Criminal Justice Technology in the News

Columbia County Sheriff's Office Becomes First in the Nation to Use Church Safety App
WJBF, (01/19/2017), Barclay Bishop
The Columbia County Sheriff's Office and the Stevens Creek Church in Columbia County, Ga., are using the National Institute of Justice's Safeguarding Houses of Worship app, which helps congregations assess their security risks and plan accordingly. Todd Coleman, a reserve deputy with the sheriff's office, was key in the app's development. Church Pastor Eric Kennedy leads the church safety team, which is training other churches on a new app. Coleman said, "It allows you to start thinking about those things that you might have to deal with one day."
Link to Article

Muhlenberg Police Department Launch Digital Crime Fighting Tool
Muhlenberg Township, 01/19/2017
Muhlenberg Township, Penn., has a new website that provides the public direct access to crime- and public safety-related information. The website, www.muhlenbergtwppolice.com, was developed in partnership with CRIMEWATCH Pennsylvania and is part of the CRIMEWATCH Network. It allows for geographically targeted information sharing and intelligence gathering.
Link to Article

Valparaiso Police Launch Drone Program
NWI Times, (01/19/2017), John Scheibel
Police in Valparaiso, Ind., are using unmanned aerial systems to assist in investigations such as locating missing persons and taking crime scene photos. The department has two drones, both equipped with cameras, one with a thermal imaging device, and holds two certifications for their use from the Federal Aviation Administration. Three officers are FAA certified to use them, and three more officers are in training to become certified.
Link to Article

Wounded Idaho Sheriff's Deputies Recovering
The Spokesman-Review, (01/18/2017), Eli Francovich
Both Bonner County deputies wounded in a January 16 confrontation with a suspect on whom they were attempting to serve a battery warrant are recovering in a local hospital, one in serious condition, one in fair condition, according to a law enforcement spokesman. An ER nurse who lives near the scene of the shooting and who was nearby with her horses administered first aid and said it appeared that one of the deputies survived shots to the torso thanks to his ballistic-resistant vest.
Link to Article

Pennsylvania Officials Issue Warning on Dangers of Synthetic Opioid
Pain Medicine News, (01/19/2017)
Following two recent overdose deaths, Pennsylvania state officials are alerting the public about the potential dangers of the use of and exposure to the synthetic opioid carfentanil. Carfentanil is used as an animal tranquilizer, but can be mixed with heroin or used as a heroin substitute. Officials recommend that health professionals and first responders exercise extreme caution when treating individuals suspected of taking the drug to reduce the risk for accidental exposure.
Link to Article

Drones, Emergency Software, and New Pick-Up for Westfield Police Department
WWLP, (01/20/017), Amy Porter
A drone, communication and safety software, and a pickup truck are among items approved for the Westfield (Mass.) Police Department by the city council. The council accepted a $15,000 gift to the police department for the purchase of a drone, authorized a transfer of $32,000 from reserve to allow the purchase of COPSync 911 communication and safety software, and another inter-department transfer of $44,102 to allow the purchase of a pickup truck to handle code enforcement for commercial vehicles.
Link to Article

Bulletproof Vest Saves Waldoboro Officer's Life in Weekend Shooting
WABI TV 5, (01/24/2017). Alexander Downing
Waldoboro Officer John Lash was shot in the back when responding to a domestic disturbance call early Saturday morning, but was saved from serious injury by his ballistic-resistant vest. The officer, who was treated and released at a nearby hospital, returned fire and killed the suspect at the scene.
Link to Article

Corrections News

Proposal to Ban Drones Near SC Prisons and Jails Advances to Senate Floor
The State, (01/19/2017), Cynthia Roldán
A bill that would ban drones from flying near South Carolina's prison and jails advanced to the state Senate for consideration after receiving approval from a Senate committee. The proposal would make it a misdemeanor to fly a drone within 500 feet around or 250 above a state prison or jail without the consent of the facility's director.
Link to Article

DOC Requests Nearly $1 Billion for Two New Prisons
News 9, (01/24/2017), Justin Dougherty
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections is asking state lawmakers to approve nearly $850 million to build two new prisons. The state's prison population is at 108 percent capacity, and it's expected to grow by about 40,000 inmates over the next 10 years.
Link to Article

Lawrence County Jail to Partner With Centerstone to Help Inmates
WBIW News, (01/11/2017)
The Lawrence County Jail in Indiana will participate in a state pilot project to connect offenders with services needed to be successful following release. The Recovery Works Jail ReEntry Program will feature skills development and treatment access. Officials hope to serve 24 men and eight women in the first six months of the program and an additional 24 men and eight women in the subsequent six months.
Link to Article

