Title: TechBeat Fall 2001
Series: N/A
Author: National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center
Published: October 2001
Subject: Technology for Law Enforcement
pages: 36
bytes: 84KB

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National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center
TechBeat Fall 2001
Dedicated to Reporting Developments in Technology for Law Enforcement,
Corrections, and Forensic Sciences

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Handling the Price of Success

In April, Danny Brown was released from an Ohio prison after serving 19
years. Charges of rape and murder, for which he had been convicted in 1982,
were dismissed. His release was the result of a DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
test that showed he was not the attacker of a 28-year-old woman. But the
story could not and did not end there.

The woman, who was the mother of a 6-year-old boy and 3-year-old twin
girls, had been raped and murdered. Brown's release meant the killer might still
be at large. When analysts at the Ohio State crime lab ran a DNA sample from
the crime scene through the State's database of convicted offenders, they got a
match. His name was Sherman Preston, and he was serving 15 years to life in
the Lebanon Correctional Facility for the 1983 slaying of another Ohio woman.

Brown, now 46, owes his exoneration in large part to the Forensic DNA
Laboratory Improvement Program. Managed by the National Institute of
Justice's (NIJ's) Office of Science and Technology (OS&T) since 1996, this
program has invested Federal dollars in improving the DNA analysis
capabilities of State and local crime labs to clear up the enormous backlog of
DNA samples collected from convicted offenders and crime scenes.

Roger Kahn, Ph.D., who heads Ohio's crime laboratory system, calls the
changes that have resulted from the laboratory improvement program
"extraordinarily successful" and "a miracle."

Before the State received these funds, Kahn says, DNA testing in Ohio was
almost nonexistent. "According to UCR [Unified Crime Reports], we had
6,000 rapes and homicides annually. We polled our crime labs and found that
4,000 of those cases were submitted for examination to crime labs in the State.
We have 11 labs and only 3 did testing inhouse. In 1996, they tested 350
cases, primarily by reverse dot-blot methods. The other 8 sent 175 out of
State. The majority of Ohio crime labs did no DNA testing, which meant very
few cases were profiled," Kahn says.

Ohio benefited, however, from a grant that provided money for DNA analysts'
education and training, lab equipment and supplies, and minor facility upgrades
and modifications. To comply with Federal education standards, analysts took
classes in genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, and statistics. Purchases of
new automated analysis equipment and supplies helped the labs get up to speed
with the latest technologies. The funding also kick-started voter approval of
general revenue funds for a new 40,000-square-foot lab, half of which is
devoted to DNA analysis.

Ohio is now on track with profiling cases that have a suspect. Additional grant
funds have been used to test a backlog of samples collected from convicted
offenders. "We had 30,000 [samples] collected and none tested. That was in
November of last year. We now have all 30,000 tested, and we did it in 6
months," Kahn says. By February, the State database was online and linked
with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI's) Combined DNA Index
System (CODIS), a national database of convicted offenders. Almost
immediately there were 11 hits.

"It's been quite a ride," Kahn says. "If it hadn't been for the laboratory
improvement program, this State would have stayed right where it was, with
almost no DNA testing being done. This program has been extraordinarily
successful. We feel like we've accomplished a miracle."

DNA Laboratory Improvement Program

The Forensic DNA Laboratory Improvement Program was authorized in 1994
to address low funding, understaffing, and high personnel turnover rates at State
and local crime labs. The FBI's DNA Advisory Board and the Technical
Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (now known as the Scientific
Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods) recognized that such problems
often resulted in inconsistent standards and underqualified personnel. Together
they advocated creating and adopting national standards for DNA testing and
educational requirements for analysts.

Standards and education were becoming especially important with the
implementation of CODIS and a nationwide movement toward establishing
databases of convicted offender DNA records. To link the States to CODIS
meant labs would have to comply with standard testing methodologies. But the
equipment, training, and laboratory modifications that were required to bring
State and local crime labs up to those standards cost more than most agencies
could afford. Federal funding was critical.

In the end, more than $37 million was provided to labs in 48 States. It was
used for a number of purposes:

--Developing forensic DNA-testing capabilities in States that were not testing
DNA.

--Improving or expanding analysis capabilities in laboratories that already were
testing DNA, especially for nonsuspect serial sexual assault cases.

--Fostering compatibility and cooperation among forensic laboratories in and
among States that wanted to match and exchange DNA identification records
through CODIS.

--Ensuring that DNA testing would be conducted according to national
standards.

An important element of the program was the creation of consortiums. Labs
requesting funding agreed to work together to develop coordinated statewide
testing programs. A more vital factor in the program's success was NIJ's push
to spend grant dollars on new technology; the lion's share of grant funds was
spent on changing from restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)
analysis, a time-consuming and expensive practice, to short tandem repeat
(STR) analysis, a faster and more sensitive method slated for use by the
CODIS database. Any lab that wanted to link up would not only have to
update equipment, it would have to retest samples that had been tested using
RFLP.

"CODIS became more complex and NIJ was there to help us out," says Mark
Nelson, special agent in charge of the North Carolina State Bureau of
Investigation (SBI). "They helped us go from RFLP to STR. They helped us
purchase equipment to make the conversion."

Almost immediately, North Carolina SBI investigators started clearing old
cases. One such case took place in 1989, when a man kidnaped and
repeatedly raped a Hickory, North Carolina, woman. A suspect was arrested
but cleared when his DNA sample did not match that taken from the victim.

"We really believed it was him," says Catawba County Assistant District
Attorney Jason Parker. "He'd have been a goner if it hadn't been for DNA
clearing him." 

In April 2000, the woman's attacker was found in a North Carolina prison. The
evidence was run through the State database and matched to L.K. Butler, who
was serving time for similar crimes. Butler was indicted, convicted, and
sentenced to another 80 years in prison.

DNA testing also cleared a series of rapes that occurred in 1986. Of the
suspects, Marion Pearson appeared the likeliest to have committed a series of
rapes in Morganton, North Carolina. But at the time there was no DNA
analysis, only blood typing. "Pearson came closer than anyone else, but there
was nothing conclusive," Parker says.

When the State's database came online, SBI investigators ran the evidence. It
matched Pearson, who had since moved to Maryland. SBI investigators
arrested Pearson in Maryland and returned him to North Carolina. But Pearson
disappeared after posting bond. He was later arrested in Maryland on other
charges and returned to North Carolina, where he was sentenced to 50 years in
prison. 

The Price of Success

The lab improvement program has been supplemented with funding to clear an
estimated backlog of 750,000 DNA samples collected from convicted
offenders. Moneys have been spent to send untested offender samples to
private labs for DNA analysis, as recommended by the National Commission
on the Future of DNA Evidence.

"As the laws change and allow for the collection of samples from a larger
variety of crimes, labs are often inundated," says Chris Asplen, the
Commission's executive director. "They may have all they can do to test
samples from current cases, and may not have the resources to test samples
from convicted offenders or from nonsuspect cases. These Federal dollars will
help them catch up by outsourcing their backlog of DNA samples."

"We never really had any funding for the number of samples that were coming
in," adds Nelson. "Our backlogs were going through the roof and our analysts
felt like they were swimming upstream. NIJ came through with funding to
outsource our offender samples and get our backlog down. And of course we
started getting hits right away. We are now caught up, with no backlog, and
have had 16 hits as a result."

Federal funds were especially important in Florida, a State that had
implemented several proactive DNA programs. Yet it was inundated with a
65,000-sample backlog when the technology changed from RFLP to STR
analysis. 

"It is impossible to compare the two technologies," says David Coffman, the
DNA database supervisor for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. "It
would be like going to an auto parts store and trying to find a particular Honda
part number in a Mazda catalog. Rather than be ineffective for another 5 years
while we reanalyzed all of our samples, we were able to use NIJ money to
outsource them. The NIJ money has been instrumental. We immediately
resolved six cases."

