LAW ENFORCEMENT
NYPD to reopen 12,000 rape cases for new DNA testing
The New York City Police Department plans to reopen 12,000 unsolved rape cases from the past few years. A private contractor will be hired, at the cost of about $2 million, to test DNA evidence collected at those crimes against the ever-growing database of samples collected from convicted felons. The NYPD hopes new DNA testing will result in arrests and connect crimes committed
by serial rapists.
Source: "Reopening Rape Cases; Cops Looking at DNA" by Alice McQuillan; (New York) Daily News, January 4, 2000
Las Vegas (NV) Police use AFIS to identify suspect using alias
Las Vegas (Nevada) Police were able to discover the true identity of a man arrested for murder through an Automated Fingerprint Identification System search. The man used an alias at the time of his arrest, which occurred at the scene of the stabbing, but his criminal record was soon discovered.
Source: "Police use fingerprints to identify suspect;" Las Vegas (NV) Review-Journal, December 29, 1999, Pg. 4B
DuPage County (IL) Sheriff's Office gets AFIS upgrade
The DuPage County (Illinois) Sheriff's Office has upgraded its Automated Fingerprint Identification System, and will now be able to access fingerprint records of the Illinois Bureau of Identification. DuPage County is the first law enforcement agency in the state to use the new system.
Source: "New Fingerprinting System is Quicker" by G.J. Zemaitis; Chicago (IL) Tribune, January 3, 2000, Pg. D2
East Hartford (CT) gets new police/fire dispatch system
East Hartford, Connecticut recently brought a new police and fire communications system online. The system has new 911 software with enhanced capabilities that will be as advanced as any in the state. It will offer fire dispatchers access to information about available trucks online, and can provide directional maps to speed up arrival at emergency scenes.
Source: "Town Gets New Safety Systems" by Christine Dempsey; The Hartford (CT) Courant, January 4, 2000
Topeka (KS) Police get grant for domestic violence database
The Topeka (Kansas) Police Department recently received a $102,000 grant through the federal Stop Violence Against Women Act to improve tracking and handling of domestic violence cases. Police plan to create a database that will track an estimated 15,000 cases involving domestic abuse from the time they are filed through final rulings by the court system.
Source: "Police to begin tracking domestic violence cases" by Tim Hrenchir; Topeka (KS) Capital-Journal, January 2, 2000