By Ian Graham
Special to American Forces Press Service
Feb. 18, 2010 - Science has seized the popular imagination. There are magazines, popular books, Web sites, webcasts, blogs, documentary films, and even television channels devoted to science and technology. The practical applications of science and technology also can be found in almost every aspect of military operations, a topic that is discussed in great detail in the award-winning weekly webcast "Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military," produced by the Defense Media Activity.
The popularity of the Armed with Science webcast in its first year has prompted the Defense Media Activity to expand its on-line presence. A new Armed with Science blog, http://science.dodlive.mil, premiered in late January. The new blog includes articles, archived webcast episodes, transcripts, images, and videos.
"Expanding into the blogosphere will allow us to develop a dialogue between our listeners and the scientists, engineers, operators and administrators who are involved in DoD science," said Brian Natwick, general manager of The Pentagon Channel and acting director of DoD's Emerging Media Directorate. The new blog will provide a better forum to highlight the critical role of science and technology in military operations, Natwick said, while demonstrating how research conducted to meet military requirements often benefits society as a whole.
Les Benito, director of the Defense Media Activity's Public Web Directorate, said the blog also will provide an opportunity to experiment with emerging social technologies and implement strategies that better engage the public. It will bolster a social media portfolio that already includes efforts on Twitter, Facebook, and BlogTalkRadio.
"We hope to develop a more user-centric and interactive Web site that evolves over time to meet the needs of our audience," Benito said. "Consider this is an experiment in progress."
John Ohab, a new technology strategist at the Defense Media Activity's Public Web Directorate and host of the weekly webcast, said the blog will place specific emphasis on the men and women who are involved in research, development, and education at the Defense Department. By focusing on their individual stories, Ohab hopes the blog will help break down traditional myths about science and technology that hinder some people from pursuing related careers.
"Science isn't just for scientists," Ohab said. "Not only does science and technology help make our servicemembers safer and more effective, they also impact virtually everything we do in civilian life."
(Ian Graham is assigned to Defense Media Activity's Emerging Media Directorate)
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Information Technologies: Improved Delivery of Information to the Officer at the Scene
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and a component of the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). NIJ provides objective, independent, evidence-based knowledge and tools to enhance the administration of justice and public safety. Its efforts focus on meeting the needs of State and local criminal justice practitioners.
NIJ seeks applications for funding to develop solutions to improving the capability of mobile (handheld) computing devices to deliver information to the officer at the scene in a timely manner. NIJ is specifically interested in solutions that will provide new, or expanded, data management and analytical capabilities with improved utilization of available bandwidth.
Much police work is conducted on foot in a mobile environment. Ideally, a mobile (handheld) computing device used by the officer at the scene would provide at least the same capability as an office desktop computer. Today, however, this is not the case.
With this solicitation, NIJ is seeking to achieve this ideal by providing funding for development of technologies to address the two major impediments to achieving this goal: data management and analytical tools, and bandwidth.
By itself, sharing data does not create actionable information. Turning data into actionable information requires data management and analytic tools, including, but not limited to, general analysis, spatial and temporal analysis, and visualization. Providing the data needed to implement such tools fully requires efficient utilization of available bandwidth.
NIJ will consider applications proposing to develop new solutions, as well as those proposing to demonstrate, test, or evaluate existing solutions that provide an enhanced capability beyond what is already in service. NIJ is most interested in solutions that enhance the capability of mobile devices already in service.
A successful applicant’s proposal will focus on State and local law enforcement needs and will address the following issues:
•How State and local law enforcement practitioners will play an active role in the
development and testing of any solution proposed in response to this solicitation.
•How the particular solution will increase the effectiveness and efficiency of State and local law enforcement.
•What type of deliverable will result from the research and development of the solution described in the applicant’s proposal.
•How the solution or tool will be distributed to law enforcement.
All proposed solutions, where applicable, must involve the use of open standards and meet criminal justice needs for interoperability and data protection.
If the proposal includes the use of open-source software, the applicant should thoroughly discuss the following elements of open-source use: business model, distribution, source code, derivative works, distribution of license, and technology manuals and supporting documentation.
More Information
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/sl000913.pdf
NIJ seeks applications for funding to develop solutions to improving the capability of mobile (handheld) computing devices to deliver information to the officer at the scene in a timely manner. NIJ is specifically interested in solutions that will provide new, or expanded, data management and analytical capabilities with improved utilization of available bandwidth.
Much police work is conducted on foot in a mobile environment. Ideally, a mobile (handheld) computing device used by the officer at the scene would provide at least the same capability as an office desktop computer. Today, however, this is not the case.
With this solicitation, NIJ is seeking to achieve this ideal by providing funding for development of technologies to address the two major impediments to achieving this goal: data management and analytical tools, and bandwidth.
By itself, sharing data does not create actionable information. Turning data into actionable information requires data management and analytic tools, including, but not limited to, general analysis, spatial and temporal analysis, and visualization. Providing the data needed to implement such tools fully requires efficient utilization of available bandwidth.
NIJ will consider applications proposing to develop new solutions, as well as those proposing to demonstrate, test, or evaluate existing solutions that provide an enhanced capability beyond what is already in service. NIJ is most interested in solutions that enhance the capability of mobile devices already in service.
