Title: TechBeat Fall 2002
Series: N/A
Author: National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center
Published: October 2002
Subject: Technology for Law Enforcement
pages: 34
bytes: 80K

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National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center
TechBeat Fall 2002
Dedicated to Reporting Developments in Technology for Law Enforcement,
Corrections, and Forensic Sciences

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IBETing on a Secure Border

The almost 4,000-mile-long border between the United States and Canada is
the longest undefended border in the world. But this boundary line has been
changing--from one that is open and safe to one that requires increased security
and policing, especially in light of last year's terrorist attacks and the 1999
arrest of an Algerian national in possession of high explosives.

Even before September 11, 2001, illegal trafficking in contraband and humans
had drawn the attention of law enforcement agencies on both sides of the
border that had to consider that trade between the United States and Canada is
among the most vigorous in the world--more than $1 billion a day. Slowing this
activity to a more secure crawl could create economic risks for both countries.
The border--on land, on the water, in the air--must be open for business but
closed to crime.

In 1996, the United States and Canada formed the first Integrated Border
Enforcement Team (IBET) to combat smuggling and illegal immigration on the
northwest border between Blaine, Washington, and British Columbia. Since its
initiation, the West Coast IBET has seized an average of $1 million per month
in drugs, weapons, alcohol, tobacco, and vehicles. Its success led to the
formation of the Central St. Lawrence Valley team in the Cornwall,
Ontario/Massena, New York area and to the ongoing development of four
more IBETs.

IBETs draw together the full range of law enforcement resources, including
small municipal police departments and tribal police; State and Provincial police
and law enforcement agencies; the U.S. Customs Service; the U.S. Border
Patrol; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI); the U.S. Secret Service; the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police (RCMP); and the Canadian Immigration Service. The most recently
established team is in the Detroit, Michigan/Windsor, Ontario area. This IBET
has 12 core agencies and 23 affiliated agencies, ranging from the Amherstville
Police Service to the Consul General of Canada and the FBI.

"The cooperation that is the basis for this [IBET] has existed for many years,"
says Peter Laun, Law Enforcement Coordinator for the U.S. Attorney's Office
for the Northern District of New York. "Bringing together an IBET in a
particular location formalizes a longstanding informal, but effective, law
enforcement relationship. The IBET forges a better understanding of the
relationships between agencies and planning for larger scale operations, not just
joint patrols."

In early October 2001, the Cornwall/ Massena IBET organized a large-scale,
2-day exercise involving approximately a dozen law enforcement agencies from
the United States and Canada. During the exercise, Laun says, participants
immediately recognized that communications deficits hampered the operation.
Even though participants had created common maps and grid systems to locate
the patrol boats, they still had trouble telling them apart. Participants realized
they needed a way to plot, locate, and identify the boats from the air or ground.

Following the exercise, representatives from all the U.S. and Canadian agencies
and the U.S. Border Patrol office in Massena met to discuss how technology
could help make operations safer and more efficient. Working groups were
established to deal with such issues as radio interoperability and vehicle-
stopping technology. The National Institute of Justice's National Law
Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) system joined
this effort at Laun's request.

Creating a "Smart" Border

Since September 11, IBETs have acquired sensor systems, night-vision
devices, computers, global positioning systems, and automatic personnel and
vehicle locators. But integrating advanced technology into IBET tactical
operations is proving to be a challenge. Most IBET participants are law
enforcement managers and agents, not engineers. For help in procuring and
applying technology to create a "smart" border, IBETs have turned to
NLECTC-Northeast and the Border Research and Technology Center
(BRTC). "This was not a theoretical situation," Laun says. "We found we really
needed assistance to do it safely and efficiently. We needed the manpower
multiplier of technology."

Through BRTC and NLECTC-Northeast, each IBET has access to the
expertise necessary to identify current and emerging technologies for border
security applications in such areas as sensors and surveillance, intrusion and
human presence detection, geographic information systems (GIS) and related
crime-mapping technologies, tracking, criminal information sharing systems, and
less-than-lethal technologies designed to stop boats and other vehicles.

Ground sensors are among the technologies being explored. "Machines don't
get tired like humans do," says Gordon Dilmore, a law enforcement specialist at
BRTC. The Border Patrol began using ground sensors in the 1960s by
adapting sensors originally designed to locate prospective energy deposits for
the petroleum industry. After the Vietnam War, the Border Patrol, in
cooperation with RCMP, started using military systems. But these systems
were vulnerable to false alarms from animals or legitimate traffic.

Most current ground sensor systems provide only an "event cue." However,
some promising experimental sensors provide video or audio cuing. According
to Dilmore, a Sandia National Laboratories and Eastern Kentucky University
project involves linking seismic sensors with a laptop computer and a video
camera. The unit is connected to a satellite phone to provide a real-time image. 

In addition, closed-circuit television and microwave systems have been used by
the Border Patrol in Vermont and New York State since 1984. "We will be
looking at developing more of this technology for the IBETs," Dilmore says.

Crossing the Communications Border

The most challenging technology issue confronting IBETs is the need for
communications interoperability. "You've got a lot of people involved and a lot
of different communications systems, and they don't easily talk to each other,"
Dilmore says. "It's almost an overwhelming problem and there's been a rush to
reach some solutions [since September 11]." The Cornwall/Massena IBET, he
says, is currently sorting through the many "perceived requirements" that are
inevitable when so many agencies and groups are involved in such a large and
complex undertaking. 

One promising solution may be the ACU-1000 integrated switch, which
handles virtually all styles of radio transmissions. "The neat thing is that it will
work with any of the existing communications systems, including cell phones,
and will actually accept a phone call from the regular telephone system,"
Dilmore says. But the cost of connecting such a system with its disparate
pieces--manageable for an urban center such as Washington, D.C--can be
prohibitive for the small rural operations common to the northern border. "Less
elaborate and less expensive systems may ultimately offer more of a solution
than systems that have all the bells and whistles," he says.

Another interoperability problem being addressed is RCMP's requirement for
end-to-end encryption. End-to-end encryption means that once a message
(either voice or data) is encrypted on one end of the communications circuit or
path, that encryption remains intact until the message is received at the other
end, even if the transmission protocol changes from analog to digital (or vice
versa) or the mode of transmission changes from landline to radio frequency (or
vice versa). Although the ACU 1000 can handle end-to-end encryption,
Dilmore says, many agencies do not have encryption capabilities. Existing links
with RCMP may help solve this problem, but as long as the requirement for
end-to-end encryption remains, some operations may be left out.

Besides the lack of radio interoperability, IBETs face the difficulty of reconciling
different mapping standards: U.S. maps are in miles; Canadian maps are in
kilometers. The solution for both sides may lie in military-style mapping based
on integrated GIS technology. 

Lessons and Technologies From the Military

Laun also cites the need for what the military calls "command and control."
"What law enforcement along the border needs to have today," he says, "is
more of a military capacity for joint command." 

