Title: TechBeat Spring 2002
Series: N/A
Author: National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center
Published: April 2002
Subject: Technology for Law Enforcement
Pages: 33
Bytes: 78KB

Figures, charts, forms, and tables are not included in this ASCII plain-text file.
To view this document in its entirety, download the Adobe Acrobat graphic file
available from this Web site or order a print copy from NLECTC at 800-248-
2742).

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

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

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

Time Proves the Crime 

In October 1999, 48-year-old Susan Fassett of Poughkeepsie, New York, left
choir practice at the Pleasant Valley Methodist Church. Fassett never returned
home. She was shot to death as she got into her car. It would take months to
unravel the facts surrounding her murder. 

First, it was a case of murder for hire, which meant the mastermind was not
immediately evident. Second, almost all of the hard evidence was electronic,
buried in thousands of cell phone calls, pager communications, and e-mail
correspondence. 

But with the assistance of the National Law Enforcement and Corrections
Technology Center (NLECTC)- Northeast and its Law Enforcement Analysis
Facility (LEAF), Fred Andros went to prison. He was convicted of
second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life. 

This complicated story paints Andros as a small-town Lothario with enough
magnetism to attract numerous sexual partners and enough power to persuade
one of them to kill another. Such was the case with Fassett, one of Andros'
lovers, and 50-year-old Dawn Silvernail, Fassett's killer and another of Andros'
paramours. But for all its seeming complexity, the plot was simple: Fassett
ended her affair with Andros, who then sent Silvernail to kill Fassett-a deed that
would absolve Silvernail of the thousands of dollars she owed Andros. It also
would keep Fassett from testifying in a separate conspiracy case against the
60-year-old Andros. He had previously been indicted for stealing money from
city coffers, which ended his tenure as superintendent of the Poughkeepsie
water board. According to investigators, Andros feared that Fassett, also a city
employee, had information that could ruin him. 

Andros was undoubtedly the most likely suspect. He was questioned by police,
but investigators could not find evidence to indicate his complicity in the crime.
Instead, Andros turned the spotlight on Silvernail. Authorities investigated and
ultimately arrested and charged Silvernail, who then confessed. In return for
leniency, Silvernail promised to testify against Andros. 

But even with Silvernail's offer of testimony, there was not enough evidence to
mount a compelling case against him. The problem lay in a New York State law
that forbids a conviction based solely on a co-conspirator's testimony and in the
fact that Andros claimed the murder resulted from a rocky relationship between
the two women. 

New York State Police Senior Investigator Tom Martin turned for help to
NLECTC-Northeast's LEAF, which has expertise in analyzing audio, video,
and electronic evidence. According to Martin, the murder investigation had
revealed thousands of communications-telephone, pager, and cell phone calls
as well as e-mail correspondence-among Andros, Fassett, and Silvernail that
could connect the three and establish Andros' involvement. The problem was
sorting through the information to find the connections. 

"Our job was to input all those communications into a computer and analyze it,"
says James J. Hepler, a law enforcement analyst for LEAF. "There were 4,000
[records], all in paper form and on different types of paper. We had to enter
them all by hand. It took us 6 weeks." 

But the result of LEAF's work was an easily understandable picture of the
thousands of communications among Andros, Fassett, and Silvernail. It showed
that Silvernail and Fassett had no independent communication and therefore no
relationship, and it corroborated Silvernail's testimony regarding times, dates,
and locations of her contacts with Andros. 

The Web Enabled Timeline Analysis System, or WebTAS, a computerized
program developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory/Information
Directorate in Rome, New York, made the analysis possible. After the
information was entered, Hepler says, it was sorted and analyzed to show
connections and relationships. "You can query on specific types of
relationships. You can tell the computer to show you all the calls from Fassett
to Andros on a certain date that lasted a specific duration of time and were
made from her place of work. Andros admitted to having a sexual relationship
with Fassett in the past, but he claimed he did not know her well. The number
of calls we found showed that wasn't true." 

"WebTAS graphically plots criminal events and presents visual and statistical
data on timelines, graphs, tables, and maps," Helper says. "The timeline
developed for this case showed links among those involved. Maps were
created with data from Andros' electronic toll road access card that showed
where he was when he made certain calls." 

LEAF provided Investigator Martin and Dutchess County Assistant District
Attorney Ned McLoughlin with 16 timeline slides. "It enabled the investigators
to better understand the links, instead of having to sift through all that paper.
This kind of tool also helped the jury visualize the relationships between the
people involved," Hepler says. 

Martin adds, "I think it was the crux of the whole prosecution. My experience is
that today's science is so advanced. It's one step of the process to produce
evidence; it's another step to get someone to understand it. The work LEAF
did allowed us to present something that helped people understand. It was a
huge part of the case." 

According to Hepler, WebTAS also can be used as a predictor of behavior or
events. By using an algorithm called the Temporal Transition Model, analysts
take information about a suspect's behavior and use it to predict what the
suspect might do next. This technique can be used to show commonalities
across data in cases of organized or financial crime or with drug offenders or
serial killers. The LEAF team currently is testing the program's capabilities in a
pilot project at the Syracuse (New York) Police Department and the
Connecticut State Forensic Science Laboratory. Investigators will use the
software to analyze cold cases and to help set up surveillance. 

For more information about WebTAS, contact James J. Hepler, National Law
Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center-Northeast's Law
Enforcement Analysis Facility, 315-330-2253, or e-mail
jhepler@acsdefense.com. 

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


Proposition for Drug Testing 

When California voters approved Proposition 36, it was with the intention of
providing a rehabilitative alternative to the incarceration of those convicted of
nonviolent drug offenses. Although the jury is still out on whether the law and its
attendant programs are working, it is clear that the existing probation structure
has been overwhelmed by the number of court referrals. 

Enacted in July 2001, Proposition 36 offers those convicted of a nonviolent
drug offense an alternative: supervised probation and drug treatment. Initial
predictions, at least by the initiative's proponents, were that the workload for
probation officers would be significantly decreased because monitoring duties
would be shared by probation departments and local treatment providers. To
date, however, the reverse has been true. 

