Criminal Justice Technology in the News

Law Enforcement News

Local Police Train to Save Lives Before Emergency Crews Arrive
WGEM, (09/06/2018), Frank Healy
Police from Hannibal, Mo., and throughout Northeast Missouri, recently took part in training to help them deal with trauma, specifically preventing excessive blood loss. The goal is to provide immediate emergency treatment in the aftermath of a mass casualty event, before trained medical personnel arrive.
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Minnetonka Police Train for Mental Health Crises
Charlotte Observer, (09/08/2018), Associated Press
Police officers in Minnetonka, Minn., have begun carrying business cards that list services for people experiencing a mental health crisis. The cards are part of a training program created in response to a new law requiring officers to participate in de-escalation training. The department hopes that the program may serve as a model for other departments in the state.
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Sheriff Launches 'Sheriff Shield' to Share Info on Potential Threats, Terrorist Activity
Oakland Press, (09/102/2018), Aileen Wingblad
The sheriff's office in Oakland County, Mich., has launched "Sheriff Shield," which allows local businesses and residents to sign up to receive email notifications of suspicious events and hazards. The synopsis emails will be sent several times a month. Members can also use the system to submit tips and report suspicious activities.
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Aurora Police First in State to Partner in New Crime-fighting App
Chicago Tribune, (09/10/2018), Megan Jones
The Aurora (Ill.) Police Department has partnered with Ring to bring residents real-time crime information tailored to their neighborhoods. Individuals who download the "Neighbors" app can select a geographic area about which to receive alerts from the Aurora Police Department. They can also use the alert to submit tips, including sharing video and photos. Residents can use the free app even if they do not have a Ring camera; having the camera simply allows them to voluntarily share its information with police.
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'A Big Day for Us': Des Moines Police Become First Iowa Department With Federal Equipment to Help Solve Gun Crimes
Des Moines Register, (09/11/2018), Luke Nozicka
The Des Moines (Iowa) Police Department recently became the first in the state to set up a machine that allows trained specialists to compare digital images of fired cartridge markings to information in the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network. Previously, all departments in the state sent such cases to a state lab in Ankeny. The addition of the site in Des Moines will relieve some of the burden on that lab.
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Extracting Forensic Data From Drones
Inside Unmanned Systems, (09/02/2018), Charles Choi
The National Institute of Standards and Technology maintains a website of drone forensic images, available for free download by law enforcement agencies, at www.cfreds.nist.gov/drone-images.html. NIST also maintains archives of images, which are copies of all the data from a hard drive or other digital media, from other devices such as personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. Investigators use these images to practice recovering device data and software developers use them to test programs. Criminal justice investigators may also one day benefit from the results of U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate Cyber Security Division grant to a private lab to develop instructions on how to identify, collect and analyze digital evidence from drones.
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These Few Things in a Small Black Bag Can Help Save Lives, Police Say
Indianapolis Star, (09/11/2018), Crystal Hill
The Central Indiana Police Foundation uses volunteers to assemble trauma kits that contain items such as tourniquets and bandages that law enforcement officers can use to provide immediate first aid. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department received 1,500 such kits form the foundation and credits the kits with helping officers save several lives.
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Courts News

Security Upgrades Yield Results at Marshall County Courthouse in Moundsville
The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register, (09/06/2018)
Since West Virginia's Marshall County implemented new security measures at its courthouse in July, officers have stopped 40 handguns and more than 650 other weapons from entering the facility. Security measures included locking more doors, the addition of a metal detector and arming security with both less lethal weapons and handguns.
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Corrections News

Could Inmates Soon Be Using Tablets in Kansas Prisons?
KSN.com, (09/10/2018), John Asebes
Wyandotte County Detention Center in Kansas has been issuing tablets to inmates for more than a year that allow them to access educational programs to enable them to learn life skills and trades to help them get jobs once they leave prison. Firewalls prevent users from accessing the Internet.
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2 Investigators: Criminals Are Hacking Electronic Monitoring Systems
2CBS Chicago, (09/07/2018), Brad Edwards
This investigative piece looks at how offenders in the Chicago area are finding ways to hack their electronic monitoring devices, such as taking devices intended to be plugged in at their homes into their cars' electric charging adapters.
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Prisons Face Officer Shortage, Court Order to Boost Numbers
U.S. News & World Report, (09/08/2018), Kim Chandler for the Associated Press
A lawsuit filed over prison health care has resulted in a court order requiring Alabama to nearly double staff in its correctional system. As of June of this year, the state's staffing level stood at 2,070 personnel, and the state needs to add somewhere between 1,800 and 2,000 additional officers to comply.
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Federal Program for Offenders Returning to Society Yields Dramatic Drop in Recidivism
Star Tribune, (09/10/2018), Stephen Montemayor
Minnesota's 18-month federal re-entry program, one of approximately 60 in the nation, is the only one that matches participants with mentors from the community. The program has helped reduce the recidivism rate among Minnesota's highest-risk offenders from 73 percent to 27 percent.
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Tender Justice
Governing, August 2018, David Kidd
This article takes an in-depth look at how North Dakota, under Director Leann Bertsch, is revamping the state's correctional system to more like the European model.
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Does Surveilling Alleged Domestic Abusers Violate Their Rights?
Washington Post, (09/06/2018), Edna Erez and Peter Ibarra
This opinion piece looks at the complex issues surrounding the use of pre-trial electronic monitoring devices on individuals implicated in domestic abuse cases.
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Suffolk DA: Riverhead Man on Probation Traced to 10 Burglaries by GPS Monitoring Ankle Bracelet
Riverhead Local, (09/10/2018)
Taiheem McKay of Riverhead in New York's Suffolk County has been charged with 10 counts of second-degree burglary over a two-year period. The incidents all took place while McKay was wearing an electronic monitoring device due to a prior conviction.
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New Prison Protocols Announced Amid Statewide Lockdown
KDKA, (09/05/2018), Jennifer Bloodworth
In response to a number of guards and prisoners throughout Pennsylvania's corrections system becoming ill, the state has instituted a number of procedural changes that have taken immediate effect. Changes include equipping every facility with body scanners and drone detection, doubling of staff in visitation rooms, scanning inmates after visits and on commitment, and use of ion scanners to detect drug traces on both inmates and staff. Contraband drugs are suspected of having caused the illnesses.
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Federal Judges Butt Heads with U.S. Lawmakers Over Legality of Ankle Monitors for Nonviolent Suspects
Houston Chronicle, (09/03/2018), Gabrielle Banks
This article looks at recent judicial rulings related to enforcing electronic monitoring on individuals accused of having or accessing child pornography, but not of having inappropriate physical contact with children.
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