Clearing old cases and exonerating the innocent have generated a ripple effect.
The results have garnered the attention of the press and piqued the public's
interest. As a result, States have voted to provide additional funding for DNA
analysis.

"We have a system that is working and State lawmakers who know it works,
and they want to support this crimefighting tool," Coffman says. "The NIJ
money helped build our database, which started making us even more
successful. We've had our own support since 1995, but once we started
clearing more cases, that support grew even more."

Advances in DNA technology grabbed the attention of Florida legislators,
resulting in bills that, if approved, will allow collection of DNA samples for a
variety of crimes. In Florida, DNA can be collected only in seven crimes: lewd
and lascivious behavior, sexual assault, aggravated battery, home invasion
robbery, carjacking, murder, and burglary. In the most recent legislative
session, State lawmakers laid the groundwork for a bill that would allow
collection of DNA from all convicted felons over the next 5 years.

Although this legislative support may help law enforcement and prosecutors, it
can cause headaches for those who must hew to the bottom line. Similar bills
have been introduced in North Carolina, Nelson says, but there is no funding to
pay for them. 

"We are in a severe budget crisis," Nelson says. "We have gone from a $1
billion surplus to an $800 million deficit. We have seen a flurry of bills that deal
with DNA. They want to increase the collection of DNA samples. It's an effort
that is one of the top 10 priorities of the Governor's Crime Commission. One of
those bills is an all-felon bill, which would cost $5.5 million to implement. But
this State does not have the money."

Funding for the DNA Backlog Reduction Program may mitigate some of those
financial shortfalls, according to Dr. Lisa Forman, director of NIJ's Investigative
and Forensic Sciences Division. Another $25 million infusion of asset forfeiture
funds primarily will be used to pay for analysis of DNA samples in nonsuspect
cases. Forman says $8 million will go toward continuing the convicted offender
backlog reduction effort, and about $1.7 million will be spent on new quality
control methods. The rest, about $15.3 million, will fund the analysis of
evidence from nonsuspect cases.

Nonsuspect cases have in recent years gained greater attention from both
forensic scientists and State and Federal lawmakers. Crime labs typically
prioritize evidence analysis, putting those with a known suspect at the top.
Unfortunately, other cases are left to languish, often for years. "Some crime labs
have rape kits that have been sitting around for 5 to 7 years," says Paul Ferrara,
director of the Virginia Division of Forensic Science.

Advances in analysis techniques have made processing faster, cheaper, and
more efficient. But crime scene evidence is still harder to analyze than the
pristine blood samples drawn from convicted offenders. Crime scenes
invariably yield such evidence as cigarette butts, half-eaten food, and discarded
clothing, the analysis of which is more complex and tedious because of the small
size of the sample and its often deteriorated condition. When the evidence
comes from a sexual assault, analysis also requires differential extraction, a
time-consuming chemical process that separates the male and female samples.
Even the costs are higher. Analysis of a convicted offender sample costs about
$50. Analysis for a rape case can cost more than $5,000.

Crime labs still must prioritize cases, and nonsuspect evidence still takes a
backseat. NIJ's $15 million infusion of funds intended specifically for this kind
of work will be enormously beneficial.

"Crime labs, at least in my opinion, have a major crisis facing them with respect
to crime scene evidence," Ferrara says. "You can have a database of 10
million, but if you can't analyze all the evidence from crime scenes-your
nonsuspect cases-then your database is for naught. It does you no good if you
don't have the capacity to run every cigarette butt, every bloodstain, every
bottle top.

"My concern is that as we train our law enforcement officers as to what kind of
evidence can contain probative DNA, the number of samples submitted will
skyrocket. Many officers would never have thought of picking up cigarette
butts or looking at soda bottles or beer cans as evidence. But DNA has
opened up a whole new world," Ferrara says. "Now we're swabbing the inside
of ski masks and headbands and the armpits of old T-shirts. It's given rise to a
whole new explosion of evidence. Combine that with defense lawyers who no
longer question DNA but now want to know why the lab didn't analyze every
single piece of evidence because there might have been a second perpetrator,
and you have a tremendous crush of samples to be run. We have to be able to
run them and run them rapidly or more people are going to be victimized."

Virginia officials have decided, as have those in many other States, to continue
to outsource the analysis of convicted offender samples and concentrate
inhouse on crime scene evidence. Other States analyze both types of samples
within their own forensic lab systems. Either way, most experts believe DNA
analysis will continue to be vital to the criminal justice system.

---------------------------

A Helping Hand

Public crime laboratories historically have suffered from low funding,
understaffing, and high personnel turnover, leaving them in some cases with
inconsistent standards, inexperienced personnel, and tremendous backlogs.
Nevertheless, reliable and timely forensic analytical results from these labs are
essential to solving crime. The equipment, training, and laboratory modifications
required to increase State and local crime lab capacities and bring them up to
national quality assurance standards come at a cost beyond the reach of most
agencies. Federal funding support, in the form of grants to State and local
agencies, is therefore critical to the improvement of crime laboratory services.
The following are potential funding sources that may be used for personnel,
training, equipment, technical assistance, research, development, or
implementation.

Office of Justice Programs (OJP) funding programs are divided into two main
categories: formula grants and discretionary grants.

Formula Grants

Formula grants are awarded to State and local governments based on a
predetermined formula that might be dependent on a jurisdiction's crime rate,
population, or other factors. States are generally required to pass a significant
portion of formula grants through to local agencies and organizations in the form
of subgrants.

--Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance
Formula Grant Program. Provides funds to assist States and units of local
government control and prevent drug abuse, crime, and violence, and improve
the functioning of the criminal justice system. Byrne funds are awarded for
projects in fields that include law enforcement, adjudication, community crime
prevention, and the development of criminal justice information systems. The
grants can be used to provide additional personnel, equipment, facilities, and
training. For further information, contact the Office of Justice Programs, Bureau
of Justice Assistance (BJA), at 202-514-6638 or access the BJA website at
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bja.

Discretionary Grants

Discretionary grants are awarded on a competitive basis to public and private
agencies and private nonprofit organizations.

--Convicted Offender DNA Backlog Reduction Program. Administered by the
National Institute of Justice (NIJ), this program provides assistance to States
that have a backlog of convicted offender samples waiting for DNA analysis.
Funding is provided to perform rapid DNA analysis on the unanalyzed samples
in order to be uploaded into the National DNA Index System (NDIS) through
the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). Contact the Justice Response
Center at 800-421-6770.

--Crime Identification Technology Act (CITA) Programs. Administered
throughout OJP, this initiative provides assistance to States to establish or
upgrade criminal justice information systems and identification technologies and
provides assistance for virtually every technology-based, criminal justice
information, identification, and communications need. In the FY 2001
appropriations, funds were earmarked for the National Criminal History
Improvement Program (NCHIP), which in turn provides grants to States, and
for NIJ's Crime Laboratory Improvement Program (CLIP). OJP also will use
CITA funds to support projects related to the forensic sciences. For more
information, visit the CITA website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/cita.

--Crime Laboratory Improvement Program (CLIP). Administered by NIJ,
CLIP provides assistance to State and local crime laboratories both to improve
and to expand their analysis capabilities, including their online capabilities, and
to reduce their backlog of convicted offenders' DNA samples within CODIS,
the national DNA database. Contact the U.S. Department of Justice Response
Center at 800-421-6770. (Also see the previous listing for the Crime
Identification Technology Act Programs.)

--DNA Five-Year Research and Development Program. The goal of this NIJ
program is the development of cutting-edge molecular biology methods and
tools to achieve highly discriminating, reliable, economic, and rapid DNA
testing approaches appropriate for forensic identity testing. Major objectives
for the period from 1999 to 2003 include reducing DNA testing costs by more
than 98 percent, from $700 per test to less than $10 per test; reducing analysis
time from hours to minutes; developing inexpensive, portable, disposable DNA
test kits for field use; increasing the reliability and legal credibility of DNA
testing through the development of a dual-testing approach using two different
methodologies (microchip devices and mass spectrometry); developing
standard materials for population databases; and developing markers or
techniques to be used in the unique identification of individuals.

--Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance
Discretionary Grants. These grants, provided through BJA, are awarded to
State and local law enforcement, as well as private entities, for crime control
and violence prevention projects. The program focuses specifically on
education and training for criminal justice personnel, technical assistance,
multijurisdictional projects (e.g., State records integration), and program
demonstrations. Grants also support research and development projects.
Contact BJA at 202-514-6638 or access the BJA website at
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bja.

--Office of Science and Technology General and Directed Solicitations.
Administered by NIJ, this initiative supports technology research and
development for law enforcement, corrections, and the forensic sciences.
Contact the U.S. Department of Justice Response Center at 800-421-6770, or
access NIJ's website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij (and click on Funding
Opportunities), or the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology
Center's website at www.justnet.org.

---------------------------

Cause for Alarm

They won't find it on the shelf at the local discount store or computer
warehouse, but correctional facility building managers and safety officers need
to be on the lookout for a software package slated for release this fall.

ALARM 2.0 is a Windows(r)-compatible software that will help managers
save time and money when bringing their facilities into compliance with the
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Life Safety Code (LSC). It was
developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) with
support from the National Institute of Justice's Office of Law Enforcement
Standards (OLES), located at NIST.

Based on the fire safety worksheet for correctional facilities in the LSC manual,
ALARM (Alternative Life-Safety Analysis for Retrofit-Cost Minimization)
performs calculations in moments that would take days to do by hand. By
employing this user-friendly software, building managers and safety officers can
quickly create a tailored, economical plan to bring their facilities into
compliance with LSC. Correctional facilities can use LSC compliance to help
achieve American Correctional Association (ACA) accreditation.

NFPA offers two versions of LSC. The "prescriptive" version (NFPA 101)
specifies in detail what must be done to achieve compliance. It offers only one
solution, with no flexibility or substitutions permitted. The alternate version
(NFPA 101A), on which the ALARM software is based, does not have fixed
requirements. Rather, it uses 13 fire safety parameters-including fire alarms,
smoke detectors, automatic sprinklers, and number of exits-each with up to 7
safety levels. Many combinations can be used to achieve point scores needed
for compliance. For example, if more sprinklers are installed, less smoke
control is needed.

"There are many, many ways to be in compliance," says Dr. Stephen Weber,
who heads the NIST team developing the software. "The idea is to earn enough
points to be in compliance, but in the most economical way possible."
According to Laura Schultz, the programmer who designed this version of
ALARM, "Without our software you could sit for days and days trying to hit
the right combination."

Because facilities receive separate LSC scoring for each building and each zone
within a building (space separated by floors, horizontal exits, or smoke
barriers), and points must be earned in four categories (fire control, egress,
refuge, and general safety), days might seem like an optimistic estimate. Using
ALARM, building managers or safety officers could have a proposed plan in 1
day or less if staff have already measured wall areas, counted exits, and
collected the other data needed to find the solution.

"Correctional facilities are like small towns. You have different buildings, and
different sites with different support functions," says Jack Harne, a correctional
information specialist at the National Law Enforcement and Corrections
Technology Center (NLECTC) in Rockville, Maryland, and a former
correctional safety officer. "You also have housing. It's basically very similar to
a community."

That analogy also could apply to hospitals that already have benefited from
ALARM. NIST developed the software under a Public Health Service grant in
the 1980s and updated it in the 1990s. According to NIST documentation, for
a sample of 89 hospitals that used ALARM in planning LSC compliance, the
software identified plans that were, on average, 41 percent less costly than
prescriptive compliance would have been. This represents a total savings of
more than $37 million.

The move from hospitals to correctional facilities occurred because Weber
noted that the chapter on correctional facilities in the LSC manual followed the
same pattern as the chapter on hospitals. He began reading and discovered
similarities between the two types of facilities. "I realized it would be a perfect
application of something we had already done," he says. 

Weber pitched the idea to OLES and work began on the correctional facilities
package in 1998. Beta testing took place in early 2001; feedback was used to
develop the final product. When Weber contacted the Maryland Division of
Corrections about beta testing, administrators were so impressed with
ALARM's potential that all 17 facilities in the system became test sites. NIST
also lined up sites in Virginia and Ohio, and ACA sent copies to facilities that
applied for accreditation. 

"Whenever you try to get funding for something," says Harne, "you always have
to explain why you need the funds. The documentation reports produced by
this software will help you explain why." Harne recalls being involved in lengthy
and complex renovations as a correctional safety officer and says that such
processes could have been streamlined significantly using ALARM. He says
that the LSC is so complex, "there is no way you could absorb everything. The
software might help remind you of something you've forgotten to check on." 

"By going this way," says Weber, "you save a lot of time and effort in achieving
compliance." Schultz adds, "You save time and money in the construction
phase, and also in figuring out what to do and how to do it."

The complete ALARM 2.0 package with CD-ROM and User Manual can be
purchased for $25 from the One-Stop Data Shop of the National Fire
Protection Association (contact Nancy Schwartz at 617-984-7450 or
osds@nfpa.org) or from the American Correctional Association (contact
Gabriella Daley at 800-222-5646 or cservice@aca.org).


---------------------------

How Alarm Works

ALARM (Alternative Life-Safety Analysis for Retrofit-Cost Minimization) is
designed to make the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Life Safety
Code (LSC) worksheet user friendly in a Windows(registered trademark)
program. Similar to off-the-shelf spreadsheet programs, ALARM uses cells for
data entry and can perform complex mathematical calculations. Anyone who
knows Excel(registered trademark) or a similar spreadsheet program could
pick it up quickly "with a small learning curve," according to one of its
developers, Laura Schultz.

The 32-bit software fits on one CD that provides simple installation instructions.
A detailed user's manual walks newcomers through filling in background
information, such as size, current safety condition, and location. Providing
location information allows ALARM to offer information regarding construction
costs in the area. The software includes a sample project file that helps users
learn about the program and a help system based on the LSC manual.

The main worksheet screen uses color coding to indicate the facility's current
safety level, excluded options, and options the user wants to consider. ALARM
automatically excludes alternatives that have lower safety ratings than the
facility's current level; users may also choose to exclude options. The program
further divides options still under consideration into those that lack data and
those that are complete.

For example, a building manager may be considering an improved interior finish
in corridors as a means of earning more points toward compliance. He indicates
that the current safety level is Class B. Class C would automatically be
excluded because of its lower safety level. The manager then clicks on Class A.
ALARM asks him to indicate the square footage that requires renovation. It
then offers three options for coming into compliance: removing the existing
Class B finish to expose Class A materials underneath, coating the Class B
interior finish, or covering the Class B material with drywall. The software also
provides rough cost estimates for each option. The building manager chooses
the selection that best fits the facility's budget.

When the building manager has entered data in all 13 LSC parameters, he
selects the optimize feature. ALARM uses its color-coding function to highlight
the options that will allow the facility to score enough points for compliance at
the least cost. In addition to color coding on the data entry screen, the program
provides a detailed report on the suggested least-cost plan.

"You can then show this to your budgeting people and say, 'we realize that
we're out of compliance, and this is roughly what it will cost to bring us into
compliance,'" Schultz says.

Building managers and safety officers have the option of getting bids from local
contractors on options they want to consider, using these costs to override the
rough estimates provided by the program, and running the report again to
confirm the results.

Because ALARM is designed to use a replaceable database, future upgrades
most likely will involve only substituting data files with more up-to-date cost
information or revisions to LSC.

---------------------------

TechBeat on Target

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---------------------------

www.justnet.org

Online News Summary includes article abstracts on law enforcement,
corrections, and forensics technologies that have appeared in major
newspapers, magazines, and periodicals and on national and international wire
services and websites.