A successful applicant’s proposal will focus on State and local law enforcement needs and will address the following issues:
•How State and local law enforcement practitioners will play an active role in the
development and testing of any solution proposed in response to this solicitation.
•How the particular solution will increase the effectiveness and efficiency of State and local law enforcement.
•What type of deliverable will result from the research and development of the solution described in the applicant’s proposal.
•How the solution or tool will be distributed to law enforcement.
All proposed solutions, where applicable, must involve the use of open standards and meet criminal justice needs for interoperability and data protection.
If the proposal includes the use of open-source software, the applicant should thoroughly discuss the following elements of open-source use: business model, distribution, source code, derivative works, distribution of license, and technology manuals and supporting documentation.
More Information
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/sl000913.pdf
Criminal Training Through the Use of Virtual Environments
February 18, 2010 - The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and a component of the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). NIJ provides objective, independent, evidence-based knowledge and tools to enhance the administration of justice and public safety. NIJ solicits applications to inform its search for the knowledge and tools to guide policy and practice.
NIJ seeks proposals for solutions applying modeling and simulation technology to enhance criminal justice training through the use of virtual environments. NIJ is willing to consider applications for the development of new technology or for the adaptation, test, or evaluation of existing technology in a criminal justice application.
Virtual reality technologies provide the potential for significant enhancements in training for criminal justice personnel. Work requirements, limited training facilities, and budgetary constraints limit the number and quality of training opportunities for law enforcement and corrections practitioners, particularly with regard to dealing with critical incidents, such as hostage situations, in-progress robberies, prison riots, and the like, where the ability to make accurate split-second decisions with minimal information is vital. Furthermore, realistic training is needed to ensure proper protocols are followed during investigations, such as the procedures used during the inspection of a crime scene, where attention to detail is critical. To keep these perishable skills honed, criminal justice agencies need improved, cost effective means to conduct realistic interactive training to deal with such situations, using minimal or no training infrastructure. Ideally, the technology would enable realistic, meaningful training to be conducted any place at any time, or less desirably at a police station or in an existing training facility.
Technologies that engage as many of the five senses as possible are highly desired as they enable trainees to experience each scenario in as realistic a fashion as possible. The technologies should provide editing tools for configuring the virtual environment to specific locations and threats of concern to a criminal justice agency and to the types of equipment and protocols that the agency uses.
Virtual technology training tools are currently available, many of which have been developed by the military. However, these tools are often too expensive for most of the Nation’s criminal justice agencies.
With this solicitation, NIJ seeks a prototype secured virtual environment to facilitate low-cost (or no cost) and efficient on-line, distributed virtual training for the criminal justice community. NIJ is willing to consider applications for the development of new technology or for the adaptation, test, or evaluation of existing technology in a criminal justice application. The prototype should facilitate an on-line capability via an internet connection with minimal client software in a thin-client configuration. Proposals should use creative technologies and ideas to enhance individual, team-based or community-based training with or without an instructor. The prototype should also include a capture mechanism for after-action review of activities in the virtual environment to facilitate student learning. As one example, the virtual environment could be the virtual inspection of a virtual crime scene. NIJ seeks creativity and forward-thinking innovations and ideas.
More Information
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/sl000916.pdf
NIJ seeks proposals for solutions applying modeling and simulation technology to enhance criminal justice training through the use of virtual environments. NIJ is willing to consider applications for the development of new technology or for the adaptation, test, or evaluation of existing technology in a criminal justice application.
Virtual reality technologies provide the potential for significant enhancements in training for criminal justice personnel. Work requirements, limited training facilities, and budgetary constraints limit the number and quality of training opportunities for law enforcement and corrections practitioners, particularly with regard to dealing with critical incidents, such as hostage situations, in-progress robberies, prison riots, and the like, where the ability to make accurate split-second decisions with minimal information is vital. Furthermore, realistic training is needed to ensure proper protocols are followed during investigations, such as the procedures used during the inspection of a crime scene, where attention to detail is critical. To keep these perishable skills honed, criminal justice agencies need improved, cost effective means to conduct realistic interactive training to deal with such situations, using minimal or no training infrastructure. Ideally, the technology would enable realistic, meaningful training to be conducted any place at any time, or less desirably at a police station or in an existing training facility.
Technologies that engage as many of the five senses as possible are highly desired as they enable trainees to experience each scenario in as realistic a fashion as possible. The technologies should provide editing tools for configuring the virtual environment to specific locations and threats of concern to a criminal justice agency and to the types of equipment and protocols that the agency uses.
Virtual technology training tools are currently available, many of which have been developed by the military. However, these tools are often too expensive for most of the Nation’s criminal justice agencies.
With this solicitation, NIJ seeks a prototype secured virtual environment to facilitate low-cost (or no cost) and efficient on-line, distributed virtual training for the criminal justice community. NIJ is willing to consider applications for the development of new technology or for the adaptation, test, or evaluation of existing technology in a criminal justice application. The prototype should facilitate an on-line capability via an internet connection with minimal client software in a thin-client configuration. Proposals should use creative technologies and ideas to enhance individual, team-based or community-based training with or without an instructor. The prototype should also include a capture mechanism for after-action review of activities in the virtual environment to facilitate student learning. As one example, the virtual environment could be the virtual inspection of a virtual crime scene. NIJ seeks creativity and forward-thinking innovations and ideas.