Dilmore, who worked in the Federal counterdrug program before retiring from
the Border Patrol, says the IBETs need what the military calls C4ISR--
command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and
reconnaissance. To explain C4ISR, one must jumble the acronym a little:
computers bring together the elements of intelligence about the adversary,
surveillance of the area, and reconnaissance as to the adversary's current
activities. Bringing this intelligence together in a digitized format facilitates
communications between commanders and agents (command) and, thereby,
control of the situation. This military analogy applies to IBET tactical operations:
Keeping track of many disparate units is as real a problem in law enforcement
operations as it is on the battlefield, he says.

NLECTC-Northeast is talking to the U.S. Air Force about adapting some of its
C4ISR and data mining programs. As with other technology applications, it is a
matter of pinning down the requirements to buy and set up the technology in
compliance with U.S. and Canadian laws relating to data handling and
information sharing.

Surveillance has always been a major element of border security, and it will
continue to play a big role in IBET operations. Future IBET surveillance may
take another lesson from the military and use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
"In the meantime," Dilmore says, "RCMP has some pretty good air assets that
are capable of doing limited types of surveillance. Nothing exotic, but it can
input into a GIS receiver. Customs is looking at putting some air assets up there
also [in the New York and Washington State areas]. Also, the Border Patrol
has begun flying helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft."

Dilmore notes that because much of the northern border is under water, an
effective border patrol must have a marine element. Joint teams working on
waterways are called IMETs--Integrated Marine Enforcement Teams. The first
IMET, at Blaine, combined air support from RCMP with water vehicles from
the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs Service.

At Cornwall/Massena, the Border Patrol and RCMP have been running joint
marine patrols as part of IBET. Although this has been effective, some smuggler
craft still get through. The agencies have contacted NLECTC to help find
technology to intervene on marine pursuits. Different approaches are being
evaluated, including a snare to entangle a boat. BRTC has tapped into Coast
Guard expertise on vessel-stopping techniques, some of which are classified,
and is working with the Coast Guard to secure release of some of these
techniques for IBET use.

The IBET Scenario

Asked how September 11 changed things, Laun says, "The problems are the
same; the stakes have been raised. The magnitude of the events have led us all
to pursue enhanced security with greater vigor."

In addition to their normal border security operations, IBETs have been
working on a three-level response plan they call the IBET scenario. Level one
is normal day-to-day operations that focus on cooperative responses to routine
border incidents and interdiction. The second level is joint surveillance
operations based on intelligence sharing and developing such means of
surveillance as UAVs. The third level is disaster preparedness.

Laun adds that more resources are available to IBETs than ever before.
"Getting myriad organizations to blend and work together is easier now;
September 11 has sharpened the focus on the need to become better and
stronger partners than we've ever been," he says.

From the Canadian Side

"The IBET is always on," says Inspector Michael McDonell of the RCMP
Cornwall Detachment. "We don't go on patrol without talking to the U.S.
Border Patrol, the RCMP, the Akwesasne Mohawk Police, and the OPP
[Ontario Provincial Police]. Border integrity is always an integrated effort. We
always mirror the Border Patrol so that they're never out there alone, nor are
we. If the Border Patrol is chasing them over the border, we're here waiting for
them."

RCMP wants to maximize the benefits of technology. "We want to be the first
to become truly intelligence led," McDonell says. The Cornwall IBET may be
the first to "take it from concept to practice," mostly by collating and analyzing
human- and technology-based intelligence. NLECTC assistance with GIS and
other command-and-control hardware and software is bringing IBET ever
closer to this goal. But as McDonell says, "Every day we go to work, we
realize how much more we need to do to cover the border."

But technology alone is not enough, McDonell adds. The IBET approach is
successful because it understands that human communication and teamwork
remain the critical elements of success. "The key is breaking down the walls.
We are looking at ways of co-locating our people as well as exploiting
technology."

For more information about Integrated Border Enforcement Team initiatives,
call Gordon Dilmore at the Border Research and Technology Center, 888-
656-2782, or e-mail gdilmo@brtc.nlectc.org; or call Chris McAleavey,
National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center-Northeast,
888-338-0584, or e-mail chris.mcaleavey@L-3com.com. Peter Laun may be
reached at the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of New York, 315-
448-0672, or peter.laun@ usdoj.gov. 

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Making Electronic Supervision Work

Technological innovations have changed the way many professions gather,
store, understand, and disseminate information. Today, some of these same
technologies are being used by correctional agencies to keep a watchful eye on
offenders 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Although systems may differ, electronic monitoring is essentially a method of
supervising offenders remotely. With an electronic monitoring system in place,
probation and parole officers can track offenders whose movements and
schedules are restricted (usually by the court) to approved places and activities.
In addition to verifying the daily routine of offenders and confirming their
adherence to imposed restrictions, some electronic monitoring systems can
administer random alcohol and drug tests to check other court-imposed
conditions.

Electronic supervision can be flexible and used in many ways, such as to
enhance public safety, promote the safety of individual victims, hold offenders
accountable, foster behavior change by offenders, reduce jail or prison
populations, and provide correctional services economically. But technology is
only a tool.

Before implementing electronic supervision, an agency should know that the
potential of such technologies is best realized when used to supplement existing
programs and that the chosen system must be in harmony with the agency's
values, vision, and mission to achieve optimal success. A needs and resource
assessment process should look at the entire system to determine how
electronic supervision would be most beneficial. Electronic supervision
strategies may be appropriate at several points within the criminal and juvenile
justice systems and for different classes of offenders. The assessment should
also review the available technologies to see which form of electronic
supervision might be most beneficial. 

Additionally, the legal status of those who may be supervised with electronic
technologies must be distinguished to plan appropriate program goals,
strategies, and responses to violations. Prior to trial and adjudication,
defendants are considered legally innocent, and their rights are protected from
the power of the State even though they may be confined to ensure they appear
for trial or to protect the public. Supervision with electronic technology may be
substituted for pretrial confinement to achieve these same purposes. After
adjudication, electronic supervision may be a useful tool to achieve goals of
offender punishment and rehabilitation and public safety.

Further, policies and procedures that protect offenders' due process rights must
be in place before persons can be deprived of their freedom. As with other
types of technology used in criminal justice cases, the technology must be
accurate and meet scientific standards acceptable to courts. Should a
revocation be based solely on the technological evidence, the methodology
used must have a high degree of accuracy. Because of these issues, it is
important that all parties set clear goals for each program.