"We anticipated an influx of 4,200 the first year," says Connie Havens, division
director of the Orange County Probation Department. "But the reality will be
about 28 percent above that. We're getting an average of 90 to 100 new cases
per week, and expect about 5,000 new cases by this July. We were funded for
an additional supervising probation officer and eight new officers. We have
already exceeded their capacity."

"We've captured a population that wasn't prison bound," says Vicki Markey,
deputy chief of the San Diego County Probation Department. "These are
people who would have been referred to summary probation, which is court
supervision, or to a few days in jail, but who would not have been introduced to
the formal probation system. The good thing is that these are desperate people
who have been plagued with drug use and abuse for many years. Proposition
36 opens the door to treatment. The bad thing is that we've opened that door
through the criminal justice system, and I don't know that we're prepared for
that." 

One of the most daunting and expensive tasks facing the two probation
departments is drug testing, usually done through urinalysis. Demand for drug
screening has increased, yet funding for drug testing or increased monitoring
was not included in the original bill. Although funding provisions have since been
added, the additional funding may not be enough to address each county's
needs adequately. 

At the request of criminal justice officials from San Diego and Orange Counties,
the Border Research and Technology Center (BRTC), part of the National
Institute of Justice's National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology
Center system, initiated a workshop on current noninvasive drug-screening
technologies. Those who attended, which included members of the State's
judiciary, probation, and treatment communities, said they required a
technology that would reduce the number of urine samples taken and handled
and reduce testing costs. In addition, the technology would have to be
affordable, reliable, durable, portable, easy to use, relatively maintenance free,
and user friendly. It would have to be able to identify a range of drugs. It would
need to be gender neutral, usable by adults and juveniles, and safe for the staff.
And it would need to provide immediate results admissible in court at a later
time. 

Although no technology commercially available today meets all of these
requirements, BRTC was able to present drug screening technologies that
incorporate many of them and informed the participants as to market readiness.
These technologies included: 

o--Skin patches and sweat tests. These products detect several classes of
drugs by analyzing sweat. One product is a test device that is put under the
client's arm; a positive result shows up as a specific color inside the window of
the device. This product can also be used to test surfaces or liquids for such
drugs as opiates, marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Another product
is a skin patch that a client wears for up to 7 days. The patch is then removed
and analyzed for the presence of excreted drugs. It works by allowing oxygen,
carbon dioxide, and water to evaporate while trapping illicit drugs and their
metabolites, which have a larger molecular weight. The patch will detect
substances used while it is worn, as well as any used 24 to 48 hours before it is
applied. 

o--Saliva testing. Probation officers use a test swab for saliva collection, which
is put into a disposable cartridge. The cartridge is then inserted into an
instrument that analyzes the sample, giving results similar to those of a blood
test. In 5 minutes or less, such a system can test individually or simultaneously
for alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, PCP, opiates, and methamphetamine. 

o--Trace and portable detection scans. These devices detect drugs and
explosives by analyzing vapors and particles on people, their possessions, or
the air around them. Already in use in some correctional facilities and airports,
this technology either uses a walk-through portal that blows puffs of air at a
person to dislodge particles in clothing or has an operator who swabs purses,
computers, briefcases, or any other items the person may have touched. Ion
scanners can detect microscopic traces of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, PCP,
LSD, and MDMA and such explosives as TNT, C4, RDX, PETN, Semtex,
HMX, and ammonium nitrate. 

o--Pupil scans. This technology, initially used to test for fatigue among
commercial truck drivers, has since been adapted to measure impairment
caused by current or previous alcohol and drug use. Pupil scanners quickly
flash light at the eye, then measure the pupil's involuntary reaction. One system
is a handheld device that fits over the eyes and gives a 100-millisecond flash of
light and measures the pupil's response for the following 6 seconds, repeating
the procedure four times. The test takes about 2 to 3 minutes per person. A
second type of eye screen, in which probationers look into a desktop machine
for a 30-second scan, requires a drug-free baseline measurement and then
compares subsequent tests to the baseline. If the system identifies impairment, it
recommends a confirmatory test and suggests specific drugs for which to test.

Such technologies could eliminate several problems inherent in urinalysis, which
is cumbersome and expensive, yet is the only type of drug-test evidence
currently admissible in court. However, a major problem with urinalysis lies in
gender-in the disproportionate number of male clients to female probation
officers, Havens says. "Approximately 80 percent of the probationers are male
and about 70 percent of the field probation officers are female. This leaves the
male staff spending a larger amount of their time witnessing urine samples."

"Urinalysis is invasive for the client and for the officer who has to observe," says
Peg Ritchie, deputy director for BRTC and a veteran corrections official. "You
find that the officers start avoiding them, or they get sloppy and don't do them
effectively. Although that is a management issue, you can eliminate some of
those problems by adopting new, noninvasive technologies." 

The technologies shown at the BRTC workshop were not touted as definitive
drug screening tools, but as cost-saving, probable-cause measures. Typically,
80 percent of clients who require testing test negative. "If we had a way to
screen out that 80 percent, we could save a great deal of money and time,"
Markey says. "We would only have to do a drug screen on the remaining 20
percent." 

As a result of the workshop, Ritchie says, San Diego County field tested an eye
scan device and found it to be 98-percent accurate against blind urine analysis
tests. It is estimated the technology will save the county $5,000 within 6 weeks,
with complete cost recovery within 2 months. Orange County also is field
testing the same device. Susan Bower, criminal justice coordinator for San
Diego County's Alcohol and Drug Services and supervisor of Proposition 36
Quality Assurance Specialists, says of the workshop, "BRTC encouraged us to
get beyond the usual lament of, 'We're the county; we have no money,' and
develop a broader perspective to include several stakeholders, funding
resources, et cetera, in order to creatively expand our array of detection
services." 

