks supplied by the law enforcement community, and each image is linked to a criminal history for suspects and convicted criminals with similar marks. A search based on an image provided by the user will then produce results relating to similar tattoos, marks, or scars and the associated records for individuals that have those distinguishing marks. This can help law enforcement narrow searches based on these features.
www.newsroom.msu.edu/site/indexer/3407/content.htm

Computers Will Increase Ability to Enforce Law
Yuma Sun, (06/03/2008)

The Yuma County Sheriff's office, using unspecified Federal funding, is updating 50 patrol vehicles with new mobile data terminals (MDT). The computers will cost almost $200,000. To help reduce costs the department will use its own personnel to install and program the units. The MDTs being replaced allow the deputies to access motor vehicle records and crime databases, but the new units will allow quicker access to photos, and deputies will be able to complete reports from the field versus returning to the station.
www.yumasun.com/opinion/ability_42108___article.html/computers_enforce.html

Sagem Morpho Wins Biometric Identification Technology Award
BusinessWire, (06/02/2008)

At the 2008 Global Border Security Conference, Sagem Morpho, Inc. demonstrated its biometrics identification tool MorphFace Investigate (MFI) system. The system includes case management capabilities, biometric matching, and forensic evaluation tools to help with investigative tasks. It is capable of providing tools needed to match individuals where images are available via mug shot, motor vehicle records, or on a watch list using multiple type of source material.
www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080602006252&newsLang=en

Purdue Professor Schools Law Enforcement on Mac "Cyber Forensics"
ARS Technica, (06/03/2008), Chris Foresman

Purdue University's Director of Cyber Forensics, Dr. Marc Rogers, is providing officers from all over Indiana training on the forensics examination of Macintosh computers, iPods, and iPhones. The university's Cyber Forensics Lab, part of the College of Technology's Department of Computer and Information Technology, supports not only the graduate Cyber Forensics program, but is also used for research and provides assistance and training to all levels of law enforcement. The lab hopes to continue providing forensic investigators with increased knowledge regarding Macintosh operating systems and published information about the examination of Apple products.
arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/06/03/purdue-prof-schools-law-enforcement-on-mac-cyber-forensics

Law Enforcement - One-Stop Shopping for Tracking Criminals
The New York Times, (06/01/2008), Elsa Brenner

Space that was previously used by the Westchester County Department of Social Services as a homeless shelter is being repurposed as an information center to be used by law enforcement for crime analysis. In an effort to promote information sharing at all levels, the new Westchester Intelligence Center will be used by the county's 43 agencies, and be shared with other multijurisdictional county, State, and Federal agencies that operate in the county. The cost to convert the space was $280,000.
www.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/01policewe.html?ref=nyregionspecial2

Texas City Uses Wireless IP Video for Crime Prevention Network
Security Products Online, (06/03/2008)

The city of Southlake, Texas, will become one more city to enlist the support of video surveillance on a wireless IP network as a crime prevention tool. Southlake has an "old-style town square," and using this type of technology was ideal for not disrupting the look and feel of the town square with obtrusive equipment. BigWave Communications was chosen to install and provide the service for this project by the city.
www.secprodonline.com/articles/63571/

Web 2.0 Sites a Thriving Marketplace for Malware
The Washington Post, (05/31/2008), Erik Larkin - PC World

The creation and distribution of malware is not illegal in the United States or abroad, but the actual act of using the program or software is illegal. Keeping that in mind, creator/vendors of the programs are using the Internet to advertise and sell their products on social networking sites, blogs, and even YouTube. However, the publicity being generated flies in the face of the conventional wisdom of not attracting attention when doing something questionable. The sites that are being used by the groups to advertise do have the impact of giving the law enforcement community a starting point for investigations and data gathering. Instances that involve the successful prosecution of vendors seem to be a rarity because proving the vendor had prior knowledge of criminal intent is very difficult.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/31/AR2008053100106.html

