Criminal Justice Technology in the News

Law Enforcement News

Atlantic City Police Debut Mobile Observation Tower
Press of Atlantic City, (07/25/2018), Molly Bilinski
The Atlantic City Police Department has begun deploying a moveable Skywatch tower for crowd control and observations, specifically for special events but for routine observation as well. The $235,000 tower, funded by an FBI grant, has a monitoring station where an officer can observe seven camera feeds and then radio reports of suspicious activity to officers on the ground.
Link to Article

Winnipeg Police Test Training App to De-escalate Mental Health Crises
Global News, (07/25/2018), Brittany Greenslade
Police in Winnipeg, Ontario, are training to better handle encounters with individuals in a mental health crisis by using an app that mimics the symptoms of mental illness. To use the app, a role-playing officer wears wireless headphones that create scenarios in which voices speak that only he or she can hear. Another officer works to de-escalate the situation.
Link to Article

Most Indiana Public, Charter and Private Schools Request Free Hand-held Metal Detectors From State
NWI.com, (07/25/2018), Dan Carden
By the July 19 deadline, approximately 94 percent of public schools in Indiana had requested to participate in a state program that will provide them with hand-held metal detectors free of charge. A total of 369 public, private and charter schools have requested the detectors, which the state will fund at a cost of approximately $550,000. Each school district will determine policies on when and how to use the devices.
Link to Article

Law Enforcement's '9 p.m. Routine' Meme Catches on in Greenfield
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, (07/25/2018), Elliott Hughes
The Greenfield Police Department has joined a number of other agencies around the country in using the "9 p.m. meme" to send messages reminding area residents to lock their cars, turn on exterior lights or take other basic precautions. Some of the memes are original to Greenfield and others have originated with other departments.
Link to Article

Meet the Robots Helping Keep North Texas Safe, and the Bomb Squads Who Operate Them
Dallas News, (07/27/2018), Claire Z. Cardona
This piece profiles the use of robots by bomb squads at several North Texas law enforcement agencies. It looks at how they can be used in dangerous situations to save lives.
Link to Article

South Florida Boat Owners Turn to Social Media to Prevent Marine Thefts
NBC 6, (07/28/2018), Willard Shepherd
A group of South Florida boat owners decided to band together with a Facebook page to share information about property thefts; a few months later, the group numbers more than 5,000 members. Local law enforcement agencies have monitored the page and found it helpful in solving crimes.
Link to Article

Drones Take Flight for Local Government
Government Technology, (July/August 2018), Ben Miller
This article takes an in-depth look at UAS use by law enforcement agencies in several areas of the country that are participating in the Federal Aviation Administration's Unmanned Aerial System Integration Pilot Program. Under the program, local government and private partners will run tests of various uses of UAS. The FAA will observe the tests to help inform revisions to current usage rules.
Link to Article

3 Arrested in Falmouth Shooting, Officers Expected to Recover
WBUR, (07/28/2018), Zeninjor Enwemeka
A Falmouth, Mass., police officer is recuperating after his ballistic-resistant vest stopped a bullet during a July 27 shootout. Officer Don DeMiranda was also wounded in an area of his shoulder not protected by the vest. Officer Ryan Moore also received a slight injury in the incident, which ended with the arrests of three individuals.
Link to Article

Diversion Program for Low-level Opioid Possession Begins Soon
Pueblo Chieftain, (07/29/2018), Ryan Severance
Four Colorado areas, including Pueblo, have received grant money from the Colorado Department of Human Services to operate pilot programs that will divert individuals who possess low amounts of heroin or other opioids away from incarceration and toward services. Enrollment for participants in the Pueblo Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion pilot program begins next week. Officers from the Pueblo Police Department and Pueblo County Sheriff's Office and case managers from Crossroads Turning Points have received training on how to implement the program.
Link to Article

Kentucky State Police Getting Fentanyl Response Kits
WSAZ3, (07/31/2018)
All units of Kentucky State Police will receive fentanyl response kits that include Tyvek suits, respirator masks, fentanyl protective gloves, safety glasses and a portable gear bag, courtesy of Passport Health. Fentanyl is approximately 50 times more potent than heroin and exposure carries serious risks.
Link to Article

Macon County Law Enforcement Gives Parents Tools to Find Missing Kids
WAND17, (07/31/2018), Deron Molen
In Macon County, Ill., the Law Enforcement Training Center is holding a series of events to give parents toolkits that will help law enforcement find their children should they ever go missing. The kits include ways to provide law enforcement with an up-to-date photo, a DNA swab and fingerprints.
Link to Article

Corrections News

'It's a War': Golf Netting Goes Up Around SC Prisons
WISTV.com, (07/26/2018), Ashleigh Holland
Broad River Road Correctional Institution in Columbia, S.C., recently received an installation of 50-foot netting designed to stop individuals on the outside from throwing contraband, such as cell phones, into prison yard. In all, 11 South Carolina institutions will have netting installed around their perimeters at a total cost of $8 million.
Link to Article

Full-body Scanners Finally Come to N.H.'s Prisons
Concord Monitor, (07/26/2018), Alyssa Dandrea
New Hampshire recently implemented use of full-body scanners to check for contraband at correctional facilities, with more slated to follow later this summer. The state legislature approved funding for the scanners two years ago, but several issues related to their use delayed implementation.
Link to Article

Departing Prison Inmates With Drug-addiction Histories to Get Opioid Abuse Treatment
Richmond Times-Dispatch, (07/27/2018), Frank Green
The Virginia Department of Corrections provides pre-release treatment and post-release referral, treatment and support through its Medication Assisted Treatment Reentry Initiative. Through the program, some individuals with a history of opioid addiction can receive a naltrexone injection to block the effects of opioids. The program is part of a study by the National Governors Association.
Link to Article