The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) provides the Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary as a service to law enforcement, corrections, and forensic science practitioners. The Summary includes abstracts of articles from major newspapers, business magazines, Web sites, national and international wire services, and periodicals focusing on law enforcement and corrections technology. Please note that providing synopses of articles on law enforcement and corrections technology or the mention of specific manufacturers or products does not constitute the endorsement of the U.S. Department of Justice or NLECTC. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the NLECTC Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary should be cited as the source of the information.

December 13, 2007

We are always interested in our readers' comments and feedback about this service. Please send your comments, questions, or suggestions to asknlectc@nlectc.org.

NLECTC Spotlight

"Networking" a Cheaper, Faster 800 MHz System

The State of Montana got a faster 800 MHz system and in the process saved some money, thanks to information sharing efforts promoted by the Border Research and Technology Center (BRTC) - Western Operations during a meeting of its advisory council earlier this year. Captain Willis Hintz of the Missoula County Sheriff's Office, a member of the advisory council, learned through discussions during the meeting that many agencies that own 800 MHz systems, yet use public services offered by major telephone companies, have been able to negotiate terms for fast service at inexpensive base rates. Missoula County was in the planning stages of making a switch to a public service provider, but had been concerned about possible high costs. Armed with the knowledge learned from networking with fellow advisory council members, Hintz helped Missoula County negotiate a contract that established an 800 MHz network at inexpensive rates. Missoula County even succeeded in persuading the service provider to expand the less expensive rates to the entire State. For more information, contact BRTC - Western Operations at 888-656-2782 or brtcwestops@sbcglobal.net.

Guidelines on Cell Phone Forensics

In May 2007 the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) published its Guidelines on Cell Phone Forensics. This guide provides basic information on the preservation, acquisition, examination, analysis, and reporting of digital evidence on cell phones, relevant to law enforcement, incident response, and other types of investigations. The publication is intended to address common circumstances that may be encountered by organizational security staff and law enforcement investigators, involving digital electronic data residing on cell phones and associated electronic media. Download this publication from the NIST web site at csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-101/SP800-101.pdf. For more information on NIST's Mobile Security and Forensics projects, please visit csrc.nist.gov/groups/SNS/mobile_security/.

Public Safety Technology in the News

Denver Deploys New Graffiti Surveillance System
Government Technology (11/15/07), News Report

The city and county of Denver, Colorado, in an effort to reduce the city's graffiti issue, have announced they will take part in a 30-day beta test of a newly released graffiti surveillance system. Law Enforcement Associates will provide eight Graffiti Cam units, along with training on installation and set-up and free 24-hour technical support to the Denver Police Department. Based on graffiti-related motions, the Graffiti Cam system is designed to inform law enforcement of graffiti crimes in progress. The system will provide law enforcement the chance to catch suspects in the act, as well provide video evidence for suspect identification.
www.govtech.com/gt/articles/186222

Future Cops: Police Use Tactical Technologies to Catch Criminals
FOXNews.com (11/27/07), Gene J. Koprowski

A suspect flees from the Los Angeles Police, but rather than getting involved in a dangerous, high-speed pursuit the police only follow for a few blocks. During that time, the police tag the car using a laser-guided GPS tracking system that launches a transmitter which attaches to the fleeing car. Once the car is tagged, police can then slow down and fall back, which encourages the suspect to slow down as well. The transmitter attached to the vehicle allows police to track the suspect in real-time using a wireless network. Once the vehicle stops, police can move in and arrest the suspect as he is exiting the car. This technology is being tested by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Suffolk County Police Department in New York. Now StarChase, LLC, the developer of the system, plans to move to the next phase and commercialize the product and hopes to have it on the market early next year.
www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312953,00.html

System Lets Agencies in Area Share Data
washingtonpost.com (11/29/07), Mary Beth Sheridan

More than 60 Washington, D.C. area law enforcement agencies now have access to the Law Enforcement Information Exchange (LInX) system. LInX will allow these agencies to easily share crime reports and mug shots. Prior to the system's implementation, agencies had to make calls to other departments or actually visit the department to exchange information relating to suspects. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) launched LInX because of possible threats to naval installations, and hoped that the system would perpetuate communication between the various levels of law enforcement in an effort to protect and serve. Funding to establish the service came from NCIS and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Law enforcement will access LInX at no charge. At present, roughly 2,000 officers in the D.C. area have access, with that number expected to double before the end of the year. These officers can access 6 million mug shots and 14 million crime reports. NCIS has created similar systems in six other areas of the United States.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/28/AR2007112802401.html

