Title: TechBeat Winter 2001 Series: N/A Author: National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center Published: January 2001 Subject: Technology in Law Enforcement pages: 12 bytes: 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. ---------------------------- TechBeat Winter 2001 Dedicated to Reporting Developments in Technology for Law Enforcement, Corrections, and Forensic Sciences National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center ---------------------------- Thermal Imaging Turns Up the Heat It had become a typical unsupervised teenage party: loud music, late hours, and neighbor complaints. As police arrived, six teenagers ran into the nearby woods, tossing away beer bottles, hats, and jackets. Several loose cigarettes bounced out of one teenager's shirt pocket as he ran. One of the responding officers was Chief Charles Fannon of the Wasilla, Alaska, Police Department. That night, however, Fannon was carrying a device--a thermal imager that let him "see" in the dark. When viewed through the thermal imager, the cigarettes that had fallen from the fleeing teenager's pocket acted just like a trail of breadcrumbs. "They looked like little glow sticks in the dark," says Fannon, who apprehended the teenager by following the half-mile-long cigarette trail. What is thermal imaging? Unlike devices that amplify available or ambient light, thermal vision or imaging devices "see" what essentially are differences in temperature--differences as small as 1 degree. The image of the "hotter" object stands out from other "cooler" objects or surroundings. "Thermal imaging shows the location of anything that retains heat, like people, car tires, engines, or evidence thrown aside in a pursuit," Fannon says. "If it's 38 below and a moose walks through town, we can find the heat signature in the snow 2 hours later." To evaluate the usefulness of thermal imaging devices to law enforcement, The Raytheon Corporation, through the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), provided 51 thermal imagers to 13 agencies with the only requirement that each agency participate in an NIJ study conducted by St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. The study encompassed a two-pronged effort. Raytheon first documented the time it took to deliver the devices and train the operators and then determined how long it took the agencies to begin using them effectively. In the second part of the study, the university evaluated the technology's effectiveness. Of the participating agencies, the Dallas County, Texas, Sheriff's Department used its thermal imaging devices to serve warrants; the Grayson County, Texas, Sheriff's Department used its devices for water rescues, marine and resort area surveillance, and counterdrug operations; and the Texas Rangers planned to use their devices at murder scene investigations and during manhunts. In Plano, Texas, officers used thermal imaging to assist the fire department. "We could see right through the smoke, to pinpoint the most intense part of the fire so the fire department could attack that first," says Det. Larry Wilson, who heads up his department's thermal imaging project. "In the aftermath," he says, "we used the devices to prevent flareups by finding the hot spots so the firefighters could saturate those areas." Also in Plano, patrol officers routinely used a thermal imager to scan for vagrants at a city-run day-labor site, which consists of a building surrounded by a large open area. During one pass, however, an officer instead spotted a hot spot in the wall of the building that measured at least 6 feet in diameter. Although there was no visible smoke, there was fire. Because the fire was detected early, only a 20-foot section of wall was damaged and the building was saved. Fires were not the only place thermal imaging showed up in Plano. Police also began using thermal imaging at accident scenes. In one incident involving street racing, one car went over a bridge and into the river below. Officers used a thermal imager to be sure there were no victims other than the driver and to find the heat signature of the tire marks. "Antilock brake systems don't leave rubber, but you'll still have the heat transfer," Wilson says. "We needed to know when the driver initially hit the brakes so we could determine the speed of the car. In this case, the imager showed us an additional 46 « feet of skid marks that couldn't be seen with the naked eye." "In another case," Wilson says, "we had a cement truck lock up the brakes at an intersection, run a red light, and hit a car. It was a heavily traveled intersection, so the imager showed us which skid marks belonged to the accident. It also showed us we were short a few marks, which indicated that we needed to check the brakes. It turned out they were faulty, which was a huge contributing factor in the accident." But effective as thermal vision is, its cost is a distinct disadvantage. Estimates per unit run from $10,000 to $20,000, putting it out of reach for most departments. However, there is help available for acquiring thermal imaging. One such program comes through the Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP's) Technology Transfer Program, administered by ONDCP's Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center (CTAC). Known for its ability to put new technology into the hands of law enforcement with a minimum of red tape, this program has supplied more than 600 thermal imaging systems to agencies throughout the United States. One of CTAC's requirements, however, is that the recipient agency use the technology in counterdrug activities. Funding is limited for this program. Another activity that provides for the introduction and demonstration of thermal imaging technology is facilitated through the Border Research and Technology Center, part of NIJ's National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) system, which puts thermal imaging technology into the hands of law enforcement agencies on a temporary basis for evaluation. This effort leverages a $79 million investment made by the U.S. Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to lower the cost of thermal imaging technology. It was through this initiative that the police department in Wasilla, Alaska, benefited. "We got involved because narcotics agents around the State wanted to find a way to track people in the dark without exposing themselves," Wasilla's Chief Fannon says. "I called NIJ's Border Research and Technology Center in San Diego and they told me about the program. My proposal was to test this kind of technology in a place that was very cold. It gets down to 40 below in the winter here. "The unit we were awarded is very high-end equipment. Technically it is very sophisticated, but it has been very, very maintenance free. We've not had one single problem with it, and for police equipment that's pretty unusual." Sgt. Timothy Asbury of the Benewah County Sheriff's Department near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, says his department's imager has been an enormous help in drug cases. "Benewah County is one of the State's most popular areas to grow dope," Asbury says. "We've used this to image houses to find the heat signature from grow lights and to image the path to a grow lab to be sure nobody is hiding in the woods waiting to ambush our officers." [See related article, "Thermal Imaging and 'The Fourth'," page 12.] Asbury adds, "We have a sheriff, assistant sheriff, and seven sworn officers covering 800 square miles. We would never have been able to buy one of these ourselves." Fannon agrees. "We would not have been able to afford something like this. If I hadn't found out about this through NIJ's Border Research and Technology Center, I would never have bought one myself." For more information about thermal imaging equipment and programs available to acquire it, contact the Border Research and Technology Center, 888-656-2782; Tom Coty at the National Institute of Justice, 202- 514-7683; or Jo Gann, program manager at the Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center, 202-395-6760. Equipment requests for the Counter-drug Technology Assessment Center should be directed to Maj. Laura Shnider at the U.S Army's Electronic Proving Ground, 877-374- 2822, or log on to www.epgctac.com. Information about thermal imaging, including standards, protocol, and training, can be found on the Law Enforcement Thermographer's Association's Web site at www.leta.org. Thermal Imaging and the 'Fourth' The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects "[t]he right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures . . . ." Thermal imaging technology is often used by law enforcement to discover "hot spots," or the heat created from the fluorescent lamps used to cultivate marijuana indoors. In these cases the results of the thermal scan help establish probable cause for a warrant to search the premises. However, defendants often move to suppress the seized evidence, claiming thermal images were obtained in violation of their Fourth Amendment rights. A number of U.S. Courts of Appeals, including the 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 11th Circuits, have held that use of a thermal imaging device on the exterior of a residence and outside the curtilage [the enclosed land surrounding a house or dwelling] does not amount to a search of that property. To date, the U.S. Supreme Court has