Criminal Justice Technology in the News

Law Enforcement News

Sheriff's Forensics Unit Receives Advanced Equipment to Dry and Store Evidence
Edhat.com, (07/28/2018)
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Forensics Unit now has new, advanced equipment to dry and store evidence. Forensic Evidence Drying Cabinets were recently installed at sheriff's stations in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria.
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Smyrna Police Introduce Online Crime Mapping Feature
Delaware State News, (07/22/2018), Craig Anderson
Police in Smyrna, Del., have launched an online interactive crime map that the public can view. Crimes are shown with category icons on a town map at the scene of an incident, and can be customized to a certain time frame to indicate trends.
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No More Handwritten Speeding Tickets. Anderson Police Are Switching to Etickets.
Anderson Independent Mail, (07/26/2018), Nikie Mayo
Police in Anderson, S.C., will be issuing electronically produced tickets. Etickets will be used when people commit low-level offenses worthy of citations, and will replace handwritten tickets. Officers will have computers in their vehicles and handheld scanners to scan a driver's license. The information will be transferred onto an electronic ticket that can then be printed and handed back to the driver.
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FirstNet Brings Internet to Tribal Police
GNC, (08/02/2018), Stephanie Kanowitz
The Oglala Sioux Police Department in South Dakota has implemented FirstNet, the country's nationwide public safety broadband network. Now the department's 32 vehicles are equipped with Mi-Fi devices that connect to a cellular network and create a mini wireless broadband cloud or hotspot to provide internet access for the vehicles' devices such as computers and cameras. Officers can now drive across the entire Pine Ridge Reservation without losing connectivity.
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San Jose Police Unveils Newly Upgraded 'Air3' Helicopter
The Epoch Times, (07/28/2018), Cynthia Cai
San Jose Police have a new helicopter to replace the agency's current one. Officials say the new Airbus H125 helicopter, dubbed Air3, is faster, larger, has better surveillance capabilities, and can fly at higher altitudes and for longer periods of time.
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Police at Fulton Schools Will Wear Body Cameras This Year
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 08/02/2018), Mitchell Northam
Police officers at Fulton County Schools in Georgia will be using body cameras in the new school year. In all, 75 camera systems were purchased at a cost of about $31,000, which includes batteries.
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Hitting the Front Lines: Cape Fear Opioid Overdose Response Team Launches Friday
WECT, (08/03/2018), Chelsea Donovan
Officials in New Hanover County, N.C., have launched the Cape Fear Opiate Overdose Quick Response Team to fight opioid addiction. The pilot project will pair treatment specialists and first responders. The team will contact overdose victims through repeated house visits, phone calls, text messages and other communication.
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Corrections News

Opioid Addiction Treatment Expands to County Prisons
WHTM, (07/31/2018)
Pennsylvania is expanding to county prisons a medication that has proven successful in helping state prison inmates quit addictive drugs. State prisons use Vivitrol, which officials say is non-addictive and reduces heroin cravings.
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Prison Inmates to Get Access to Tablets
NBC Connecticut, (07/25/2018)
Connecticut this summer plans to provide prison inmates with computer tablets in an effort to help their education, keep them connected to family, and reduce noise and violence in prison. The devices will be preloaded with e-books, educational videos and games.
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First Inmates Graduate From Wesleyan Program
Associated Press, (08/01/2018)
The first inmates have graduated from a prison education program in Connecticut. The 18 men and six women officially graduated from Middlesex Community College, which partnered with the Wesleyan Center for Prison Education. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy served as commencement speaker at the ceremony at the Cheshire Correctional Institution. A similar ceremony for the women recently took place at the York Correctional Institution.
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