Criminal Justice Technology in the News

Law Enforcement News

Criminal Justice Program Opens Lab
Reflector, (02/21/2018), Sophie Watson and Cassandra Lombardo
The University of Indianapolis Criminal Justice Department plans to open a criminal justice education lab where students will participate in mock crime scene investigations. The university partnered with the Indianapolis-Marion County Forensics Services Agency to have property rezoned for educational use, and will renovate a house on the property to establish the lab. Marion County officers will also use the lab to train and test their agents.
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New Police Community Programs Coming
Jacksonville Journal Courier, (02/14/2018), Nick Draper
The police department in Jacksonville, Ill., plans to add new programs to connect officers with senior citizens and teenagers. The department will hold classes to educate seniors on scams and offer personal safety tips. It will also launch a "SWAT for a day" program in which teens will spend time with the special response team.
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Shootout, Standoff in Glasgow Village Ends With Gunman Dead, Officer Saved by Bullet-Resistant Vest
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, (02/27/2018), Kim Bell
A police officer shot while part of a U.S. Marshal's Service task force attempting to arrest a suspect in north St. Louis County was saved from serious injury by his ballistic-resistant body armor. Authorities said the suspect opened fire when the task force arrived at his home. Task force members returned fire, and the fugitive retreated. He was later found dead near a carport. A St. Louis County police spokesman said it appeared the man died from shots fired by officers but emphasized the investigation is in the early stages. The officer, who is with the St. Charles County Police Department but was assigned to the fugitive task force, was taken to a hospital and later released.
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New Orleans Opens Real Time Crime Monitoring Center
GCN, (02/21/2018), Stephanie Kanowitz
New Orleans officials say the city's Real Time Crime Monitoring Center is proving to be a valuable asset since it opened in November 2017. Center technology can capture video footage from strategically mounted cameras and license plate scanners for real-time use during violent crimes. During the first weekend of operation, the center provided video evidence for police in incidents including armed robberies and assaults. During the first weekend of the February 2018 Mardi Gras celebration, the center assisted in 17 cases. The technology aggregates and integrates streaming video, real-time alerts, advanced data analytics, resource tracking, social media analytics, voice, computer aided dispatch and records information with layered geospatial mapping so command center staff can communicate actionable intelligence via voice and data to field staff.
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Opioids Dangers Force Police to Abandon Drug Field Tests
Mysanantonio.com, (02/21/2018), Jim Salter for Associated Press
Some law enforcement agencies have opted to not field test suspected drugs and instead send the samples to crime labs for testing, due to concern of possible exposure of officers to potent opioids such as fentanyl that can be absorbed through the skin or inhaled. Over the past 18 months, field testing has been banned by the Drug Enforcement Administration; state police in Oregon, Arizona, Michigan and Missouri; and several big-city departments, including New York and Houston.
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CCPD Adds New Unmarked 'Stealth Car' to Fleet
KIII TV, (02/21/2018), Rudy Trevino
The Corpus Christi Police Department has added a new unmarked vehicle to its fleet to help with traffic enforcement and deter unsafe driving. During the unit's first week on patrol, officers made 137 stops. Of those, 70 were for speeding and 57 were distracted drivers on their cell phones, according to Lt. Maria Huerta Garcia.
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With the Touch of a Finger: New Fingerprint Scanning Device Will Help Coroner ID Bodies Faster
The Sumter Item, (02/25/2018), Adrienne Sarvis
A new handheld fingerprint scanning device is expected to help the Sumter County Coroner's Office in South Carolina identify bodies faster. If an individual has been fingerprinted for any reason, such as military, law enforcement, registering for a concealed weapons permit, applying to become a foster parent, or an arrest, his or her prints will show up in the system. The device is useful in cases in which the deceased person does not have ID, used an alias or has such serious injuries that identification is difficult.
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Corrections News

New Unit Aims to Improve Safety at NC Prisons
WRAL, (02/22/2018)
North Carolina has a new unit overseeing security at all 55 state prisons. About two dozen instructors will be a part of a new Security Accountability Unit established in the Division of Adult Corrections and Juvenile Justice. The unit will train prison staff on safety policies and travel around the state doing audits of facilities to ensure those policies are being followed.

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Drone Delivery to Jail? VT Bill Aims to Thwart That
Burlington Free Press, (02/26/2018), Elizabeth Murray
A bill introduced in the Vermont House of Representatives would limit how close drones can get to state correctional facilities. The bill seeks to prohibit drone flight within a horizontal distance of 500 feet and a vertical distance of 400 feet. Violators would be subject to a civil penalty of up to $500. The bill contains exceptions for drone use by the Department of Corrections, a law enforcement agency, a public safety agency responding to an emergency, a person engaged in emergency functions or emergency management, or a person operating a drone with the written consent of the correctional facility's supervising officer.
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96% of DUI Offenders Wearing SCRAM Device Remained Sober Last Year in Lancaster County
Fox43, (02/22/2018)
Over 96 percent of DUI offenders wearing alcohol-detection devices in Lancaster County, Pa., are avoiding alcohol. In 2017, 745 people on bail conditions or probation/parole in the county wore a SCRAM device under the county's DUI repeat offender program. According to data released by Vigilnet America, which supplies and monitors the devices, 25 people violated the conditions by having a drink, which means 96.6 percent remained sober.
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SF Officials Look to Cut Criminal Justice Fees
The Bay Area Reporter, (02/22/2018), Seth Hemmelgarn
Legislation to eliminate criminal justice fees in San Francisco is expected to come before a Board of Supervisors committee in March. The legislation, introduced in early February, would eliminate fees that defendants are responsible for, such as home detention and adult probation. San Francisco Board of Supervisors President London Breed says the fees are burdensome for people trying to turn their lives around, and that from 2012 to 2016, the average rate of collection for all court-ordered criminal fees was 17 percent.
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Visitation Cut at Florida State Prisons. Agency Cites Staff Shortages, Safety Concerns
Miami Herald, (02/21/2018), Julie K. Brown
Citing staff shortages and safety issues, the Florida Department of Corrections says it will curtail inmate visitation for 90 days in its state prisons, beginning in April. Under the new schedule, visitations will be scheduled every other weekend rather than every weekend, based on the inmate's identification number.
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For Some Prisoners on the Cusp of Freedom, Virtual Reality Readies Them for Release
Colorado Public Radio, (01/31/2018), Meredith Turk
Colorado is using virtual reality to help some inmates prepare for possible life outside of prison. A program at the Fremont Correctional Facility is for people convicted as juveniles who have served at least 20 years of their sentences. As part of the program, virtual reality is being used to familiarize them with modern ways of doing activities such as grocery shopping and experiencing a job interview. Inmates must complete a three-year program to be considered for release.
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Missouri Prisoners Getting Free Tablets
KSDK, (02/26/2018), PJ Randhawa
Some people are concerned about a plan to provide tablet computers to Missouri inmates. The tablets will have education apps, limited email and phone access, and inmates can buy movies, music and games. A spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Corrections said there will be no Internet access or cameras on the tablets, and they'll be monitored by corrections officers. But Gary Gross of the corrections officers union said he fears the tablets could compromise prison security.
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Cut and Run: Monitoring Escapes Rare But Constant in Marion County
WTTV, (02/21/2018), Frank Mickens
Marion County, Ind., has hired a company to track down the ankle monitors offenders have cut off and discarded. About 4,500 people with monitors are under surveillance at any given time. A man who works for the company finds about 100 monitors a month that offenders have removed and thrown away.
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