Publications from NIJ and NLECTC that you can view or download to your
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---------------------------

Come See Us At

American Correctional Association Winter Conference
San Antonio, Texas
January 12-16, 2001
Booth 809-815

American Probation and Parole Association Winter Conference
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
February 10-13, 2001

---------------------------

From the Director, Office of Science and Technology

Law enforcement, courts, and corrections officials and officers working in the
field know how crucial technology is to their day-to-day operations. In some
circumstances, having the right tool can even mean the difference between life
and death.

The technological revolution that has swept society as a whole in recent years
has also affected the criminal justice system. Some technologies that not long
ago seemed advanced-vests that can stop bullets and electronic monitoring of
probationers-today seem commonplace. But the revolution continues apace,
with ever more spectacular advances now being made, or in the testing stages,
or on the drawing board.

As the research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Institute of
Justice (NIJ) has, since its founding 30 years ago, been in the forefront in
sponsoring the development, testing, and demonstration of technology to
improve the justice system. The development of DNA testing standards, soft
body armor, and improved fingerprint evidence collection are some of the many
areas in which NIJ has played a leading role. 

More recently, with strong support from the Administration and the Congress,
NIJ has accelerated the pace of its efforts. Less-than-lethal technologies to
minimize the use of force, computerized mapping to pinpoint and analyze crime
patterns, concealed weapons detection to prevent violence, methods of
stopping fleeing vehicles to apprehend suspects, and improvements in DNA
laboratories to aid in evidence testing--all these capabilities, and others, are
now being explored by NIJ. Their application can mean even greater
transformations in law enforcement operations. 

TechBeat plays an important role as an essential link communicating the latest
information about these developing technologies from the National Law
Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center. By keeping law
enforcement, courts, and corrections personnel current about the tools they can
use, the newsletter makes a difference in controlling crime and ensuring justice.

David G. Boyd, Ph.D.
Director
Office of Science and Technology
National Institute of Justice 

---------------------------

The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center is
supported by Cooperative Agreement #96-MU-MU- K011 awarded by the
U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice. Analyses of test results
do not represent product approval or endorsement by the National Institute of
Justice, U.S. Department of Justice; the National Institute of Standards and
Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce; or Aspen Systems Corporation.
Points of view or opinions contained within this document are those of the
authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the
U.S. Department of Justice.

The National Institute of Justice is a component of the Office of Justice
Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Bureau of
Justice Statistics, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and
Office for Victims of Crime.

---------------------------

Tech Shorts

TechShorts presents a sampling of article abstracts published weekly as part of
the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center's
(NLECTC's) online information service: the Law Enforcement and Corrections
Technology News Summary.

Offered through JUSTNET, the website of NLECTC, this weekly news
summary provides synopses of recent articles relating to technology
developments and initiatives in law enforcement, corrections, and the forensic
sciences that have appeared in newspapers, news magazines, and trade and
professional journals. The summaries also are available through an electronic
e-mail list, JUSTNETNews. Each week, subscribers to JUSTNETNews
receive the summary directly via e-mail.

To subscribe to the JUSTNETNews/Law Enforcement and Corrections
Technology News Summary, e-mail your request to asknlectc@nlectc.org or
call 800-248-2742.

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 and Corrections Technology
News Summary should be cited as the source of the information. Copyright
2001, Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland.

Freeze, Or I'll Shoot . . . My Laser
Government Technology
A San Diego research company is currently working on a non-lethal laser
called the Anti-Personnel Beam Weapon, which can immobilize a person by
causing the skeletal muscles to lock up. Also known as the Non-Lethal
Tetanizing Beam Weapon, the law enforcement device uses ultraviolet radiation
to create a path in the air that carries an electrical current to the offender. The
current, which is similar to the neuro-electric impulses that control skeletal
muscles, essentially increases the rate of muscle movement until the muscle
tissue is frozen, or tetanized, into a single sustained contraction. The effects last
only seconds. According to the company, the weapon is currently about the
size of a suitcase and has an effective range of about 100 meters; but within 2
years, advances in laser technology will reduce its size to something that would
fit into a person's hand. The company also is working on a device that uses
similar technology to disable engines.

Washed-Up Crooks
Beyond 2001
What began simply as a way to wash plant roots became the rudiment behind
an invention that will spin, clean, and separate crime scene evidence in a matter
of minutes. Two "spin doctors" from Michigan State University have created a
whirlpool of excitement over their new invention. Forensic science professor
Jay Siegel and biophysics professor Alvin Smucker developed their system
based on the concept that particles with less density than soil will separate from
the dirt as hundreds of tiny, projected streams of water are sprayed into the
collection canister. Filtering further separates the tiny trace particles for crime
analysis. Called a Trace Evidence Concentrator, the machine looks like a
wet/dry vac of the sort found in a home workshop. Siegel, nationally recognized
in evidence collection, and Smucker describe the system as a hydropneumatic
elutriation that spins, washes, and dries.

High-Tech Cop Tools See Through Walls
United Press International
Engineers are developing equipment that uses radar to detect movement behind
walls or doors in an effort to decrease the risks that law enforcement agents
incur. Funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Georgia Institute of
Technology is improving a device called the Radar Flashlight, which uses a
16-degree ultrawide band (UWB) beam and a signal processor to detect
movement through walls up to 8 inches thick. Originally used by military
doctors to remotely check for vitals signs in soldiers injured in war zones, the
modified version will offer a pistol-grip handle and tell users how close it must
be to a wall to get a proper reading. Eventually, officers will be able to place it
on a tripod 20 feet from a wall and operate it remotely. In addition, an
Alabama-based company has come up with a device that can spot a person at
a distance of less than 10 feet through reinforced concrete and wood. Visit
www.nlectc.org/techproj/nij_p44.html for more information about the Radar
Flashlight.

Those Dimples May Be Digits
New York Times
Casinos, driver's license registration places, and police departments are among
the growing number of entities making use of face-recognition software. The
software converts images into a string of numbers that can be matched to
strings in other images. Problems with lighting, camera angles, camera quality,
and other factors have made the technology less useful for general law
enforcement than it is for computer logins, security checkpoints, and casino
surveillance. Face recognition is also less effective when enough time has
passed for a person's face to change. Biometric Test Center director Jim
Wayman states that police can make good use of facial recognition if they have
reasonable expectations about its efficacy and realize that decreasing the
number of possible suspects is still a positive step. Face-recognition technology
has incited the ire of privacy advocates in the United States and Britain,
although a majority of residents in the Newham borough of London believe that
the enhanced feeling of safety they get with the system is more important.

Catching Park's Bad-News Bears 
USA Today
In 1998, Yosemite's brown bear population caused $659,000 in damage, but
since the implementation of the park's bear management program, which
catalogs the bear population's DNA signatures, property damage incidents have
dropped by 81 percent. The catalog, containing the DNA signatures of about
250 of the 500 bears living in the park, allows rangers to identify which bears
caused the damage. Once a perpetrator has been identified as a repeat
offender, the bear is subjected to hazing, which includes exposure to loud
noises and noninjuring rubber bullets, to prevent it from causing further damage
in tourist areas.

West Virginia Looking at Device To Scan Licenses 
Associated Press Newswire
The Alcohol Beverage Control Administration (ABCA) is considering using a
new scanner to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors, West Virginia liquor
commissioner Tom Keeley reports. The device can authenticate a person's age
and name or indicate if the driver's license may be fraudulent. However, the
scanner can be used only with licenses from 38 States. According to Keeley,
the device can record the time at which it scanned a license. He adds that
ABCA officials hope to make the scanners available soon. Establishments with
prior liquor law violations will be given the option of reducing their fine by half if
they purchase the $2,000 device.

O.C. Police Upgrade Helicopters To Go High-Tech 
Sunday Oklahoman
Oklahoma City has finished testing technology that brings together the global
positioning system with the city's geographic information system. The
technology will allow police helicopters to locate addresses sooner. The city's
geographic information system has every location within Oklahoma City
mapped out. The pilot and copilot will be able to switch from the helicopter's
current infrared system to the new system by pressing a toggle switch. A
mini-keyboard and mouse is used to operate the system, which provides a
detailed map of a crime scene when an address is entered. The system also
provides icons showing the helicopter's position in relation to its destination, and
has a zoom-in feature for a more detailed view of surrounding streets. A trial of
the system was conducted in September 2000.

