Border Patrol Uses IAFIS to Nab Sex Offender
On March 7, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol agents assigned to the Deming, N.M. Station observed seven subjects attempting to illegally enter the
“Border Patrol Agents Arrest Sex Offender in New Mexico,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection press release, 9 March 2006, online at http://cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/press_releases/03092006.xml
Southeast Law Enforcement Alliance Project Announced
Florida and Georgia law enforcement agencies have announced the formation of the Southeast Law Enforcement Alliance Project to combine data gathered by police departments, sheriff's offices, federal and state investigators into a computer database accessible by participating agencies. The project is one of five nationwide that uses the Law Enforcement Information Exchange (LinX) concept of operations pioneered by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).
Ron Word, Associated Press writer, “Police in
LAPD Upgrades Web Site
The LAPD has added an interactive crime mapping section to the department's Web site, allowing users to pinpoint by date and location specific crimes, including robbery, assault, rape and homicide, up to five miles from any address. The LAPD e-policing and crime maps site also offers an option for residents who want the latest crime news delivered straight to their e-mail accounts.
Richard Winton, “Website Puts Crime Tracking on the Map; Interactive LAPD service allows residents to view recent crime data from throughout the city,” The Los Angeles Times, 10 March 2006: B2
Alabama City Gets AFIS
The Montgomery (Ala.) Police Department has purchased its own Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), which means officers no longer have to send fingerprints to the Alabama Bureau of Investigation to find a match, eliminating a lengthy wait. Before the system was installed, police had to mail or hand-deliver each fingerprint to the state crime lab, where it was processed along with thousands of prints from other law enforcement departments from around the state.
Kirsten J. Barnes, “New system gives police a hand,” Montgomery (
Arizona Police Department Goes High-Tech
The Gilbert Police Department is having success with a computer system that officers say helps shorten response times, increases the amount of time they spend patrolling the town's streets and improves their ability to investigate and prevent crimes. Police began using the computer-aided dispatch and records management system in March 2005.
Josh Kelley, “New ways to nail the bad guy; High-tech system helps police target worst offenders,” The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2006
U.S. House Hearing on the State of Interoperable Communications
At a March 1 hearing of the U.S. House Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness, Science and Technology Subcommittee, state emergency response officials urged lawmakers to increase funding and staffing levels at the Homeland Security Department's program for ensuring interoperability in public safety communications. Prepared testimony from the hearing, titled “The State of Interoperable Communications: Perspectives from State and Local Governments,” can be read online.
Chris Strohm, "State officials seek funds for emergency communications," Govexec.com, 2 March 2006, online at http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33496&dcn=e_gvet