For more information regarding the workshop on drug screening technologies
sponsored by the Border Research and Technology Center, contact Peg
Ritchie, 888-656-2782, or e-mail pritchi@brtc.nlectc.org. 

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

6th Annual Technology Institute for Law Enforcement
July 23-28, 2002
Washington, D.C.

The Technology Institute for Law Enforcement is an annual event for mid-level
law enforcement professionals. Established and sponsored by the National
Institute of Justice, this 5-day program is structured to communicate to
participants information about existing and developing technologies they can
access or acquire for their agencies. Participants bring to the conference
questions, technology problems and solutions, and the desire to accomplish
their jobs more efficiently and more effectively. There is no cost for the Institute
and all travel, lodging, and food costs are covered. However, there are a
limited number of openings. For an application or for additional information,
contact the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center at
800-248-2742, or log on to JUSTNET at www.justnet.org.

Deadline for Applications: 
May 30, 2002

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

JUSTNET Goes to College 

Professors and administrators want their institutions' courses to stand out from
similar ones at other colleges or universities. Dr. Robert Scott, director of the
Justice Studies program at Fort Hays State University (FHSU) in Kansas, has
done just that. He has used his knowledge of the Internet to create a
one-of-a-kind course that helps students take their degrees into the 21st
century. 

Six years ago, Scott came to FHSU to start a criminal justice program.
University provost Larry Gould, then dean of the College of Arts and Sciences,
suggested that Scott find a way to show that criminal justice "is not just a gun
and a stick and a badge anymore." 

"Our goal was not to be just another garden-variety criminal justice program,
not to be 'Cop Shop 101,'" says Scott. "We hoped that by putting this course in
our core curriculum, it would distinguish our program." 

Scott spent a year researching and developing the course that eventually
became Information Age Technologies and the Justice System, a graduation
requirement for students majoring in criminal justice. The class requires students
to spend a large amount of time doing research on the Internet; much of the
research is conducted through JUSTNET, the website of the National Law
Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) system. The first
of the course's 13 sessions focuses on the relationship between the U.S.
Department of Justice, the National Institute of Justice, and NLECTC.
Subsequent sessions concentrate on various NLECTC categories of
technology, including communications, forensics and criminalistics,
less-than-lethal force, and protective equipment. Each session requires Internet
research on the assigned topic and a writing assignment based on related
books. 

Scott says the JUSTNET website plays such a prominent role in the course
because of its usefulness. "During the initial research I spent a lot of time just
poking around, seeing what was out there that I could use. I thought the
JUSTNET site had a lot of information that would interest the students, and it is
so easy to navigate. A lot of other sites are very frustrating, so I tell my classes
to go to this website, poke around, and you'll get a lot of information that will
help you. I like it; it's one that I go to time and time again." 

Students not only spend a lot of time doing web-based research, they also have
the option of taking the course through the Internet. Scott says that the course is
actually two separate classes: a conventional classroom section and a
web-based section that targets nontraditional students, part-time students, and
those who live out of the immediate area. Classroom students, who are mainly
following a traditional plan of undergraduate study, meet for discussion and
follow a strict schedule of assignments. Internet students "discuss" topics on a
bulletin board, e-mail or call the instructor with questions, complete assignments
on the web, and receive feedback via e-mail. The university allows all
Internet-based courses to have flexible schedules. Only the dates for final
exams are fixed. Some Internet students complete their assignments in a few
weeks, Scott says. Others wait until close to final exam time to do the work.
Some students enjoy the flexibility, but others find that they cannot deal with
setting their own pace, he says. 

At present, FHSU offers one classroom section of Information Age
Technologies and the Justice System, which is limited to 42 students, and one
Internet section, which has a 25-student limit. Since its initial offering in 1998,
the classroom section has been filled to capacity. Some of the overflow goes to
the Internet-based class, and Scott admits they have stretched past its
25-student limit to try to accommodate everyone who is interested. 

"I make them do a lot of work in my class, probably twice as much as they do
in other classes, but surprisingly enough, it always fills up," Scott says. After the
first offering of the course, he expected to "get fried" by end-of-semester
student evaluations regarding workload. Instead, students praised his course.
High marks by students have continued with each subsequent semester. "The
feedback says that when it's subject matter that they're interested in, they don't
mind working hard." 

In addition to using the wealth of information found on the JUSTNET website
and researching other Internet sites, students are required to subscribe to
Government Technology or read it online, watch the movie "Pirates of Silicon
Valley," and read Invasion of Privacy by Louis Mizell and Business @ the
Speed of Thought by Bill Gates. 

"I wanted to do something original," Scott says. "Computers will continue to
revolutionize all types of businesses in the 21st century. Criminal justice has
lagged behind the curve for quite a while and is just getting up to speed."

Although criminal justice departments at many colleges and universities have
contacted Scott to learn more about the course, as far as he knows, no other
school has started a similar course. "Many criminal justice instructors are
generalists, or they specialize in law enforcement, corrections, or the courts," he
says. "Not many know a lot about information technology, so other schools feel
they have no one to teach a similar course." 

During the year Scott spent doing development research, he looked for an
appropriate textbook but found that none existed. Instead, because FHSU
gave him wide latitude in creating the course, he pulled together bits and pieces
from various print and Internet sources. Once the course was established, Scott
tried to make it easier for other schools to start a program by writing the
textbook he could not find when he started out. "What I heard from publishers,
over and over, was that it sounded interesting, but there is no market for it," he
says. "I still would like to write the text one day if the market is ever there."

Anyone interested in finding out more about Information Age Technologies and
the Justice System and its use of the JUSTNET website can view the syllabus
online at www.fhsu.edu/ polisci/faculty/scott/jus322.html or contact Dr. Robert
Scott at rfscott@fhsu.edu. 

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

JUSTNET: Even Better 

The JUSTNET website plays a prominent role in the Information Age
Technologies and the Justice System course because during his original
research, Dr. Robert Scott found it easy to navigate and filled with important
information. A recently completed redesign of JUSTNET provides even easier
access to its material. 