More Information
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/sl000916.pdf
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Public Safety Technology in the News
Takoma Park Police Start Text Message Tip System
The Examiner, 02/10/2010, Freeman Klopott
Police in Takoma Park, Md., have a new tool for gathering information from citizens. The text messaging system, called Tip411, receives anonymous tips from cell phones. The system allows citizens with a cell phone to send an anonymous tip to the police department by typing in the number 847411 and typing the word TPPDTIP before the message. The tips are 100 percent anonymous. The company that runs the system’s technology removes all identifying information before forwarding the tip to police. Police Chief Ronald Ricucci notes that the tips are for nonemergency use and that residents should still call 911 in an emergency. He says the anonymous tip system allows residents to come forward with information without fear of retribution.
www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/crime/Takoma-Park-police-start-text-message-tip-system-83907337.html
Lawmaker Suggests Moving Forensic Tests
The Register-Herald, (02/08/2010), Mannix Porterfield
A West Virginia lawmaker is recommending that responsibility for forensics laboratory work be shifted from the state police to universities. State Sen. Bill Laird asked a legislative committee to study the effectiveness of forensic services, citing concerns about jail overcrowding. Laird’s resolution to the committee says prison crowding could be blamed in part on pretrial delays stemming from a backlog in processing criminal evidence. State police have been handling forensics lab duties in the state since 1935. Laird pointed to a national movement to shift forensic laboratory services to a more independent location. He cited the growth in forensics services at Marshall University, West Virginia University and Mount State University in the state, which could offer expanded forensic capabilities.
www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_039225347.html
Sheriff Partners With Douglas County Schools to be SchoolSAFE
PRWeb, (02/09/2010)
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado has begun using SchoolSAFE, a communications tool to improve coordination between first responders and schools during a school emergency. The system bridges all radio systems, allowing for a more coordinated and quicker response. When activated, the Web-based SchoolSAFE allows local responders, participating schools and school security dispatch to talk directly to each other using the radios they use every day, allowing instant communication in the event of a natural disaster or school violence. Currently, 15 Douglas County high schools and middle schools are protected with the system. Sheriff David Weaver is seeking funding from other sources to extend the protection to all Douglas County school facilities, including private schools. The $247,500 program was funded through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Public Safety Interoperable Communications program. The program will bring Douglas County schools in complianc! e with the Colorado Safe School Act, which requires schools to partner with local responders to improve crisis response.
www.prweb.com/releases/schoolsafe/communications/prweb3582984.htm
Warren County to Spend $1.25 Million Federal Grant on Police Radio Upgrades
The Express Times, (02/09/2010), Bill Wichert
A New Jersey county will use a $1.25 million federal grant to improve emergency communications. Warren County will use the money to buy new handheld and car radios for all 10 police departments in the county. The Community Oriented Policing Services grant will allow the county to purchase the radios in the next two years. The new radios include an “officer down” button and an identification feature that allows 911 dispatchers to immediately know which radio is communicating with them. Additional plans to improve emergency communications include refining channels for fire and rescue squads and establishing a communications tower in Allamuchy Township.
www.lehighvalleylive.com/warren-county/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1265691943181730.xml&coll=3
Royal Palm Pulls Back on Fines From Red-Light Cameras
Palm Beach Post, (02/09/2010), Charles Elmore
The village of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., has delayed issuing fines for red-light camera infractions, saying the evidence doesn’t add up. Village engineer Ray Liggins said financial penalties will be put off indefinitely after police concluded that more than 90 percent of the evidence sent for their review during a warning period did not deserve a $125 ticket. Lt. David Combs of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, who helped review the evidence, estimated that 5 to 10 percent of the more than 14,000 “events” sent for police review since Nov. 8 would have been approved for fines. Cameras are based at two Royal Palm Beach Boulevard intersections. Liggins said drivers have expressed a lack of confidence in the technology. Village officials stopped trying to capture right-turn violations during a 90-day warning period, focusing on straight-through or left-turn cases, but still want to see what happens with court challenges and bills state lawmakers may consider this spring. www.palmbeachpost.com/news/traffic/royal-palm-pulls-back-on-fines-from-red-224021.html
Texas Prisons Part of Budget Cutting
Associated Press, (02/11/2010)
Texas officials are considering closing some prisons in a cost-cutting move. To bridge a projected state budget shortfall of $10 billion, Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus asked all state agencies to offer proposals cutting 5 percent of their budgets. The Austin American-Statesman reported that Texas prison officials are seeking as much as $300 million in cutbacks in the 112-unit prison system. Brad Livingston, executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, has said that any budget reductions would not compromise public safety or agency operations. The number of inmates has been decreasing in the state. The adult prison system currently has about 2,300 vacant beds. The Texas youth prison system, which five years ago housed almost 5,000 offenders, now holds fewer than 1,700.
www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/6861899.html
Germs on Run From Sure-Handed Cops
Fox News, (02/15/2010)
The New York Police Department is distributing mobile hand sanitizers to its officers to keep germs at bay. The optional equipment clips to the belts of beat officers and school safety officers. The department advises officers to use care not to hook the sanitizers onto their firearm trigger guards, radio antennas and expandable batons. Hand sanitizers are used to protect against the flu and other viruses and bacteria. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 80 percent of infections are spread through hand contact.
