Manteca Police Offer Crime Mapping Web Site
The Manteca, Calif. Police Department has unveiled a Crime Mapping Web site that is automatically updated daily, with residents able to sign up for weekly e-mail updates. The data presented on the map is generated through citizen requests for police services, known as calls for service.
Inga Miller, “Manteca puts police reports on the Web: Automatically updated system maps incidents from homicide to lost keys,” The Modesto (Calif.) Bee, 13 Oct. 2006
Maine Fusion Center is Up and Running
The State of Maine recently hired its second staffer for the state's new intelligence fusion center in Augusta. The center, funded with $200,000 in federal homeland security grants funds, is housed in the same public-safety building as the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and the Maine State Police.
Bart Jansen, “Fusion adds to security at border; Information-sharing by agencies is considered essential to effective homeland security,” Portland (Maine) Press Herald, 16 Oct. 2006: B1
Albuquerque Police Create Computer Forensics Unit
The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) has created a computer forensics unit with its own room at the Metropolitan Forensic Science Center to investigate computer evidence. Previously, in a slower process, the APD sent computer evidence to the FBI, the Secret Service or the state Attorney General's Office for data retrieval.
Michael Gisick, “APD officers learning to patrol cyberspace; Computers stand witness to crimes,” Albuquerque (N.M.) Tribune, 5 Oct. 2006: A1
Florida DMV Adds Emergency Contact Info to Drivers' Records
So far, 31,450 Florida residents have added emergency contact information to their drivers' license records that can be used by police to reach families in cases of accidents and crimes. The feature was added to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Web site on Oct. 2.
Elizabeth Gibson, “Database will locate victims' families faster: Your driver's license can now link police to your emergency contact information,” The Miami (Fla.) Herald, 15 Oct. 2006
Kentucky Intelligence Fusion Center Opens
At an Oct. 9 ceremony in Frankfort, Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher, joined by federal and state officials, announced the opening of the Kentucky Intelligence Fusion Center to improve intelligence sharing among public safety and public service agencies. A new telephone hotline, 1-866-EYE-ON-KY (1-866-393-6659), is now available for residents to report suspicious or criminal activity of any kind. “We are working to make Kentuckians safer and more secure through the combined and coordinated efforts of the law enforcement, intelligence and public safety community,” said Governor Fletcher. “The Intelligence Fusion Center brings together both federal and state expertise to help us better prevent and solve more crimes, as well as to provide a hub for information which will be critical in the event of a response to a natural or man-made disaster.”
"Governor Ernie Fletcher Unveils Intelligence Fusion Center to Help Federal, State Agencies Prevent and Track Criminal Activity," Governor Ernie Fletcher’s Communications Office, 9 Oct. 2006