State Meth-Busters Get New Tool
Arkansas Democrat Gazette, (06/05/2008), Noel E. Oman

An electronic logbook called MethMonitor, created by LeadsOnLabs, is a new tool for the Arkansas Crime Information Center. This tool allows agencies, with staff dedicated to methamphetamine investigations, access to records via computer that were previously only available in hard copy at pharmacies. This tool can save officers time in their efforts to build such cases. For pharmacies, participation costs nothing, and the system is user friendly to help ensure participation. Only active for a few weeks, the system is already making an impact by helping in meth cases.
www.nwanews.com/adg/News/227754/

Reducing Firearms Violence Through Directed Police Patrol

Final Report on the Evaluation of the Indianapolis Police Department's Directed Patrol Project
In the early 1990s, the Kansas City Police Department conducted a quasi-experiment in which they tested the effect of directed police patrols in a high violent crime neighborhood. The directed patrol strategy utilized officers in patrol cars who were freed from the responsibility of responding to calls for police service. The officers were instructed to proactively patrol the neighborhood with a special emphasis on locating and seizing illegally possessed firearms. The results of the project were striking. The increased traffic enforcement led to a 70 percent increase in seizures of illegal firearms.
This, in turn, was associated with a 49 percent decrease in gun-related crime in this area
(Sherman, Shaw and Rogan, 1995; Sherman and Rogan, 1995).

Building on the findings from Kansas City, the Indianapolis Police Department (IPD) implemented a similar project in July 1997 with the intent of reducing violent crime. In contrast with Kansas City, IPD’s project was implemented in two target areas for a 90-day period as opposed to the six-month, single site intervention in Kansas City. Although the overall level of police activity in terms of officer hours, vehicle stops, and arrests was quite similar in the two projects, the Indianapolis project involved a lower level of dosage given the 90-day period and the two target areas. On the other hand, the Indianapolis project allowed for a test of two somewhat different strategies.

READ ON
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/194207.pdf

Early Intervention System

This handbook is intended mostly as an explanation for our employees of a new system which affects them. Since some members of the public may be interested in understanding how our Early Intervention System works, and why we developed it, we have endeavored to write in a way that minimizes police jargon and will be understandable by a general audience.

As noted in Chief Stephens’ preceding comments, in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police
Department, we place a high priority on solving crime problems when they occur and on preventing future problems. Similarly, when it comes to performance by our sworn and civilian employees, we are committed to helping them handle challenges that might impede their effective and appropriate conduct.

When we notice potential performance problems, we want to prevent them from growing to the point where they will jeopardize an employee’s career, weaken our service to the public, or damage the reputation of the CMPD. To be sure, if our employees violate our rules, our internal affairs and supervisory structure are responsible for investigating and recommending discipline as may be appropriate. We are strict about compliance with our rules because we owe high standards to the community and to our justly proud workforce.

We also owe the public and our employees the very best supervision possible—supervision which encourages employees to continue what they do well and helps them steer away from potentially troublesome patterns of conduct. With the increasing complexity of police work, the responsibilities and workload of our supervisors are greater than they were a generation ago. The CMPD strives to find methods that make high quality supervision as easy and effective as possible. There is no substitute for well-trained and motivated individuals selected to serve as supervisors, but one of the systems we have established to assist them in doing their jobs proficiently is an automated record keeping and notification system— system— called our Early Intervention System
(EIS).

This handbook explains why we created this system; how it works; how it is expected to affect sworn and civilian CMPD employees and supervisors; what input our employees had in designing the EIS; how our system differs from those adopted by other departments; and what criteria we will use over time to assess whether the EIS is making a positive contribution to effective supervision and employee assistance. These topics are discussed using a question-and answer format, with the discussions grouped under six general categories.