www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,585924,00.html
Bill Helps Md. Schools, Police Share More Gang Information
The Washington Post, (02/16/2010), Aaron C. Davis and Michael Birnbaum
A bill introduced in the Maryland legislature would allow police, school principals and prosecutors to share confidential information about students suspected of gang activity. Current state privacy laws prevent police and school officials from sharing all information about gangs in classrooms. Civil liberties groups are concerned the bill might distribute too much information about students. The bill introduced by House Speaker Michael E. Busch would require courts to share with schools information on students deemed delinquent and those committed to the custody or guardianship of the state’s Department of Juvenile Services. Courts currently have discretion to report a much more limited range of issues to schools. In addition, the bill would require teachers to report suspected gang activity to school administrators or a school security officer, who would coordinate anti-gang efforts.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/15/AR2010021503363.html
UCLA Professors Awarded Major Federal Grant to Study Error Rates in Fingerprint Evidence
UCLA Newsroom, (02/11/2010), Lauri Gavel
UCLA has been awarded a $866,764 federal grant to study error rates in latent fingerprint evidence. The grant from the National Institute of Justice is in response to a report issued by the National Academy of Sciences in 2009 that concluded the accuracy and reliability of many forensic methods, including fingerprints, had not been adequately established through scientific scrutiny. The UCLA study will establish a scientific method to quantify the accuracy and error rates of latent fingerprint examination. The project began Jan. 1, 2010, and is slated to end in the summer of 2012. It will have four phases: 1) a fingerprint database will be created; 2) methods to quantify the visual complexity of fingerprints and comparisons will be examined and developed; 3) a cognitive-difficulty analysis will be combined with a visual-complexity analysis to establish and test a difficulty classification scheme for fingerprint comparisons; and 4) the potential for error for each difficul! ty classification level in the hierarchy will be determined.
www.newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/two-ucla-professors-awarded-national-153642.aspx
UPDATE 1-US Govt Appeals Court Ban on Cell Phone Tracking
Reuters, (02/12/2010), John Hurdle
A federal appeals court in Philadelphia recently heard arguments on why the U.S. government should be allowed access to citizens’ cell phone records. A Justice Department attorney urged the court to overturn lower court rulings denying it the right seek information from communications companies about call activity on specific phone numbers that law enforcement believe are associated with criminal activity. The government does not want to monitor the content of cell phone conversations. Civil rights attorneys argued that providing information such as dates, times, call duration and which cell phone tower was used to make the call would be an invasion of privacy and a violation of constitutional protections against unjustified arrest. Attorneys for the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Center for Democracy and Technology said the government should have to obtain a warrant to track an individual via a cell phone and show probable cause that the information would provide! evidence of a crime. In 2008, the government asked for court permission to use cell phones for tracking without showing probable cause. The request was denied by a magistrate judge, whose decision was upheld by a district court. The government is appealing the lower court decisions before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1215088420100212
The Examiner, 02/10/2010, Freeman Klopott
Police in Takoma Park, Md., have a new tool for gathering information from citizens. The text messaging system, called Tip411, receives anonymous tips from cell phones. The system allows citizens with a cell phone to send an anonymous tip to the police department by typing in the number 847411 and typing the word TPPDTIP before the message. The tips are 100 percent anonymous. The company that runs the system’s technology removes all identifying information before forwarding the tip to police. Police Chief Ronald Ricucci notes that the tips are for nonemergency use and that residents should still call 911 in an emergency. He says the anonymous tip system allows residents to come forward with information without fear of retribution.
www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/crime/Takoma-Park-police-start-text-message-tip-system-83907337.html
Lawmaker Suggests Moving Forensic Tests
The Register-Herald, (02/08/2010), Mannix Porterfield
A West Virginia lawmaker is recommending that responsibility for forensics laboratory work be shifted from the state police to universities. State Sen. Bill Laird asked a legislative committee to study the effectiveness of forensic services, citing concerns about jail overcrowding. Laird’s resolution to the committee says prison crowding could be blamed in part on pretrial delays stemming from a backlog in processing criminal evidence. State police have been handling forensics lab duties in the state since 1935. Laird pointed to a national movement to shift forensic laboratory services to a more independent location. He cited the growth in forensics services at Marshall University, West Virginia University and Mount State University in the state, which could offer expanded forensic capabilities.
www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_039225347.html
Sheriff Partners With Douglas County Schools to be SchoolSAFE
PRWeb, (02/09/2010)
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado has begun using SchoolSAFE, a communications tool to improve coordination between first responders and schools during a school emergency. The system bridges all radio systems, allowing for a more coordinated and quicker response. When activated, the Web-based SchoolSAFE allows local responders, participating schools and school security dispatch to talk directly to each other using the radios they use every day, allowing instant communication in the event of a natural disaster or school violence. Currently, 15 Douglas County high schools and middle schools are protected with the system. Sheriff David Weaver is seeking funding from other sources to extend the protection to all Douglas County school facilities, including private schools. The $247,500 program was funded through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Public Safety Interoperable Communications program. The program will bring Douglas County schools in complianc! e with the Colorado Safe School Act, which requires schools to partner with local responders to improve crisis response.