not ruled on whether the use of thermal imaging scans on a residence constitutes a search, but it has recently granted review in the 9th Circuit case, United States v. Kyllo, 190 F.3d 1041 (9th Cir. 1999). Briefing is underway, and the case should be decided by July 2001. In the lower courts, the majority rationale is that a thermal imaging scan is not a search, either because the defendants do not possess a reasonable expectation of privacy in the heat escaping from their homes or the scans do not reveal the interior, or "intimate details," of the defendant's private life. However, the case law has caused some confusion over which legal reasoning to apply. Following are summaries of several key cases that held the use of thermal imaging devices by law enforcement to be constitutional and not a search within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment. United States v. Pinson, 24 F.3d 1056 (8th Cir. 1994): The 8th Circuit held that the police did not violate the Fourth Amendment when they used thermal imaging technology to detect marijuana cultivation without a search warrant. The 8th Circuit applied the "reasonable expectation of privacy test," concluding that even if a defendant had an actual or subjective expectation of privacy, society would not recognize it as reasonable. In addition, the court held that the thermal image scan did not reveal any of the intimate details of the home. United States v. Kyllo, 194 F.3d 1041 (9th Cir. 1999), cert. granted, 2000 WL 267066 (Sept. 26, 2000): [Note that the court withdrew an earlier opinion that held a Fourth Amendment violation existed; see Kyllo, 184 F.3d 1059 (9th Cir. 1998).] This particular case is well known and often cited by other courts for its discussion on the general theory of and uses for thermal imaging technology. In Kyllo, the 9th Circuit agreed with four other circuit courts and held that the use of a thermal imager to examine the exterior of a residence for evidence of an indoor marijuana grow did not violate the defendant's Fourth Amendment rights. After careful consideration of the facts, the court, citing Dow Chemical Co. v. United States, 476 U.S. 227, 238-39 (1986), found that the use of thermal imagery in Kyllo did not reveal intimate details of the residence's interior such that it would raise Fourth Amendment concerns. However, the court made a clear warning that thermal image technology might become so advanced in the future that its use might be considered a search. United States v. Depew, 210 F.3d 1061 (9th Cir. 2000): The defendant, Depew, appealed a lower court decision that held that the use of thermal imaging technology by police did not violate his Fourth Amendment right to expectation of privacy and thus did not require a search warrant for its use. In Depew, the court ruled that police use of the thermal imager showed a large amount of heat escaping from the chimney and vents of Depew's house. Even though the thermal imager picked up the exterior wall studs and cross beams, it did not reveal interior details of the home, such as interior walls, doors, personal activities, or objects. Thus, the court upheld the lower court's decision that the content of the thermal imager's scan did not in itself violate the defendant's Fourth Amendment right because it did not reveal interior details of the defendant's home. However, the case was remanded in part to determine the factual dispute as to whether the agents were within the constitutionally protected curtilage of the defendant's house when they used the thermal imager. If the officers were found to be within the curtilage, then evidence of the scan may not be considered in the determination of probable cause for the warrant. It was also determined that the lower court did not abuse its discretion for not authorizing an expert witness to testify at government expense on the capabilities of the thermal imager. United States v. Myers, 46 F.3d 668 (7th Cir. 1995): The 7th Circuit similarly held that police use of a thermal imager on the defendant's residence did not constitute a search for purposes of the Fourth Amendment. The court held that society would not recognize the defendant's expectation of privacy as reasonable. The court found that the defendant's privacy interests in the home were not threatened or damaged by the employment of a thermal imager. United States v. Ishmael, 48 F.3d 850 (5th Cir. 1995): The 5th Circuit determined that the crucial inquiry in search and seizure cases was whether the technology revealed "intimate details." This court found that warrantless use of a thermal imager did not violate the Fourth Amendment because it detected only heat. Intimate details were not ascertainable within the structure. This court similarly warned that as technology becomes more advanced, there will be a greater likelihood that its use will constitute a search in violation of the Fourth Amendment. Many courts remain undecided or have concluded that a thermal image scan is a search and requires a warrant to be performed legally. Some courts have stated their belief that as the technology becomes more advanced, it could allow law enforcement to reveal intimate detail. See Commonwealth v. Gindlesperger, 743 A.2d 898 (Pa. 1999), in which the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that warrantless use of the thermal imaging device constituted a search. Also see State v. Young, 867 P.2d 593 (Wash. 1994). Pending a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court, the safer course would be to obtain a warrant based on an affidavit that contains sufficient evidence to establish probable cause without the thermal imaging evidence. The thermal imaging information can be included in the warrant affidavit, but the United States would then be in a position to argue that the thermal imaging evidence, if eventually held to be the product of an illegal search, was not necessary to a determination of probable cause. ---------------------------- Technology for Corrections: California Style For many people the word "prison" conjures up images of stone walls and steel bars, of notorious public enemies portrayed in movies produced in black and white, of a foreboding place where not only the people but the facility remains locked in a time, removed from the current world and its advances in technology. But this is a sorely inaccurate view of prisons in the United Stated today in general and in California in particular, due in part to a successful 20-plus-year effort coming out of the State of California's Department of Corrections (CDoC), specifically its Technology Transfer Committee. What makes the CDoC's Technology Transfer Committee so successful, according to Executive Officer Larry Cothran, is that the committee works to bridge the gap between government and industry. While the committee does not fund technology development, it does test and evaluate it, working with developers along the way to ensure that each new technology meets the department's needs. "Each new technology is developed specifically for CDoC operations," Cothran says. "It isn't a case of science developing widgets that have no place in corrections or corrections dreaming up gadgets that are not scientifically feasible." Technology development, he says, happens in three phases. The first is what Cothran, who has an engineering background, calls his "by the book" criteria, meaning the technology must meet sound engineering principles. The next phase places the technology before the committee's corrections experts. If they find merit in the technology, it moves on to the CDoC director, who evaluates it on a political, legal, financial, and medical basis, gathering input from the divisions that will be using it. "The divisions have to tell us if the technology makes sense for them," Cothran says. "If it doesn't, we go back to the developer and have them change it to make it work better for us." "Another aspect of this program is that we go out to private industry with ideas," Cothran says. "I have a list of entrepreneurs who are experts in their fields. I can say we need a new weapons system and give them an idea of the direction I want. They will develop the technology on their dime, not ours. We test it, evaluate it, and if it works for us, they're guaranteed a market." Cothran notes that some projects take months, but most take years. CDoC employs very few technologies exactly as they were originally presented to its Technology Transfer Committee. Most need to be modified to fit the prison system's needs. The Technology Transfer Committee started with six voting members, most of whom were field wardens. Now, the committee numbers 35, yet still has a nucleus of 6 voting members. Its quarterly meetings are attended by representatives from other State prison systems, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Justice, and a variety of related State and Federal agencies. A major feature of the CDoC's technology development model is that its success is not limited to the confines of the State. The model can be utilized by any other corrections departments in the country. Cothran says that the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center- West, a program of the National Institute of Justice, is standing by to assist these agencies in emulating the CDoC's technology development model. For more information regarding current corrections technology assistance and future initiatives of