Bringing the new site live culminated a lengthy process of designing, analyzing,
planning, and implementing the migration of data. While JUSTNET retains its
familiar colors and logo, the site as a whole is more user friendly. In addition to
working with webpage designers and programmers, JUSTNET coordinator
Donna Engler also relied on feedback from National Institute of Justice and
National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC)
system staff. The site also was brought into compliance with Americans with
Disabilities Act regulations. 

"The biggest change is we've reorganized the site so it's even easier for people
to find information," Engler says. "A lot of the information took several mouse
clicks to access. We decided we wanted to bring the meat of NLECTC up to
the top." 

The previous version of the site, designed in 1998, used frames and had
subpages that could be reached only from the main pages of particular areas. In
the revised version, popup menus on the home page carry through on every
subpage. For example, a user who wants to find information on the Mock
Prison Riot can reach it from any page on the site. 

Knowledgeable users will find that most of the information is still online,
including What's New, About NLECTC, and the Law Enforcement and
Corrections Technology News Summary. Some features, such as publications
and technology projects, have been incorporated into the new NLECTC
Virtual Library. "Of course, we still have lots of links," Engler says. "The site
even includes instructions for importing the links into your own browser." 

The biggest change remains the addition of the NLECTC Virtual Library. This
newly programmed database is divided into six information categories: funding
sources, NLECTC services, publications, TechBeat articles, technology
projects, and websites. Information in the database can be accessed in three
different ways: 

o--The user can click on any information category. For example, clicking on the
publications category results in a list of all publications in the database
regardless of subject matter. 

o--The user can access information through any of 27 topic areas that range
from biological and chemical defense to crime mapping to school safety. This
option provides the user with appropriate records from each category. Thus,
with one search, a user might find publications, services, and potential sources
of funding relating to electronic crime. 

o--The user can type in a keyword. Again, this option provides the user with
appropriate records from each of the information categories. To access
JUSTNET, the redesigned National Law Enforcement and Corrections
Technology Center system's website, log on to www.justnet.org. 

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

Surfing Lessons 

Students taking the course Information Age Technologies and the Justice
System at Fort Hays State University learn to find information on the Internet
and navigate the JUSTNET website. However, many law enforcement and
corrections professionals, particularly those who entered the field before the
advent of the Internet, may have difficulty locating information online. That's
where Jack Harne and Michael DeChene, information specialists with the
National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) in
Rockville, Maryland, come in. 

"Almost every day our center takes a multitude of questions through phone calls
and e-mail requests," Harne says. "These folks could probably answer most of
their questions themselves if they knew more about our website and the
Internet. I love talking to people, but basically I just walk many of them through
JUSTNET. I find that once I get them oriented, they're on it all the time. 

"I was a correctional practitioner before we had the Internet," Harne says. "If I
needed to check on a product, I had to call manufacturers and vendors and ask
them to come and give presentations. The Internet makes this process so much
more cost effective and time saving. The Internet really can make things simpler
if you know how to use it." 

Harne and DeChene realized, however, that walking people individually
through the site was helping only one person at a time. They needed to orient a
number of law enforcement and correctional officers and administrators to the
website who in turn could train others in their departments and agencies. 

Harne and DeChene have put together a train-the-trainer class, in which they
can teach up to 15 individuals how to navigate the Internet and use JUSTNET.
These individuals then can pass on the information they learn to their
coworkers. 

The 8-hour class is conducted in a computer lab. Harne and DeChene use a
software program to present information; they also give their students hands-on
exercises and individual attention. They start with an overview of the Internet
and its history, then discuss its different capabilities and how to use them
efficiently. They also cover the use of search engines and provide suggested
terms and phrases for conducting information searches. The training concludes
with information on the NLECTC system and its JUSTNET website.
Participants receive an outline, a diskette of "bookmarks" of more than 600
criminal justice-related websites, and some sample publications to use in their
own training sessions. 

Course content is based on frequently asked questions, as well as on research
and Harne's and DeChene's own use of the site. Links on the bookmarks
diskette include information on such subjects as grant funding, forensic sciences,
manufacturers and products, security threat groups and gangs, and colleges and
universities that promote continuing education. Harne and DeChene will make
changes to the curriculum as needed based on participant feedback. They hope
to receive accreditation for the course, which can be presented as either a
half-day or full-day session, so that it qualifies for continuing education credits.

Several jurisdictions in metropolitan Washington, D.C., already have
participated in the class, and Harne has visited others to promote it. The class
can be offered onsite if the department has access to a computer lab, or
students can be sent to NLECTC for instruction. Plans call to expand the
train-the-trainer program so it will be available at the other NLECTC system
facilities and to add a self-training module on the website. 

Anyone interested in setting up a train-the-trainer session should contact Jack
Harne at NLECTC-National, 800-248-2742, or e-mail asknlectc@nlectc.org.

NLECTC-Rocky Mountain in Denver also offers a class for criminal justice
practitioners called Internet Resources for Criminal Justice. The class teaches
law enforcement and corrections personnel (not trainers) how to use the
Internet. The class includes a brief history of the Internet, an introduction to
searching, hands-on exercises, and extensive exploration of several criminal
justice websites. For those who cannot travel to Denver to attend a class, a
diskette with its website bookmarks is available at no charge. 

For more information, contact Joe Russo, corrections specialist, at
800-416-8086, or e-mail jrusso@du.edu. (An indepth article on this class,
"Where Users Aren't Losers," appeared in the Summer 1999 issue of
TechBeat. Call 800-248-2742 to receive a copy. Or, access the article online
through the JUSTNET website at www.justnet.org.) 

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

Funding Resources 
Office of Justice Programs and the Office of Community Oriented Policing
Services 

Since 1984, the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) has provided Federal
leadership in developing the Nation's capacity to control crime and the criminal
justice system. Along with that leadership, OJP supplies funding to States and
agencies through formula and discretionary (competitive) grants. 