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http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/mime/open.pdf?Item=1767

Doing What We’ve Always Done: A Case Study of Rural Policing

Crime and justice cannot be adequately analyzed without an understanding of the historical and social contexts. Policing in a rural community provides an useful example of how social forces shape the delivery of informal as well as formal justice yet little is known about rural law enforcement. Furthermore, although approximately 50 percent of American law enforcement agencies are rural or small town, the vast majority of the research has been on the urban experience.

Based upon a baseline study of policing in a rural Kansas community, this study begins to fill part of that hiatus. The objective of the research project handed by the National Institute of Justice was four-fold: (1) to describe the existing policing model from the perspectives of citizens, community leaders, and law enforcement; (2) to identify the indicators of success or effectiveness of the law enforcement as perceived by citizens, community leaders, and law enforcement; (3) to identify law enforcement priorities and preferred policing models as identified by citizens, community leaders, and law enforcement; and (4) to make recommendations for rural law enforcement policy and training.

The data for this study were obtained from four sources: official crime data, a random sample telephone and mailed survey of community citizens and a hands-on survey of local law enforcement; participatory meetings with key community organizations; and interviews with community “gatekeepers.” Citizen response to the majority of indicators of law enforcement effectiveness was positive and supportive of the existing policing model in contrast to the law enforcement response which was more mixed. When asked how law enforcement should be done, citizen response indicated a conflict between their beliefs about how policing should be done and their evaluations of the success of the delivery of local law enforcement services. The theory of cognitive dissonance renders a useful theoretical framework for understanding the conflict between citizen perceptions of the effectiveness of their law enforcement agencies and their ”John WayneNild West” image of fighting crime.

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http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/181044.pdf

Police Labor-Management Relations (Vol. I):

Police Labor-Management Relations (Vol. I): Perspectives and Practical Solutions for Implementing Change, Making Reforms, and Handling Crises for Managers and Union Leader
The purpose of this project was to create a practitioner’s guide for police managers and police unions that seeks to unravel the mysteries surrounding the two sides of policing, and offer some principled and practical solutions to surviving in the 21st century world of policing that is becoming more and more complex and complicated. The basic goals of the project were the following:

Survey police unions and police management on the current state of labor-management relations in their agencies with an emphasis on implementing change in the direction and operations of the law enforcement agency or reform in the agency

Analyze the survey data to determine those aspects of the labor-management relationship that would appear to be the most cooperative and those aspects that would appear to be the least cooperative when the law enforcement agency is desirous of change or reform, i.e., what is working and what is not

Create a model police labor-management process to implement change and reform the law enforcement agency

Develop an educational and training program for police union leaders and police management in how to implement change in a law enforcement agency in a cooperative manner

Establish methods to encourage police unions and police management to work together to make the reduction of crime a part of their relationship (with or without the right to collective bargaining) and to develop a shared vision of a safer community.

This project was not designed to be a “how to” book on collective bargaining, grievance handling, arbitration, or bargaining impasse resolutions. Change or reform of a law enforcement agency would include, but not be limited to such traditional change agents as the use of force by police, corruption in the agency, ineffectiveness or inefficiency of the agency, racial profiling and other minority complaints, diversity in promotions and in hiring, and mismanagement of agency personnel and resources. The project was to include information on how to gain the cooperative implementation of community-oriented policing concepts by creating ownership in the program for the police union and police management. The most serious problem facing the police profession in the 21st century is how to implement change or reform in a law enforcement agency in the most cooperative manner with the least amount of disruption to the operations of the agency.

The police are one of the most powerful and visible arm of the government.
Individual police officers are empowered to detain, arrest, subdue, and under justifiable circumstances, injure or kill a citizen in order to perform their duties. Police officers are reluctant and resistant to change or reform, especially when the officers perceive the change or reform as politically motivated. A case in point is that despite an obvious hue and cry for citizen control of the police by elected officials, the media, and the public, the few existing citizen review boards in the United States generally are powerless to investigate or charge individual police officers with misconduct or implement reforms in a police department.

DOWNLOAD THE BOOK
http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/files/ric/Publications/e07063417.pdf