the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center-West or regarding California's Department of Corrections Technology Transfer Committee, contact Larry Cothran at 888-548-1618. [Editor's Note: In addition to his work with the California Department of Corrections, Larry Cothran chairs the Regional Advisory Council for the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center-West and is involved with the center's Corrections Technology Committee.] California Successes One of the most populous States in the country, California also has one of the largest inmate populations--around 140,000 individuals on any given day. But it may not be too long before prison authorities will be able to know the precise location of every person in their facilities, whether inmate or correctional officer. A project of the California Department of Corrections (CDoC) Technology Transfer Committee, the technology making this tracking possible was originally envisioned as an officer duress signaling system. It has since evolved into what one corrections expert says will "revolutionize prisons forever." Electronic wrist monitors utilizing radio-frequency signals will allow prison officials to know the whereabouts of every single person in their facility, according to Larry Cothran, executive officer of the Technology Transfer Committee and chair of the Corrections Technology Committee of the National Institute of Justice's (NIJ's) National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center-West. If an inmate gets too close to a perimeter fence or to an inmate with whom he's prohibited to have contact, Cothran says, the wrist monitor will send a signal to a series of antennas which in turn feed the signal to a computer that analyzes and evaluates the information. If an inmate tries to damage the wrist monitor in any way or engages in behavior that is not allowed, or if there is a violation of any kind, an alarm will sound at both the central control and in the inmate's unit, resulting in almost immediate response. Personnel at the central control location will monitor the activities of each officer and each inmate simply by watching a wall-mounted electronic map of the entire prison. Each person will be represented by a light that moves as the person moves. Inmates will be represented by yellow lights; correctional officers by blue lights. The officers, however, will wear small pagers instead of wrist monitors. "This kind of technology will change the way prisons are run because it takes the manpower that is necessary to run a prison and makes it electronic," Cothran says. "It converts the information of a thousand eyes. It takes away all the guesswork of investigations. If inmate A is stabbed, we now can see exactly who was standing next to him at the time. Will it change almost every facet of prison life? I think so." Certainly enthusiastic about this new tracking technology, Cothran also says one of his favorite past projects involving the Technology Transfer Committee was the development in the early 1980s of an inmate telephone recording system. This technology, now used nationwide, can record inmate telephone conversations and search for and flag keywords that suggest illegal activity. For example, the California Department of Justice investigators use the recording system to coordinate and cross-reference telephone numbers and conversations with suspects outside the prison. But technology is never static. The recording system can now automatically disconnect the telephone line should one inmate try to call another. Another "first" for California's Department of Corrections, Cothran notes, was the development of the original electrified fence. This project now saves taxpayers millions of dollars annually in manpower costs. A current project of the CDoC's Technology Transfer Committee is a less-than-lethal water restraint system that operates like a fire hose. According to Cothran, more than 50 are being installed, mounted on the sides of buildings, and trained to shoot a spray of water laced with pepper spray over the heads of fighting inmates. "OC [pepper spray] is heavier than water and it becomes a mist that drops down on the inmates," he says. "We don't touch them. We don't hit them. We don't endanger any lives or body parts. We immerse them in a fog of irritant. It's stopped virtually 90 percent of the fights in the yards." Another device employing pepper spray was developed for cell extractions in which the inmate jams a mattress against the food port and refuses to come out. The apparatus is a long rod with handles on the side and a bottle of pepper spray on the end. The corrections officer puts the rod through the meal port, shoves the mattress aside, and fires a plume of pepper spray into the cell. "In 10 minutes they're begging to come out," Cothran says. But one of worst problems for corrections is the smuggling of contraband, Cothran adds. The CDoC addressed this issue by helping in the development of a system that uses backscatter x-ray to detect nonmetallic objects. More than 10 years in development, the system is now the cornerstone of all contraband detection, he says. By also employing metal detection capabilities and ion mobility spectrometry to find drugs, prison personnel can now detect virtually any type of contraband. The success of the system did not go unnoticed. NIJ is funding a project to combine metal, nonmetal, and drug detection technologies into a walk-through device. ---------------------------- Within Earshot Until recently, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department (LASD) had no idea how many incidents of actual gunfire occurred near its Century Station, one of the highest crime areas in Los Angeles County. Some were random shots fired into the air; others were drive-by shootings. Some were nothing more than firecrackers or backfiring cars. Either way, the majority went unreported. But a new technology may make this lack of reporting a thing of the past. Although still in the experimental phase, gunshot detection technologies are showing promise as a new way to detect and pinpoint the location of gunfire. Based on acoustic sensing technology, these location systems consist of sensors or microphones that detect the sound of gunfire, transmitters that send a "location message" to the dispatch center, and a computer that receives and displays the message. When the message arrives at the police station, the dispatcher can have a patrol unit respond to the call. LASD installed a trial system just days before the millennium New Year's Eve. The department inundated citizens with information, staging a press conference to brief everyone from the local weekly newspapers to the major television networks, national news agencies, and even the foreign media. Department officials made it clear that if a citizen fired a weapon, the system would detect it, and deputies would not hesitate to arrest the shooter. On December 31, 1999, in a brief 3-hour period, the Century Station system detected 1,100 incidents of gunfire. LASD Deputy Tom Fortier is heading up the department's testing of gunshot location technology. Thus far, Fortier deems it a success. "Before we put in this system, we had no idea how many incidents of gunfire were occurring in our area," he says. "What we've found out is that for every 10 activations, we might get 1 call [reporting shots fired]. We have a lot more shooting out there than we ever knew about." Gunshot location technology is based on the same premise as earthquake location technology, which uses triangulation to determine the time it takes sound or vibration to travel from a web of sensors to a certain location. With gunfire, these sensors, or microphones, are placed at the highest point of a pole or rooftop. When the system is activated, the microphones determine the direction from which the sound originated and communicate that information back to a computer at the dispatcher's location. The LASD system not only uses sensing technologies, it also incorporates mapping capabilities and an automatic notification system. This allows the dispatcher to manually highlight on a map the location of the gunfire and to instruct the computer to automatically telephone a message to residents in the area telling them of the shots-fired incident and asking them to call police if they have any information. Although none of these individual technologies is "new," the LASD system may represent the first time they have been merged into one device. Last April, LASD made its first arrest as a result of the gunshot location technology tests. Deputies arrived on the scene to find two men, one of whom admitted to firing a shot in the air. Deputies found a 9mm casing next to the man, who then consented to a search of his house. Inside, officers discovered a rifle and three handguns, one of which had been reported stolen. "One in custody and four guns off the street," Fortier says with satisfaction. "We like that." But Los Angeles County is not the only jurisdiction putting gunshot location technology to the test. SECURES (System for Effective Control of Urban Environment Security) has been in development since the mid-1990s. In 1996, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) funded the evaluation of a SECURES setup that had been installed in Dallas, Texas, in addition to a more limited study of gunshot location technology in Redwood City, California. In this study, conducted by the