Public Safety Technology in the News

Municipal Complaint? There’s an App for That
Boston Globe, (07/09/2009), Michael Levenson

Boston will soon unveil an iPhone application to allow citizens to photograph problems such as potholes and graffiti and e-mail them to city hall immediately. City officials say they expect to pay Connected Bits, the New Hampshire company that designed the software, about $25,000 for technical support this year. The city will then review use of the service to determine if it is worth the cost. The application will be free to download from Apple and will allow residents to use global positioning system technology on their iPhones to pinpoint the exact location of the problem for city hall. Residents will get a tracking number so they can follow up if the city does not fix the problem.
www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/06/boston_to_debut_8216killer_app8217_for_municipal_complaints/

Attorney General Holder Announces $8.7 Million in Recovery Act Grants to Support Law Enforcement Efforts on the Southwest Border
PRNewswire, (07/15/2009)

Three California communities will receive $8.7 million to fight crime and drug trafficking along the border with Mexico. The U.S. Department of Justice Recovery Act grants to Chula Vista, San Mateo County and San Diego County are for hiring, retention, assistance and equipment to combat criminal narcotics activity. The Chula Vista Police Department, on behalf of the California Border Alliance Group, plans to use the money to support task force efforts to gather intelligence related to cross-border violence. The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, along with the Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking HIDTA, will develop an automated intelligence management system to track wholesale distribution from Mexican drug trafficking organizations out of the San Francisco area. San Diego County plans to create a team of 16 uniformed officers to patrol the border for drug smuggling and criminal activity and fund a dedicated deputy district attorney to prosecute those appr! ehended.
news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/07-15-2009/0005060853&EDATE

Most Users Clueless About Cybersecurity, FBI Says
PC World, (07/12/2009), Maxine Cheung

Lack of awareness and education on the part of Internet users are driving increases in Internet crime rates, experts say. To protect themselves, users need to educate themselves about the threats and issues in the online world. Michael Stawasz of the computer crime and intellectual property section of the U.S. Department of Justice and Austin Berglas of the cybercrime unit at the FBI’s New York office spoke at a recent panel session on security. Berglas said people need to be careful about personal information on their computers. Security and antivirus software are helpful, but computers should be kept up to date with security updates and users need to guard their user id and passwords.
www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/168263/most_users_clueless_about_cybersecurity_fbi_says.html

U.S. Marshals Discuss New Courthouse Security Efforts at National Conference
Daily Business Review, (07/13/2009), Julie Kay

The U.S. Marshals Service is enhancing security in federal courthouses and helping to improve state courthouse security as well. As part of the National Sheriffs’ Association conference, the Marshals Service sought to share information with local sheriffs, who are often responsible for security at state courthouses. According to Michael Prout, assistant director of the Marshals Service, threats against federal judges and prosecutors increased nationally from 500 in 2003 to nearly 1,300 in 2008. The Marshals Service increased its judicial security staff by 16 percent and its protective intelligence staff by 500 percent this year. A unit of eight explosives sniffing dogs travels around the country to work at potentially dangerous trials. Newer courthouses have special features such as entry cameras with facial recognition software matched to watch lists, angular construction to withstand explosions and windows whose glass will fall straight down when shattered.
www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202432184553&pos=ataglance

Newly Accredited Houston Lab Expands Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory Network
FBI, (07/16/2009)

The Greater Houston Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory is the latest lab to receive accreditation in digital and multimedia evidence from the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board. The Houston lab is part of the Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory program, a network of 16 FBI-sponsored digital forensics labs and training centers devoted to examining digital evidence. The lab is managed by a coalition of federal , state and local law enforcement organizations. The accreditation process is an intensive assessment that evaluates the qualifications of all lab personnel, the labs operational and technical policies and the labs quality management system.
www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel09/lab_071609.htm

City Morgue Gets a $26.8 Million Makeover
Pittsburg Post-Gazette, (07/18/2009), Don Hopey

Allegheny County has a new $26.8 million morgue and crime lab complex that officials say should improve medical examiners’ efficiency. The 80,000 square-foot facility has crime labs equipped with computerized robots that will perform DNA testing and a scanning electron microscope that can identify trace gunshot residue. The facility also includes a security 24-hour evidence drop-off locker area, onsite crime vehicle processing, firing range and DNA lab. County Medical Examiner Dr. Karl Williams said the new facility will help the morgue and crime lab reduce laboratory analysis and crime case backlogs. The biggest backlog is in ballistics testing. The morgue handles about 800 complete autopsies a year.
www.post-gazette.com/pg/09199/984773-53.stm

Fingerprinting Planned for Polk Students on Buses
The Ledger, (07/16/2009), John Chambliss

The Polk County School District in Florida plans to fingerprint more than 4,000 students for the next school year to track them on school buses as a safety measure. Students will place their thumbs on a fingerprint reader as they get on and off buses. District Assistant Director of Operations Lum Thornhill says fingerprinting will help track down a child if the youngster does not arrive home after getting off a bus. But officials of the American Civil Liberties Union have raised privacy concerns. Rob Davis, director of transportation for the school district, said parents would likely have the option to opt out of having their children scanned. The district wants to eventually use the fingerprint ID system on all 47,000 students who ride buses.
www.theledger.com/article/20090716/NEWS/907165060/-1/WIRE17?Title=Fingerprinting-Planned-for-Polk-Students-On-Buses

Michigan Police Get $41m in Stimulus
WOOD Television, (07/16/2009)

West Michigan law enforcement agencies will use part of a $41 million grant to reduce the backlog in forensic labs. The money from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program is a result of the federal stimulus package. The Grand Rapids Police Department will collect more than $700, 000. Local drug enforcement teams will receive about $800, 000. Michigan State Police will receive $2.8 million to reduce the backlog at the department's forensics labs, which help identify evidence, including DNA results, for police agencies across the state.
www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/grand_rapids/Michigan_police_get_41m_in_stimulus