Criminal Justice Technology in the News

Law Enforcement News

US Border Agency Tests Body-Cam Use by Agents in 9 Locations
ABC News, (05/01/2018) Elliot Spagat for Associated Press
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has begun testing the use of body cameras at nine locations. The agency previously concluded in 2015 after a study that body cameras were not yet suitable for widespread use due to cost, technological challenges and the need for labor union approval. Officials said technology has evolved since the 2015 test, and the cameras used in the current field tests will build on lessons learned.
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DNA Technology Helps Maryland Law Enforcement ID Victims
The Star Democrat, (05/02/2018) Zach Shapiro for Capital News Service
Some Maryland law enforcement agencies have been using Snapshot, a technology that can take a DNA sample from a crime scene and read tens of thousands of genetic variants to predict a facial image. A few agencies have said in cases where there are no witnesses, the technology has helped narrow down investigations into potential suspects and victims.
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Senate Adopts Bills to Safeguard Domestic Violence Victims, Incarcerated Women
Connecticut Mirror, (05/01/2018), Keith M. Phaneuf
The Connecticut state Senate has approved a bill to reduce instances in which victims of domestic violence are arrested alongside their attackers. The bill would direct officers to try to establish if there was a "dominant aggressor" in an incident, and if so, arrest only that person.
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Computer System Expands to Most First Responders in Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz Sentinel, (05/01/2018), Michael Todd
A new emergency-management call system removes low-priority calls from public airwaves and put computers in most participating first responders' vehicles. The Santa Cruz Regional 911 system, also known as Netcom, is the emergency communications center for most police and fire agencies in the county. The new system will relay incident information to all responding units.
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Ceremony Marks Opening of Alabama Computer Forensics Lab
Associated Press via U.S. News and World Report, (05/02/2018)
The FBI and local leaders recently held a ceremony to mark the opening of a new lab specializing in digital forensics in Huntsville, Ala. The Tennessee Valley Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory is one of 17 such facilities nationwide specializing in training and the analysis of digital evidence.
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FirstNet Tested During Boston Marathon
Government Technology, (05/03/2018), Adam Stone
FirstNet, the high-speed first responder communications network, underwent its first large-scale test during the 2018 Boston Marathon. FirstNet and AT&T distributed 80 FirstNet devices to fire, police and incident response teams to help connect first responders during the April 16 event, and the teams were able to talk, text and share photos in ways not previously possible.
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K-9 Units at Risk for Fentanyl Exposure 
WV News, (05/06/2018), Conor Griffith
Some West Virginia law enforcement agencies are taking precautions to ensure police canines are not exposed to potent drugs such as fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin. For example, some departments are training dogs to stare in the direction of the odor or sit when they detect something, rather than being more aggressive when searching an area.
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P.G. Police Institutes Camera Registration Program
Monterey Herald, (05/07/2018), Carly Mayberry
The Pacific Grove Police Department in California is asking homeowners and business owners to register their security surveillance systems with the department to help police with crime investigation. The system would help investigators know where to access possible footage of a crime, which could lead to identification of suspects. The program is voluntary.
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UB Researchers Develop Cocaine-Sensing Chip
WKBW, (05/07/2018)
Researchers at the University at Buffalo say they've developed a low-cost technology that can identify whether drugs are present. They believe the chemical-sensing chip could someday test someone or something for cocaine, marijuana or opioids as quickly and cheaply as a breathalyzer tests for alcohol. The chip currently detects cocaine, and costs about ten cents in materials to create.
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Corrections News

Florida Prisons Cutting Programs to Offset $50M Shortfall
Orlando Sentinel, (05/03/2018), Brendan Farrington for Associated Press
Florida prisons are cutting mental health, substance abuse and re-entry programs to help make up for a $50 million shortfall in its health care and pharmaceuticals budgets. The new budget takes effect July 1. The department said it will need $28 million more for health care and another $22 million for pharmaceuticals, and will cut contracts with programs and services by $30 million and cut $20 million from operational costs, to help make up for the deficit.
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New Policies Implemented to Keep Contraband Out of South Dakota State Penitentiary
KSFY, (05/07/2018), Vanessa Gomez
Body scanners, mail restrictions and the use of K9s are some steps the South Dakota Department of Corrections is taking to try to keep drugs out of prisons. Every letter must have a return address with a first and last name, only white paper is accepted, and greeting cards and postcards are not allowed. K9s check visitors and search cells for drugs. About 1,500 to 1,600 inmates are body scanned at random per month.
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Okaloosa County Jail Uses New Device to Stop Drug Smuggling
WKRG, (05/02/2018), Cody Long
The Okaloosa County Department of Corrections in Florida is using a $115,000 mail screening system to detect drugs on mail coming into the facility. Mail is scanned and an image is sent to a computer that will indicate if it's positive for illicit substances. In a two week period, the jail stopped 40 pieces of mail.
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Prison, Wireless Industry Task Force Meets in DC to Talk Cell Phone Jamming in Prisons
ABC News 4, (04/30/2018)
Several leaders of state corrections departments met with representatives of wireless service providers in late April to discuss contraband cell phones in prisons. The meeting was facilitated by the Federal Communications Commission.
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'Dinosaur Eggs' and Smugglers: Keeping Cellphones Out of Prisons is Tougher Than You Think
Tulsa World, (05/07/2018), Curtis Killman
This article discusses the problem of contraband cellphones in prisons and efforts to stem the use of cellphones by inmates.
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Access to Maintenance Medications for Opioid Addiction Is Expanding. Prisons Need to Get on Board.
Slate, (05/08/2018), Josiah D. Rich and Sally Satel
This opinion piece by two physicians emphasizes the importance of making Food and Drug Administration-approved medications for treating opioid drug addiction (methadone, buprenorphine and injectable naltrexone) widely available to treat inmates. People newly released from prison are at high risk for resuming drug use and for overdosing.
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S.C. Prisons Go High-Tech to Ground Contraband Deliveries by Drone
The Post and Courier, (05/06/2018), Andrew Knapp
South Carolina's high- and medium-security prisons have installed mobile drone-detection equipment that senses the aircraft and alerts perimeter patrols, sparking security measures to intercept illicit deliveries. In 2017, 29 drone sightings were reported at South Carolina prisons. As of early March this year, six more had been spotted.
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Erie County Prison Exploring Telepsychiatry
Goerie.com, (05/08/2018), Madeleine O'Neill
The Erie County Prison in Pennsylvania is exploring offering telepsychiatry, a service that would use video conferencing to connect inmates with a psychiatrist working remotely. Officials said the service would augment, not replace, in-person mental health services.
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