University of Cincinnati, researchers from the university's Center for Criminal Justice Research concluded that while gunshot location technology is promising, its advantages and disadvantages need to be carefully considered. Three potential uses of gunshot location technology are: Officer Response: Gunshot location systems have shown that most shots-fired incidents are not reported. (This was also seen in Dallas.) Of those that are, each citizen often claims the gunshot came from a different direction. Says Fortier, from LASD, "One person will say it's coming from the east. Another person will say it's coming from the west. That makes it almost impossible for us to locate." Officers at the Century Station have discovered that with the location system they can be dispatched, and in many cases on the scene, before a 911 call comes in, if it ever does. However, when researchers in Dallas compared response times between those that were citizen initiated and those that were technology initiated, they found little difference. Also to be considered is that departments may not have the resources in place to respond to a sudden influx of shots-fired calls. In addition, gunshot location systems cannot identify the seriousness of a particular situation, which may range from celebratory to serious. Problem Solving. Gunshot detection systems can be used with police data in mapping and crime analysis. They can help identify problem areas in a neighborhood and help crime analysts study the many dimensions of the problem by considering such factors as gun ownership or income level. Information taken from these systems also can help analysts determine the effectiveness of solutions. Crime Prevention. Deterrence is possible, according to the study, if department officials publicize the existence of locator systems and follow up with response and arrests. NIJ recently began funding a 12-month testing and evaluation project relating to SECURES in Austin, Texas. According to Chris Miles, program manager for the project, one goal of the study will be to make the tests statistically valuable. "In previous tests we got a sense of how the system did from the people who used it, but we didn't measure any real crime statistics," Miles says. "This time we have an entire year to work with NIJ's Office of Research and Evaluation. We'll look at things like, if crime went down, did it go down all over town or just in the neighborhood where the system was located? Did the system cause crime to go down, or did it happen for other reasons?" Unfortunately, the very nature of research and development is that nothing is ever perfect the first time. If it were, it probably would be by accident. This holds true with gunshot location technology. During its initial testing, SECURES failed to perform the triangulations. Since then, another company purchased the technology and has reworked it into a functioning, real-time, triangulating device. The LASD system has not been problem free either. Since the trial phase officially started in March 2000, the system has required almost daily adjusting. In addition, the telephone lines transmitting the information from the microphones to dispatch have gone down for as many as 5 days at a time. "Then all of a sudden they'll start working again . . . and nobody can tell us why," Fortier says. But rather than wait to put the perfect product into the hands of law enforcement, most inventors and manufacturers relish the chance to work directly with their intended customers. In this way they get direct feedback on how the device is working and can continuously tweak it to meet end-user needs. For more information about gunshot location technology initiatives being conducted by the National Institute of Justice, contact Chris Miles at 202- 616-1110 or milesc@ojp.usdoj.gov. ---------------------------- The Center System Created in 1994 as a component of the National Institute of Justice's (NIJ's) Office of Science and Technology, the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) system's goal, like that of NIJ, is to offer support, research findings, and technological expertise to help State and local law enforcement and corrections personnel do their jobs more safely and efficiently. NIJ's NLECTC system consists of facilities across the country that are colocated with an organization or agency that specializes in one or more specific areas of research and development. Although each NLECTC facility has a different technology focus, they work together to form a seamless web of support, providing technology assistance, support, and information. NLECTC-National 2277 Research Boulevard Rockville, MD 20850 Phone: 800-248-2742 Fax: 301-519-5149 E-mail: asknlectc@nlectc.org The National Center, located just 30 minutes north of Washington, D.C., is the hub of the NLECTC system. It provides information and referral services to anyone with a question about law enforcement and corrections equipment or technology. Its staff manage the voluntary equipment standards and testing program that tests and verifies the performance of body armor, metallic handcuffs, shotguns, and police vehicles and tires. This office produces consumer product lists of equipment that meets a specific set of performance standards and also operates JUSTNET (Justice Technology Information Network), an Internet World Wide Web site that provides links to the entire NLECTC system and other appropriate sites, as well as assistance to those seeking information about equipment, technology, or research findings. NLECTC-Northeast 26 Electronic Parkway Rome, NY 13441 Phone: 888-338-0584 Fax: 315-330-4315 E-mail: nlectc_ne@rl.af.mil NLECTC-Northeast is located at the Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome Research Site (formerly Rome Laboratory), on the grounds of the Griffiss Business and Technology Park. The center sponsors research and development efforts into technologies that address command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence. This center draws on the expertise of Air Force scientists and engineers in its development of technologies that can be used to detect weapons concealed on individuals, an effort that is expected to yield stationary equipment for use in buildings and handheld devices for field and patrol officers. Other areas of research and development include through-the-wall sensors, audio processing, image processing, timeline analysis, computer forensics, secure communications, and command/control. NLECTC-Southeast 5300 International Boulevard North Charleston, SC 29418 Phone: 800-292-4385 Fax: 843-760-4611 E-mail: nlectc-se@nlectc-se.org Two of the focus areas of NLECTC-Southeast are corrections technologies and surplus property acquisition and distribution for law enforcement and corrections. The center facilitates the acquisition and redistribution of Federal surplus/excess property to State and local law enforcement and corrections agencies. The equipment must be used for law enforcement purposes only. Utilizing the JUSTNET Web site, the center educates law enforcement and corrections professionals about Federal surplus and purchasing programs. The efforts of NLECTC-Southeast have resulted in agencies receiving equipment they would not ordinarily have access to or might not have been able to afford due to budgetary constraints. This facility also studies the needs of corrections agencies. It is guided in this mission by a committee of criminal justice, law enforcement, and corrections practitioners that identifies requirements and sets priorities for research and development. NLECTC-Southeast is allied with the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR). NLECTC-Southeast's other areas of focus include information management and technologies, simulation training, and designated special projects. NLECTC-Rocky Mountain 2050 East Iliff Avenue Denver, CO 80208 Phone: 800-416-8086 or 303-871-2522 in the Denver area Fax: 303-871-2500 E-mail: nlectc@du.edu Located at the University of Denver, NLECTC-Rocky Mountain focuses on communications interoperability and the difficulties that often occur when different agencies and jurisdictions try to communicate with one another. This facility works with law enforcement agencies, private industry, and national organizations to implement projects that will identify and field test new technologies to help solve the problem of interoperability. NLECTC-Rocky Mountain also houses the Crime Mapping and Analysis Program, which provides technical assistance and training to local and State agencies in the areas of crime and intelligence analysis and geographic information systems (GIS). The Rocky Mountain facility also conducts research into ballistics and weapons technology, as well as information systems. Sandia National Laboratories has been designated as a satellite of NLECTC-Rocky Mountain. The laboratory works in partnership with NLECTC-Rocky Mountain and focuses on technology for detecting and neutralizing explosive devices. NLECTC-West c/o The Aerospace Corporation 2350 East El Segundo Boulevard El Segundo, CA 90245-4691 Phone: 888-548-1618 Fax: 310-336-2227 E-mail: nlectc@law-west.org NLECTC-West is housed on the grounds of The Aerospace Corporation, a nonprofit corporation that provides technical oversight and engineering expertise to the Air Force and the U.S. Government on space technology and space security systems. NLECTC-West draws on The Aerospace Corporation's depth of