Most OJP formula grant programs provide funding to State agencies, which
may, in turn,
subgrant funds to support relevant projects of local governments and private
agencies. OJP has created an online resource that lists contacts for every State.
To find your contact, go to the State Administering Agencies page
(www.ojp.usdoj.gov/state.htm) on the OJP website and click your State on the
map. Your browser will jump to a list of people you can contact in order to
learn about funding from OJP agencies. 

Other OJP funds are awarded through a competitive process in response to
general and targeted solicitations. OJP solicitations call for research proposals
ranging from advancing the use of forensic DNA to spatial data analysis to
preventing the abduction and sexual exploitation of children. To view the
current open solicitations, see Funding Opportunities at OJP at
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/fundopps.htm. 

OJP includes the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the Bureau of Justice
Assistance (BJA), the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), and the Office for Victims of
Crime (OVC). In addition, its Special Program Offices include the Office for
Domestic Preparedness (ODP), the American Indian and Alaska Native
(AI/AN) Affairs Desk, the Violence Against Women Office (VAWO), the
Corrections Program Office (CPO), the Drug Court Program Office (DCPO),
the Executive Office for Weed and Seed, and the Office of the Police Corps &
Law Enforcement Education. 

Discretionary Grants 
Discretionary grants are awarded on a competitive basis to public and private
agencies and private nonprofit organizations. The Office of Community
Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and OJP offer the following grant
programs: 

o--Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program. Established in 1998 and
administered by BJA, this program provides funding assistance to State, local,
and tribal governments for the purchase of body armor. BJA will match up to
50 percent of the cost of the armor, including the cost of shipping and taxes.
Vests must meet NIJ Standard-0101.04 requirements. For more information,
see www.vests.ojp.gov or contact the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
Response Center at 800-421-6770. 

o--Convicted Offender DNA Backlog Reduction Program. Administered by
NIJ, this program assists States that have a backlog of convicted offender
samples for DNA profiling. Funding is provided to perform rapid DNA testing
on unanalyzed samples so they can be uploaded into the National DNA Index
System (NDIS) through the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). For
more information, contact the DOJ Response Center at 800-421-6770. 

o--Crime Laboratory Improvement Program. Administered by NIJ, this
program helps State and local crime laboratories improve and expand their
analysis capabilities and capacities in all forensic disciplines. For more
information, contact the DOJ Response Center at 800-421-6770. 

o--Crime Mapping Research Fellowship Program. NIJ supports
demonstrations in crime mapping for law enforcement personnel and provides
crime mapping software that is compatible with most mapping programs. NIJ's
crime mapping research program serves as a clearinghouse for crime mapping
research and development in the United States. It coordinates its efforts with
the Crime Mapping Technology Center at the National Law Enforcement and
Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC)-Rocky Mountain. Funding is
available for both research and training. For more information, contact NIJ at
202- 514-3431 or cmrc@ojp.usdoj.gov, or visit NIJ's crime mapping website
at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/cmrc. 

o--Forensic DNA 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 1999-2003 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 DNA test kits for laboratory use;
developing standard materials for population databases; and developing
innovative technologies and markers to enhance the value of DNA evidence for
the criminal justice system. 

o--Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program. Administered by DCPO, this
program provides financial and technical assistance to States and localities to
develop and implement drug courts that use a mix of treatment, testing,
incentives, and sanctions to remove nonviolent offenders from the cycle of
substance abuse and crime. Grant recipients can use funds to support the
development of information management systems and accompanying software.
Data sharing among drug courts is a primary focus of the program. For more
information, contact DCPO at 202-616-5001 or visit the DCPO website at
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/dcpo. 

o--Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance
Discretionary Grants. These grants, provided through BJA, are awarded to
State and local law enforcement and private entities for crime control and
violence prevention projects. The program focuses 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. For more information, contact
BJA at 202-514-6638 or access the BJA website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA.

o--Grants To Encourage Arrest Policies. These grants, provided through
VAWO, encourage States and localities to increase law enforcement attention
to domestic abuse. They can support development of integrated computer
tracking systems and provide training for police to improve tracking of domestic
violence cases. For more information, contact the Violence Against Women
Office, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, at
202-307-6026 or visit the VAWO website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo. 

o--Innovative Community Policing Grants. Administered by the COPS Office,
these grants help State and local law enforcement develop community policing
infrastructures. The funds can be used to purchase technology and equipment,
statistical and crime mapping software, and training services. Grants can be
used to help law enforcement agencies overcome organizational obstacles and
to establish demonstration centers that model current community policing
methods. For more information, contact the DOJ Response Center at
800-421-6770 or visit the COPS website at www.usdoj.gov/cops. 

o--Making Officer Redeployment Effective (MORE) Grants. These grants,
provided through COPS, are awarded to help increase the deployment of law
enforcement officers. The grants help local law enforcement agencies buy
equipment and technology that will expand available officer time and police
resources without hiring new officers. The grants cover 75 percent of the cost
of equipment and technology, with a 25-percent local match. For more
information, contact the DOJ Response Center at 800-421-6770 or visit the
COPS website at www.usdoj.gov/cops. 

o--National Criminal History Improvement Program. NCHIP, administered 
by BJS, helps States upgrade the quality and completeness of criminal records 
and provides increased compatibility with, and access to, national crime
information databases. A priority is to ensure that State criminal history records
are complete and ready for access through the National Instant Criminal
Background Check System. NCHIP funding also supports the Firearms Inquiry
Statistics Program and the National Sex Offender Registry Assistance Program.
For more information, contact the BJS Clearinghouse at 800-732-3277 or visit
the BJS website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs. 

o--National Incident-Based Reporting System Implementation Program.
NIBRS represents the next generation of crime data from Federal, State, and
local law enforcement agencies and is designed to replace the Uniform Crime
Reporting program initiated by the FBI in 1930. BJS and the FBI are
developing the new system to encourage the presentation of higher quality data
on a wider variety of crimes. BJS funds the operation of a dedicated website
and the formulation of model analytic strategies. For more information, contact
the BJS Clearinghouse at 800-732-3277 or visit the BJS website at
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs. 