www.prweb.com/releases/schoolsafe/communications/prweb3582984.htm
Warren County to Spend $1.25 Million Federal Grant on Police Radio Upgrades
The Express Times, (02/09/2010), Bill Wichert
A New Jersey county will use a $1.25 million federal grant to improve emergency communications. Warren County will use the money to buy new handheld and car radios for all 10 police departments in the county. The Community Oriented Policing Services grant will allow the county to purchase the radios in the next two years. The new radios include an “officer down” button and an identification feature that allows 911 dispatchers to immediately know which radio is communicating with them. Additional plans to improve emergency communications include refining channels for fire and rescue squads and establishing a communications tower in Allamuchy Township.
www.lehighvalleylive.com/warren-county/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1265691943181730.xml&coll=3
Royal Palm Pulls Back on Fines From Red-Light Cameras
Palm Beach Post, (02/09/2010), Charles Elmore
The village of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., has delayed issuing fines for red-light camera infractions, saying the evidence doesn’t add up. Village engineer Ray Liggins said financial penalties will be put off indefinitely after police concluded that more than 90 percent of the evidence sent for their review during a warning period did not deserve a $125 ticket. Lt. David Combs of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, who helped review the evidence, estimated that 5 to 10 percent of the more than 14,000 “events” sent for police review since Nov. 8 would have been approved for fines. Cameras are based at two Royal Palm Beach Boulevard intersections. Liggins said drivers have expressed a lack of confidence in the technology. Village officials stopped trying to capture right-turn violations during a 90-day warning period, focusing on straight-through or left-turn cases, but still want to see what happens with court challenges and bills state lawmakers may consider this spring. www.palmbeachpost.com/news/traffic/royal-palm-pulls-back-on-fines-from-red-224021.html
Texas Prisons Part of Budget Cutting
Associated Press, (02/11/2010)
Texas officials are considering closing some prisons in a cost-cutting move. To bridge a projected state budget shortfall of $10 billion, Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus asked all state agencies to offer proposals cutting 5 percent of their budgets. The Austin American-Statesman reported that Texas prison officials are seeking as much as $300 million in cutbacks in the 112-unit prison system. Brad Livingston, executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, has said that any budget reductions would not compromise public safety or agency operations. The number of inmates has been decreasing in the state. The adult prison system currently has about 2,300 vacant beds. The Texas youth prison system, which five years ago housed almost 5,000 offenders, now holds fewer than 1,700.
www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/6861899.html
Germs on Run From Sure-Handed Cops
Fox News, (02/15/2010)
The New York Police Department is distributing mobile hand sanitizers to its officers to keep germs at bay. The optional equipment clips to the belts of beat officers and school safety officers. The department advises officers to use care not to hook the sanitizers onto their firearm trigger guards, radio antennas and expandable batons. Hand sanitizers are used to protect against the flu and other viruses and bacteria. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 80 percent of infections are spread through hand contact.
www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,585924,00.html
Bill Helps Md. Schools, Police Share More Gang Information
The Washington Post, (02/16/2010), Aaron C. Davis and Michael Birnbaum
A bill introduced in the Maryland legislature would allow police, school principals and prosecutors to share confidential information about students suspected of gang activity. Current state privacy laws prevent police and school officials from sharing all information about gangs in classrooms. Civil liberties groups are concerned the bill might distribute too much information about students. The bill introduced by House Speaker Michael E. Busch would require courts to share with schools information on students deemed delinquent and those committed to the custody or guardianship of the state’s Department of Juvenile Services. Courts currently have discretion to report a much more limited range of issues to schools. In addition, the bill would require teachers to report suspected gang activity to school administrators or a school security officer, who would coordinate anti-gang efforts.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/15/AR2010021503363.html
UCLA Professors Awarded Major Federal Grant to Study Error Rates in Fingerprint Evidence
UCLA Newsroom, (02/11/2010), Lauri Gavel
UCLA has been awarded a $866,764 federal grant to study error rates in latent fingerprint evidence. The grant from the National Institute of Justice is in response to a report issued by the National Academy of Sciences in 2009 that concluded the accuracy and reliability of many forensic methods, including fingerprints, had not been adequately established through scientific scrutiny. The UCLA study will establish a scientific method to quantify the accuracy and error rates of latent fingerprint examination. The project began Jan. 1, 2010, and is slated to end in the summer of 2012. It will have four phases: 1) a fingerprint database will be created; 2) methods to quantify the visual complexity of fingerprints and comparisons will be examined and developed; 3) a cognitive-difficulty analysis will be combined with a visual-complexity analysis to establish and test a difficulty classification scheme for fingerprint comparisons; and 4) the potential for error for each difficul! ty classification level in the hierarchy will be determined.