knowledge and scientific expertise to offer law enforcement and corrections the ability to analyze and enhance audio, video, and photographic evidence. In cooperation with The Aerospace Corporation, this NLECTC facility also has available an extensive array of analytic instrumentation to aid in criminal investigations, such as a scanning electron microscope, an x-ray microscope, and a mass spectrometer, all of which are used to process trace evidence. Its other areas of expertise include computer architecture, data processing, communications systems, and identifying technologies to stop fleeing vehicles. Border Research and Technology Center (BRTC) 1010 Second Avenue, Suite 1920 San Diego, CA 92101-4912 Phone: 888-656-BRTC (2782) Fax: 888-660-BRTC (2782) E-mail: brtcchrisa@aol.com The Border Research and Technology Center works with the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the U.S. Border Patrol, the U.S. Customs Service, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California to develop strategies and technologies that will facilitate control of the Southwest border. One of its most recognized accomplishments has been the implementation of SENTRI (Secured Electronic Network for Travelers' Rapid Inspection). BRTC also works on joint ventures to identify technologies that will stop fleeing vehicles and is currently participating in a project to detect the heartbeats of people concealed in vehicles or other containers. Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES) 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8102 Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8102 Phone: 301-975-2757 Fax: 301-948-0978 E-mail: oles@nist.gov Supported by NIJ, the Office of Law Enforcement Standards applies science and technology to the needs of the criminal justice community. While its major objective is to develop minimum performance standards for equipment and technology, which NIJ promulgates as voluntary national standards, OLES also undertakes studies leading to the publication of technical reports and user guides. Its areas of research include clothing, communications systems, emergency equipment, investigative aids, protective equipment, security systems, vehicles, and weapons. It also develops measurement methods for analytical techniques and standard reference materials for forensic scientists and crime labs. Since the program began in 1971, OLES has coordinated the development of nearly 200 standards, user guides, and advisory reports. Housed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, OLES works closely with NLECTC-National to conduct tests and to guarantee the performance and quality of equipment used by police and corrections. Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization (OLETC) Wheeling Jesuit University 316 Washington Avenue Wheeling, WV 26003 Phone: 888-306-5382 Fax: 304-243-2131 E-mail: oletc@nttc.edu The Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization, a program of NIJ, is located at Wheeling Jesuit University. OLETC's mission is to work with industry, manufacturers, and laboratories to facilitate the commercialization of technologies for the law enforcement and corrections marketplace. OLETC provides special services and assistance to innovators, entrepreneurs, universities, Federal and other laboratories, and U.S. manufacturers nationwide in commercializing technologies that will enhance the effectiveness of law enforcement and corrections practitioners. A national partnership is being developed to provide a continual pipeline of innovative products, concepts, and value-added services that will expedite the commercialization of new products and services needed for State and local law enforcement and corrections communities. OLETC has directly assisted in commercializing several innovative products, including the RoadSpike, a novel vehicle-stopping device; Tiger Vision, a special low-cost, handheld night vision device; an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Training Kit; and the Counterpoint Stab and Slash Protective Vest. OLETC has identified more than 70 additional emerging technologies and concepts that are currently being evaluated for possible commercialization. National Center for Forensic Science University of Central Florida P.O. Box 162367 Orlando, FL 32816-2367 Phone: 407-823-6469 Fax: 407-823-3162 E-mail: natlctr@mail.ucf.edu The newest addition to the NLECTC system, this facility is housed in the University of Central Florida and initially will focus on arson and explosives research. Its mission is to conduct fundamental research into the basic nature of fire and explosion reactions, provide the support to develop standard protocols for analyzing arson and explosion debris, promote the use of electronic media to access and exchange information about the forensic sciences, and provide educational opportunities to practicing professionals and full-time students. This new facility will draw on the experience and expertise of the university, which houses a forensic science program with an active research program, as well as the Institute of Simulation and Training, which is currently exploring ways to simulate explosive reactions to study various chemical processes. ---------------------------- TechShorts TechShorts presents a sampling of article abstracts published weekly as part of the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center's (NLECTC's) online information service: the Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology News Summary. Offered through JUSTNET, the World Wide Web site 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, please e-mail your request to asknlectc@nlectc.org or call 800-248-2742. Please note that providing synopses of articles on law enforcement and corrections technology or the mention of specific manufacturers or products does not constitute the endorsement of the U.S. Department of Justice or NLECTC. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the NLECTC Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology News Summary should be cited as the source of the information. Copyright 2001, Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland. Where Dead Men Really Do Tell Tales Science The University of Tennessee, Knoxville's (UT's) Anthropological Research Facility teaches students how to determine the identity of individuals who experienced unexplained fatalities and reconstruct how they may have died. UT's William Vass, who began the program 19 years ago, employs two procedures for dating the corpses. The first follows the ratio of five fatty acids in a corpse, which can be sampled from any material surrounding the body. Vass explains that every day that goes by following death creates a one-of-a-kind profile of all the acids. Another method that studies the ratios of seven inorganic compounds that leach from bones into soil turned out to be an accurate marker after the flesh is gone, typically a few weeks after death. The techniques are starting to place criminals in jail. Vass says that in a recent Florida case, a prisoner boasted to his cellmate that he had kidnaped a woman leaving a convenience store prior to raping and murdering her. Although the cellmate informed the police, the prisoner later retracted the story. Local police found the prisoner's accomplice and sent Vass soil samples from numerous possible temporary gravesites listed by the accomplice, including one on property owned by the suspect's family. Vass determined, after analyzing the fatty acids and minerals, definite signs of the existence of a body in samples at all but one of the locations. While the woman was never found, the defense attorney convinced his client to take a plea bargain for life in prison instead of possibly facing the death penalty. New Foam Defeats Biological Weapons USA Today A new foam, similar to that used by firefighters, has been developed to neutralize the effects of chemical and biological agents such as sarin and anthrax. The foam, recently introduced by a government task force on bioterrorism, is designed to be used at emergency sites by first responders such as biohazard teams, paramedics, and bomb squads, but also will be beneficial in industrial accidents. The product will be on the market for $10 per gallon once a corporate partner can be found. Matching Shoeprints a Feat for Software Law Enforcement Technology The Shoeware Linking and Identification Program (S.L.I.P.) will provide detectives with a more efficient form of shoeprint analysis. S.L.I.P was created by print examiner Dwane Hilderbrand and Detective John Hummel, who is with the Scottsdale, Arizona, Police Department and also the owner of Mushroom Software. The original version of the program required detectives to enter a series of codes to access information regarding the prints. The new and updated version is easier to use. Shoeprints can be matched to those found at other crime scenes or to the brand of the shoe, but the process involves a series of steps. Too much information may narrow the search down to zero results, while not enough information will make the search too broad. Although the new program actually creates more work for detectives, it is a more accurate process [developers say] that is worth the additional time. One drawback to the program is that it requires constant updating of the system due to new releases in shoes. Until law enforcement officials are able to buy shoe sole