A number of technologies currently available serve a variety of purposes in
offender supervision. These include the following:

o--Automated Reporting Systems may be most effective with low-risk, low-
need offenders to simplify and streamline the supervision process while still
holding the offender accountable. Automated reporting can take place through
the use of a telephone or a computerized reporting system and is useful in that
the offender's identity and location can be recorded at the time of the report.
These and other less restrictive supervision techniques can be used to reward
offenders who have maintained consistent compliance throughout their period of
supervision.

o--Identity Verification Devices can range from personal identification numbers
to biometric verification that recognizes different parts of the human body to
ensure the reporting person is the intended offender.

o--Remote Alcohol Detection Devices operate like a Breathalyzer . The
device--usually in the offender's home--requires the user to blow into the
device to measure blood alcohol content. When prompted, users must blow
into the device for a long enough period of time to ensure that deep lung air is
expelled. The results are recorded by a computer to determine compliance with
no-alcohol conditions.

o--Ignition Interlock Devices are linked to the electrical system of an
automobile. This device also operates like a Breathalyzer . The driver must
expel deep lung air into the device in order to operate the vehicle. If the driver's
blood alcohol content registers above a predetermined level deemed unsafe to
operate the vehicle, the vehicle will not start. This type of electronic supervision
allows offenders to participate in society while reducing their risk of driving
while intoxicated.

o--Programmed Contact Systems are some of the most widely used types of
electronic supervision tools; however, they do not all work alike. Although a
wide variety of technologies is involved, programmed contact systems are all
used to contact and verify the location of offenders in their homes or other
locations. They may be used with offenders who are placed on home
monitoring and must stay at home virtually at all times, or they may be used for
offenders who are restricted to their homes at various times but can come and
go for approved activities. Programmed contact systems are automated calling
systems. The backbone of these systems is a central computer that either
receives telephone calls from or makes calls to the offender in one or more
locations.

o--Continuous Signaling Devices require the offender to wear a battery-
powered transmitting device that emits a radio frequency signal two or more
times a minute. The devices are placed on the offender's wrist or ankle with a
tamper-resistant strap and must be worn at all times. Manufacturers should
incorporate tamper-resistant and alert features in their transmitters. A receiver is
installed in the offender's home attached to the telephone. The receiver detects
the transmitter's signals and conveys a message via a telephone report to a
central computer either when it stops receiving the radio frequency or when the
signal resumes. Receivers can detect transmitter signals from a range of up to,
and in some cases exceeding, 150 feet when installed in a typical home
environment. Receivers also should have tamper-resistant features to deter
offenders from moving or disabling them.

o--Victim Alert/Notification Systems are most often used for domestic violence
victims. This type of system enables victims to know when the offender is
approaching their residence. A variation of the continuously signaling devices
has been developed for victim alert and notification and offender compliance
with stay-away orders. A transmitter is worn by both the offender and the
victim and a receiver is placed at both residences. If the offender approaches
the victim's home, the system will provide notification of the offender's
presence.

o--Field Monitoring Devices, or "drive-by" units, are another type of
continuous signaling technology. Probation or parole officers or other authorities
use a portable device that can be hand held or used in a vehicle with a roof-
mounted antenna. When within 200 to 800 feet of an offender's ankle or wrist
transmitter, the portable device can detect the radio signals of the offender's
transmitter.

o--Group Monitoring Units allow supervisors to monitor several offenders in
the same location. This might be appropriate for tasks such as verifying
attendance of multiple offenders in a day-reporting program or monitoring
offenders confined in a residential group setting. Each offender in a group
setting wears a transmitter to allow for electronic supervision by a stationary or
portable receiver unit.

o--Location Tracking Systems, also known as global positioning systems, use
24 satellites orbiting the earth and are among the most complex electronic
monitoring systems. The hardware for this system consists of a transmitter worn
by the offender, a portable tracking device that the offender must carry or be
near at all times, and a charging unit for the portable tracking device that stays
in the offender's home. Receivers detect signals from the satellites that include
the exact time the signal is sent and the identity of the satellite sending the signal.
This information is processed to determine the person's location. This more
expensive technology is usually employed with high-risk offenders. It can
determine when an offender leaves an area where he should be (inclusion zone)
or enters an area where he should not be (exclusion zone).

Although the use of electronic supervision tools is multifaceted and detail
oriented, the measure of the effectiveness of the program will take place after
implementation. As such, the human element in the implementation of an
electronic supervision system should not be downplayed. The role of
technology is to generate information; the decisionmaker is the one who must
decide how that information should be used. Sound decisions must be made
based on information gathered by these systems. Without sound policy and
decisionmaking, information gathered from such systems is of minimal value.

"Electronic monitoring is just a supervision tool and in no way replaces the
supervising officer," says Eric Hanselman of Tracking Systems Corporation. "If
an electronic monitoring program does not have clear goals; if the supervising
officer's caseload is too large to permit proper analysis of electronic monitoring
data; or if sanctions for noncompliance are not defined, readily available, and
implemented when necessary, the success of the electronic monitoring program
may be lessened."

The issues in this article were discussed by a 21-member working group of
criminal justice professionals and are outlined in Offender Supervision With
Electronic Technology, a report prepared by the American Probation and
Parole Association (APPA) under a cooperative agreement funded by the
National Institute of Justice. The report discusses assessment, planning,
procurement, and technical steps needed to implement an effective electronic
supervision program. To obtain a copy of the report, call APPA at
859 244 8207 or download it off the APPA website at http://www. appa-
net.org/embook.pdf. 

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By the end of 2000, 1 out of every 32 adults in this country--3.1 percent of this
Nation's adult population--was housed in a correctional facility at a total cost
estimated at $50 billion a year, according to a study by the Bureau of Justice
Statistics (BJS). More than 3.8 million adults were on probation and more than
1.3 million were on parole. The number of probationers and parolees under
community supervision reached 4.6 million, an increase of 1.4 million since
1990. Since 1980, BJS reports the incarceration rate has more than tripled.

From these statistics two issues become apparent. First is the large--and
growing--number of offenders in the community, offenders who possibly could,
and frequently do, commit new crimes. Second is the enormous cost of
incarcerating almost 6.5 million offenders within the confines of correctional
facilities.

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Tech Shorts

TechShorts is 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.

Note: Providing synopses of articles or mentioning 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. The NLECTC Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology
News Summary should be cited as the source of the information. Copyright
2002, Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland.

Potato Technology May Help Move the Mail
Newslink (Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer)
An effective tool against anthrax contamination may come from the same
technology that brings wholesome Idaho potatoes to the family table. The U.S.
Department of Energy's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental
Laboratory (INEEL) is teaming with a small business to explore the use of
ozone to destroy anthrax. An Idaho-based company had developed a patented
process to deliver high concentrations of ozone to freshly harvested potatoes as
they travel along conveyor belts. The ozone destroys harmful bacteria and
enables farmers to store their crops safely for months. INEEL researchers
believe this process also can sterilize mail and are testing their theory with
harmless surrogates for anthrax spores.

Bees Learning Smell of Bombs With Backing From Pentagon 
New York Times
Scientists backed by the Pentagon have experimented for 3 years with the use
of bees to detect explosive residues, training them to ignore the scent of flowers
and to focus on other smells instead. Using sugar as a reward, scientists have
been able to train a whole hive of bees in less than 2 hours, noting that upon
learning, bees somehow transfer their newfound knowledge to other bees
quickly and efficiently. Initially intended for use in mine fields, trained bees could
also be employed to find truck bombs and other hidden explosives. Recent
testing found that bees were able to find explosive chemicals with a 99-percent
accuracy rate. In such locations as a truck stop, a clustering of bees could alert
officials of a possible explosive device, whereas in larger areas, tiny radio
transmitters could be attached to individual bees, allowing officials to track them
to a bomb's source. Though bees are highly effective as bomb detectors
because of their extreme sensitivity to molecules and their ability to cover large
areas and hard-to-reach places, they cannot be used at night or in rainy or cold
weather.