S.C. Better Prepared To Face Major Storm 
Associated Press Newswire

South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges says the addition of new inland roads from
the coast and new technology, such as cameras, electronic messaging boards,
and shortwave radios strategically placed along the road, will prepare residents
for the next bad hurricane. When Hurricane Floyd hit the coast in 1999, South
Carolina's roads became parking lots as masses of people evacuating the coast
tried to flee inland. In some cases, a normal 2- to 3-hour drive took 18 hours.
A new bypass was constructed to relieve the traffic bottlenecking at the U.S.
501 Intracoastal bridges, giving coastal people a new evacuation route, and
new road sensor devices will alert drivers to trouble conditions on the road or
weather precautions through their car radios. 

From Paper to PDA 
Government Technology
California's Santa Clara Police Department is trying to get traffic accident
reports filed more accurately and quickly through having officers use personal
digital assistants (PDAs) to enter information. The officer can record about 75
percent of the necessary information by swiping the drivers' driving licenses into
the device. By limiting the need to write and type, the officer can concentrate
more on the people involved in the collision. The officer can also take interview
notes by using the PDA's Graffiti software. The information is wirelessly
transferred to a patrol car notebook computer, but project manager Lt. Roger
Luebkeman has yet to enable transmissions to the police station. Luebkeman
would like to equip every officer who wants the system, which would cost
about $1,500 each. A major advantage of the spread-spectrum radio system is
that it does not carry monthly charges, though the fact that it only works up to
1,000 feet from the officer's car is a drawback.

State Driver's Licenses To Be Harder To Exploit
Denver Post
The Colorado Motor Vehicle Division will become the new recipient of a
high-tech photo identification system used to screen new license applicants in
order to make certain that they do not have a license under another identity.
The system contains a database of more than 7 million photos, but is able to
make a match in about 12 seconds. Implementing the system will cost an
estimated $678,000. The legislation under consideration on which the photo-ID
system is dependent also requires adding a feature to driver's licenses that
would be visible only under ultraviolet light, as well as a Social Security
Number check with the Social Security Administration. Colorado State
institutions lost more than $9 million in 2000 due to identity theft crimes.
Nationally, 25,845 identity theft crimes were reported, according to Federal
Trade Commission information. 


---------------------------

The 'Center System'

Created in 1994 as a component of the National Institute of Justice's (NIJ's)
Office of Science and Technology, the National Law Enforcement and
Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) system's goal, like that of NIJ, is
to offer support, research findings, and technological expertise to help State and
local law enforcement and corrections personnel do their jobs more safely and
efficiently.

NIJ's NLECTC system consists of facilities across the country that are
colocated with an organization or agency that specializes in one or more
specific areas of research and development. Although each NLECTC facility
has a different technology focus, they work together to form a seamless web of
support, providing technology assistance, support, and information.

NLECTC-National
2277 Research Boulevard
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone: 800-248-2742
Fax: 301-519-5149
E-mail: asknlectc@nlectc.org
The National Center, located just 30 minutes north of Washington, D.C., is the
hub of the NLECTC system. It provides information and referral services to
anyone with a question about law enforcement and corrections equipment or
technology. Its staff manage the voluntary equipment standards and testing
program that tests and verifies the performance of body armor, metallic
handcuffs, shotguns, and police vehicles and tires. This office produces
consumer product lists of equipment that meets a specific set of performance
standards and also operates JUSTNET (Justice Technology Information
Network), an Internet website that provides links to the entire NLECTC
system and other appropriate sites, as well as assistance to those seeking
information about equipment, technology, or research findings.

NLECTC-Northeast
26 Electronic Parkway 
Rome, NY 13441
Phone: 888-338-0584 
Fax: 315-330-4315
E-mail: nlectc_ne@rl.af.mil
NLECTC-Northeast is located at the Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome
Research Site (formerly Rome Laboratory), on the grounds of the Griffiss
Business and Technology Park. The center sponsors research and development
efforts into technologies that address command, control, communications,
computers, and intelligence. This center draws on the expertise of Air Force
scientists and engineers in its development of technologies that can be used to
detect weapons concealed on individuals, an effort that is expected to yield
stationary equipment for use in buildings and handheld devices for field and
patrol officers. Other areas of research and development include
through-the-wall sensors, audio processing, image processing, timeline analysis,
computer forensics, secure communications, and command/control.

NLECTC-Southeast
5300 International Boulevard
North Charleston, SC 29418
Phone: 800-292-4385
Fax: 843-760-4611
E-mail: nlectc-se@nlectc-se.org
Two of the focus areas of NLECTC-Southeast are corrections technologies
and surplus property acquisition and distribution for law enforcement and
corrections. The center facilitates the acquisition and redistribution of Federal
surplus/excess property to State and local law enforcement and corrections
agencies. The equipment must be used for law enforcement purposes only.
Utilizing the JUSTNET website, the center educates law enforcement and
corrections professionals about Federal surplus and purchasing programs. The
efforts of NLECTC-Southeast have resulted in agencies receiving equipment
they would not ordinarily have access to or might not have been able to afford
due to budgetary constraints. This facility also studies the needs of corrections
agencies. It is guided in this mission by a committee of criminal justice, law
enforcement, and corrections practitioners that identifies requirements and sets
priorities for research and development. NLECTC-Southeast is allied with the
South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) and the Space and Naval Warfare
Systems Center (SPAWAR). NLECTC- Southeast also focuses on
information management and technologies, simulation training, and designated
special projects.

NLECTC-Rocky Mountain
2050 East Iliff Avenue
Denver, CO 80208
Phone: 800-416-8086 or 303-871-2522 in the Denver area
Fax: 303-871-2500
E-mail: nlectc@du.edu
Located at the University of Denver, NLECTC-Rocky Mountain focuses on
communications interoperability and the difficulties that often occur when
different agencies and jurisdictions try to communicate with one another. This
facility works with law enforcement agencies, private industry, and national
organizations to implement projects that will identify and field test new
technologies to solve the problem of interoperability. NLECTC-Rocky
Mountain also houses the Crime Mapping and Analysis Program, which
provides technical assistance and training to local and State agencies in the
areas of crime and intelligence analysis and geographic information systems
(GIS). The Rocky Mountain facility also conducts research into ballistics and
weapons technology as well as information systems. Sandia National
Laboratories has been designated as a satellite of NLECTC-Rocky Mountain.
The laboratory works in partnership with NLECTC-Rocky Mountain and
focuses on technology for detecting and neutralizing explosive devices.

NLECTC-West
c/o The Aerospace Corporation
2350 East El Segundo Boulevard
El Segundo, CA 90245-4691
Phone: 888-548-1618
Fax: 310-336-2227
E-mail: nlectc@law-west.org
NLECTC-West is housed on the grounds of The Aerospace Corporation, a
nonprofit corporation that provides technical oversight and engineering
expertise to the Air Force and the U.S. Government on space technology and
space security systems. NLECTC-West draws on The Aerospace
Corporation's depth of knowledge and scientific expertise to offer law
enforcement and corrections personnel the ability to analyze and enhance audio,
video, and photographic evidence. In cooperation with The Aerospace
Corporation, this NLECTC facility also has available an extensive array of
analytic instrumentation to aid in criminal investigations, such as a scanning
electron microscope, an x-ray microscope, and a mass spectrometer, all of
which are used to process trace evidence. Its other areas of expertise include
computer architecture, data processing, communications systems, and
identifying technologies to stop fleeing vehicles.

NLECTC-Northwest
Anchorage, AK
In development. 