information directly from the manufacturers, officials will have to continue photographing soles from shoe stores. Teaching How To Crack Serial Crimes Houston Chronicle Law enforcement officials from Canada and the United States recently announced the opening of the Geographic Profiling and Analysis Center at the University of Houston-Downtown, a program designed to train civilians and police officers in the tracking of serial killers. According to Bob Glazier, associate professor of criminal justice and director of the new center, this is the first university program in the world to offer certification in geographic profiling. Geographic profiling is a system based on research from the fields of criminal investigation, statistical analysis, mathematical modeling, forensic psychology, geography, and criminology. It uses a computer information management system to investigate sexual and serial violent crimes. Its methodology looks at an offender's style or method of searching for and selecting targets for assault and enables police officers to link crime sites in order to work out the most probable location of an offender's residence. The program, which is slated to start in the fall of 2001, will train law enforcement officials in the techniques of geographic profiling and will include courses on criminal profiling, advanced statistical principles, and serial and violent crimes. United States' First Hate Crimes Database Introduced in California Police HATE (Hate Crimes Analysis Tracking and Evaluation), the first hate crimes computer database in the United States, being developed by the California Department of Justice, will be used to help police in California find individuals who are motivated to commit crime based on gender, religion, race, nationality, disability, or sexual orientation. Police will use HATE to create suspect lineups from the database of mug shots, provide information on crimes and suspects, and enable law enforcement to keep up with the technology of hate organizations. Cats' DNA Can Get Claws Into Crime Washington (D.C.) Times The U.S. Department of Justice is requesting that people send it DNA samples from cats as part of a Federal program dedicated to combat crime. The 2-year National Feline Genetic Data Base project, which is receiving $265,000 from the Federal Government, aims to help determine the identity of a pet at a crime scene. Past cases have shown that animal DNA identified at crime scenes can help authorities locate criminals. Current methods allow police to determine the type and breed of animal, if not the specific pet, that has been in contact with criminals. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police recently found a suspect who was guilty of murder, supported by genetic evidence related to his cat's hair. Marilyn Menotti Raymond, the leader of the project, aims to acquire 50 different samples from each of the approximately 35 breeds of cat. Menotti Raymond, who works at the National Cancer Institute's Laboratory of Genomic Diversity, has received approximately 400 commitments from cat owners through shows and mailings. Around 200 samples have actually arrived. Veterinarians can take blood or saliva from a cat and send it to the agency. 'Smart Card' Plan Would Help ID Armed Officers at Airports USA Today The U.S. Secret Service recently created a "smart card" that could help identify law enforcement officers who need to fly on planes or enter Federal buildings while armed. The card was developed after a recent General Accounting Office (GAO) investigation revealed that investigators used bogus police identification and other phony documents to access secure areas of several airports, as well as to enter 19 government buildings basically unquestioned. The GAO investigation also resulted in the Federal Aviation Administration beefing up its requirements for allowing law enforcement officials to board planes while armed. The smart card would contain a microprocessor encoded with a digitized photo of the law enforcement agent, and personal identifying data such as height and weight. The card would then be run through a scanner, which the Secret Service says would operate much like an ATM. The cards would be nearly impossible to counterfeit, as the degree of encryption on their computer chips has never been breached. The U.S. Department of Justice says that the cards are among several security measures it is considering. ---------------------------- Angels of the Internet Law enforcement agencies frustrated by Internet crime scenes seemingly as large as the heavens, take note: An angel is on the way. A "Cyberangel," that is. Cyberangels, an all-volunteer nonprofit organization operated exclusively in cyberspace, offers around-the-clock, one-stop assistance with Internet investigation and education needs. Can't sort out where harassing e-mail messages are coming from? Unsure where to look for a child suspected of being abducted by an online chat partner? Cyberangels can and do. And they do it for free. According to Cyberangels executive director Parry Aftab, the group offers law enforcement the opportunity to "get real expertise when and where they need it at a moment's notice. We have multilingual capability, multicultural sensitivity, and technical expertise all over the world." Aftab estimates that each day Cyberangels reports 50 child pornography sites to authorities, provides assistance to more than 600 cyberstalking victims, and circulates within its executive levels 2,000 e-mail requests for help. The organization has worked with various national and international law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Customs Service, New Jersey State Police, New York Attorney General's Office, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Scotland Yard, and Tokyo Metropolitan Police. "There are certain groups that find good and bad [World Wide] Web sites, certain groups that deal with cyberstalkers, and certain groups that train law enforcement," says Aftab, who is also a lawyer who specializes in the Internet. "We're the only one that does it all, from our cyber-911 line, to finding missing kids, to giving advice to someone who's going to physically meet someone they met online." One of Cyberangels' busiest departments is its Law Enforcement Operations Division, headed by Richard Riley. The division tracks and traces the source of problems and then turns that information over to the appropriate authorities. "We take the tough cases that need to move quickly, like missing kids and pedophiles trying to lure kids," Riley says. "We gather all of the information we can as fast as we can and turn it over to agencies that have responsibility for persons in that area." The 650-member Law Enforcement Operations Division includes almost 200 law enforcement officers from around the world who volunteer their time as part of the Cyberangels' Net Patrol. This "patrol" is divided into four teams: o--Child Pornography. This team follows up on tips about such Web sites. Members inspect the sites, and if a site is verified as a child pornography site, the link is turned over to law enforcement. o--Hacking Team. This team assists victims whose computer systems have been hacked into. o--Help Desk. This team offers basic assistance to users whose systems have become infected with viruses. In addition, the team offers assistance to those who have other computer security concerns. For example, Riley receives approximately 30 e-mail messages each day from parents who are concerned about their children chatting online or whose children were bilked out of money in Internet auctions. o--Cyberstalking. This team assists individuals who receive harassing or threatening e-mails--or other "electronic" attacks from strangers. Tracking Down Offenders Many cybercrimes, including cyberstalking, that occur via e-mail, electronic greeting cards, or in chatrooms, are traceable through "headers." These headers can be the dates, times, e-mail addresses, or nicknames that are affixed to communications as they travel through various Internet service providers (ISPs). This information generally can be traced to an individual user's account, which will have his/her name, address, and additional billing information. When a suspect source has been traced, Cyberangels' Law Enforcement Operations Division issues a report detailing the respective time stamps and log information, and then forwards the information to either the victim or law enforcement. If the information goes directly to the victim, Cyberangels advises the individual to also contact his/her local law enforcement agency and victim assistance unit. If the case file goes to a law enforcement agency, Riley's team explains the data collection process to the officers receiving the file so they can see how the Cyberangels team arrived at its conclusion. Cyberangels may also advise law enforcement on writing subpoenas to obtain the appropriate information from ISPs. At this point, Cyberangels' role is complete "unless law enforcement has a question about how the search process was done," Riley says. "They don't need me in court because the officers can look at the files on the victim's computer, understand them, and testify to them. All we are is an information source. The law enforcement side of the equation is left to the law enforcement agencies." "We're very careful about not treading on their turf," stresses Aftab. Although many of the organization's volunteers