Vocal Cameras Focus on Graffiti
Riverside Press-Enterprise
The Grand Terrace City Council in California has considered purchasing
"talking" cameras to ward off graffiti vandals. The $3,500 cameras are
bulletproof and can be customized to issue a loud 15-second warning message
whenever they detect a person writing graffiti. The surveillance devices have
been shown to drive gangs and vandals away from inner-city hangouts and
parks, according to regional law enforcement officials. Grand Terrace assistant
city manager Steve Berry says the camera could save the city thousands of
dollars by reducing the level of graffiti. He adds that city maintenance crews are
forced to remove graffiti a couple of times a week, with each incident costing
the city between $25 and $100 in materials and time. The cameras would be
paid for out of funds received from the California Law Enforcement Equipment
Program.

Program Helps Lost, Confused Get Back Home 
Modesto Bee
"Homeward Bound," a new program unveiled by law enforcement officials and
senior care advocates in Stanislaus County, California, will make finding missing
elderly people and dependent adults easier. The program will establish a
computer database of photos and other IDs of elderly people and adult
dependents to which county law enforcement agencies will have access. Those
who sign up for the free program must be at least 18 and have a mental or
physical disability or an inclination to get lost or confused. The database will
store identifying information, addresses, and names for at least 3 years and
allow law enforcement officials access from computers in patrol cars and police
stations. Stanislaus County law enforcement officials say police pick up lost
elderly or disabled persons at least once a week, and the program will be a
great help in quickly identifying their homes. The Stanislaus Elder Abuse
Prevention Alliance says the program will bring relief to families caring for
elderly people and dependent adults.

Sandia Develops New Stun Grenade 
Associated Press 
A new stun grenade has been developed by New Mexico's Sandia National
Laboratories (SNL) that the lab claims will be a safer way to stun kidnappers
and terrorists so hostages can be freed. According to Mark Grubelich of SNL,
the new stun grenade is less dangerous because the explosive fans out as a
powder before igniting, creating a blinding and deafening, yet harmless,
explosion inside a room. Furthermore, the canister does not suffer any damage
and can be reloaded, making it useful in training and less expensive. 

Computer Spy Methods Discovered in LED Lights 
Reuters
Lockheed Martin Space Systems computer programmer Joe Loughry writes in
an essay that he has discovered a low-tech way to spy on computer data by
studying the flashes of LED lights, which are featured on modems, keyboards,
routers, and other kinds of electronic equipment. "It requires little apparatus,
can be done at a considerable distance, and is completely undetectable," he
explains. All that is necessary is a telescopic viewer and a way to process the
signal. Loughry says that he could read an optical signal from about 22 yards
away with an optical sensor, and notes that LED-enabled devices most
susceptible to this form of eavesdropping are those used in low-speed, long-
distance networks, such as those found in electronic banking machines. It is
relatively simple to prevent such spying by keeping equipment out of sight,
obscuring LEDs, or shutting them off when inactive.

Training Cues for the People in Blue
KM World Online
Since December 2001, officers in North Carolina's Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Police Department have used a learning management system (LMS) to enroll in
mandatory firearms training courses offered online. Since its inception, about
1,000 of the department's 1,500 officers have used the system, which provides
officers a calendar attachment sent to their e-mail accounts. Officers can enroll
in other classes, including offline courses, via the LMS, and view procedural
changes from their own home page. In the future, the department plans to put
some of its courses online, covering topics ranging from hazardous materials to
diversity training to radar certification, as well as tools that will help officers with
their career plans. The system, which securely records officers' training
histories, will also help supervisors choose qualified personnel for specific roles.

Lethal Fence Proposed for Maximum Security Prison 
Associated Press
Arizona's Department of Corrections has asked the State legislature for
permission to build a $600,000 high-voltage fence at its prison facility in
Florence, Arizona. According to department officials, at least seven other
States currently use high-voltage fences at their prisons, but no State prison in
Arizona has been equipped with such a fence. The installation would allow the
Department of Corrections to save $734,000 a year, according to Chuck
Ryan, deputy director for prison operations.

Wells Fargo Brings in New Scanners To Catch Fake Money
Minneapolis Star Tribune 
A new ultraviolet scanner is helping Wells Fargo  analyze drivers' licenses,
checks, cash, and other documents to verify their authenticity. Due to security
concerns, the bank chose not to reveal how the scanners work, but the
ultraviolet equipment "already has paid significant loss-prevention dividends,"
according to Jon Campbell, regional president of Wells Fargo's Minnesota
branch. A survey by the American Bankers Association finds that phony cash
and checks are becoming one of the most widespread frauds in the United
States. Law enforcement officials estimate $12 billion to $18 billion in annual
losses due to counterfeit money. In addition to the ultraviolet scanners, the bank
uses thumbprint readers, software that detects problem accounts, and training
programs that identify con games.

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

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. 

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

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Interoperability AGILE-ity

Thirty-plus years ago, when police radios were underpowered and
cumbersome, one officer voiced his frustration about his inability to
communicate with fellow officers this way: "Mission Control could talk to
astronauts on the moon, but we couldn't talk to our partners around the corner,
less than a block away."

Today police radios are certainly smaller and much more powerful. But
improvements in technology have not eliminated the issue of
interoperability¥the capacity of public safety agencies at all levels to
communicate across jurisdictions. This country's law enforcement agencies,
emergency medical services, and fire departments operate on different
frequencies, use different equipment, and follow different policies and
procedures, making communication and coordination between agencies and
across jurisdictions very difficult.

AGILE, a National Institute of Justice (NIJ) project, is trying to make
interoperability much less difficult.

"Interoperability is a complex situation that has been evolving over the years,"
says Tom Coty, AGILE program manager. "It's complex not only because of
the sheer number of agencies, but also because they are in different points in the
life cycle of their equipment. One may have a brand-new system, while another
nearby agency has equipment that is 15 to 20 years old."

According to Coty, most public safety professionals would say they have
experienced problems communicating with others in their field. Each agency,
however, faces different interoperability issues, such as outdated equipment and
no funds to buy new equipment; city police and fire department radios that
operate on different frequencies; cell phones that allow different agencies to talk
to one another, but have significant access problems during critical events; and
existing communication links between agencies, but no policies or procedures
that cover when and how to use them.

For most public safety agencies, Coty says, the biggest problems stem from
incompatible radio frequencies and lack of funds to buy new equipment.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licenses radio frequencies for
all non-Federal users of radio spectrum, including public safety agencies,
commercial radio and television stations, business radios, and more. The
spectrum is a range of frequencies used for communications. It is a finite
resource divided into bands, 10 of which are for public safety agencies' use.
Within those bands, the FCC licenses the frequencies or channels used by each
agency. Frequency is measured in terms of millions of cycles per second, or
megahertz (MHz). 

No commercially available radio operates in all 10 bands available to the public
safety community. Some radios made by different manufacturers cannot even
communicate with each other within the same band. This leads to temporary
"fixes," such as installing numerous radios in ambulances and patrol cars so their
occupants can talk to everyone else in an area. Another commonly used fix, the
dispatch relay, uses a third party to relay messages from one agency to another.
These solutions are cumbersome and expensive. They use up precious time that
could allow a suspect to escape or a fire to spread.

