Criminal Justice Technology in the News

Law Enforcement News

County Buys Drone for Emergency Personnel
The Monroe News, (08/02/2019), Dmitriy Shapiro for the Daily Telegram
The Lenawee County Emergency Management Department in Michigan has acquired a drone to help first responders at incidents throughout the county. The drone has a zoom camera and a forward-looking infrared heat-sensing camera. Officials said it would be used for search and rescue, accident investigations, and fire, law enforcement and hazmat incidents,
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New OPS Employees Receive Active Shooter Training
The Ownesboro Times, (08/01/2019), Ashley Sorce
The Owensboro Public Schools district and Daviess County Sheriff's Office in Kentucky recently teamed up to host an active shooter response training session for new OPS staff members. The training featured a presentation and a specialized role-playing simulation that focused on best practices.
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NW Minn. County First in State to Use Video Chat for 911 Calls
MPR News, (08/02/2019), Dan Gunderson
The Pennington County Sheriff's Office in Minnesota is installing technology that will allow cellphone callers to stream live video and audio to dispatchers when they call 911. Officials said the video chat technology will help county dispatchers make better decisions while on the phone with callers, and will allow them to better prepare first responders for what they might find when they arrive.
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Oklahoma Schools to Use New Panic Button App for Active Shooter Situations, Emergencies
ABC Tulsa, (07/31/2019), Caroline Vandergriff
The Oklahoma State Department of Education plans to provide a panic button system to school districts in the state. The system is an app that alerts authorities to an active shooter, a medical emergency, a fire or other crisis. It also simultaneously sends out a notification to other teachers and staff on campus.
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South Bend Firefighters to Get Body Armor
WNDU, (08/08/2019), Mark Peterson |
South Bend, Ind., plans to make body armor and ballistic protective helmets available to firefighters. The equipment is expected to arrive in several months.
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Huntsville Police Demonstrate New Training Simulator
WAAY 31, (08/08/2019), Sydney Martin
The police department in Huntsville, Ala., has a new training simulator. Simulation exercises will require officers to decide if the situation requires the use of pepper spray, a taser or a firearm. Officers also have to evaluate if a weapon is not necessary and if they can try to talk down a suspect.
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Naloxone Is Reversing Hundreds of Potentially Fatal Drug Overdoses in Hawaii
Honolulu Civil Beat, (08/12/2019), Lorin Eleni Gill0
Hundreds of potentially fatal drug overdoses have been reversed in Hawaii in the past three years since the opioid-overdose antidote naloxone was made legal to distribute, according to the Hawaii Health and Harm Reduction Center. A 2016 state law made it legal to carry the antidote in case a friend, client or the drug user themselves was at risk for an overdose. By 2017, the center had trained nearly 500 people on overdose prevention, rescue breathing and naloxone administration.
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Corrections News
New Law Makes Dropping Contraband into Prisons From Drones a Felony
Delaware Public Media, (08/08/2019), Sarah Mueller
A new law makes bringing contraband into Delaware prisons using unmanned aircraft a felony. Gov. John Carney recently signed legislation that increases the penalties for anyone trying to use a drone to drop contraband into a state prisons. A conviction could bring three years in jail.
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