www.newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/two-ucla-professors-awarded-national-153642.aspx
UPDATE 1-US Govt Appeals Court Ban on Cell Phone Tracking
Reuters, (02/12/2010), John Hurdle
A federal appeals court in Philadelphia recently heard arguments on why the U.S. government should be allowed access to citizens’ cell phone records. A Justice Department attorney urged the court to overturn lower court rulings denying it the right seek information from communications companies about call activity on specific phone numbers that law enforcement believe are associated with criminal activity. The government does not want to monitor the content of cell phone conversations. Civil rights attorneys argued that providing information such as dates, times, call duration and which cell phone tower was used to make the call would be an invasion of privacy and a violation of constitutional protections against unjustified arrest. Attorneys for the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Center for Democracy and Technology said the government should have to obtain a warrant to track an individual via a cell phone and show probable cause that the information would provide! evidence of a crime. In 2008, the government asked for court permission to use cell phones for tracking without showing probable cause. The request was denied by a magistrate judge, whose decision was upheld by a district court. The government is appealing the lower court decisions before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1215088420100212
Homeland Security Technology
Secretary Napolitano Highlights Strengthened Aviation Security and Stimulus Provided to Local Economies on Recovery Act Anniversary
February 17, 2010 - Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano yesterday toured Transportation Security Administration (TSA) explosive detection technologies and canine program operations in Virginia and Texas—highlighting $576 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds and other security investments devoted to securing the U.S. aviation system and creating jobs in local communities across the country since President Obama signed the bill into law one year ago.
“Over the past year, DHS has put the Recovery Act to work in communities across the country—making significant investments in aviation security, while boosting the American economy,” said Secretary Napolitano. “Through the Recovery Act, we are building new explosive detection systems and deploying new enhanced screening technologies, bolstering security at airports throughout America.”
Secretary Napolitano yesterday met with TSA employees at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., observing Explosive Trace Detection (ETD) and Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) units at work as part of TSA’s layered approach to security. She also visited the TSA Breeding and Development Center, an explosives detection canine breeding and training initiative run by the agency’s National Explosives Detection Canine Team at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.
Since President Obama signed the Recovery Act into law on Feb. 17, 2009, DHS has awarded $576 million in ARRA funding to local airports and transportation authorities for aviation security infrastructure and technologies—in addition to a fiscal year 2010 enacted budget that includes an additional $129 million for checkpoint screening operations and $1 billion for checked baggage explosive detection systems, while providing an increase of 109 Bomb Appraisal Officers and supporting 805 explosive detection canine teams, 165 of which are proprietary.
To date, the Department has invested Recovery Act funding in communities across America:
• $371 million for 17 inline baggage handling systems that strengthen security efforts while expediting baggage screening and streamlining airport security procedures for passengers;
• $25 million for 150 AIT units, which detect metallic and non-metallic threats, including explosives, on passengers in a matter of seconds;
• $15 million for 400 fixed ETD units, which detect traces of explosives on luggage or a passenger’s hands;
• $50.4 million for 12 closed circuit television systems, which enhance threat detection and emergency response efforts;
• $77 million for approximately 200 reduced-size Explosive Detection Systems—checked baggage screening units designed for flexible use at airports;
• $22 million for 500 Bottled Liquid Scanners, which screen medically necessary liquids such as infant formula and medications to ensure that they do not contain a threat;
• $2.9 million for 44 Advanced Technology X-Ray and Universal Conveyer Systems, which provide high-definition X-ray images that improve TSA security officers’ ability to detect potential threat items in carry-on baggage; and
• Approximately $830,000 for 15 Chemical Analyzer Detectors, which are used to detect specific explosive substances in medically necessary liquids that alarm BLS units.
Additionally, President Obama’s fiscal year 2011 budget prioritizes key investments in aviation security, including:
• $88 million to purchase 500 AIT units to deploy at airport checkpoints;
• $39 million to purchase approximately 800 portable ETD machines;
• $71 million for an additional 275 explosives detection canine teams;
• $20 million for Behavior Detection Officers; and
• $85 million for increased Federal Air Marshals on international flight coverage.
ARRA, signed into law by President Obama on Feb. 17, 2009, committed more than $3 billion for homeland security projects through DHS and the General Services Administration (GSA). Of the $1 billion allocated to TSA for aviation security projects, $700 million is dedicated to screening checked baggage and $300 million is allocated for checkpoint explosives detection technology.
February 17, 2010 - Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano yesterday toured Transportation Security Administration (TSA) explosive detection technologies and canine program operations in Virginia and Texas—highlighting $576 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds and other security investments devoted to securing the U.S. aviation system and creating jobs in local communities across the country since President Obama signed the bill into law one year ago.
“Over the past year, DHS has put the Recovery Act to work in communities across the country—making significant investments in aviation security, while boosting the American economy,” said Secretary Napolitano. “Through the Recovery Act, we are building new explosive detection systems and deploying new enhanced screening technologies, bolstering security at airports throughout America.”
Secretary Napolitano yesterday met with TSA employees at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., observing Explosive Trace Detection (ETD) and Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) units at work as part of TSA’s layered approach to security. She also visited the TSA Breeding and Development Center, an explosives detection canine breeding and training initiative run by the agency’s National Explosives Detection Canine Team at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.
Since President Obama signed the Recovery Act into law on Feb. 17, 2009, DHS has awarded $576 million in ARRA funding to local airports and transportation authorities for aviation security infrastructure and technologies—in addition to a fiscal year 2010 enacted budget that includes an additional $129 million for checkpoint screening operations and $1 billion for checked baggage explosive detection systems, while providing an increase of 109 Bomb Appraisal Officers and supporting 805 explosive detection canine teams, 165 of which are proprietary.