o--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. For
more information, contact the DOJ Response Center at 800-421-6770, or visit
NIJ's website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij, or NLECTC's website at
www.justnet.org. 

o--State Justice Statistics Program for Statistical Analysis Centers.
Administered by BJS, this program awards grants to State statistical analysis
centers to collect data and conduct research and analysis that can help the State
and the Nation. Grants are awarded for technology-based research focusing on
the analysis and use of machine-readable criminal history record data to track
case-processing decisions, evaluation of record systems management, or
studies related to the use of records to limit or control firearms acquisition by
ineligible individuals. For more information, contact the BJS Clearinghouse at
800-732-3277 or visit the BJS website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs. 

o--Violence Against Women Discretionary Grants for Indian Tribal
Governments. Provided through VAWO, these grants serve as a complement
to the formula grants program. The grants are designed to help tribal
governments develop and strengthen effective law enforcement and prosecution
strategies to combat violent crimes against women and for victim services in
cases involving crimes against women. For example, this funding could be used
to create an automated communication system to connect tribal courts, police
officers, and victim service providers. For more information, contact the
Violence Against Women Office at 202-307-6026 or access the VAWO
website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo. 

Formula Grants
Formula grants are awarded to State and local governments based on a
predetermined formula that depends 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 as subgrants. Many
of OJP's formula grants have technology-related components, including the
following: 

o--Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance
Formula Grant Program. This program provides funds to help States and local
governments control and prevent drug abuse, crime, and violence and to help
improve the criminal justice system. Byrne funds are awarded for projects 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 more
information, contact BJA at 202-514-6638 or visit the BJA website at
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA. 

o--Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grants (JAIBG) Program. Created
in fiscal year 1998 and administered by OJJDP, the JAIBG program
encourages accountability-based reforms to State and local juvenile justice
systems. Funds are awarded to States based on their juvenile population. Local
government units receive 75 percent of the amount awarded to States based on
a combination of law enforcement expenditures and the FBI's Uniform Crime
Report data on Part 1 violent crimes, unless the State can demonstrate that it
bears the primary financial burden for juvenile justice in the State. Funds may
be used for 12 purposes, including information sharing. For more information,
call 202-307-5924 or visit the JAIBG website at www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/jaibg. 

o--Juvenile Justice Formula Grants Program. This program provides grants to
States to assist State and local jurisdictions in preventing and treating
delinquency and in improving their juvenile justice systems. Each State and
territory must develop and implement a comprehensive juvenile justice plan that
sets priorities for the expenditure of OJJDP formula grant funds. For more
information, visit OJJDP's website at www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/grants/grants.html. 

o--Local Law Enforcement Block Grants (LLEBG) Program. This program
awards block grants to local government units to reduce crime and enhance
public safety. Grants must be used for one or more specified purposes,
including hiring law enforcement personnel, purchasing law enforcement
equipment, enhancing school security, establishing or operating drug courts,
adjudicating violent offenders, operating multijurisdictional task forces, and
implementing crime prevention programs. LLEBG's technical assistance and
training allocation supports investigative personnel in using surveillance
equipment and information systems applications, and provides for technology
training. For more information, call the DOJ Response Center at
800-421-6770 or visit the BJA website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA. 

o--State Domestic Preparedness Equipment Support Program. Administered
by ODP, this program provides formula grants to the 50 States, the District of
Columbia, and U.S. Territories. These grants help State and local agencies plan
for and execute a comprehensive threat and needs assessment. This needs
assessment will help agencies develop 3-year plans to enhance first-responder
capabilities and acquire specialized equipment. For more information, contact
OJP at 202-305-9887. 

o--STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grants Program. This program
was established to create a strategy that integrates all elements of the criminal
justice system to respond to violent crimes against women. The program's
broad purposes include training for law enforcement and developing and
implementing services to address violent crimes against women effectively. For
more information, contact the Violence Against Women Office at
202-307-6026 or visit the VAWO website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo. 

o--Victims of Crime Act Victim Assistance. This program awards formula
grants for automated victim notification systems that connect with local, State,
and national criminal justice information systems. These systems provide
information to law enforcement and corrections agencies and victims about
case-related events: arrests, hearings, dispositions, and releases. For more
information, visit the OVC website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/fund. 

o--Violent Offender Incarceration/Truth-in-Sentencing (VOI/TIS) Incentive
Grants Program. This program awards grants to help States build, renovate,
expand, or "harden" correctional facilities for adult or juvenile offenders. These
funds also can be used for the addition or improvement of surveillance, locating
and tracking, or contraband detection technologies. The VOI grant program is
administered on a three-tiered formula basis. TIS awards are distributed as an
incentive to States to enact sentencing reforms and ensure that violent offenders
serve at least 85 percent of their sentences. For more information, contact
CPO at 800-848-6325, visit the CPO website at www.ojp. usdoj.gov/cpo, or
e-mail askcpo@ojp.usdoj.gov. 

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

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. 

Contact NLECTC for:

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. 

Training Assistance/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
newsletter. 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 
800-248-2742 
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)
1908 North Main Street 
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 

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

Recent 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, NIJ Guide 100-01.
This guide responds to questions about the selection and use of body armor for
law enforcement. 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. 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. 

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. 

Equipment Performance Report: 2001 Patrol Vehicle Tires. This report
presents the complete results of NIJ's 2001 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. 

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. 

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

TechShorts

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. 

