Criminal Justice Technology in the News

Law Enforcement News

As Meth Use Surges, First Responders Struggle to Help Those in Crisis
NPR, (05/01/2019), April Dembosky
This article discusses the increase in methamphetamine use and efforts by some jurisdictions to address the problem. San Francisco recently established a task force to combat the new epidemic. Since 2011, emergency room visits related to meth in San Francisco have jumped 600 percent to 1,965 visits in 2016, the last year for which ER data is available. Admissions to the hospital are up 400 percent to 193.
Link to Article

Law Enforcement Officers Participate in Crisis Intervention Training
WiProud, (05/01/2019)
Law enforcement officers in the area of La Crosse, Wis., recently participated in crisis intervention training. The goal of the training is to teach officers more about different mental illnesses, so that when a crisis occurs they are better equipped to handle the situation.
Link to Article

Some Officers to Begin Wearing Body Cameras This Spring, Walsh says
The Boston Globe, (05/02/2019), Milton J. Valencia
Boston has begun issuing body camera equipment to police officers in two precincts that patrol South Boston and parts of Dorchester, following a pilot program that examined the use of 100 cameras in the field over a year.
Link to Article

More Than 20 States Have Shown Interest in Idaho State Police's Sexual Assault Kit Tracking System
Idaho Press, (05/02/2019), Emily Lowe
More than 20 states have contacted the Idaho State Police Forensic Services lab inquiring about the tracking system it uses to track sexual assault kits. The state created an online sexual assault kit tracking system in January 2017 after legislation transformed how sexual assault kits would be tracked in Idaho. The laws created uniformity in how kits would be submitted to the state lab for testing. Legislation also included creating software that would track sexual assault kits, allowing victims to anonymously see the status of the kit testing.
Link to Article

Pennsylvania Approves $40 Million in Grants for School Safety
USA Herald, (05/02/2019), Marivic Cabural Summers
Pennsylvania has approved $40 million in grants for school safety and $7.5 for community violence prevention and reduction. There are 234 recipients for the school safety grants and 25 recipients for the community violence prevention and reduction grants across the state.
Link to Article

In Dallas, Police Can Now Handle 911 Texts
The Dallas Morning News, (05/03/2019), Cassandra Jaramillo
Dallas police now offer text-to-911 service. While phone calls are preferred, city officials say the option for emergency texting will help those who are deaf, hearing-impaired or in a situation where talking will make them at risk. In the first two weeks of April, Dallas police said they received 176 emergency texts.
Link to Article

NARCAN Drug Overdose Kits Deployed to DPS, Ellis County Law Enforcement
Daily Light, (05/06/2019, David Dunn
The Texas Department of Public Safety is deploying Narcan kits and tactical emergency training to Texas state troopers across the state. Narcan is used to reverse opioid overdoses.
Link to Article

Corrections News

Plan to Boost Alabama Prison Officers Pay Passes House
AL.com, (04/30/2019), Mike Cason
The Alabama House of Representatives has approved a plan to increase pay and bonuses for correctional officers in Alabama prisons. The bill, which moves to the Senate, would give correctional officers a 5-percent pay raise and allow them to earn bonuses up to a total of $7,500 for training and experience milestones.
Link to Article

Pa. Prisons to Extend Medication-Assisted Treatment for Drug Addition to Incoming Inmates
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, (05/06/2019), Shelly Bradbury
Beginning June 1, Pennsylvania state prisons will allow people who are receiving medication-assisted treatment for drug addiction to continue receiving that treatment once in prison, Department of Corrections officials said. People receiving such treatment and entering the state prison system as new inmates or as parole violators will be able to continue receiving treatment instead of being weaned from medications designed to ease their cravings and treat their addictions.
Link to Article