Technology solutions to interoperability problems are becoming more common.
One solution employs a crossband repeater system, which receives a
transmission on one frequency and automatically retransmits it on a different
one. Unfortunately, law enforcement and other public safety agencies often do
not know which new technologies can help them, or even that these
technologies exist.

In 1998, NIJ's National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center
(NLECTC) Rocky Mountain completed an intensive study of interoperability
issues, State and Local Law Enforcement Wireless Communications and
Interoperability: A Quantitative Analysis. NIJ used the study to launch the
AGILE program, which consolidates all NIJ interoperability initiatives into a
coordinated effort to help Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies
communicate and share information. AGILE originally stood for Advanced
Generation of Interoperability for Law Enforcement, but its target audience has
expanded to include all public safety agencies.

"AGILE facilitates information sharing and provides support to professionals,
giving them the ability to help themselves," Coty says. Nationally, that can mean
providing support to public safety associations and their leaders; locally, it can
mean offering one-on-one technology assistance. AGILE uses a three-part
approach to implement its mission:

o--Research, development, testing, and evaluation of technology solutions.
o--Standards identification, development, and adoption.
o--Outreach and technology assistance.

No single fix can solve complex interoperability issues for everyone, Coty says.
At any point in time, AGILE has more than 30 projects and initiatives in various
stages of development. One of them may provide just the solution an agency
needs.

Interoperability Technology

Coty says public safety personnel often learn about new technologies by
viewing a demonstration at a conference or by reading about new equipment in
a journal. Agencies may not know who developed the technology, whether it
will work with their systems, or where to find out more about it. They can begin
their research on the AGILE website at www. agileprogram.org.

The AGILE site includes a section that lists site updates and the latest
interoperability news. The site provides access to AGILE reports and printed
materials and offers information on grants and funding, interoperability
standards, the National Task Force on Interoperability, and a list of related
links. It also provides updates on AGILE research projects, including the
following:

o--ACU-1000 Testbed Program. The City of Alexandria (Virginia) Police
Department has served as a testbed for several potential interoperability
communications solutions, including the ACU-1000, an audio gateway system
that ties together incompatible radio systems. The ACU-1000 provided
coverage at the inauguration of President George W. Bush, linking the U.S.
Secret Service, the U.S. Capitol Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
and other agencies. Alexandria will soon test two new systems: Lyric, a
Motorola product to link Motorola technology, and Incident Command Radio
Interface (ICRI), a Communications Applied Technology product. Although
similar to the ACU 1000, the portable ICRI system can run its briefcase-sized
unit on AA batteries for up to 24 hours.

o--CAPRAD. In the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, Congress directed the
FCC to reallocate 24 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band for public safety
use. Now used by UHF television channels 60 to 69, this spectrum will become
available within the next several years. In anticipation of the release of this
spectrum, the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC)
and the Public Safety Communications Council requested the development of a
Computer-Assisted Precoordination Resource and Database (CAPRAD) to
facilitate interregional coordination in the allotment of frequencies.
NLECTC Rocky Mountain recently completed this database, which will have
secure Internet access, and is now working on database distribution and
orientation.

o--CAPWIN. Several years ago, a man threatened to commit suicide by
jumping from the Capital Beltway's Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Agencies from
Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia ran into numerous
interoperability problems while trying to coordinate rescue efforts and untangle
a rush-hour traffic jam. This incident, among others, triggered the request to
create the Capital Wireless Integrated Network (CAPWIN). CAPWIN will
integrate existing data and voice communication systems into the Nation's first
multistate integrated wireless data network devoted to transportation and public
safety. Research and development are now under way at the University of
Maryland, the University of Virginia, and George Mason University. The goal is
to make this network a model that can be replicated in other regions of the
country.

o--COPLINK. Developed through a joint effort between the University of
Arizona and the Tucson Police Department, COPLINK Knowledge
Management System software uses the Internet to link member databases. The
COPLINK Connect module allows real-time information sharing across a
network of records management systems that use different software and
parameters. The COPLINK Detect module provides advanced data analysis.
For example, one can search for information on white two-door cars and
information on sex offenders known to frequent school playgrounds, then
search for matches between the two. 

o--INFOTECH. INFOTECH, an NIJ research and development project
completed in FY 2001, developed tools and technologies to tie together
disparate legacy systems to permit information sharing with appropriate
security/privacy. Software and data models from this project are freely
available. INFOTECH uses Java[TM] software and encryption to allow
searching with a simple Internet browser and offers real-time access to criminal
history information, motor vehicle registration information, driver's license
information, and local agency data. Participating agencies decide what
information to make available to other members. Sheriff's departments in
Monroe, Broward, and Brevard Counties in Florida provided an early
demonstration of this system. Virginia's Tidewater region; the Charleston, South
Carolina, region; the State of Oregon; and the cities of San Diego and Los
Angeles all have deployed INFOTECH-based solutions for their information-
sharing needs. 

o--Software-Defined Radios. AGILE staff are helping to develop and evaluate
a new generation of communications devices known as Software Defined
Radios (SDRs). SDRs, which can be quickly reprogrammed to transmit and
receive on multiple frequencies in different transmission formats, could change
the way users communicate across wireless services and promote more efficient
use of the radio spectrum. In SDRs, functions that were formerly carried out
solely by hardware, such as the generation of the transmitted radio signal and
the tuning of the received radio signal, are performed by software. Because
these functions are carried out by software, the radio is programmable, allowing
it to transmit and receive over a wide range of frequencies and to emulate
virtually any desired transmission format.

Interoperability Standards

Just as the research and development portion of AGILE includes many
components, its Standards Project reviews and analyzes standards related to all
of the many facets of interoperability. The project's goal is to identify and create
comprehensive interoperability standards for NIJ adoption. Coty says that
although some new standards may need to be developed, most interoperability
standards already have been created by such organizations as the
Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) through the development work
of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officers (APCO) and the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. AGILE is supporting several
standards development projects, including 

o Project 25, an APCO effort that developed an interface standard for digital
radios with backwards compatibility to analog and manufacturers' legacy
systems.

o--Project MESA, a TIA/European Telecommunications Standards Institute
initiative to create specific requirements for broadband transmission. Increased
use of broadband transmission could allow rapid streaming of videos and
images to law enforcement personnel in the field. 

o--XML-Based Standards for Integrated Justice, jointly supported by the
Bureau of Justice Assistance and AGILE, is a project of the Infrastructure and
Standards Working Group of the Global Advisory Committee to facilitate the
sharing of justice information and integration of justice information systems
among Federal, State, and regional jurisdictions; establish ground floor
information standards; guide and assist justice and public safety information
systems developers; and further other efforts to share justice information.

Interoperability Outreach and Assistance

AGILE outreach, like research and development and standards development,
encompasses many elements. Outreach components include the website,
conference presentations, and telephone assistance. Additionally, in response to
requests from public safety agencies, AGILE dispatches experts to assess
agencies' capabilities and propose solutions, Coty says. "Often, a lot of the
solutions are fairly simple. For example, the agency may be dealing with
vendors who sell new equipment. We send out an engineer who will sit at the
table with them during vendor discussions. This expert has only their interests in
mind."