Veiled Messages of Terror May Lurk in Cyberspace 
New York Times 
Digital photos and music files can be altered to contain messages, a process
known as steganography. A new emphasis has been placed on steganography
in the wake of the terrorist attacks, particularly a recent revelation that terrorists
used this method to plan a foiled attempt to destroy the U.S. embassy in Paris.
"In the past 2 years, the number of steganography tools available over the
Internet has doubled-it's 140 and growing," George Mason University's Dr.
Neil F. Johnson reports. In fact, the potential for steganography's use as a
terrorist tool has become so great that Dr. Johnson has stopped publishing
research on detection techniques, fearing that criminals may use this knowledge
to better hide their messages. It is particularly hard to detect steganography in
JPEG files, one of the most frequently used image formats, because although
detection tools look for statistical evidence of distortion, JPEG files are by their
very nature distorted, according to Dr. Jessica Fridrich at the State University
of New York's Center for Intelligent Systems. 

Telemedicine Expanding in Ohio Prison System
Associated Press
The Ohio State prison system's use of telemedicine consultations through
television monitors and computer networking has increased from 129 episodes
in 1995 to 5,500 consultations in 2000. The system is used when it is
determined that an inmate needs a specialist from Ohio State University (OSU),
who can decide whether the prisoner needs to be examined in person.
According to Dr. Hagop Mekhjian, director of the OSU Medical Center, the
State Department of Rehabilitation and Correction has probably saved millions
of dollars in transportation costs and overtime labor. However, the savings are
scattered across the system, so State officials say they are not sure of the exact
amount. The program also reduces the security risk of transporting inmates to
and from prisons. Jana Schroeder, director of the Ohio Criminal Justice
Program with the American Friends Service Committee, says the advocacy
group is making sure the system is not abused, either through overuse to save
money or by denying inmates adequate medical care. 

Climbing Inside the Criminal Mind: The Brain Scientist 
Time 
As he was working on technology to help vocally paralyzed individuals speak,
Lawrence Farwell stumbled onto a collection of signals warehoused in the
brain. Assuming he could find a practical use for the information, Farwell
developed a new forensic technology he calls brain fingerprinting. A
sensor-filled headband is fitted to a suspect's head and a series of pictures are
flashed on a screen. Familiarity with the stimulus will trigger an involuntary
response from the subject, beginning between 300 and 800 milliseconds after
the picture is shown. The reaction interprets the real connection between the
suspect and the stimulus-be it a phone number or a coded terrorist
message-and with additional technologies he has already patented, it becomes a
polygraph of sorts. Farwell's research has been funded by more than $1 million
from the CIA, and, recently, a former FBI point man for biological and
chemical weapons has joined his firm. 

Sensor Can Tell If Driver Is Drunk 
Dallas Morning News 
Civil engineers at the University of Texas at Arlington designed a dashboard
sensor able to detect when someone is drinking and possibly alert law
enforcement if the driver is drunk. The technology is part of an effort to make
officers more efficient in catching drunk drivers, rather than police stopping
potential violators based on visual evaluations. The new device works by the
sensor detecting certain concentrations of fumes, specifically those emitted from
someone above the .08 legal blood-alcohol content. Equipping cars with the
device may prove sticky, some observers say, but others contend such
technology could be used by fleet operators to track employees. 

DNA Sanction Against Leading a Life of Crime
Coventry Evening Telegraph
British police at the Little Park Street station in Coventry are on a mission to
remind criminals that once arrested, their DNA will be sampled and stored in a
national database for life, thanks to advances in forensic technology. New
evidence has even been recovered from cold cases, as DNA can be identified
through a strand of hair or even a drop of sweat found at the crime scene. The
DNA is then cataloged into the database and run against evidence recovered
from crime scenes and victims nationwide. Recently, a man arrested for a crime
in another region of the country was DNA-matched against a rape he
committed 3 years prior and from which he walked away. In another case, the
freshly polished shoes of a man suspected of murdering his girlfriend 5 years
ago were DNA tested and found to have drops of the victim's blood preserved
under the polish. To get their point across, Little Park Street police officers
have been handing out postcards to newly freed prisoners, reminding them,
"Don't get nicked again," because their DNA will forever be on file. 

Big Alternators Help Police 
Design News 
Many police cars are now being fitted with mobile data terminals, radio
communication and navigation systems, on-dash video systems, sirens, flashing
lights, and other power-consuming features. In turn, car makers are ensuring
that new cars feature fully integrated electronics systems, which can prevent a
car from stalling due to excessive electric demands. GMC, for instance, has
unveiled a line of police vehicles that feature a large, 125w CS125/7 alternator
from Bosch Automotive. Ford, meanwhile, has equipped its police version of
the Crown Victoria with 135-amp alternators from Visteon. Even though the
current alternators are able to handle the electric load, future technologies may
need higher capacity systems. 

Want a Car Stolen? Dumping It in Mexico Isn't So Easy Anymore
Associated Press
If the U.S. economic downturn continues, law enforcement investigators expect
so-called "owner give-up" cases to increase. In an owner give-up, the owner of
a vehicle will purposely abandon it to collect the insurance payment. Mexico is
a favored locale for people hoping that their vehicles will never be recovered.
According to experts, owner give-up cases are an especially big problem in
Southern California, due to its close proximity to the Mexican border.
Investigators become suspicious if they recover a vehicle reported to be stolen
and find no harm to the ignition or other damage from forced entry. However,
this does not constitute sufficient proof. To assist their searches, investigators
began accessing data collected by the U.S. Customs Service's digital
license-plate readers. The readers are placed at 9 of the 34 border checkpoints
and record the time at which a vehicle enters Mexico. 

Use of Barcodes To Track Evidence Eases Police Work 
Kansas City Star 
Law enforcement offices in the Kansas City area and across the United
States are beginning to integrate a system used by supermarkets to monitor
evidence coming into property rooms. The Independence Police Department
previously employed a method to track evidence that involved paperwork and
shelf assignments, but now it employs a computer-based system that assigns
barcodes to pieces of evidence. The new system allows for less paperwork and
more rapid inventories, thanks to the scanning technology and computer.
According to Joe Latta of the International Association for Property and
Evidence, barcoding devices have existed for three decades but are new to law
enforcement. Latta reports that more attention has gone to improving property
rooms lately because of a growing trend of stolen property. Barcode systems
help agencies like the Overland Park Police Department monitor officer
equipment. Independence and Kansas City use barcode systems to keep track
of large amounts of evidence so they can track evidence and make informed
decisions about which items to remove at what times. 