Jail Renovation to Eliminate Face-to-Face Visitation
GoUpstate.com, (01/17/2017), Daniel J. Gross
Due to a $250,000 renovation to improve security, inmates in the Spartanburg County jail in South Carolina will communicate with visitors via video monitors. Jail Director Maj. Allen Freeman said the intent of the renovation is to enhance safety and security. The facility has allowed walk-in visitors to see inmates through a window in a room off the lobby area. The new plan is to have a bank of video monitors in the lobby for visitors to communicate with inmates. Families can also log into the system from home. Inmates will use video stations in their respective pods.
Link to Article

The Role of Technology in Youth Harassment Victimization Bulletin

In a new bulletin, NIJ and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention examine the intersection of technology-involved harassment, in-person peer victimization, and mixed types of victimization, to help improve current policy and practice regarding the issue and to inform future research.

This research makes an important contribution as one of the first national studies to provide detailed incident-level data on the role of online technology in youth harassment and to explore the connection between harassment victims’ experiences and prior victimizations across a range of domains.

Read the Bulletin

88 Errors on the Trump White House Website

On Friday, January 21, 2017, I heard the news that our new President’s administration had significantly changed whitehouse.gov website.  I knew that while the President was being sworn in, people were busy at the actual White House, moving out Obama and moving in Trump.  After thinking about it, it made sense that during the transition, the new President had a staff that was preparing all-sorts of things, including updated website content.  So, I took a tour of the website.  What I did not expect to find were so many errors.  Not factual errors, but overlooked content and coding errors. 

I wandered around and look at various pages.  I saw the section on history and clicked one of my favorite Presidents, Harry Truman.  I scrolled down to the “Did you know?”  And, read “Today the Obama Administration continues to strive toward upholding the civil rights of its citizens, repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.”   I am certain that had the person or team working on the website seen this sentence they would have scrubbed it.  I presume since they phrase “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” is hyperlinked and that link dead.  If you click on that link you would find this page deleted: https://c/Documents%20and%20Settings/zhang_j3/Desktop/%E2%80%A2%09http:/www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/12/22/repealing-dadt-history-making

I only looked at the presidential history section of the website and hear is a listing of the obvious errors (42 and 43 are my favorites):

1.      Truman page link to “DADT.”

2.      Martha Washington link back to George “404 page not found”

(All of the mistakes from First Lady back to her husband are as a result of a similar mistake.  The code from the president is 1600/presidents/georgewashington and back link /about/presidents/georgewashington)

3.      Abigail Adams link back to John “404 page not found”

4.      Martha Jefferson to Thomas “404 page not found”

5.      Dolly Madison to James “404 page not found”

6.      Elizabeth Monroe to James “404 page not found”

7.      Louisa Adams to John “404 page not found”

8.      Rachael Jackson to Andrew “404 page not found”

9.      When you are on Andrew Jackson (President No. 7), if you click on next president you get Andrew Johnson (No. 17).  This is a coding/design error resulting from the original list likely being alphabetical and someone not taking care when translating to historical precedence.

10.  Hannah Van Buren to Martin “404 page not found”

11.  Anna Harrison to William “404 page not found”

12.  Letitia Tyler to John “404 page not found”

13.  Julia Tyler to John “404 page not found”

14.  Sarah Polk to James “404 page not found”

15.  Margaret Taylor to Zachary “404 page not found”

16.  Abigail Filmore to Millard “404 page not found”

17.  Jane Pierce to Franklin “404 page not found”

18.  Franklin Pierce no link to the next president.

19.  James Buchanan’s link to his niece who served as First Lady is “404 page not found.”  The link is to about/first-ladies/harrietlane and should be 1600/first-ladies/harrietlane

20.  Mary Lincoln to Abraham “404 page not found”

21.  Eliza John to Andrew “404 page not found”

22.  Julia Grant to Ulysses “404 page not found”

23.  Lucy Hayes to Rutherford “404 page not found”

24.  Hayes (No. 19) “Next President” link is to Tyler (No. 10)

25.  Lucretia Garfield to James “404 page not found”

26.  Chester Arthur no link to “Next President”

27.  Ellen Arthur to Chester “404 page not found”

28.  Grover Cleveland to Frances “404 page not found”

29.  Caroline Harrison to Benjamin “404 page not found”

30.  Cleveland was our only President to serve two non-consecutive terms.  He is listed as No. 22 and 24.  So, his first listing has a bad link to his spouse.  On his second listing the link to his spouse is good, but the link from his spouse back to him is “404 page not found”

31.  Ida McKinley to William “404 page not found”

32.  Edith Roosevelt to Theodore “404 page not found”

33.  Helen Taft to William “404 page not found”

34.  Ellen Wilson to Woodrow “404 page not found”

35.  Edith Wilson to Woodrow “404 page not found”

36.  Florence Harding to Warren “404 page not found”

37.  Grace Coolidge to Calvin “404 page not found”

38.  The “Did you know” section of Calvin Coolidge says “President Obama became the first president to hold virtual gatherings and town halls using Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, etc..  Since they were scrubbing everything from Obama, they should have caught this also.