Technical experts also visit sites once the equipment is in place, Coty says.
After the equipment is set up, it is important that the agency work out
agreements with other nearby units, develop a policy on use of the new
equipment, and practice and train for its use. Outreach and assistance projects
include--

o--National Task Force on Interoperability. In an effort to improve public
safety radio communications, NIJ, supported by 17 national associations,
cosponsored the 2001 National Public Safety Wireless Interoperability Forum
in October 2001. Forum participants were predominantly State and local
elected and appointed officials and representatives from the public safety
community. Its goals were to raise public safety wireless interoperability issues
to the national level and to give participants the opportunity to develop a list of
actions that could be taken to overcome the policy barriers to improving public
safety wireless communications.

The forum received such a positive response that NIJ continued the effort by
funding the creation of a National Task Force on Interoperability (NTFI).
NTFI's vision is to foster cooperation among Federal, State, regional, and local
public safety agencies through the development and use of interoperable
communications systems. Its mission is to help public safety agencies achieve
communications interoperability.

NTFI serves as a conduit between State and local officials, their representative
associations, Federal officials, and public safety and industry representatives to
create a unified policy front and facilitate resulting actions. To accomplish this,
NTFI will educate State and local officials and their representative associations
about the benefits of interoperability, assist them in addressing the policies
needed to overcome current barriers, and provide a forum for policymakers to
work with the public safety community to address interoperability issues.

o--NPSTC Support Office. AGILE also funded the creation of the NPSTC
Support Office (NSO) in FY 2000. NSO fills the role of secretariat for
NPSTC, a federation of 17 associations that represents the national public
safety community in wireless communications.

o--Interoperability Assessment for the State of Texas. In conjunction with the
Sheriffs' Association of Texas and the State of Texas, AGILE is surveying the
existing infrastructure and proposing solutions to interoperability issues. In
addition to building partnerships among associations throughout the State, this
project will develop a how-to guide for interoperability projects statewide.

Technology, standards, and outreach and assistance add up to AGILE's
mission to solve the problems related to interoperability, problems that also
include a lack of available spectrum and funding for new equipment.
"Technology isn't the stumbling block," Coty says. "You can overcome
technology issues. The really hard task is working out the policies and their
day-to-day execution."

For more information on AGILE, visit the AGILE website at
www.agileprogram.org.

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

New at NIST

On the surface it seems a quiet place. Ordinary looking offices are filled with
desks, computers, and bookshelves. People go about their business at a
focused, measured pace. Windows look out on trees, ponds, and grassy fields.
Deer and geese make their home here. It is about as far removed from city
streets and cellblocks as you can get.

But within this quiet, unassuming place, research and analysis take place to
increase the safety and efficiency of police, corrections, and public safety
personnel throughout the Nation. Located in the Maryland suburbs, 25 miles
from downtown Washington, D.C., is a complex of buildings and laboratories
situated on a 578-acre campus. This is the headquarters of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and home to the Office of Law
Enforcement Standards (OLES), which is funded by the National Institute of
Justice (NIJ).

Every day at OLES, work proceeds on a number of technology-related
projects and programs, including the following, to benefit the public safety
community.

Matching Bullets

When people need a quick, all-encompassing solution, they speak of searching
for a magic bullet. At OLES, they do not yet have a magic bullet, but they do
have a matching one.

Just as no two fingerprints are alike, each firearm has its own set of unique
characteristics that leaves a signature on the bullets and casings it fires. Forensic
examiners analyze these ballistics signatures to connect a firearm to bullets or
casings found at crime scenes. Susan Ballou, program manager for forensic
sciences at OLES, explains that most ballistics laboratories use the Integrated
Ballistics Identification System (IBIS) to match bullets. IBIS uses image
capture, image analysis, and nationwide databases to match bullets to firearms.
High-quality measurement standards for bullets and casings are necessary to
maintain the system's reliability. To help laboratories maintain these high
standards, NIST developed the Research Material 8240 Standard Reference
Material (SRM) bullet. An SRM has had specific values verified and is certified
by NIST.

"The bottom line is to see it from a forensics point of view," Ballou says. "I
usually bring in DNA as an example, since it is such a hot topic. When we
started forensically using DNA around 1987, every lab began incorporating it
to the best of its ability. When different pieces of evidence from the O.J.
Simpson case were sent to different labs, it brought to light that we had this
highly sensitive type of evidence and we needed to make sure that everybody
was following the same procedures. If you tested something in one lab, you
needed to be able to substantiate how you got the same result in another. They
decided they needed to put standard operating procedures in place."

Matching bullet signatures has the potential for the same types of problems,
Ballou says. Forensic labs are encouraged to submit images of bullets they test
to IBIS's national database. This database enables a lab to match the signature
of a bullet recovered from a crime scene in Mississippi with that of a bullet
found at a crime scene in Kansas. If Kansas law enforcement officials have the
gun, it might help solve the Mississippi crime. However, slight differences in the
calibration of equipment make matching bullet signatures harder. "It seemed that
nobody was doing the exact same thing to their bullet images, so the success
rate of the database search wasn't as high as it should have been," Ballou says.

Recognizing the need for nationwide calibration, then-Attorney General Janet
Reno backed a 1998 initiative for NIJ that provided startup funds to create the
SRM bullet. "If you buy a box of ammunition off the shelf, there can be so many
differences," Ballou says. "They're microscopic and won't be visible to the
naked eye, but they may make a big difference in testing." 

A standard, computer-generated bullet will soon be available from NIST at a
cost of approximately $2,000. (The price may be reduced depending on
demand. NIST, which does not make a profit from the sales, recycles the funds
into creating additional bullets.) This standard bullet is reproduced through a
numerically controlled diamond-turning technique from master bullet signatures
stored in a computer. A forensic laboratory can use this reproduction to
calibrate its equipment settings. This will reinforce consistency both within IBIS
and among laboratories, leading to greater success in finding matches.

At first, Ballou says, the IBIS developer did not see the need for an SRM. A
company representative told her that if a lab examiner followed directions for
setting up the equipment, it would be properly calibrated. However, Ballou
says, those directions do not allow for such variables as differences in light
selection and an examiner's individual preferences, which might lower a lab's
match success rate. The database might offer too many bullet images as
possible matches, requiring the examiner to spend time doing visual searches. A
lab might have time to follow up on only five, and the sixth might be the match,
she says.

NIST's first run produced 40 SRM bullet reproductions. Of these, 20 will be
available to forensic laboratories and 20 will remain at NIST for teaching
purposes. OLES plans a workshop and a series of presentations on how to use
the standard bullet. Because production is labor intensive and costly, NIST will
not keep a large inventory of the bullets, but it will produce more if labs request
them. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Federal Bureau
of Investigation (FBI) have taken part in the testing and other phases of this
project. A final report is being prepared.