Bowie Police Go High Tech
gazette.net (11/22/07), Megan King

In the past month, the Bowie (Maryland) Police Department has been able to scan more than 20,000 license plates using a new license plate recognition technology system. Since its installation on October 30, the system has alerted officers more than 300 times to violations such as stolen vehicle and suspended tags. The plates that the system scans are cross-checked against a database of statewide motor vehicle violations, as well as national criminal data. If a violation is found, the system notifies the patrol officer. The license plate scanning system allows officers to scan 5,000 plates during a 10-hour shift. The department purchased the system using donations from various businesses within Bowie, which amount to about 40 percent of the total cost of the system.
www.gazette.net/stories/112207/largnew172423_32363.shtml

Contagious Communications
Law Enforcement Technology (11/2007), p. 22, Jonathan Kozlowski

YouTube (www.youtube.com), the popular website that allows any user the ability to upload videos to the Web free of charge, can be a useful tool for law enforcement agencies seeking to improve communication with the general public and to share information with other agencies. The Broward County (Florida) Sheriff's Office is using YouTube to post public service announcements in conjunction with distributing printed materials to the community. The Office's most popular video, "Gone in 4 seconds," has been viewed almost 7 million times. The Franklin (Massachusetts) Police Department posted video of two suspects from store footage to YouTube and soon received a tip from another agency identifying the suspects. The International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) is also using the YouTube site to post videos of missing children and educational materials.
www.officer.com/magazines/let/

Schools' Computer Flags Sex Offenders
Washington Post (12/4/2007), Ian Shapira

The Prince William County (Virginia) school system has implemented the V-soft security system to track school visitors and screen for sex offenders. The V-soft system, also known as Raptor, scans identification cards such as driver's licenses and compares the information against listings of sex offenders from across the country. The Raptor system is also in use in the Anne Arundel County (Maryland) school system and is credited with identifying three sex offenders and leading to one arrest.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/03/AR2007120302027.html

Video-Conferencing Increases Security, Saves County Time, Money
The Daily Siftings Herald (11/27/2007), Donna Hilton

Clark County, Arkansas, is saving money by using video-conferencing to allow inmates to make their first court appearances without leaving the county jail. The system uses two television sets and two cameras, which allow the inmate and judge to communicate. With the new system in place, security is improved because prisoners do not have to be transported from the jail to the courtroom. The video-conferencing equipment was purchased by the Clark County Sheriff's Department and cost less than $1,000.
www.siftingsherald.com/articles/2007/11/27/news/news1.txt

FCC Awards Spectrum to Public Safety Group
ComputerWorld (11/27/2007), Donna Hilton

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has awarded the Public Safety Spectrum Trust Corp. (PSST), a nonprofit group with members from various public safety organizations, the license for 10 MHz in the wireless spectrum considered to be valuable. The portion of the wireless spectrum awarded to PSST was abandoned by television in light of the congressional requirement to move broadcasts to digital by 2009. The PSST spectrum will be combined with an adjacent 10 MHz that will be auctioned off in early 2008. The winner will be required to establish a nationwide wireless network that will meet both public safety and commercial needs. Then, according to the FCC, PSST will establish a network-sharing agreement with the winning bidder, with PSST becoming the administrator for this network.
www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9048180

Upcoming Events

Personal Protective Equipment Conference, November 28-30, 2007, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/events/peronsal-protective-equipment.htm

ACA Winter 2008 Conference, January 11-16, 2008, Grapevine, Texas
www.aca.org/Conferences/Winter08/home.asp

National Symposium on Cyber Crime, February 11-14, 2008, Long Beach, California
www.cacpt.uscourts.gov/conf/

NIJ Rural Law Enforcement Technology Institute, February 24-28, 2008, Charleston, South Carolina
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/events/rural-institute.htm

2008 Innovative Technologies for Community Corrections Conference, June 9-11, 2008, Denver, Colorado
www.justnet.org/training/commcorr.html

New Releases

Incident Commander: A Training Simulation for Public Safety Personnel
www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=239168

Investigative Uses of Technology: Devices, Tools, and Techniques
www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/213030.pdf