are members of law enforcement, they do not act as law enforcement while investigating complaints, due in part to jurisdiction issues. And, at no time do Cyberangel volunteers use aliases, contact suspects, pose as children, or operate in any undercover fashion. Because of the magnitude of the Internet, Det. Sgt. Dan Hurley of the New Jersey State Police's High Technology Crimes Investigations and Support Unit agrees that law enforcement agencies and outside organizations should find ways to work together without stepping on each other's toes. "We have similar functions as well as distinct, separate functions," he says. "Cyberangels has more of an educational function, but if they come across information of interest to law enforcement, they take on a referral function." With regard to child pornography, Cyberangels primarily performs a prescreening function. When volunteers receive tips or discover child pornography while surfing the Web, the sites are screened, tracked, and traced to a source. That information is then turned over to law enforcement for followup. Training and Resources As technical as the Internet may seem, Aftab and Riley both say tracking down cybercrime offenders is still a matter of basic, old-fashioned police work, like using phone numbers to identify and locate possible suspects. The challenge is making law enforcement officers savvy enough to follow the clues. "There are small police forces that don t even have e-mail addresses," Aftab says. "We need to simplify [the medium] so cyber-forensics make as much sense to the street cop as to the FBI specialist." To that end, Cyberangels is exploring funding possibilities to support an interactive online training program that will teach law enforcement how to deal with all aspects of cybercrime, including how to teach Internet safety in schools, when to call Federal officials into investigations, and how to write cybercrime-related subpeonas. The classes would be conducted in password-protected chatrooms free of charge. Riley, who is developing the curriculum, stresses the budgetary need for this online service. "A small department of 10 to 12 guys in rural Nebraska doesn't have the budget to bring in someone to train them to do this. If we can do it electronically, they spend money only for two phone calls, and we give them the experience to work crimes in their district or city," he says. Lt. George Wintle of Texas' Colony Police Department says he's "very pleased" with the training his department is receiving from Cyberangels. "We're learning how to track where e-mail originally comes from because an e-mail [message] can pass through many doorways so you never know who is sending it. The training is showing us what to look for in the e-mail headings." Wintle learned about Cyberangels after receiving a complaint about e-mail harassment from a resident of his community of 25,000. "We didn't know how to find out who the offender was," he says. Without the help of Cyberangels, the best his force would have been able to do was to advise the complainant he/she could possibly have blocked the e-mail through his/her ISP. Instead, Cyberangels returned the tracking information within 2 days. "I was a little surprised with this," he says. "Usually when you deal with groups on the Internet, there's always a catch. There wasn't in this case." Additional training will be provided to officers in The Colony's D.A.R.E. program, enabling officers to teach Internet safety in schools. That's a role wholeheartedly supported by New Jersey's Hurley. "One of Cyberangels' best assets is its preventive aspects," Hurley says. "We work with them as far as putting out information to parents, teachers, and other civic groups as a way to prevent children from becoming victims of the Internet. The preservation of computer evidence is vital to law enforcement, so any educational information for potential victims is appreciated." Volunteer Qualifications Cyberangels trains its volunteers in the organization's mission and online privacy. Specific assignments depend on the technical know-how each volunteer brings to the group. Volunteers who work in the law enforcement operations group must be 18 years of age and provide proof of identity and a letter from their local law enforcement agency stating they are employed in good standing and have no criminal record. However, Aftab says this particular screening process will soon be stepped up to include a full background check conducted by the FBI. Once approved, volunteers train in groups and are closely monitored by the organization to ensure competency and professionalism. Police clearances are also needed for volunteers who work with children. Volunteers younger than age 18 must submit letters from both their parents and their school. Past, Present, and Future Cyberangels was initially formed in the mid-1990s as part of the New York-based Alliance of Guardian Angels. The Internet group disbanded in 1997 but reformed in June 1998 when Aftab took leadership. Since then, Cyberangels has grown to include approximately 7,200 volunteers in 70 countries. In 1998 the group was recognized by the Points of Light Foundation as a recipient of the President's Service Award. As of January 1, 2001, Cyberangels Law Enforcement Operations will be handled through cyberlawenforcement.com. Although encouraged by the organization's recent growth, Aftab views it with mixed feelings. "I sincerely hope that Cyberangels will be out of business in 5 years. I hope this is a stopgap measure until law enforcement gets the necessary training and regular individuals know how to safely use the Internet." For more information about Cyberangels, log on to the organization's Web site at www.cyberangels.org. Or, e-mail Parry Aftab at Parry@Aftab.com. Aftab is also the author of The Parent's Guide to Protecting Your Child in Cyberspace, which serves as the basis of the Cyberangels' online safety program. Proceeds from the sale of the book help support the organization. Other Angel Divisions Cyberangels' executive director Parry Aftab considers her organization to be a resource equally for law enforcement and the general public. Among the other programs offered by the organization are: o--Net education. Includes a variety of online classes related to general Internet know-how, online security, and safety and privacy. o--Cyber Moms and Dads. Monitors chat rooms, online services, and popular Web sites to ensure safety. o--Cyberangels Kids and Teens. Devoted to safety and public out-reach. Teens speak to community groups and students about navigating the Web safely. [Editor's note: Beginning January 1, 2001, the Cyberangels' children's safety and cybercrime programs moved to Wired Kids (www.wiredkids.org), another nonprofit organization of which Cyberangels is a part.] o--KIDList Team. Searches the Internet to identify sites that promote pedophilia or that link to sites that do. A Cyberangel Tip Wondering how to handle a cybercrime? Richard Riley, Director of Law Enforcement Operations for Cyberangels, recommends ongoing contact with district and States' attorneys regarding Internet law. "Get to know your district attorneys. Let them know what you're planning, and ask them how to go about it," he says. "Get to know what laws are on the books in your State that cover these crimes. Your D.A. can tell you which way to charge it and how to build the case." In fact, one of the biggest drawbacks in prosecuting online harassment is that most States do not have cyberstalking laws. In lieu of those, Riley says, law enforcement is often forced to charge cyberstalkers with harassment with telecommunications devices. A summary of Federal and State laws against cyberstalking appears on the Cyberangels' Web site, www.cyberangels.org. ---------------------------- All About TechBeat TechBeat is the award-winning flagship publication of the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) system. Our goal is to keep you up to date on technologies currently being developed by the NLECTC system, as well as other research and development efforts within the Federal Government and private industry. TechBeat is published four times a year. Managing Editor, Rick Neimiller; Contributing Editor/Writer, Lois Pilant; Editor, Michele Coppola; Contributing Writers, Jamie Whaley and Pattiann Aardema; Graphic Designers, Denise Collins and Tina Kramer. Individual Subscriptions: TechBeat is available at no cost. If you are not currently on our mailing list or need to change your mailing label information, please call us at 800-248-2742 or e-mail us at asknlectc@nlectc.org. Department Subscriptions: If your division, department, or agency has more than 25 individuals, we can drop ship as many copies as you require. All you have to do is provide us with the quantity needed, a shipping address (no Post Office boxes, please), and a contact name and telephone number. Your only obligation is to disseminate them once they arrive. 