Standardizing Bomb Suits

In contrast to the standard bullet project, which is wrapping up, the bomb suit
standards project is just starting, according to Kirk Rice, program manager for
weapons and protective systems at OLES. The objective of this study is to
establish minimum performance requirements and testing methods for bomb
suits that are used by explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) personnel. Rice
recalls his initial surprise that the military did not have such a standard, although
the U.S. Army has preliminary performance requirements that can be used as a
starting point.

Rice says purchasing agents typically rely on advice from others in the field and
on manufacturers' literature; therefore, the EOD community has identified
development of a standard as a top priority. The project will involve consulting
with explosives experts to identify essential features of bomb suits, devising
rating categories, proposing a standard, validating it through testing, and
submitting the standard for comment and review.

The Technical Support Working Group (TSWG), an interagency government
organization, helps provide overall coordination and access to resources from
other countries. At this point, Rice says, the parties involved are considering the
scope of the study and which suits to analyze, defining typical threat levels, and
ensuring consistent testing standards. OLES also will seek input from the
medical community about the human body's ability to withstand blast pressure. 

"All these State and local police are dealing with pipe bombs, with things that
show up at city hall and at abortion clinics. They don't have the resources to go
out and test suits and make an educated decision," Rice says. "Sometimes
they're not even sure what a bomb suit is. The FBI says they get calls from local
police who ask if they put on body armor and a protective helmet, is that a
bomb suit, and if so, can they wear that to come take disarmament training?
That's why NIJ is taking it under its wing."

A bomb suit is designed to deflect much of the force from a blast around the
body instead of the body's taking it all at one point. If someone is wearing the
wrong equipment or wearing it incorrectly, he says, the blast force could hit the
officer under the chin and break his or her neck. 

"In generic terms, a bomb suit is a protective suit designed to shield the wearer
from blast and fragment damage from explosive devices," Rice says. The goal
of the project is to determine the extent to which a specific suit shields its
wearer and rate it on a standard threat scale. Although this sounds similar to
existing NIJ body armor standards, Rice thinks the need is not as widespread. 

Rice and the rest of the group working on the project will have a lot of data to
go through, but they can draw comfort from the knowledge that most
manufacturers already produce good bomb suits. "It isn't that officers are
wearing bomb suits and they're not working; they are," Rice says. "The idea is
just to make it easier for law enforcement agencies to pick what's right for
them. Manufacturers welcome this research. Right now, they make a product,
and they make what they think is needed. A standard will give them a
benchmark to shoot for." 

Rice says OLES has met with a group that included representatives from the
National Bomb Squad Commanders' Advisory Board, the FBI Bomb Data
Center, the U.S. Army, TSWG, and the Navy EOD school to discuss the
scope of the project. TSWG plans to convene a working group of
professionals later in 2002. The project is expected to take approximately 2
years to complete.

Testing Saliva

The bomb suit standard will better protect law enforcement personnel. But Dr.
Alim Fatah, OLES program manager for chemical systems and materials, is
heading a study that may lead to more accurate drug testing results while
protecting arrestees' and inmates' civil rights.

In recent years, many have felt that watching a subject produce a urine
specimen for drug testing invades his or her privacy. But if someone is left alone
to produce the sample, samples can be swapped or otherwise contaminated.
Saliva, however, can be collected under full observation without invading a
subject's privacy. Research has shown that saliva appears to reflect blood-drug
concentrations accurately. According to Fatah, studies have shown that many
therapeutic drugs and drugs of abuse (e.g., amphetamines, marijuana, cocaine,
opiates, LSD, and PCP) can be detected in saliva.

Under OLES's direction, researchers at the University of Utah's Center for
Human Toxicology compared the presence of codeine in blood to that in saliva.
Fatah says results showed that saliva concentrations were higher, easier to
detect, and present longer. Saliva used in this study was acquired through
spitting. 

In a related study, the researchers looked at devices that collect saliva samples
from inside the cheek. They also looked at the results when saliva production is
stimulated by sucking on a lemon drop or chewing paraffin wax. Spitting
produced uniformly higher results, Fatah says. He notes that one drawback to
using saliva is the potential for contamination when the person being tested took
a drug by mouth, inhalation, or smoke and then ate, drank, or smoked other
substances.

Analyzing Pepper Spray

Fatah also is studying human reaction to pepper sprays. Oleoresin capsicum
(OC), the oil extracted from the cayenne pepper plant, is the active ingredient
used in most self-defense sprays. Although pepper sprays are a useful and
purported nonlethal form of defense, commercially available products vary
widely in their strength and potential effectiveness. 

Law enforcement, corrections, and the public have concerns about product
performance, legal issues, and medical safety surrounding the use of pepper
sprays. OLES has undertaken a study to produce data for use in developing
minimum pepper spray performance standards. Manufacturers' standards and
product performance vary widely, sometimes even from batch to batch of the
same product produced by the same manufacturer, Fatah says. Some pepper
spray products have been shown to vary by 10 to 20 times in the amount of
OC used. 

The first phase of the study, conducted by researchers at the University of
Utah's Center for Human Toxicology under the direction of OLES, analyzed
several products made by different manufacturers. Some sprays contain only
synthetic capsaicin (nonivamide), others contain natural substances from a
variety of peppers, and others mix synthetic and natural capsaicins. (Capsaicin
is the active ingredient in capsicum.) An analysis of 10 sprays showed wide
variations in the amounts of OC used. The spray with the strongest
concentration had about 40 times the amount contained in the weakest spray.
Several samples appeared to be the same product but had different lot
numbers. Fatah says that the next step is to determine the effectiveness of these
various concentrations and to recommend standards. 

To learn more about standard bullets, contact Susan Ballou at 301-975-8750,
susan.ballou@nist.gov; about bomb suit standards, contact Kirk Rice at 301-
975-8071, kirk.rice@nist.gov; and about saliva and pepper spray testing,
contact Alim Fatah at 301-975-2753, alim.fatah@nist.gov. For information
about the National Institute of Standards and Technology, log on to
www.nist.gov; for the Office of Law Enforcement Standards, go to
www.eeel.nist.gov/oles.

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

The Center System

Technology can significantly enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of law
enforcement, corrections, and forensic sciences. Just as important, it can help
ensure public safety. But the incorporation of new technology can be
complicated and require significant research, while inappropriate or
underutilized technology can be costly¥not only in money but also in time and
public perception.

The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center
(NLECTC) system, a program of the National Institute of Justice, can help
agencies large and small when it comes to implementing current and emerging
technologies. NLECTC serves as an "honest broker" resource for technology
information and support at no cost.

Because most of this country's law enforcement and corrections services are
provided at the local level, the NLECTC system is composed of five regional
centers and is complemented by several specialty offices and a national center.
These centers and offices are co-located or supported by federally funded
technology partners so they can leverage unique science and engineering
expertise.

Technology Identification

As an agency's first stop in its search for new and developing technologies,
NLECTC provides information relating to availability, performance, durability,
reliability, safety, ease of use, customization capabilities, and interoperability.
This information helps an agency determine the most appropriate and cost-
effective technology to solve an operational problem.