Border Research and Technology Center (BRTC)
1010 Second Avenue, Suite 1920
San Diego, CA 92101-4912
Phone: 888-656-BRTC (2782)
Fax: 888-660-BRTC (2782)

E-mail: info@brtc.nlectc.org
The Border Research and Technology Center works with the Immigration and
Naturalization Service, the U.S. Border Patrol, the U.S. Customs Service, the
Office of National Drug Control Policy, and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern
District of California to develop strategies and technologies that will facilitate
control of the Southwest border. One of its most recognized accomplishments
has been the implementation of SENTRI (Secured Electronic Network for
Travelers' Rapid Inspection). BRTC also works on joint ventures to identify
technologies that will stop fleeing vehicles and is currently participating in a
project to detect the heartbeats of people concealed in vehicles or other
containers.

Rural Law Enforcement Technology Center
Hazard, KY
In development. 

Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES)
100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8102
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8102
Phone: 301-975-2757
Fax: 301-948-0978
E-mail: oles@nist.gov
Supported by NIJ, the Office of Law Enforcement Standards applies science
and technology to the needs of the criminal justice community. While its major
objective is to develop minimum performance standards for equipment and
technology, which NIJ promulgates as voluntary national standards, OLES also
undertakes studies leading to the publication of technical reports and user
guides. Its areas of research include clothing, communications systems,
emergency equipment, investigative aids, protective equipment, security
systems, vehicles, and weapons. It also develops measurement methods for
analytical techniques and standard reference materials for forensic scientists and
crime labs. Since the program began in 1971, OLES has coordinated the
development of nearly 200 standards, user guides, and advisory reports.
Housed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, OLES works
closely with NLECTC-National to conduct tests and to guarantee the
performance and quality of equipment used by police and corrections.

Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization (OLETC)
2001 Main Street, Suite 500
Wheeling, WV 26003
Phone: 888-306-5382
Fax: 304-230-2310

E-mail: oletc@nttc.edu
The Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization, a program of
NIJ, is located at Wheeling Jesuit University. OLETC's mission is to work with
industry, manufacturers, and laboratories to facilitate the commercialization of
technologies for the law enforcement and corrections marketplace. OLETC
provides special services and assistance to innovators, entrepreneurs,
universities, Federal and other laboratories, and U.S. manufacturers nationwide
in commercializing technologies that will enhance the effectiveness of law
enforcement and corrections practitioners. A national partnership is being
developed to provide a continual pipeline of innovative products, concepts, and
value-added services that will expedite the commercialization of new products
and services needed for State and local law enforcement and corrections
communities. OLETC has directly assisted in commercializing several
innovative products, including the RoadSpike(trademark), a novel
vehicle-stopping device; Tiger Vision(registered trademark), a special low-cost,
handheld night vision device; an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician
Training Kit; and the Counterpoint Stab and Slash Protective Vest. OLETC
has identified more than 70 additional emerging technologies and concepts that
are currently being evaluated for possible commercialization.

---------------------------

ABE: Evaluating LTL Technology

Until recently, manufacturers' claims regarding their less-than-lethal (LTL)
products have not been verified by independent testing. Law enforcement and
corrections professionals now have a source of information about LTL
munitions and launchers-one that can help with purchasing decisions and
operational choices.

In a joint study titled Attribute-Based Evaluation (ABE) of Less-Than-Lethal,
Extended Range, Impact Munitions, by Pennsylvania State University's (PSU's)
Institute for Emerging Defense Technologies and the Los Angeles Sheriff's
Department (LASD), less-than-lethal munitions were tested under simulated
field conditions to give police and corrections personnel not only more
information than is typically found on manufacturers' data sheets, but also
comparative information among manufacturers.

The study involved a coalition of law enforcement, academia, and
manufacturers of LTL projectiles, who donated more than $20,000 in time and
ammunition. Not all LTL projectiles were considered for the test, however.
Those that were had to meet certain criteria: They had to be capable of being
launched; they had to be effective beyond the muzzle (also known as extended
range munitions); they had to be designed as a less-than-lethal munition; and
they had to rely on impact for effectiveness.

To replicate field conditions, researchers fired from two ranges: 21 feet and 75
feet. The 21-foot range is generally considered to be the distance at which an
adversary armed with a knife or blunt object can close before an officer can
defensively respond. The longer range of 75 feet is based on a nationwide study
that showed that officers on the street typically fire LTL munitions accurately
from about 75 feet. However, the minimum "far range" desired for the effective
deployment of LTL munitions is 180 feet or more, which is considered the
distance a person can throw an object large enough and hard enough to cause
injury. This distance is based on a December 2000 LASD test in which male
cadets hurled items commonly used in riots-bricks, rocks, baseballs, and water
bottles. Less than 3 percent could throw objects weighing 1.2 pounds farther
than 180 feet, with a mean range of 99 feet. However, some small objects such
as golf balls, spark plugs, and lead wheel weights were hurled further than the
60 yards. Because some launchable, extended-range-impact munitions are not
capable of reliably hitting a man-sized target at these distances, the 75-foot
benchmark was selected until LTL munitions technology advances to provide
the desired tactical advantage.

For the ABE study, members of LASD's Special Enforcement Bureau fired
projectiles using the launcher specified by each manufacturer. A ballistic
pendulum and high-speed camera measured the impact momentum of each
projectile. Testing took place at the Scientific Applications Research
Association's (SARA) Laboratory in Huntington Beach, California.

The study noted a variety of attributes for each type of munition: method of
engagement, cartridge size, material, weight, and the launcher required. Of
more importance, though, was the study's assessment of accuracy and impact.

--Accuracy. The accuracy of less-than-lethals is not defined by the same
parameter as live ammunition-that point-of-aim and point-of-impact are the
same. For less-than-lethals, accuracy is generally viewed as a percentile score
that the shooter will hit a man-sized target at a given range. Where the projectile
hits is not a defining consideration; any hit meets the standard.

To ensure a realistic test, the testers measured the amount of dispersion the
rounds had when fired from 21 and 75 feet at a 6-inch bulls-eye paper target
centered on the impact plate. Five shots were fired at each range. Accuracy
was determined by measuring the smallest circle enclosing all five shots.

--Imparted momentum. Imparted momentum defines a projectile's impact. The
PSU/LASD study showed that LTL munitions vary widely in impact.
According to researchers, "We observed large variations in imparted
momentum for a single type of munition. For example, within the five rounds
fired of a single type of munition, the highest imparted momentum could be
almost three times that of the lowest imparted momentum."

Another important attribute noted by the study was cost. Prices vary
considerably, the study says, from $1.60 to $25 per round. The authors said
they felt this was a key consideration in purchasing decisions, since at least four
rounds are fired in training for every round fired on the street.

The study does not provide all the answers, but it offers a database into which
law enforcement and corrections personnel can enter their requirements and
ascertain their own answers. The study's authors stress that no one type of
projectile is appropriate for every circumstance. Some use impact for
effectiveness, others use a chemical, such as OC (oleoresin capsicum). What a
department buys depends on its operational needs.

The authors also caution that the study is only a snapshot of what was available
at the time. In the short time since testing was completed and the report
published, new products have become available. They hope future studies will
add new munitions to the database and address how impact projectiles affect
the human body, an attribute that was outside the scope of the ABE report.

Providing objective performance information for law enforcement was not the
only goal of the study. The authors hope it will result in making consumers more
knowledgeable and provide realistic guidelines for LTL developers.

For more information about the Attribute-Based Evaluation (ABE) of
Less-Than-Lethal, Extended Range, Impact Munitions, contact John Kenny,
Ph.D., at Pennsylvania State University's Applied Research Laboratory,
814-863-9401. The Attribute-Based Evaluation can be downloaded from
www.arl.psu.edu/ areas/defensetech/defensetech.html.

---------------------------

New Publications

The following publications/videos are available from the National Law
Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center-National:

Selection and Application Guide to Personal Body Armor (Revised). This guide
responds to questions about the selection and use of body armor for law
enforcement and corrections. It responds to commonly expressed concerns and
provides information to help determine the level of protection required by
officers. This guide provides information on the newly released 0101.04
ballistic-resistant standard and the new stab-resistant standard (NIJ
Standard-0115.00).

