Criminal Justice Technology in the News

KSP Says Addicts Can Come to Them for Help Without Fear of Arrest
WPSD, (03/06/2018), Leah Shields
The Kentucky State Police have launched a statewide Angel Initiative, a program under which drug users can come to any Kentucky State Police barracks and ask for help without penalty. KSP will help these individuals find the service and assistance they need, provided they are not registered sex offenders or sex felons and have not been convicted of three prior drug-related offenses.
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Schools Across Northwest Indiana Update Their Safety Plans in Wake of Latest School Shooting
NWI.com, (03/07/2018), Carmen McCollum
In response to a wave of school security threats in the aftermath of the shooting at Florida's Stoneman Douglas High School, school districts across Northwest Indiana have begun working closely with local police departments and holding joint active shooter trainings in school buildings. The schools are working on updated safety and security plans as well.
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How to Remarket Patrol Vehicles
Police Magazine, (02/07/2018), Thi Dao
This article profiles how some agencies remarket their used patrol vehicles. Methods vary, but the key remains keeping the equipment out of the wrong hands.
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Officers Learning New Ways to Respond to Emotional Crisis
WGN, (03/08/2018), Katharin Czink and Dina Bair
Officers in DuPage County, Ill., are taking a 40-hour Crisis Intervention Team training course that includes simulations to help them learn to de-escalate calls involving persons with mental illness. Individuals take part in simulated scenarios and receive feedback from mental health professionals after each drill. More than 200 officers have taken the training in the past year.
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Washington, D.C., Launches 'Crime Cards' Search Tool
StateScoop, (03/09/2018), Colin Wood
The new Crime Cards tracking system recently launched by the city of Washington, D.C., is designed as a responsive website that citizens can access from mobile devices via a fill-in-the-blank system. The system replaces a 12-year-old crime mapping technology and allows users to create precise charts, graphs and maps of the data that interests them.
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Perryville Police Will Run Bike Radar
Herald and Chronicle.com, (03/14/2018), Lisa Tome
In the past five years, the police department in Perryville, Md., has expanded its bike patrol unit from one bicycle officer to four, which the department sees as a cost-cutting measure that also promotes a spirit of community policing. One officer recently became certified in bike repair, which will save the department an estimated $1,000 annually in maintenance costs. The department plans to have bike officers start running radar as soon as the department receives cordless units.
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Corrections News

Yoga and Aromatherapy Behind Bars? Pa. Prisons Try Wellness Initiatives
Philly.com, (03/01/2018), Mari A. Schaefer
Pennsylvania is trying out low-cost ideas generated by correction officers, chaplains, nurses and food service staff that include yoga, aromatherapy and linens in an earthy shade of green in an attempt to decrease violence and time spent in solitary confinement. Pilot projects are underway at 25 of the commonwealth's correctional institutions.
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City Program for Youth on Probation Successfully Reduces Recidivism: Study
Times-Ledger, (03/06/2018), Bill Parry
According to the New York City Department of Probation, participation in the Arches Transformative Mentoring reduces one-year felony reconviction by 69 percent and two-year felony reconviction by more than half. Arches, which began operation in 2012, uses curriculum-based interactive journaling, group mentoring and individual mentoring to connect high-risk young people ages 16 to 24 on probation to mentors in their own neighborhoods. The Urban Institute and the Mayor's Office for Economic Opportunity have partnered on research into the program's success.
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Seattle Teens Teaching Former Prisoners How to Use Technology
10News, (03/10/2018), Taylor Mirfendereski
Three high school students in Seattle are working on a project to create a series of short videos that will help formerly incarcerated individuals accommodate to the new technology they find outside prison walls. The teens are meeting with focus groups to help them develop a YouTube channel that will start with basics such as attaching a file to an email. The teens will receive community service hours for their partnership with the If Project, which focuses on helping incarcerated men and women with life skills both while they're in prison and after release.
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Teleconferencing Will Speed Up Jail Evaluations
South Whidbey Record, (03/10/2018), Jessie Stensland
Four counties in Washington state – Island, Snohomish, Yakima and Grays Harbor – will take part in a pilot program to see how well telehealth technology works with mental health evaluations. The goal is for teleconferencing to cut down on the time it takes inmates to receive court-ordered competency evaluations from Western State Hospital.
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