Technology Assistance

Because most law enforcement and corrections agencies do not have access to
technical experts and sophisticated equipment, NLECTC staff serve as proxy
scientists and engineers. Areas of assistance include evidence analysis (e.g.,
audio, video, computer, trace, and explosives), systems engineering, and
communications and information systems support (e.g., interoperability,
propagation studies, and vulnerability assessments).

Technology Implementation

-The implementation of technology can bring on a new set of concerns, from
hardware/ software compatibility to operational procedures and training.
NLECTC helps develop procedures, protocols, and training materials. Generic
guides, best practices, and information manuals often are leveraged from these
hands-on assistance projects and made available to other agencies.

Technology/Property Acquisition

For most small departments, the acquisition of equipment to run day-to-day
operations or outfit officers is a constant concern. NLECTC helps departments
small and large take advantage of surplus property programs that make Federal
excess and surplus property available to law enforcement and corrections
personnel at little or no cost.

Standards and Testing/Technology Evaluation

NLECTC oversees a standards-based testing program in which equipment
such as ballistic- and stab-resistant body armor, double-locking metallic
handcuffs, and semiautomatic pistols is tested on a pass/fail basis. NLECTC
also conducts comparative evaluations--testing equipment under field
conditions--on patrol vehicles; patrol vehicle tires and replacement brake pads;
and cut-, puncture-, and pathogen-resistant gloves. These evaluations allow
agencies to select equipment that best suits their needs. On request, NLECTC
evaluates new products to verify manufacturers' claims.

Technology Demonstration

NLECTC introduces and demonstrates new and emerging technologies through
such special events, conferences, and demonstrations as the Mock Prison Riot
(technologies for corrections), Operation America (bomb detection
technologies), and an annual public safety technology conference. On a limited
basis, NLECTC facilitates deployment of new technologies to agencies for
operational testing and evaluation.

Capacity Building

NLECTC provides hands-on instruction in the latest technology solutions,
primarily in the areas of crime and intelligence analysis, geographic information
systems, explosives detection and neutralization, inmate disturbances and riots,
and computer crime investigation.

Technology Information Dissemination

NLECTC disseminates information to the criminal justice community at no cost
through educational bulletins, equipment performance reports, guides, consumer
product lists, news summaries, meeting/conference reports, videotapes, and
CD-ROMs. NLECTC also publishes TechBeat, an award-winning quarterly
newsmagazine. Most publications are available in electronic form through the
Justice Technology Information Network (JUSTNET) at www.justnet.org.
Hard copies of all publications can be ordered through NLECTC's toll-free
number, 800 248 2742, or via e-mail at asknlectc@nlectc.org.

Technology Commercialization

Bringing research and private industry together to put affordable, market-driven
technologies into the hands of law enforcement and corrections personnel is
another focus of NLECTC. Law enforcement and corrections professionals,
product and commercialization managers, engineers, and technical and market
research specialists identify new technologies and product concepts, then work
with innovators and industry to develop, manufacture, and distribute these new,
innovative products and technologies.

Technology Needs Assessment/ Prioritization

A national body of criminal justice professionals--the Law Enforcement and
Corrections Technology Advisory Council (LECTAC) influences the work of
the NLECTC system by identifying research and development priorities. In
addition, each regional facility has an advisory council of law enforcement,
corrections, and forensics professionals. Together, LECTAC and the regional
advisory councils help keep the NLECTC system attentive to real-world
technological priorities and the needs of law enforcement and corrections.
Created in 1994 as a program of the National Institute of Justice's (NIJ's)
Office of Science and Technology, the 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.

NLECTC-National
2277 Research Boulevard
Rockville, MD 20850
800-2482742
asknlectc@nlectc.org

NLECTC-Northeast
26 Electronic Parkway
Rome, NY 13441-4514
888-338-0584
nlectc_ne@rl.af.mil

NLECTC-Southeast
5300 International Boulevard
North Charleston, SC 29418
800-292-4385
nlectc-se@nlectc-se.org

NLECTC-Rocky Mountain
2050 East Iliff Avenue
Denver, CO 80208
800-416-8086
nlectc@du.edu

NLECTC-West
c/o The Aerospace Corporation
2350 East El Segundo Boulevard
El Segundo, CA 90245-4691
888-548-1618
nlectc@law-west.org

NLECTC-Northwest
4000 Old Seward Highway, Suite 301
Anchorage, AK 99503-6068
866-569-2969
nlectc_nw@ctsc.net


Border Research and Technology Center (BRTC)
1010 Second Avenue, Suite 1920
San Diego, CA 92101-4912
888-656-2782
info@brtc.nlectc.org

Rural Law Enforcement Technology Center (RULETC)
100 Bulldog Lane
Hazard, KY 41701
866-787-2553
ruletc@aol.com

Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization (OLETC)
2001 Main Street, Suite 500
Wheeling, WV 26003
888-306-5382
oletc@oletc.org

Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES) 
100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8102
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8102
301-975-2757
oles@nist.gov

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

Publication Focus

Officer safety and vehicle testing are two topics of interest to public safety
professionals. The following publications/videos are available from the National
Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center National: 

Officer Safety

Selection and Application Guide to Personal Body Armor, NIJ Guide 100-01.
This guide explains how to proceed when selecting and purchasing body armor.
It responds to commonly expressed concerns and provides information to
determine the level of protection required by law enforcement officers. It
provides information on the latest ballistic-resistant standard (NIJ Standard-
0101.04) and on the new stab-resistant standard (NIJ Standard-0115.00).

Surviving a Shooting: Your Guide to Personal Body Armor. This 19-minute
videotape provides a synopsis of the National Institute of Justice's publication
titled Selection and Application Guide to Police Body Armor. Covered in the
videotape are what body armor is, what it can and cannot protect against, how
to select it, and how to wear and care for it. 

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.

Vehicle Testing

Michigan State Police Tests 2003 Patrol Vehicles. This bulletin summarizes the
test results from the Michigan State Police 2003 model year patrol vehicle
evaluations.

2003 Model Year Patrol Vehicle Testing. This report contains the complete
results of comprehensive tests conducted by the Michigan State Police of 2003
model year police patrol vehicles. Vehicles were subjected to major tests and
evaluations, including vehicle dynamics testing, acceleration and top-speed
testing, brake testing, ergonomics and communications evaluations, and fuel
economy evaluations.

Equipment Performance Report: 2001 Patrol Vehicle Tires. This report
presents the complete results of NIJ's 2001 comprehensive evaluation of patrol
vehicle tires. The report presents information to help law enforcement agencies
decide which tires would be best for their patrol vehicle fleets.

To obtain any of the above publications, write 

NLECTC, P.O. Box 1160, Rockville, MD 20849-1160; telephone 800-248-
2742.

Publications can also be downloaded from JUSTNET at www.justnet.org.

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

National Criminal Justice Reference Service

In addition to funding the National Law Enforcement and Corrections
Technology Center, the National Institute of Justice (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
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 www.ncjrs.org/puborder and request registration form BC640. It
will be sent to you in the mail. Or register online at 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 at 800-851-3420 and request a
registration form.

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:
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij and www.ncjrs.org.