Criminal Justice Technology in the News

Law Enforcement News

Cellphone App Changing the Way Janesville Police Solve Crimes
GazetteXtra, (11/10/2017), Frank Schultz
Since implementing use of the P3 app in 2015, police in Janesville, Wis., have seen an increased number of tips come in to the department. The app allows anyone to send in a photo or a screenshot, and has been used by students to report several possible incidents in schools. The app replaced an earlier text-a-tip program that was not very successful.
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FBI Wants to Consolidate Its Data Centers, So It Is Launching a New One
FedTech, (11/10/2017), Phil Goldstein
The FBI recently broke ground on a new $100 million, 100,000-square-foot facility in Pocatello, Idaho, that will serve as the center of the bureau's operations in the Western United States. The FBI plans to consolidate operations and reduce the number of centers it operates in the western half of the country as part of efforts to optimize infrastructure.
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Stop the Bleeding: Police Use Tourniquets to Save Their Lives and Others
LehighValleyLive.com, (11/11/2017), Sarah Cassi
After a recent incident in which a Pennsylvania state trooper used the tourniquet he carried on his belt to save his own life, several Lehigh Valley departments have become interested in providing the devices to their officers. In addition, some officers are already buying tourniquets for themselves. All Pennsylvania state police officers are provided with the tourniquets, which they have used on civilians and other officers in addition to themselves.
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This App Tracks Drug Overdoses in Real Time
PBS News Hour, (11/14/2017)
In summer 2016, the Drug Enforcement Administration's Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area team created a smartphone app that allows emergency responders to enter the time and location of drug overdoses into a regional mapping database. Use of ODMAP has since spread to more than 250 agencies located in 27 states, and it is the only free tool available that performs this function. This piece looks at how agencies can benefit from its use.
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Corrections News

News 12 Investigates: Thousands of Illegal Cell Phones Found in SC Prisons
WRDW.com, (11/07/2017)
This investigative piece focuses on the ongoing problem of illegal cell phones in South Carolina prisons and the state's efforts to secure permission to block cellular signals in its correctional facilities. Inmates often use cell phones to continue criminal activities while incarcerated.
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Anti-drone Systems Could Keep Contraband Out of Ohio Prisons
State Scoop, (11/08/2017), Colin Wood
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction may begin using DroneDefender or a similar technology, according to published reports. The technology disrupts the signal to the drone and causes it to land. There have been more than a dozen recorded attempts to smuggle contraband into Ohio correctional facilities using drones.
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Drones Dropping Drugs, Contraband Into NorCal Prisons
CBS SF Bay Area, (11/07/2017)
After a drone carrying meth crashed onto the grounds of Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas, Calif., in October, officials in Santa Clara County have begun efforts to stop the use of drones to smuggle contraband into correctional facilities. A team from station KPIX 5 set about replicating modifying a drone for contraband deliveries, and found it surprisingly easy, according to this report.
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Fundraiser Helps Incarcerated Parents and Their Kids
25 News, (11/11/2017), Sarah Jaeger
This piece looks at the efforts of a group called Motherly Intervention to help children whose parents are incarcerated. The group provides meals, homework assistance, tutoring in math and computer technology, and transportation, and helps coordinate visits to correctional facilities.
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Congress Is Looking to Stem the Illegal Flow of Cellphones Into Jails, Prisons
USA Today, (11/09/2017), Michael Collins
A rising rate of inmates using contraband cellphones to coordinate crimes from inside correctional facilities has led to a bipartisan Congressional effort to stop the devices from coming into jails and prisons. A letter signed by 52 House members and senators asked the Federal Communications Commission to coordinate a meeting among corrections officials, major cellular providers and the FBI.
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SC Prison Attack: Culture of Chaos
FITSNews, (11/12/2017)
This article includes a video clip posted from inside a South Carolina correctional facility. The 90-second clip shows a brutal attack by several inmates on another one. The piece says this is part of a growing culture of violence inside South Carolina prisons.
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Man Accused of Running State-wide Prostitution Ring From Texas Prison
My SA, (11/09/2017), Caleb Downs
A Texas prison inmate allegedly has been running a statewide prostitution ring from inside his cell. The inmate faces charges of aggravated promotion of prostitution and compelling a child to prostitution. He allegedly used a contraband cell phone to recruit teenage girls to become prostitutes.
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