Criminal Justice Technology in the News

Law Enforcement News

Charleston Police Department Announces New Technology to Help Connect Gun-Related Crimes
Fox11, (07/24/2019), Anna Moore
The Charleston (W. Va.) Police Department is now using the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network to help solve gun-related crimes. The online system from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is used to analyze shell casings, and allows police to capture digital images of ballistic evidence and match them with shell casings from other gun-related crimes.
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Hampton Police Opens New Recruitment and Training Academy
Daily Press, (07/24/2019), Lisa Vernon Sparks
Police in Hampton, Va., have a new recruitment and training academy. It is housed in a two-story structure renovated to create a larger modern facility that enables the division to run three training academies simultaneously. The facility includes modern classrooms, a force training simulator, a defensive tactics training room, conference rooms, an auditorium and administrative offices.
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Georgetown Police Host Regional Active Shooter Training
WickedLocal, (07/24/2019)
The Georgetown Police Department in Massachusetts recently hosted a regional active shooter training for first responders. The course focused on providing police, fire and EMS personnel with the tools and resources needed to respond to an active shooter situation. Police and fire departments from about a dozen area towns participated.
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Minnesota’s Hands-Free Cellphone Driving Law Starts Aug. 1
Daily News, (07/25/2019), Carrie McDermott
Minnesota’s hands-free driving law takes effect August 1. Holding a phone while operating a motor vehicle could result in a ticket with a $50 fine. Subsequent violations are $275.
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FBI Opens New Digital Forensics Laboratory in Massachusetts
Government Technology, (07/24/2019), Paul Feely for The New Hampshire Union Leader
The FBI has opened a new digital forensics laboratory in Chelsea, Mass., that will provide services and support to law enforcement agencies throughout New England. The New England Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory is devoted entirely to examining digital evidence, such as computers and cell phones, and will also serve as a training center.
https://www.govtech.com/public-safety/FBI-Opens-New-Digital-Forensics-Laboratory-in-Link to article
Newport County Police Departments Now Armed With Mental Health Professional

The Newport Daily News, (07/26/2019), Laura Damon
Some police departments in Newport County, R.I., can now call on a mental health professional when responding to certain situations. Newport Mental Health hired a licensed independent social worker as part of a mobile crisis response program. During her shifts, the social worker will wait for a call from police officers if they need on-scene assistance with someone who may have a behavioral health issue. Alternatively, if someone calls the 24/7 crisis line for Newport Mental Health and the social worker determines a dispatch is necessary, she can respond with police accompaniment
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Corrections News

UMass Researchers Land $10M Grant to Run Jail Treatment Pilot
Daily Hampshire Gazette, (07/26/2019), Jacquelyn Voghel
University of Massachusetts researchers will use a $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to pilot a program for opioid addiction treatment in seven jails in the state. The program will study the efficacy of methadone, extended-release naltrexone and buphrenorphoine/nalexone in treating opioid addiction, and will also look at outcomes for inmates who do not receive any medication.
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