Criminal Justice Technology in the News

Law Enforcement News

Bulletproof Vest Saves Officer in Shootout Outside Bellagio in Las Vegas; Robbery Suspect Critically Wounded
Fox News, (03/16/2019), Louis Casiano
A Las Vegas police officer was saved by his bulletproof vest when he was wounded by a robbery suspect during a shootout outside the Bellagio casino. The suspect allegedly held up a cashier at gunpoint, then attempted a carjacking in the parking lot. He fired at responding officers, striking one in the chest; the suspect in turn was then wounded by return fire.
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911 Emergency Text Service to Be Available in Memphis and Shelby County
Memphis Commercial Appeal, (03/12/2019), Phillip Jackson
Text-to-911 service will be available in Memphis in the coming weeks. The Memphis police and fire dispatchers also will start accepting texts for the majority of the Shelby County area. People will be able to use up to 140 characters in a text message to 911 in an emergency.
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CMS Approves $95,000 Federal Grant for School Security
WCNC, (03/13/20190, Mark Boyle
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education has approved a plan to bring more security to schools in the district. School leaders want to provide more services for mental health in schools; new school safety programs for students and staff; and possibly an added layer of security on campus.
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Positive Change Seen Since Partnership Between Police & Behavioral Health Specialists
KEPR, (03/13/2019), Eliana Sheriff
A program partnering police officers and mental health specialists in Tri-Cities, Wash., is helping direct people with mental health issues to helpful resources. The goal of the mobile outreach team is to reduce recidivism rates. For example, sometimes people who are homeless or have chronic behavior issues sleep in parks and get in trouble for trespassing, and end up in jail repeatedly. The team follows up with people they help, including ensuring they're going to appointments.
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Cleburne Police Join New Countywide Dispatch System
Cleburne Times-Review, (03/13/2019), Matt Smith
The Cleburne Police Department has joined the countywide Computer-Aided Dispatch and Records Management System, which gives the department access to a shared dispatch and database technology system. Cleburne police believe the new system will improve data quality, bolster disaster recovery efforts and decrease redundancy.
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Research Review: The Effect of Body Armor on Saving Officers' Lives
PoliceOne, (03/11/2019), Catherine R. Counts
This article discusses a recent study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene that evaluated a decade of entries from the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted database to determine the effect of body armor on the survival of gunshot wounds to the torso.
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Georgia District Launches ID Card, Crisis Alert Systems
Campus Security & Life Safety, (03/15/2019), Jessica Davis
Schools in Douglas County are introducing an access card system and crisis alert system to improve safety. The access card system requires students and staff to use ID badges to access specific areas. The crisis alert system gives every staff member on a campus a device that can be used to trigger an instant school-wide alert.
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Alerting First Responders to Loved Ones' Special Needs in Louisa
The Daily Progress, (03/16/2019)
The Louisa County Sheriff's Office is working with family members and firefighters, rescue squads and dispatchers to create an information base to help first responders interact better with individuals with special needs. The program will allow family members to provide information for the database, for example, about loved ones' triggers, as well as de-escalation techniques. In an emergency, the stored information can be relayed to responders.
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Texas Senate Approves $100M in Funding for School Security
Campus Security & Life Safety, (03/15/2019), Jessica Davis
The Texas Senate has approved $100 million in one-time funding for school districts to install security upgrades. Improvements could include video monitors, metal detectors, vehicle barriers, security systems, shooter alarm systems, security fencing, bullet-resistant glass and door-locking systems.
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Corrections News

Director Says Job Re-Entry Program Credited With Inmate Population Drop, Recidivism Rate Decline
WIS, (03/15/2019), Sam Bleiweis
The director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections says a job re-entry program is one reason for a decline in the three-year recidivism rate from 23.4 percent in 2011 to 22.3 percent in fiscal year of 2015. SCDC Director Bryan Stirling also credits sentencing reform in 2010 for a drop in prison population.
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Pennsylvania Prisons Will Go Tobacco-Free as of July 1
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, (03/18/2019)
All Pennsylvania Department of Corrections prisons will be tobacco-free as of July 1, according to a statement from the department. Barred will be products such as cigarettes, cigars, tobacco and tobacco substitutes, lighters, pipes, pipe cleaners, filters, rolling papers, roller aprons and rollers.
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Nebraska Prison Population Hits New High; 'I Hope It's an Anomaly,' Corrections Chief Says
Omaha World-Herald, (03/19/2019), Paul Hammel
As of March 18, Nebraska state prisons were holding 5,515 inmates, the most in state history. The prisons are at 163 percent of capacity. State Corrections Director Scott Frakes told the state legislature's Appropriations Committee that the number of inmates entering prisons far exceeds those leaving on parole or completing criminal sentences.
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Officials Break Ground on $150M Inmate Hospital in Joliet
Daily Southtown, (03/18/2019), Alicia Fabbre
Illinois Department of Corrections officials recently broke ground at the Joliet Treatment Center on a hospital that will serve inmates diagnosed as mentally ill. The $150 million facility will provide 250 beds to meet the most critical needs of the state's mentally ill inmates. The Joliet Treatment Center currently has about 100 inmates who are receiving mental health care. The hospital will provide the next level of care for the inmate population.
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Georgia Supreme Court Ruling Forces Removal of GPS Devices From Sex Offenders
The Augusta Chronicle, (03/16/2019), Jozsef Papp
Local sheriff's offices have removed electronic monitoring devices from sexually dangerous predators after a ruling by the Georgia Supreme Court. The court ruled March 4 that it is unconstitutional for sexually dangerous predators no longer in custody, on probation or on parole to have to wear and pay for a GPS monitoring device for the rest of their lives. Justices deemed the law violated the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.
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Some Alternatives to Incarceration in Douglas County Jail Becoming 'Robust,' Leader Says
Lawrence Journal-World, (03/17/2019), Mackenzie Clark
Douglas County in Kansas has launched several programs in recent years to try to reduce the number of people in the county jail. Pretrial release, house arrest and behavioral health court are three of the key alternatives to incarceration.
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Erie County Prison Wants $95,000 Body Scanner
Erie Times-News, (03/14/2019), Madeleine O'Neill
Officials in Erie County, Pa., want to purchase a $95,000 walk-through full-body scanner to more effectively search inmates entering the county prison. The scanner would allow prison staff to detect contraband such as drugs that may be hidden on a person's body or in a body cavity.
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Ministry of Justice Concludes Prison Biometrics Pilots
Computer Weekly, (03/07/2019), Angelica Mari
The UK Ministry of Justice has concluded trials of biometrics technology aimed at identifying visitors who may be trafficking drugs into prisons. The trials started in December 2018 and involved iris scanning and facial recognition software. The technology was tested in three jails.
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