Government Authorities Got Your Number 
Financial Times 
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) hopes to have E911
technology, which is able to determine the position of cell-phone users within
30 meters of their location, in the hands of 95 percent
of subscribers by 2005. The current systems used to locate cell-phone users
are triangulation between mobile phone bases, which can locate users only
within a few hundred meters in cities and several miles in rural areas, and global
positioning systems, which use satellites and have trouble in cities and inside
buildings. Law enforcement agencies are interested more than ever in easier
and quicker ways to locate and track people who may be conducting criminal
or terrorist activities. Criminals can avoid detection by swapping prepaid cell
phones, by not using suspicious keywords in Internet communications that
would be detected by the FBI's Carnivore program, and by using software to
encrypt electronic messages. However, criminals would be hard pressed to
avoid a system of closed circuit television cameras linked to a database
equipped with facial pattern recognition technology. 

It's the Cars, Not the Tires, That Squeal
New York Times
With new technology that is able to record information in a car-similar to a
"black box" on an airplane-being placed in vehicles from Honda, General
Motors, and Ford, privacy advocates are beginning to worry that personal
information could be sold or end up in the wrong hands. The automakers insist
they put these event data recorders in vehicles only to determine how a car's
safety features performed during car accidents, not as a device to be used
during criminal or civil court cases involving auto accidents. 

Police Can E-Mail Fingerprints
Wisconsin State Journal
With a $29,133 U.S. Department of Justice grant, the Beloit Police
Department in Wisconsin recently implemented a digital system that scans
fingerprints and saves time by sending them through e-mail. The system's
creator says hundreds of thousands of fingerprints can be stored on the system.
According to Police Chief Richard Thomas, Beloit is the first department to
install e-mail technology, although about 120 law enforcement agencies in the
State have similar digital scanning systems. 

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

Hair Today Con Tomorrow 
The same technology that brings you decaffeinated coffee after your evening
meal may soon help investigators identify criminals from hair left behind at crime
scenes. A study under way at the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) uses an adaptation of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE)-a
procedure like that used to decaffeinate coffee-to create chemical profiles of
hair samples. 

The technique, developed by NIST research chemist Bruce Benner in 1993,
uses SFE connected to gas chromatography and mass spectrometry equipment
similar to that already in place in crime labs to identify the chemical components
of hair samples. The resulting chemical profile includes applied substances like
shampoo and conditioners, as well as naturally occurring substances such as
cholesterol. 

"Our main goal in the development of this method has been to provide
additional data from trace evidence hair analysis that could help guide a criminal
investigation," Benner says. "For example, the method could possibly distinguish
hair of the victim from that of the alleged perpetrator and help reduce the
number of suspects from comparisons of the trace evidence obtained at the
crime scene with that obtained from suspects." 

Using this technique, researchers can derive a chemical profile from samples as
small as one to two segments of hair about 1.5 centimeters (less than 5/8 of an
inch) in length. In the first portion of the study, conducted in 1999, hair samples
were collected from 20 people and consistent chemical profiles developed for
each individual. Information on this study can be found in Trace Evidence
Analysis of Human Hair by On-Line Super critical Fluid Extraction-Gas
Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry: A Feasibility Study, NIJ Report 600-99.
(The National Institute of Justice provided funding for the study.) 

John Goodpaster, a National Research Council postdoctoral research
associate, is currently working full-time on the second stage of the project. In
this stage, which will run through 2002, hair samples from an additional 60 to
100 persons will be analyzed to determine the extent to which the chemical
profile resembles a fingerprint in its uniqueness. Sometime thereafter, the
researchers hope to publish a peer-reviewed journal article on the technique. 

"Depending on the results and the utility of the method for human
identification, we would like to transfer the method to the FBI and other
forensic research laboratories for them to apply it to known hair samples in their
archives," Benner says, cautioning that this process could take several years.
"We are encouraged from the preliminary study. Our method for characterizing
the surface components of small hair samples may provide complementary
information to that obtained through traditional microscopic examination of
samples collected at a crime scene." 

For more information about trace evidence hair analysis, contact Michael
Newman, National Institute of Standards and Technology Public Affairs and
Business Division, 301-975-3025, or e-mail michael.newman@nist. gov. To
order the publication Trace Evidence Analysis of Human Hair by On-Line
Supercritical Fluid Extraction-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry: A
Feasibility Study, NIJ Report 600-99, contact the National Criminal Justice
Reference Service at 800-851-3420.  

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

POC Update

The point of contact for the article "Fuginet'ing Parole Violators" that appeared
in the Winter 2002 edition of TechBeat has been updated. For more
information about the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's (TDCJ) Fuginet
Program, contact the TDCJ Office of the Inspector General, 936 437 5652,
or e-mail fuginet@tdcj.state.tx.us.

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Look for Us At

May 5-9, 2002
Mock Prison Riot
Former West Virginia Penitentiary
Moundsville, West Virginia

May 6-8, 2002
National Institute of Justice 4th Annual Technologies for Public Safety in
Critical Incident Response Conference
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Booth #100

June 22-26, 2002
National Sheriffs' Association 2002 Annual Conference and Exhibition
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Booth #302-304

August 3 8, 2002
American Correctional Association 
132nd Congress of Correction
Anaheim, California
Booth #784-790

August 25 28, 2002
American Probation and Parole Association 
27th Annual Training Institute
Denver, Colorado
(Booth # to be assigned)

October 5 9, 2002
109th Annual International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference: 
Law Enforcement Education and Technology Exposition
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Booth # 2617

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The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center is
supported by Cooperative Agreement #96-MU-MU-K011 awarded by the
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Points of view or opinions contained within this document are those of the
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