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

Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology News Summary

Per NIJ 11/15/07

ShotSpotter Project NLECTC-Southeast
NLECTC-Southeast is currently providing technical assistance to Birmingham (Alabama) Police Department as that department installs the ShotSpotter gunshot location system. As of August 2007, 86 sensor sites have been selected and the department has received signed permission to install sensors at 80 of these locations. In addition, Southeast Center staff are assisting Richland County (South Carolina) Sheriff's Department with the installation and testing of a new hybrid system developed by ShotSpotter. The hybrid system employs sensors based on both wired telephone lines and wireless cellular data modems. For more information on gunshot location systems and evaluations of the ShotSpotter technology, contact NLECTC-Southeast at 800-292-4385 or nlectc-se@nlectc-se.org.

Emergency Management System Pilot Project NLECTC-West
From August 14–16, 2007, staff from NLECTC-West facilitated the installation of a software system at Claremont (California) High School as part of an NIJ technical pilot program to test an emergency management system. The system is based on requirements developed in response to the Columbine High School shooting and subsequent changes in response to active shooter scenarios. Staff also participated in a 2-day active shooter training drill. For more information about this project, contact NLECTC-West, 888-548-1618 or nlectc@law-west.org.

Paterson, NJ, Improves Public Safety With Addition of Gunshot Location System
Government Technology (09/25/07), News Report

In an effort to better public safety, the City of Paterson, NJ, is using the ShotSpotter Gunshot Detection and Location System in conjunction with its wireless surveillance network. In order to complement the existing, as well as expanding, video surveillance system, the ShotSpotter GLS sensors will be placed throughout areas of Patterson. The complete integration of these two systems is scheduled for the end of 2007, and this integration will allow the cameras to focus in on sources of gunfire.
http://www.govtech.com/gt/148999?topic=117693

Byrd Announces Grant Funding for Marshall Forensic Science Center
HuntingtonNews.net (09/25/07), Marshall University Communications

West Virginia senator Robert Byrd has announced that the Marshall University Forensic Science Center (MUFSC) is set to receive more that $2 million in Federal funding from the U.S. Department of Justice to support the sustained growth of MUFSC as a working model forensic laboratory and a resource for the national forensic community. The additional funding for this project will help MUFSC provide training to laboratory specialists, as well as other members of the criminal justice community, in the area of DNA testing. It will also allow MUFSC to conduct tests of DNA samples gathered from convicted felons throughout the country.
http://www.huntingtonnews.net/marshall/070925-staff-marshallgrantfunding.html

Oregon Prison Guards Get Tasers
Seattlepi.com (09/30/07), Associated Press

In an effort to help control an inmate population that has reached 13,500, Oregon state correctional officers will be issued Tasers® equipped with digital cameras. Nearly 100 of the State's correctional officers are receiving training on how and when to use the less-lethal weapons, which are aimed at preventing injuries to both staff and inmates. Under department policy, approval for use would have to come from the supervising officer in charge and the prison superintendent, and then use of the weapon would be left to the judgment of the trained officers and command staff.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/333806_prisontasers01.html