Criminal Justice Technology in the News

Law Enforcement News

Sheriff’s Department Partners With Mental Health Clinic
muskogeephoenix.com, (07/25/2019), Chesley Oxendine
The Muskogee County Sheriff’s Department now has iPads to quickly put patients having a mental health crisis in touch with clinicians with specialized training. Each iPad has the MyCare app, which allows clinicians to video chat with law enforcement officials and clients. The process allows clinicians to help law enforcement determine a course of action for a given situation.
Link to article

Mission Police Department Upgrading With New Radio Equipment
Shawnee Mission Post, (07/24/2019), Leah Wankum
The Mission Police Department is purchasing new portable and mobile radio equipment for its officers. The department’s current portable and mobile radios are about 15 years old. The new equipment will be compliant with P25, the standard for design and manufacture of interoperable digital two-way wireless communication products.
Link to article

Virtual Reality Helps Police Train for Active-Shooter Scenarios
GCN, (07/24/2019), Stephanie Kanowitz
The New York City Police Department is using virtual reality-based training that allows officers to run through active-shooter scenarios and receive immediate feedback on their performance. In April, about 200 NYPD officers participated in a pilot test of the technology, moving through a virtual version of the city’s National September 11 Memorial.
Link to article

New Firestone Police Station Expected to Open in September
Times-Call, (07/23/2019), Kelsey Hammon
Construction of a new police station in Firestone, Colo., is expected to be completed in mid-September. When complete, the facility will include a municipal courtroom, records area, forensics lab, and an onsite training room complete with a firearms shooting simulator.
Link to article

Minnesota Peace Officers to Adopt ‘Victim-Centered’ Approach to Sexual Assault Investigation
Grand Forks Herald, (07/25/2019), Dana Ferguson
Minnesota law enforcement officers in training will soon be expected to identify trauma in sexual assault survivors and train in methods to avoid re-traumatizing victims. The Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training recently approved new training standards related to sexual assault cases. Those seeking their first law enforcement licenses will be trained in on the new objectives and once the curriculum changes are in place, trainees will see questions reflecting the new educational materials on their licensing exams.
Link to article

‘Disgruntled Employee’ Kills 2 Coworkers, Wounds Officer Inside Mississippi Walmart
NBC News, (07/30/2019), David K. Li
A “disgruntled employee” allegedly killed two Walmart colleagues and wounded a responding police officer July 30 in far northwest Mississippi, authorities said. Another responding officer eventually wounded the shooter, who was taken into custody and to a hospital. Police said the officer who was shot was saved by his body armor.
Link to article

Ohio Launching New Drug Trafficking Investigation Unit
WOSU, (08/01/2019), Olivia Miltner
Ohio is launching a new drug trafficking investigation unit dedicated to incorporating intelligence and data analysis into drug trafficking investigations. Gov. Mike DeWine recently created the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center with an executive order. Activities of the unit will include tracking cell phone records, conducting video and voice analysis, and monitoring the dark web and tracking cryptocurrencies used to purchase drugs online.
Link to article

Corrections News

Western Regional Treatment Program Expanding
The Herald-Dispatch, (07/29/2019), Taylor Stuck
The West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation wants to expand its inpatient substance abuse treatment program to two more regional jails in the state. A pilot program, originally launched at the Western Regional Jail, will be offered at the Northern Regional Jail and possibly one other jail.
Link to article

To Lower Recidivism, Washington State Lets More Felons Clear Their Records
Governing/Stateline (07/30/2019), Teresa Wilt
A new law in Washington state will give formerly incarcerated people who have turned their lives around have a chance to wipe their records clean. The New Hope Act, shortens the time it takes to expunge felonies and expands the number and types of crimes former felons can clear from their records. Former offenders still will need to petition a court to vacate convictions. Certain crimes are not eligible for expungement, such as crimes against a police officer or involving a deadly weapon.
Link to article

Webinar: Understanding the Impact of Drug Background Levels in Forensic Laboratories

This webinar from the National Institute of Justice Forensic Technology Center of Excellence will be held Aug. 13, 2019, at 1 p.m. Eastern time. As drugs become increasingly potent and analytical instrumentation becomes more sensitive, the need to understand and monitor drug background levels is becoming imperative. Background monitoring is commonplace in many other industries, but has been largely overlooked in forensic laboratories. This webinar will present results based on a National Institute of Standards and Technology-led, multi-agency collaboration focused on establishing drug background levels in forensic laboratories and understanding the implications for data quality, data integrity, and occupational health and safety.

For information and to register, go to https://forensiccoe.org/webinar/understanding-the-impact-of-drug-background-levels-in-forensic-laboratories/?utm_source=Forensic+COE+Weekly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=b15f9280b3-Newsletter_10%2F26%2F16_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_32592f10b8-b15f9280b3-13943585.

Merced Couple Operating Dark Web Vendor Accounts “Best Buy Meds,” “Trap Mart” and “House Of Dank” Plead Guilty

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —Jabari Monson, 32, of Merced, California, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute controlled substances, and Saudia Monson, 39, also of Merced, pleaded guilty today to a violation of the Travel Act, using the mail and internet to distribute controlled substances, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, from July 2018 through January 2019, Jabari Monson and Saudia Monson operated several vendor accounts on the dark-web marketplace Dream Market, through which they sold cocaine, cocaine base, methamphetamine, and marijuana.

As part of the plea agreement, the defendants agreed to forfeit cryptocurrency that was the proceeds of the drug distribution, including bitcoin and bitcoin cash.

This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Grant B. Rabenn and Paul Hemesath are prosecuting the case.

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on Nov. 19. Jabari Monson faces a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison, a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, and a $5 million fine. Saudia Monson faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentences, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.