To date, the Department has invested Recovery Act funding in communities across America:
• $371 million for 17 inline baggage handling systems that strengthen security efforts while expediting baggage screening and streamlining airport security procedures for passengers;
• $25 million for 150 AIT units, which detect metallic and non-metallic threats, including explosives, on passengers in a matter of seconds;
• $15 million for 400 fixed ETD units, which detect traces of explosives on luggage or a passenger’s hands;
• $50.4 million for 12 closed circuit television systems, which enhance threat detection and emergency response efforts;
• $77 million for approximately 200 reduced-size Explosive Detection Systems—checked baggage screening units designed for flexible use at airports;
• $22 million for 500 Bottled Liquid Scanners, which screen medically necessary liquids such as infant formula and medications to ensure that they do not contain a threat;
• $2.9 million for 44 Advanced Technology X-Ray and Universal Conveyer Systems, which provide high-definition X-ray images that improve TSA security officers’ ability to detect potential threat items in carry-on baggage; and
• Approximately $830,000 for 15 Chemical Analyzer Detectors, which are used to detect specific explosive substances in medically necessary liquids that alarm BLS units.
Additionally, President Obama’s fiscal year 2011 budget prioritizes key investments in aviation security, including:
• $88 million to purchase 500 AIT units to deploy at airport checkpoints;
• $39 million to purchase approximately 800 portable ETD machines;
• $71 million for an additional 275 explosives detection canine teams;
• $20 million for Behavior Detection Officers; and
• $85 million for increased Federal Air Marshals on international flight coverage.
ARRA, signed into law by President Obama on Feb. 17, 2009, committed more than $3 billion for homeland security projects through DHS and the General Services Administration (GSA). Of the $1 billion allocated to TSA for aviation security projects, $700 million is dedicated to screening checked baggage and $300 million is allocated for checkpoint explosives detection technology.
Department of Homeland Security's Acquisition Data Management Systems
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) was established by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-296) by amendment to the Inspector General Act of 1978. This is one of a series of audit, inspection, and special reports prepared as part of our oversight responsibilities to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness within the department.
This report addresses the strengths and weaknesses of the department’s acquisition data management and reporting practices. It is based on interviews with employees and officials of relevant agencies and institutions, direct observations, and a review of applicable documents.
The recommendations herein have been developed to the best knowledge available to our office, and have been discussed in draft with those responsible for implementation. We trust this report will result in more effective, efficient, and economical operations. We express our appreciation to all of those who contributed to the preparation of this report.
Collecting and reporting data about government procurements provides assurance that federal acquisitions are awarded and distributed in a prompt, fair, and reasonable manner. Our objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Homeland Security’s internal controls for managing and reporting acquisition data.
The Department of Homeland Security did not always report complete and accurate acquisition data in the Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation, which is used to create recurring and special reports to the President, Congress, the general public, and others. Our review of 180 sampled contract files revealed a 94.5% accuracy rate. For 464 of 8,460 (5.5%) data fields reviewed, procurement file documentation did not match the information reported in the Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation. For example, these discrepancies included 24 instances where the Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation had an incorrect zip code listed for the principal place of performance. Zip code information is used to populate government reports showing the state, city, county and congressional district where the federal funds are being spent.
We attribute these discrepancies to human errors, the department’s lack of management controls, and user limitations with the Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation’s auto-populated field elements. Additionally, there were 12 contract files valued at more than $31 million that could not be located by acquisition personnel, preventing us from assessing the accuracy of those contracts. As a result, the department may be reporting inaccurate acquisitions data and not providing the public with full transparency and accountability on some government activities.
We are making three recommendations in this report regarding the need for better guidance and increased accountability to ensure the integrity of reported acquisition data. The department’s Acting Chief Procurement Officer concurred with the recommendations and provided information on plans and actions to strengthen policies, procedures, and controls for reporting acquisition data.
Background Collecting and reporting data about government procurements provides assurance that federal acquisitions are awarded and distributed in a prompt, fair, and reasonable manner. These acquisitions must be transparent to the public, and reported clearly, accurately, and in a timely manner. The government must demonstrate that funds are used for authorized purposes and that steps are taken to prevent instances of fraud, waste, and abuse. Complete and accurate acquisitions data is important to ensure programs meet specific procurement performance goals and targets.
The Office of Federal Procurement Policy within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) plays a central role in developing the policies and practices that federal agencies use to acquire the goods and services they need to carry out their responsibilities. This office employs several tools to collect, develop, and disseminate government-wide procurement data for use by federal agencies and the general public. The most significant tool federal agencies use is the Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation (FPDS-NG), which captures numerous elements of procurement performance.
FPDS-NG contains data that the federal government uses to create recurring and special reports to the President, Congress, Government Accountability Office (GAO), federal executive agencies, and the general public. The data is also used to populate the USAspending.gov website in accordance with the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act. USAspending.gov is a single searchable website accessible by the public that includes information for each federal award, such as name, location, and unique identifier of the entity receiving the award; amount of the award; and information on the award such as transaction type and the funding agency.