National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center Publications
Catalog 2002. This document provides a listing of NLECTC and other
government publications of interest to law enforcement, corrections, and
forensic sciences practitioners. Categories include communications, forensics,
less-than-lethal weapons, protective equipment, and weapons and ammunition.

Michigan State Police Tests 2002 Police Vehicles. This bulletin summarizes test
results from the Michigan State Police's annual evaluation of "police-package"
and "special-service" patrol vehicles.

A Comprehensive Evaluation of 2001 Patrol Vehicle Tires. This bulletin
summarizes results of the National Institute of Justice's (NIJ's) latest
comprehensive evaluation of patrol vehicle tires.

A Comparative Evaluation of Protective Gloves for Law Enforcement and
Corrections Applications. This bulletin summarizes test results for 28 models of
pathogen-, cut-, and puncture-resistant protective gloves. It also provides
information on the selection and care of protective gloves for law enforcement
and corrections applications.

A Guide for Applying Information Technology in Law Enforcement. This
publication seeks to help law enforcement professionals choose the information
technologies that best suit their needs and incorporate them into their
day-to-day operations. This guide is intended to help law enforcement
practitioners plan and implement information system upgrades and address
connectivity and data sharing issues.

2001 Mock Prison Riot Videotape. This video features technologies used to
quell a mock prison riot staged by NIJ's Office of Law Enforcement
Technology Commercialization. Emerging technologies were incorporated into
training scenarios to demonstrate the latest technologies.

Equipment Performance Report: 2001 Patrol Vehicle Tires. This report
presents the complete results of the NIJ's 2001 comprehensive evaluation of
patrol vehicle tires.

2002 Model Year Patrol Vehicle Testing. This report contains the complete
results of comprehensive tests of 2002 model year police patrol vehicles
conducted by the Michigan State Police.

---------------------------

Sign Up To Receive Free Reports From the National Criminal Justice
Reference Service 

In addition to funding the National Law Enforcement and Corrections
Technology Center, NIJ supports the National Criminal Justice Reference
Service (NCJRS), an international clearinghouse on crime and justice
information. NCJRS staff respond to reference questions, provide referrals to
other resources, distribute NIJ and other Office of Justice Programs (OJP)
documents, and maintain a mailing list of more than 45,000 registered users. In
addition, NCJRS sponsors a calendar of events at
http://www.eventcalendar.ncjrs.org, which lists conferences and meetings of
interest to the criminal justice community. If you are interested in signing up for
the NCJRS mailing list, you may request a registration form using any of the
following methods: 

Fax-on-Demand. Dial 800-851-3420, select option 1, then option 1 again. The
registration form is #1 on the document index. The form will be faxed to you
immediately. 

Fax. Fax your request for a registration form to 410-792-4358. You will
receive a form promptly in the mail. 

Online. Go to http://www.ncjrs. org/puborder and request registration form
BC640. It will be sent to you in the mail. Or, actually register online at
http://www.ncjrs. org/register. 

Write. Send a written request to NCJRS, P.O. Box 6000, Rockville, MD
20849-6000. 

Call. Call an NCJRS information specialist and request a registration form. The
number is 800-851-3420. 

As a registered user, you will receive the bimonthly NCJRS Catalog, the
NCJRS Users Guide, and news and announcements of new publications and
resources based on your criminal justice interests. 

For more information about NIJ and NCJRS, visit their websites:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij 
http://www.ncjrs.org 

---------------------------

Smarts from the Streets

Scientists and engineers may be the authorities on how technology works, but
often the people who use technology are experts, too. That's why some of law
enforcement's best innovations come straight from the officer on the street.

A Video Call for Help

"It sounds like magic, but it isn't," says Sgt. Dean Zanone of the Seal Beach,
California, Police Department. "It is simply a system that uses the Internet to
summon police to robberies and burglaries." 

The Alarm Triggered Internet Protocol (A-TIP) system alerts the Seal Beach
police to an in-progress robbery or burglary through existing bank and
merchant video surveillance systems that are tied into a private network. When
a robbery or burglary is indicated, the officer or dispatcher, by clicking on an
icon, can go directly to the real-time video feed to view what is happening.

The A-TIP system, Zanone says, was the accidental result of a robbery at a
local credit union. He happened to mention to a representative of the company
that supplied the credit union's closed-circuit television equipment, "Wouldn't it
be great if the police department could monitor banks and credit unions in real
time?"Apparently the company took Zanone's offhanded comment seriously.

"It's really just high-speed Internet access to the police department," Zanone
says. "We use existing cameras, put in a transmitter, and use the Internet as the
pipeline to transmit information. We take the camera feed recorded in a bank
lobby from what normally are analog cameras and run them through a video
compression device and into the website. When an alarm is triggered, the patrol
cars or the dispatcher can go to the webpage and double-click on an icon on
the screen. They see a map to the location and a default picture, which is in real
time. They can then select a different camera view because each camera is a
link on the website."

The A-TIP system does not function as a guard service. Police access the
cameras only when an alarm is triggered. They get a view of the crime scene
with a 1- to 1.5-second delay. It promotes safety by allowing officers to see
what's happening at the scene before they arrive.

Zanone says police and city officials are hoping the system, which is now in
beta testing at several area businesses, will become a deterrent. Advertising that
the system is in place and putting up signs near each camera warning that the
image is being transmitted in real time to the police may discourage crime. 

Future versions of the system are already dancing in Zanone's head. He
envisions that the system someday will be able to transmit video from car to car
and from car to dispatch by establishing a webpage for the patrol car and using
the same technology to broadcast a picture. He believes the system can help
police address workplace and school violence by pinpointing a suspect's
location, circumventing the need for office-by-office or
classroom-by-classroom searches. Even more advanced would be the ability,
via the Internet, to control access to any area of a building, school, or office.
And finally, there is the possibility of involving the local alarm companies.

"Alarms go to the alarm company, they call the police, and we respond,"
Zanone says. "We're moving to a situation where the alarm goes to the alarm
company, they contact us and say they have an alarm and live video, and ask if
we're prepared to accept the feed. We get the password, link up on the
Internet, and go to the business's webpage to see what's going on. Another
advantage would be eliminating all the times we respond to an alarm, can't find
an obvious point of entry, and have to call the business owner. As it stands
now, we might wait 45 minutes to an hour for the owner to show up and let us
in. The advantage would be that we can see everything online, and so can the
business owner."

The Seal Beach system is sponsored by Cisco Systems, San Jose, California;
and Loronix, a Durango, Colorado, data management company. For more
information, log on to http://sealbeach.loronix.com. Or contact Sgt. Dean
Zanone, 562-799-4128 or dzanone@ci.seal-beach.ca.us.

Smile! You're on K-9 Camera

Dogs have played a role in police work. But if Nick Eberhard has his way, they
will play a bigger role-with a little help from technology. Eberhard, a recently
retired deputy with the Niagara County Sheriff's Department in New York
State, wants to fit K-9s with cameras.

Why? He wants to combine the abilities of a trained police dog with remote
surveillance operations, allowing officers to see what the dog sees.

The system, Eberhard says, will give police the ability to "follow" the animal on
building searches and other K-9 duties. It will help document drug detection
operations or make it easier to investigate hazardous locations remotely without
endangering officers. "If we have a situation with suspects in a house or a
hostage situation," he says, "we can send the dog in. We'll be able to see what
the dog sees. An onboard speaker will let us communicate with a suspect or
command the dog," he says.

Working with the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR)
in San Diego, Eberhard has developed a wireless system that uses a
custom-molded orthopedic cap that attaches a videocamera, microphone, and
infrared capabilities to a dog's head. A harness that carries a transmitter,
antenna, and batteries is fitted to the dog's body. 

