Criminal Justice Technology in the News

Law Enforcement News

New Technology Coming to Canyon Police Department
KFDA, (01/26/2017), Nelly Ramirez
The Canyon (Texas) Police Department will use a $30,000 Justice Assistance Grant to enhance department technology. Plans include replacing in-car video cameras and updating current radar to laser radar systems.
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Lodi Police Dispatchers Receive Communications Center Upgrades
Lodi News-Sentinel (01/26/2017), Christina Cornejo
The Lodi Police Department in California has updated communication center equipment. The department received $364,000 from the Office of Emergency Services, spending all but $15,000. The funding paid for six new workstations; a new CAD system for answering 911 calls, nonemergency and business line calls; and a new system of recording those calls. The department also financed the purchase of a new $569,000 radio system from its own budget.
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Governor Announces Grant Funding for Dallas Law Enforcement
RGVProud, (01/26/2017)
Dallas has received a more than $1 million grant for the purchase of personal protective equipment such as ballistic helmets and bulletproof vests. The grant from the Homeland Security Grants Division within the Texas Office of the Governor comes in the aftermath of the deadly attack on Dallas peace officers last July, and is in addition to an earlier grant of $616,000 in November that was also used for equipment and protective gear.
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Cambria Law Enforcement Agencies Receive Heroin Antidote Naloxone
The Tribune-Democrat, (01/27/2017), David Hurst
Law enforcement agencies in Cambria County, Penn., now have access to naloxone, which is used to reverse opioid overdoses. Previously, only state police and Cambria County's emergency medical responders carried the drug. Borough, city and township departments; several county agencies; and college campus-level forces have received naloxone to carry while on duty. Cambria County Drug Coalition Executive Director Ronna Yablonski outlined the coalition's plan for stemming drug abuse, which includes multi-agency efforts to increase drug prevention efforts, reduce the area's illegal drug supply and improve systems of care.
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SRNL Shares Radiation Detection Technology With Law Enforcement
Aiken Standard, (01/3/12017)
The Savannah River National Laboratory recently hosted police departments and government agencies from five states to test vehicles outfitted with radiological and nuclear detection equipment. Richard Reichel, director of SRNL Global and Homeland Security Programs, said the test, the first in a series, validated the equipment. The lab developed the methodology for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office testing. The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, Florida Highway Patrol and police departments from Indianapolis, Las Vegas and Suffolk County, N. Y., participated. For the test, the SRNL team confirmed no hazards were present along the 1.5 mile demonstration route, and placed sealed radiation sources along the route. The participants drove SUVs equipped with the detection gear to determine the type and amount of materials used.
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Sierra Vista Police Ready to Don Body Cameras Next Week
Sierra Vista Herald, (02/01/2017), Eric Petermann
Police in Sierra Vista, Ariz., are expected to begin using body-worn cameras on Feb. 8. The Sierra Vista City Council authorized the department to purchase 62 of the cameras and docking stations. Officers will wear the device on the front of their uniforms and at the end of their shifts, place the camera in a docking station, which downloads the video. Cameras are manually activated and the new department policy directs officers on when they are responsible to record.
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Corrections News

All 3 Northeastern Pa. Prisons Will Remain Open
Times Leader, (01/26/2017), Bill O'Boyle
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections will close only one state prison, SCI Pittsburgh, and keep all three prisons in Northeastern Pennsylvania that were in danger of closing open. On Jan. 6, the department announced that two of the five state correctional institutions would close as of June 30. At a press conference on Jan. 26, members of the state legislature said testimony at a hearing on the economic impact of closing two facilities swayed the DOC and Gov. Tom Wolf to close only one.
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Phones Confiscated From Prisons Will Be Sent to Soldiers
The Commercial, (01/30/2017)
Phones confiscated from correctional facilities of the Arkansas Department of Correction will be donated to Cell Phones for Soldiers. Correctional officers confiscated 848 new and used cell phones from inmates in 2016, according to an ADC news release. It is the third year ADC has donated cell phones to the nonprofit organization, which provides the donated phones to soldiers needing them to call their families and friends.
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Santa Clara Co.: Body Cams Approved for Deputies, Jail Officers
The Mercury News, (01/26/2017), Eric Kurhi
Santa Clara County officials have approved equipping deputy sheriffs on patrol and guarding the jails with body cameras. The cameras will be rolled out for use over the next year, with about 1,142 officers eventually receiving them. The county policy on use of the cameras includes that the deputies have their cameras on to record such activities as detentions, vehicle stops, pedestrian stops and probation and parole searches.
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In Effort to Reduce Contraband, More Maine Jails Turn to Video Visitation
Maine Public, (01/09/2017), Susan Sharon
Maine is among states using video to replace or augment visits between inmates and their families. At least three jails in the state are using video visitation and at least three more plan to do so. Jail administrators say using the technology is an effective way to reduce contraband and reduce staffing costs. But some prisoners, their family members and advocates object to the loss of face-to-face visits and want them to continue.
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