Florida City Lets Residents Report Crimes Online
The Cape Coral, Fla. Police Department now offers a computerized record management system so residents no longer have to stand in line to file or pick up incident reports. Police to Citizen (P2C) kiosks are located in the lobby of police headquarters, with an online site available for those who have access to computers.
Rachel Myers, "Police step up their presence online; System allows checking, filing of reports," The News-Press (Fort Myers, Fla.), 8 Jan. 2008
Georgia Departments Awarded Technology Grants
Four Georgia law enforcement agencies have been awarded U.S. Department of Justice technology grants. The Laurens County Sheriff's Office and the Twiggs County Sheriff’s Office will each receive $159,800, while the Wilkinson County Sheriff's Office and the Perry Police Department will each receive $61,100 to purchase computer and communications equipment.
Jennifer Burk, "Law enforcement agencies to receive money for technology," The Macon (Ga.) Telegraph, 5 Jan. 2008
E-Ticketing Adoption in Oklahoma
In phase one of a $300,000 e-ticketing initiative set to commence June 1, 50 Tulsa police officers will be outfitted with handheld devices to improve the traffic ticketing issuing process by at least 30 percent. Oklahoma City Police are also seeking to implement an e-ticketing process, which speeds up the writing of tickets and enables analysis of when and where tickets are issued.
Johnny Johnson, "Computers could speed up traffic citations," The Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, Okla.), 6 Jan. 2008: 5A
Command Center Improves Information Sharing in Missouri
The Missouri Department of Transportation's (MoDOT) command center in St. Louis acts as an information sharing hub each rush hour, monitoring highway cameras, receiving calls from drivers cruising area roads, as well as email from state troopers on crashes and maintenance worker reports on potholes and debris. The command center allows MoDOT officials to respond quickly when crises occur.
Elisa Crouch, "Command center keeps eyes on road Data on traffic conditions are analyzed so problems can be fixed quickly," St. Louis (Mo.) Post-Dispatch, 9 Jan. 2008: B1
DNA Cold Hit in Wisconsin
A DNA cold hit has linked an Illinois prison inmate to the 1998 rape of an 18-year-old woman in Madison, Wis. The inmate, who had been scheduled to be released in a few days, has now been charged with second-degree sexual assault, kidnapping and felony theft in Dane County Circuit Court.
Bill Novak, "Man charged in 1998 rape; DNA from Badger Road crime tied to Illinois inmate," Capital Times (Madison, Wis.), 10 Jan. 2008: B1
GPS Monitoring of Offenders in Maryland
Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley has announced plans to improve public safety by allocating $1 million in the FY 2009 budget for the purchase of GPS equipment to monitor, track, and supervise 200 of the State’s most at-risk juvenile offenders. “It is undeniable that one of the most important duties of any government and, in fact, hardest challenges, is public safety,” said Governor O’Malley. “With the ability to constantly monitor offenders, we will make great strides in improving our supervision and treatment practices, taking us one step further towards making our communities safer.”
Laura Smitherman, "GPS Technology to Help Monitor State Juveniles," The Baltimore (Md.) Sun, 12 Jan. 2008: 5B
Planning to Put Court Records Online in Maine
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has assembled an eight-member working group, led by Justice Andrew Mead, to come up with an online court records plan that will also maintain the personal privacy of Maine residents. The group will meet for the first time in Augusta on Jan. 4, with proposals due back by June 1.
Trevor Maxwell, "Push made to post court data on Web; Maine's judicial branch aims to make documents available while protecting privacy," Portland Press Herald (Maine), 3 Jan. 2008: B1
Videoconferencing for Pennsylvania County
Using $26,000 in state and federal grants, videoconferencing equipment is being installed at the offices of Washington County's 11 district judges and a dozen police departments to be used for arraignments and selected other court hearings. The equipment is expected to reduce the time spent at such hearings by police, allowing them to patrol longer instead of traveling to and waiting in courtrooms.
Stacy Wolford, "Video comes to Washington County justice system," Pittsburgh (Pa.) Tribune Review, 13 Jan. 2008