39.  Lou Hoover to Herbert “404 page not found”

40.  Herbert Hoover “Did you Know” says “President Obama is committed to making sure that the VA, the second-largest cabinet department, serves the needs of all veterans.”  This probably should have been scrubbed.

41.  On Hoover page, the phrase “serves the needs of all veterans” is “404 page not found”

42.  On Herbert Hoover page Michelle Obama is hyperlink to a page on Melania Trump.  (My favorite error)

43.  On Herbert Hoover page Jill Biden is linked to Karen Pence (My “second” favorite error)

44.  On Herbert Hoover page, the phrase “joining forces” is linked to an Obama archive page (https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/joiningforces)

45.  Anna Roosevelt to Franklin “404 page not found”

46.  On the Franklin Roosevelt page in the Did you Know section, is says “On August 14, 1935, President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act. Today the Obama Administration continues to protect seniors and ensure Social Security will be there for future generations.”  This should have been scrubbed.

47.   On the Franklin Roosevelt page in the “Did you know” section, the phrase “protect seniors and ensure Social Security is hyperlinked to “404 page not found”

48.  On the Franklin Roosevelt page in the Did you Know section, the phrase “future generations is hyperlinked to an Obama archive page: (https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/03/07/social-security-101-it-s-there-you)

49.  Elizabeth Truman to Harry “404 page not found”

50.  Mamie Eisenhower to Dwight “404 page not found”

51.  The link to the Dwight Eisenhower Library and Museum is a bad link.

52.  Jacqueline Kennedy to John “404 page not found”

53.  Kennedy “Did you know?” section should have been scrubbed. 

54.  Kennedy “Did you know?” section Peace Corps link is an Obama archive.

55.  Kennedy “Did you know?” section President Proclamation link is an Obama archive.

56.  Claudia Johnson link to Lyndon “404 page not found”

57.  Lyndon Johnson “Did you know?” section should have been scrubbed.

58.  The Lyndon Johnson “Did you know? section links to Obama Care!

59.  Patricia Nixon to Richard “404 page not found”

60.  The Richard Nixon “Did you know?” section should have been scrubbed.

61.  In the Richard Nixon “Did you know?” section the link to President Carter is “404 page not found”

62.  In the Richard Nixon “Did you know?” section the link to Obama’s goals is an archived page.

63.  Elizabeth Ford to Gerald is “404 page not found”

64.  Rosalyn Carter to Jimmy is “404 page not found”

65.  The Jimmy Carter “Did you know?” section should have been scrubbed.

66.  In the Carter “Did you know?” section the link to “innovation and energy” is “404 page not found”

67.  In the Carter “Did you know?” section the link to “above all” is an Obama archive.

68.  On the Reagan page the link to Nancy is “404 page not found”

69.  The Reagan “Did you know?” section should have been scrubbed.

70.  In the Reagan “Did you know?” section the link to the MLK holiday is an Obama archive.

71.  In the Reagan “Did you know?” section the link to “honor this tradition” is “404 page not found”

72.  In the Reagan “Did you know?” section the link to “participating in service” is an Obama Archive.

73.  In the Reagan “Did you know?” section the link to “buffet rule” is “404 page not found”

74.  On the George H.W. Bush page the link to the George Bush Library and Museum is a bad link.

75.  Barbara Bush to George HW is “404 page not found”

76.  The George H.W. Bush “Did you know?” section should have been scrubbed.

77.  In the George H.W. Bush “Did you know? section the phrase “Champions of Change” is “404 page not found”

78.  In the George H.W. Bush “Did you know? section the phrase “fostering civic participation” is “404 page not found”

79.  Hillary Clinton to William is “404 page not found”

80.  The William Clinton “Did you know?” section should have been scrubbed.

81.  In the William Clinton “Did you know? section the phrase “do-gooder in chief” is “404 page not found”

82.  In the William Clinton “Did you know? section the phrase “announcing a 4$ Billion” is an Obama archive.

83.  In the William Clinton “Did you know? section the phrase 43^rd President Bush” is “404 page not found”

84.  On George W. Bush’s page, the link in the middle of the article to his father is ““404 page not found”

85.  Laura Bush to George is “404 page not found”

86.  The George W. Bush “Did you know?” section should have been scrubbed.

87.  In the George W. Bush “Did you know” section the phrase ‘enhanced live stream” is “404 page not found”

88.  In the George W. Bush “Did you know” section the link to Clinton is “404 page not found”

I hope the President’s staff gets better with “attention to detail” before they go about “repealing and replacing.”

Raymond E. Foster

www.police-lieutenant.com