Criminal Justice Technology News

Law Enforcement News
Burglary Call Led to Shooting of Stafford Deputy
Fredericksburg.com, (06/08/2016)
A Stafford County (Va.) deputy responding to a burglary call was shot four times, including one shot to the upper chest area stopped by his ballistic-resistant body armor. The deputy also took shots in the hip, thigh and arm, and was listed in serious but stable condition following the June 7 incident. The suspect was apprehended and charged.
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Bend Police Launch App
Bend Bulletin, (06/09/2016), Claire Withycombe
The Bend (Ore.) Police Department recently unveiled a free app allowing residents to submit tips anonymously, receive emergency alerts from the department, contact school resource officers and register their bikes. Officer Scott Vincent led efforts to implement the app; Vincent, a former SRO, had set up a number to allow students to text him directly, and received a number of tips from students whom he felt would not have reached out to him otherwise. The new app also links to http://www.bikeindex.org, a site where individuals can register to upload photos of their bikes and other details in case of theft.
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LAPD Enlisting 100 BMW i3 Electric Cars
Fox News.com, (06/09/2016)
The Los Angeles Police Department plans to add 100 BMW i3 electric cars to its fleet, for use in non-emergency and community outreach situations. The battery-powered i3 gets 81 miles per charge, and BMW says in 2017 that will increase to 114 miles. The total price tag is estimated at $1.4 million, less expensive than conventional models considered by LAPD.
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Researchers Study the Use of e-Cigarettes for Illicit Drugs
Medical Xpress, (06/09/2016), Brian Macneill
An interdisciplinary team of Virginia Commonwealth University researchers is using a $339,000 National Institute of Justice grant to study how drug users use e-cigarette devices to vape illicit drugs. Funds for the grant, "Characterization and Abuse of Electronic Cigarettes: The Efficacy of 'Personal Vaporizers' as an Illicit Drug Delivery System," are being used to evaluate e-cigarettes' viability to vape marijuana, heroin, methamphetamine and other drugs.
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Screens Behind Bars
The Economist, (06/11/2016)
Correctional facilities in England and Wales are experimenting with several methods of allowing inmates limited access to electronic technology in hopes of reducing re-offending. Wayland Prison has created its own television channel, and along with limited programming, allows inmates access to "blended learning" that integrates classroom instruction with use of digital resources. Other prisons allow inmates electronic access to tasks such as arranging visits or adding phone credits.
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How to Develop a Police Grant With the NLECTC System
PoliceOne.com, (06/09/2016), Denise Schlegel
This article explains the centers that make up the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center System (a contract program of the National Institute of Justice) and the myriad services they offer. The author says that "All law enforcement administrative personnel, law enforcement grant writers and those involved with the development of policing strategies or a department strategic planning process should explore all areas of this resource which applies to the needs of their organization or community."
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Hennepin County Uses Facial Recognition Software to Help ID Suspects
ABC5 Eyewitness news, (06/14/2016), Beth McDonough
In Minnesota's Hennepin County, everyone booked into county jail has a facial scan taken and entered into a database that investigators are using to help solve local crimes. The software has recorded success stories, but some local residents are also concerned about privacy issues.
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How Kevlar Saved an Orlando Police Officer's Life
LiveScience, (06/14/2016), Laura Geggel
A Kevlar ballistic-resistant helmet is being credited with saving the life of an Orlando, Fla., police officer during the June 12 operation to end the Orlando Pulse nightclub mass shooting. Photos of the helmet have been widely tweeted; this article looks at the science behind Kevlar and its protective abilities.
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Police Chief Credits Bulletproof Vest With Saving Officer's Life
WLKY.com, (06/14/2016)
The chief of the Louisville (Ky.) Metropolitan Police Department credits a ballistic-resistant vest with saving the life of an officer shot on Saturday evening, June 11. Officer Kyle Carroll has been released from the hospital; the suspect remains at large.
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Funding Woes Will Cause School Safety Mapping Program to Go Away July 1
The News Tribune, (06/11/2016), Melissa Santos
Funding for Washington State's Critical Incident Planning and Mapping System, which maps the state's public schools to assist first responders during emergencies, will end July 1, and the state is scrambling to possibly find a solution. The software program contains maps, blueprints, building photos and emergency plans for roughly 2,400 public facilities, including all K-12 schools and community colleges. It is credited with helping stop a school shooting in 2003.
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Corrections News
Mahoning Jail ODs Prompt Move to Buy County Scanner
Vindy.com, (06/09/2016)
The Mahoning County (Ohio) Sheriff's Office has again requested funding to purchase an airport-style full-body scanner for use with all inmates entering or leaving the county jail. Sheriff Jerry Greene and Maj. Alki Santamas, jail administrator, recently requested funding from the county commissioners; it was the second such request in 2016. Two county jail inmates recently overdosed on a drug allegedly smuggled in by a third inmate; both survived.
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Milwaukee County Officials Make Change to GPS Monitoring as Chief Flynn Voices Frustration
Fox6.com, (06/09/2016), Theo Keith
Milwaukee County, Wis., will begin enforcing a stricter policy regarding GPS monitoring violations by juveniles. Milwaukee police will now receive immediate email notifications of overnight violations, which were previously delayed until 8 a.m. the following day.
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How Maryland Came to Repeal Mandatory Minimums for Drug Offenders
Washington Post, (06/01/2016), Ovetta Wiggins
Two freshmen Maryland lawmakers have brokered a bipartisan deal that includes stricter penalties for certain violent crimes but does away with mandatory minimum sentences for first-time nonviolent drug offenders. The legislation allows approximately 1,600 inmates to become eligible, and appeal, for early release in October 2017 when the mandatory minimum sentences end.
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2 Drones Smuggling Drugs to Prisons Shot Down in UK: Report
Business Standard, (06/12/2016)
British prison officials have used ultra-powerful torch lights to bring down drones attempting to smuggle drugs into jails in two separate incidents at the London and Birmingham jails. Light from the torches is believed to have blinded operators' eyes, causing them to crash the devices.
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Drone Detector Chosen by US Aviation Chiefs
Business Weekly, (06/13/2016), Kate Sweeney
The Federal Aviation Administration has chosen Cambridge cluster technology from Blighter Surveillance Systems for evaluation in several U.S. airports as part of a research program into technologies that could detect and identify unauthorized unmanned aerial vehicles near airports. The system can detect a drone six miles away, track it and disrupt the radio signals that control it, all in 15 seconds or less. The FAA receives more than 100 reports of unauthorized drones in or near flight paths every month.
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