"The micro-videocamera is really something," Eberhard says. "The end product
will be very durable. [The suspect] will be able to fight with the dog but it will
stay intact. You'll also be able to attach and activate it in less than 1 minute."

Eberhard says he is improving on his original design, which combines custom
electronics and off-the-shelf technologies. He wants to miniaturize the system
and make it more rugged. The goal, he says, is to keep it under 6 pounds.
Manufacturing is expected to begin this year.

A videographer for many years, Eberhard has produced outdoor television
shows and public service announcements, done video work for the sheriff's
department, and worked as a freelancer for the local cable channel and news
station. He is an avid fisherman, and last year developed two underwater
cameras for ice-fishing trips to Canada. The K-9 videocamera grew out of that
project.

For more information about the K-9 videocamera, contact Nick Eberhard,
716-735-3083 or send an e-mail to copcamtenfour@aol.com. For more
information about the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, log on to
www.spawar.navy.mil.

Cardboard Box to Command Board

Critical incidents can be chaotic and confusing. Situations change constantly,
which means the incident commander must have a firm grasp on logistics and an
organized way to collect, record, and recall all necessary information.

Sgt. Kim Thompson of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department has been at
critical incidents as a commander and a first responder. After one particularly
harrowing incident, Thompson came up with the idea for a portable command
center.

"It was born in the early 90s, after a big incident in North Long Beach where a
guy on meth shot five people and was running," Thompson says. "It wasn't my
area but I rolled up to see if I could help. One of the deputies and I chased the
guy down streets, through alleys, and over fences until he finally locked himself
in a shed. It was chaos. It was such a mess on the radio that the captain finally
came on and demanded that someone take control. I was the only sergeant on
the scene, so I did it.

"I looked at the deputy and said, 'Okay, you're the scribe.' He said, 'What do I
do?' I said, 'I don't know. Get out a piece of paper and start writing stuff
down.' The command post finally rolled up 2 hours later."

In the weeks following the incident, Thompson thought hard about organization
and incident response. She found a box in her garage and cut it into panels that
she stuck together with duct tape. She made cheat sheets with basic information
about response to hazardous materials, barricaded suspects, or hostage
situations. Thompson's portable "command center" folded up like a map and
had slots and worksheets for handling every aspect of an incident.

She says her idea has gone through several incarnations since then-made of
everything from plexiglass to vinyl. The final result is the Command Board, a
collapsible briefcase-like device that when closed measures 12 by 20 inches
and fits into almost any patrol bag. When opened, it perfectly fits across the
hood of a patrol car. The board comes with "S" hooks and straps so it can be
hung from command vehicles, fences, or other fixed posts. It also can be folded
and moved at a moment's notice. It has six panels, each with its own clipboard,
and vinyl sheeting to expand to 12 panels when needed. Two 12- by 18-inch
dry-erase boards can be used for diagrams or writing information down. A
"briefcase" section stores forms and markers.

The Command Board is made to be rugged, waterproof, and weatherproof. It
includes worksheets to assist with operations, intelligence, logistics,
evacuations, containment, equipment, and personnel; a padded carbonless
mission assignment slip for tracking personnel assignments; and guidelines for
eight critical incidents including officer-involved shootings, barricaded suspects,
missing persons, hazardous materials, bombs, natural disasters, school
incidents, and crowds or riots.

"A $30,000 command post doesn't typically roll to everyday cop situations,"
Thompson says. "This doesn't replace a large command vehicle. It's for the
copper with the flashlight. It brings simplicity and organization to the 211,
HazMat spill, barricaded suspect, or missing person. When you have a situation
like that, you have two responsibilities: You have the responsibility of setting up
a command post and the responsibility for the event. It can be totally
overwhelming. The Command Board eliminates half of the problem because all
you do is open it up and you have your command post. As things change, you
can fold it up and move. It solves the everyday police situation where we're
working off the hood of the car, the picnic table, or the barrel in the warehouse.
All a cop needs is a box of crayons and knowledge of department policies."

Thompson is in production with the Command Board, but she dreams of being
able to interact with other agencies via palm-sized computer technology. During
a large, multiagency response, each agency would be able to link up with all
public safety responders and organizations that supply maps and other
demographic information.

For more information about the Command Board, log on to
www.thecommandboard.com.

[Editor's Note: The citing of the products in this article does not constitute an
endorsement by the National Institute of Justice or the U.S. Department of
Justice.] 

---------------------------

Big Help for a Small Jail

Oregon's Harney County Sheriff's Office had no problems securing inmates in
its 22-bed jail, but the facility's 6 corrections officers needed assistance
securing computer equipment to help them do their jobs.

They weren't looking for state-of-the-art software. They weren't even looking
for networked workstations. All they needed was a single personal computer
(PC) to help them process the reams of paperwork involved in the routine
tracking of inmates. They turned to the National Law Enforcement and
Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC)-West and received the PC they
were looking for, complete with basic office software and a 56K modem.

"We're a small operation, but we tackle some big tasks in the course of a day,"
says Sgt. Stacey Johnson of the Harney County Sheriff's Office. "Supervising
inmates has to take top priority, so it's important that our deputies don't get
bogged down with other time-consuming work. We used to do all our
recordkeeping by hand on forms that had been copied too many times. The
paperwork started to overwhelm us."

Robert Waldron, director of NLECTC- West, explains his office's role in
helping Harney County locate the computer it needed: "We receive names of
potential recipients for surplus equipment by talking to our center's regional
advisory council," Waldron says. "Then we work with our technical partner,
The Aerospace Corporation, to identify used equipment that we can help
distribute to agencies that can use them."

Periodically, Waldron says, The Aerospace Corporation, a nonprofit
organization, replaces computers on the desktops of its scientists and engineers.
"They hand over surplus equipment, and we get to work wiping off the
company's software and installing standard office software packages," he says.
"In the Harney County case, NLECTC-West's shipping and receiving
department created foam packaging for the computer, monitor, keyboard, and
mouse and shipped it along with a folder full of information about the NLECTC
system."

"The computer we received has been a significant asset to our small
correctional facility," Johnson says. "Deputies and administrative staff use it
regularly for cost accounting and inmate tracking. We also use it to produce
legal forms for processing property, bail, and release agreements. As a result,
our forms look more professional and are easy to access. This computer has
really helped with our jail management system, and we would not have been
able to buy it ourselves.

"More importantly, our deputies now have more time to devote to their inmate
supervisory roles. We are running a more efficient and safer operation as a
result."

According to Waldron, NLECTC-West has shipped more than 50 computers
through this surplus-sharing program. The center is currently working on a
request from the Alaska State Troopers for 47 computers for a village police
officer program. "This [computer sharing] program operates in bits and pieces,
depending on the availability of the surplus computers," Waldron emphasizes.
"It is not a constantly running activity, but makes inroads into addressing the
technology needs of State and local law enforcement and corrections agencies
and helps spread the word about the NLECTC system."

Johnson agrees. "If I hear about another agency that needs assistance or
equipment for daily operations like we did, I will definitely tell them to call
NLECTC. I'm sure NLECTC is involved in a lot of other higher profile
activities. But helping the small agency streamline its day-to-day operations is
an important service. NLECTC has been a great asset to our office."

State and local law enforcement agencies can obtain excess Federal property at
little or no cost in three different ways: the 1033 Program, the Surplus Property
Donation Program, and the 1122 Program. For more information on these
programs as well as other important links, access the Federal Property and
Equipment Manual, through JUSTNET, the website of the National Law
Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center system, at www.justnet.org. 

[Editor's Note: The Aerospace Corporation is a private, nonprofit corporation
created in 1960 under the laws of the State of California. The purposes of the
corporation are exclusively scientific: to provide research, development, and
advisory services. Aerospace operates a Federally Funded Research and
Development Center for the U.S. Department of Defense. The corporation's
primary customer is the Space and Missile Systems Center of the Air Force
Materiel Command, although work is performed for other agencies,
international organizations, and governments in the national interest.]