Criminal Justice Technology in the News

Law Enforcement News

3-D Mapping Crash Sites With Drones May Unblock Roads Faster
U.S. News and World Report, (09/06/2017), Associated Press
The North Carolina Transportation Department and North Carolina Highway Patrol are looking into the possibility of using drones to create 3-D models of crash scenes. In a test, the time needed to reconstruct an accident dropped from about two hours to 25 minutes, and officials say use of the drones would also improve officer safety.
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Wareham Police Dept. Gets Improved 911 System - Cell Phone Calls Go Direct to Station, Locations Pinpointed
Wicked Local Wareham, (09/06/2017), Mary McKenzie
An upgraded 911 system put into place in Wareham, Mass., sends cell phone calls directly to the local police department rather than to the nearby Massachusetts State Police Barracks and also provides greater accuracy in locating the call's origin. The state began implementing the Next Generation 911 system in 2016.
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Lima Police Department to Receive $100,000 for Substance Abuse Assistance for Everyone Program
LimaOhio.com, (09/06/2017), John Bush
The Substance Abuse Assistance for Everyone (SAAFE) program, a new initiative in the town of Lima, Ohio, will receive a $100,000 grant from the Ohio Attorney General's Office. The program provides drug treatment instead of criminal charges for individuals who indicate they want to overcome their addiction, and was born out of an officer's desire to help after seeing deaths in the local community due to overdoses. A number of local police departments in the state received similar grants.
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Hampton Fire and Rescue Adds Bulletproof Vests
WAVY.com, (09/06/2017), Marielena Balouris
The Hampton (Va.) Fire Department has paid $650 each for enough ballistic-resistant vests to outfit all of its firefighters and paramedics with the same protection worn by the city's law enforcement officers. The fire and rescue workers will not wear the vests full-time, but will don them in certain situations, such as domestic violence and hostage situations.
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Suspect Killed in Shootout With Police After Wounding Two Officers
Capital Public Radio, (09/07/2017), Bob Moffitt
Two Sacramento (Calif.) police officers were wounded in a shootout with a murder suspect on September 7, at the same time a funeral took place for a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy killed in a shootout with another suspect several days prior. One of the wounded officers was saved by his ballistic-resistant vest.
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Corrections News

Getting Nevada's Offenders Ready for Life After Prison
Las Vegas Sun, (09/04/2017), Michael Lyle
The Nevada Department of Corrections has embarked on a program of change to better ensure that inmates are prepared for life after prison. This question-and-answer piece with Director James Dzurenda, who took the position in April 2016, takes a more in-depth look at these changes.
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How Tablets Are
 Helping Us Clean Up Our Prison
Washington Examiner, (09/05/2017), Capt. Sean Stewart
Those on both sides of the debate as to whether prisons should take an approach that favor punishment or one that favors rehabilitation appear to agree that allowing prisoners restricted access to tablet computers can be a useful tool. In this opinion piece, the corrections captain from the Pima County (Ariz.) Sheriff's Department lays out the reasons why use of tablets can be beneficial.
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Police, State Authorities Use GPS to Track Down Suspect Who Fled Into Cornfield
Kenosha News, (09/10/2017), Terry Flores
The Pleasant Prairie (Wis.) Police Department used GPS monitoring technology to track down a man suspected of assault who hid in a cornfield. Marteese L. Gaither had been sentenced to wear a GPS monitoring device, and authorities set up a perimeter around the field and pinged his tracking device to determine his location.
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Another Lawsuit Targets Macomb County Jail for Death
Macomb Daily, (09/08/2017), Jameson Cook
The family of a local man who died of a drug overdose while in custody has filed a $10 million lawsuit against the Macomb County Jail. Daniel Byrd died two days after being moved from a drug rehabilitation unit to a place with the facility's general population. The lawsuit is the fifth wrongful death filed against the jail in the past several years.
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Ohio Jail Releases Wrong Inmate, Says Old Technology Is to Blame
WCMH-TV Columbus, (09/08/2017)
Outdated technology may have led to the release of the wrong woman when an individual posted bond for a different woman. Jail officials blame the error on an inadequate intercom system, and say both women are now where they belong.
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At County Jail, Opiate Epidemic Forces a New Way of Thinking
Mansfield News Journal, (09/08/2017), Emily Mills
A new body scanner that searches individuals for drugs and new treatment programs are two steps taken in the Richland County (Wis.) Jail to help combat the growing opioid epidemic. Grants paid for the implementation of the scanner in the wake of a July 2016 death from an overdose. Although such overdose incidents have been rare, the jail does see numerous individuals suffering from withdrawal, who can be referred for needed treatment.
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