The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 4.604 requires that the Senior Procurement Executive in coordination with the head of contracting activity be responsible for developing and monitoring a process to ensure timely and accurate reporting of contractual actions in FPDS-NG. The Office of Federal Procurement Policy requires that executive agencies annually certify that the data reported in FPDS-NG is valid and complete.
Read On
http://www.dhs.gov/xoig/assets/mgmtrpts/OIG_10-42_Jan10.pdf
This report addresses the strengths and weaknesses of the department’s acquisition data management and reporting practices. It is based on interviews with employees and officials of relevant agencies and institutions, direct observations, and a review of applicable documents.
The recommendations herein have been developed to the best knowledge available to our office, and have been discussed in draft with those responsible for implementation. We trust this report will result in more effective, efficient, and economical operations. We express our appreciation to all of those who contributed to the preparation of this report.
Collecting and reporting data about government procurements provides assurance that federal acquisitions are awarded and distributed in a prompt, fair, and reasonable manner. Our objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Homeland Security’s internal controls for managing and reporting acquisition data.
The Department of Homeland Security did not always report complete and accurate acquisition data in the Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation, which is used to create recurring and special reports to the President, Congress, the general public, and others. Our review of 180 sampled contract files revealed a 94.5% accuracy rate. For 464 of 8,460 (5.5%) data fields reviewed, procurement file documentation did not match the information reported in the Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation. For example, these discrepancies included 24 instances where the Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation had an incorrect zip code listed for the principal place of performance. Zip code information is used to populate government reports showing the state, city, county and congressional district where the federal funds are being spent.
We attribute these discrepancies to human errors, the department’s lack of management controls, and user limitations with the Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation’s auto-populated field elements. Additionally, there were 12 contract files valued at more than $31 million that could not be located by acquisition personnel, preventing us from assessing the accuracy of those contracts. As a result, the department may be reporting inaccurate acquisitions data and not providing the public with full transparency and accountability on some government activities.
We are making three recommendations in this report regarding the need for better guidance and increased accountability to ensure the integrity of reported acquisition data. The department’s Acting Chief Procurement Officer concurred with the recommendations and provided information on plans and actions to strengthen policies, procedures, and controls for reporting acquisition data.
Background Collecting and reporting data about government procurements provides assurance that federal acquisitions are awarded and distributed in a prompt, fair, and reasonable manner. These acquisitions must be transparent to the public, and reported clearly, accurately, and in a timely manner. The government must demonstrate that funds are used for authorized purposes and that steps are taken to prevent instances of fraud, waste, and abuse. Complete and accurate acquisitions data is important to ensure programs meet specific procurement performance goals and targets.
The Office of Federal Procurement Policy within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) plays a central role in developing the policies and practices that federal agencies use to acquire the goods and services they need to carry out their responsibilities. This office employs several tools to collect, develop, and disseminate government-wide procurement data for use by federal agencies and the general public. The most significant tool federal agencies use is the Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation (FPDS-NG), which captures numerous elements of procurement performance.
FPDS-NG contains data that the federal government uses to create recurring and special reports to the President, Congress, Government Accountability Office (GAO), federal executive agencies, and the general public. The data is also used to populate the USAspending.gov website in accordance with the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act. USAspending.gov is a single searchable website accessible by the public that includes information for each federal award, such as name, location, and unique identifier of the entity receiving the award; amount of the award; and information on the award such as transaction type and the funding agency.
The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 4.604 requires that the Senior Procurement Executive in coordination with the head of contracting activity be responsible for developing and monitoring a process to ensure timely and accurate reporting of contractual actions in FPDS-NG. The Office of Federal Procurement Policy requires that executive agencies annually certify that the data reported in FPDS-NG is valid and complete.
Read On
http://www.dhs.gov/xoig/assets/mgmtrpts/OIG_10-42_Jan10.pdf
Data Resources Program 2010: Funding for the Analysis of Existing Data
Overview
NIJ is requesting proposals to reproduce, replicate, or extend previous findings and conduct original research extending data from the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD). NACJD houses quantitative and qualitative data from NIJ-funded research and provides online access to downloadable, machine-readable (SPSS, SAS, or ASCII) files, as well as data dictionaries, study abstracts, and in limited cases MapInfo or ESRI geographic data. The archive is maintained by the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan and is supported by NIJ. Learn more by visiting the Data Resources Program Web site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/funding/data-resourcesprogram/welcome.htm.
NIJ is particularly interested in NACJD data, but will consider data from other sources. All data files resulting from Data Resources Program (DRP) grants must be added to NACJD, regardless of their source.
More Information
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/sl000900.pdf
NIJ is requesting proposals to reproduce, replicate, or extend previous findings and conduct original research extending data from the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD). NACJD houses quantitative and qualitative data from NIJ-funded research and provides online access to downloadable, machine-readable (SPSS, SAS, or ASCII) files, as well as data dictionaries, study abstracts, and in limited cases MapInfo or ESRI geographic data. The archive is maintained by the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan and is supported by NIJ. Learn more by visiting the Data Resources Program Web site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/funding/data-resourcesprogram/welcome.htm.
NIJ is particularly interested in NACJD data, but will consider data from other sources. All data files resulting from Data Resources Program (DRP) grants must be added to NACJD, regardless of their source.
More Information
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/sl000900.pdf
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