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Please contact Rick Neimiller, TechBeat managing editor, at 800-248-2742, or e-mail to rneimiller@nlectc.org. ------------------------------ Visit Our Site www.nlectc.org o--Information on new technologies, equipment, and other products and services available to law enforcement, corrections, and the criminal justice communities, including access to a database of more than 4,000 available products and technologies. o--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 Web sites. o--Publications from NIJ and NLECTC that you can view or download to your system. o--Interactive Topic Boards that allow you to post questions and exchange information with hundreds of professionals in their specialty areas. o--Frequently Asked Questions that offer detailed information based on thousands of calls to our information specialists. o--Calendar of Events that lists the latest upcoming meetings, seminars, and training. o--Links to other important law enforcement and corrections Web sites. For help in establishing an Internet connection, linking to JUSTNET, or finding needed technology and product information, call the NLECTC Information Hotline at 800-248-2742. ------------------------------ From the Director, Office of Science and Technology Law enforcement, courts, and corrections officials and officers working in the field know how crucial technology is to their day-to-day operations. In some circumstances, having the right tool can even mean the difference between life and death. The technological revolution that has swept society as a whole in recent years has also affected the criminal justice system. Some technologies that not long ago seemed advanced-vests that can stop bullets and electronic monitoring of probationers-today seem commonplace. But the revolution continues apace, with ever more spectacular advances now being made, or in the testing stages, or on the drawing board. As the research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has, since its founding 30 years ago, been in the forefront in sponsoring the development, testing, and demonstration of technology to improve the justice system. The development of DNA testing standards, soft body armor, and improved fingerprint evidence collection are some of the many areas in which NIJ has played a leading role. More recently, with strong support from the Administration and the Congress, NIJ has accelerated the pace of its efforts. Less-than-lethal technologies to minimize the use of force, computerized mapping to pinpoint and analyze crime patterns, concealed weapons detection to prevent violence, methods of stopping fleeing vehicles to apprehend suspects, and improvements in DNA laboratories to aid in evidence testing-all these capabilities, and others, are now being explored by NIJ. Their application can mean even greater transformations in law enforcement operations. TechBeat plays an important role as an essential link communicating the latest information about these developing technologies from the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center. By keeping law enforcement, courts, and corrections personnel current about the tools they can use, the newsletter makes a difference in controlling crime and ensuring justice. David G. Boyd, Ph.D. Director Office of Science and Technology National Institute of Justice ------------------------------ The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center is supported by Cooperative Agreement #96-MU-MU-K011 awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice. Analyses of test results do not represent product approval or endorsement by the National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice; the National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce; or Aspen Systems Corporation. Points of view or opinions contained within this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. The National Institute of Justice is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and Office for Victims of Crime. ---------------------------- Sign Up To Receive Free Reports From the National Criminal Justice Reference Service In addition to funding the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center, NIJ supports the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS), an international clearinghouse on crime and justice information. NCJRS staff respond to reference questions, provide referrals to other resources, distribute NIJ and other Office of Justice Programs (OJP) documents, and maintain a mailing list of more than 45,000 registered users. In addition, NCJRS sponsors a calendar of events at http://www.eventcalendar.ncjrs.org, which lists conferences and meetings of interest to the criminal justice community. If you are interested in signing up for the NCJRS mailing list, you may request a registration form using any of the following methods: Fax-on-Demand. Dial 800-851-3420, select option 1, then option 1 again. The registration form is #1 on the document index. The form will be faxed to you immediately. Fax. Fax your request for a registration form to 410-792-4358. You will receive a form promptly in the mail. Online. Go to http://www.ncjrs.org/puborder and request a registration form, BC640. It will be sent to you in the mail. Or, actually register online at http://www.ncjrs.org/register. Write. Send a written request to NCJRS, P.O. Box 6000, Rockville, MD 20849-6000. Call. Call an NCJRS information specialist and request a registration form. The number is 800-851-3420. As a registered user, you will receive the bimonthly NCJRS Catalog, the NCJRS Users Guide, and news and announcements of new publications and resources based on your criminal justice interests. For more information about NIJ and NCJRS, visit their Web sites: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij http://www.ncjrs.org. ---------------------------- Get in Line for the Fifth Annual Mock Prison Riot April 29 May 3, 2001 Former West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville, West Virginia Sponsored by the National Institute of Justice's Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization, the annual Mock Prison Riot offers hands-on training in the form of realistic scenarios that involve inmate uprisings, hostage situations, and cellblock takeovers. The Mock Prison Riot also showcases new and developing law enforcement and corrections technologies that are incorporated into the training scenarios, field demonstrations, and exhibits. For more information or to register, call 888 306 5382. To register online, log on to www.oletc.org. ---------------------------- New Publications/Videos The following publications/videos are available from the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center National: Equipment Performance Report: Effectiveness of Tire Deflation Devices Against Self-Sealing and Run-Flat Tires. This report details the results of an evaluation of tire deflation devices, which were tested using several brands of self-sealing and run-flat tires. The devices are for use by law enforcement during pursuits. (Note: This report is available only to law enforcement agencies and must be requested via a written request on department letterhead to NLECTC, P.O. Box 1160, Rockville, MD 20849- 1160.) Michigan State Police Tests 2001 Police Vehicles. This bulletin summarizes test results from the Michigan State Police's annual evaluation of "police-package" and "special service" patrol vehicles. 2000 Evaluation of Replacement Brake Pads for Police Patrol Vehicles. This bulletin summarizes results of the latest comprehensive evaluation of replacement brake pads for police patrol vehicles. TechBeat, Fall 2000. This TechBeat features the latest ballistic-resistant body armor performance standard, NIJ Standard-0101.04; using biometric identification in corrections; and using patch systems to help alleviate interoperability in law enforcement communications. TechBeat, Summer 2000. Articles discuss the New York Electronic Crimes Task Force, a state-of-the-art correctional facility in Kentucky's horse farm country, and through-the-wall surveillance technology. The following publications/videos will be available soon: Selection and Application Guide to Personal Body Armor (Revised). This guide, an update of the October 1998 publication, 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). A Resource Guide to Law Enforcement, Corrections, and Forensic Technologies: Office of Justice Programs and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. This first-of-its-kind resource guide delivers valuable information on law enforcement and corrections technology programs and activities of the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs, including available technologies; funding sources and demonstration programs; equipment standards, testing, and evaluation; current research and development initiatives; and training. 2001 Model Year Patrol Vehicle Testing. This report provides a complete listing of the data, including summary charts, resulting from the Michigan State Police's 2001 patrol vehicle testing. Equipment Performance Report: 2000 Evaluation of Replacement Brake Pads for Police Patrol Vehicles. This report presents complete results of the latest comprehensive evaluation of replacement brake pads for police patrol vehicles. 2000 Mock Prison Riot Video. This videotape features technologies used to quell a mock prison riot staged by the National Institute of Justice's Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization. Emerging technologies were incorporated into training scenarios to demonstrate the latest crimefighting technologies. To obtain any of the above publications or videotapes or to receive additional copies of the TechBeat newsletter, write NLECTC, P.O. Box 1160, Rockville, MD 20849 1160; telephone 800 248 2742. Publications can also be downloaded from JUSTNET at www.nlectc.org.