Scanning License Plates in Pittsburgh
Although Pittsburgh Police have used license plate scanners quietly for the past two years, Chief Nathan Harper hopes to publicize and widen their use in the near future. Scanners will be installed in many more police vehicles, and may be attached alongside area surveillance cameras to improve their functionality.
Jill King Greenwood, "City's roving cameras rapidly scan license plates," Pittsburgh (Pa.) Tribune Review, 24 Nov. 2007
DNA Cold Hit in Georgia
The Warner Robins Police Department has announced an arrest in a 12-year-old homicide case, thanks to a DNA profile submitted by a man sentenced in 2000 to jail time for theft. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) made the DNA match following resubmission of evidence by Warner Robins detectives.
Amy Leigh Womack, "DNA ties Byron man to '95 killing," The Macon (Ga.) Telegraph, 20 Nov. 2007
Connecticut Information Sharing System Hopes to Expand
The Connecticut Department of Public Safety recently received a federal grant to implement a NIBRS information sharing system called CT-CHIEF (Connecticut's Criminal History and Incident Exchange Facility), bringing on-board the police departments of Hartford, Bridgeport, and New Britain. CT-CHIEF developers are now applying for a state grant to broaden the shared data project to other departments in the Hartford region.
Lisa Backus, "Police look to grant for real-time warning on dangerous suspects," New Britain (Conn.) Herald Press, 25 Nov. 2007
DNA Cold Hit in New Jersey
Bergen County authorities have announced that a DNA cold hit has led to an arrest in an unsolved Jan. 2001 Englewood, N.J. rape case. The man who has now been charged with kidnapping, armed robbery and aggravated sexual assault was in CODIS owing to a conviction for an unrelated burglary charge in North Carolina.
Carolyn Salazar, "DNA match spurs arrest in '01 rape; Victim attacked on way to bus stop," The Record (Bergen County, N.J.), 14 Nov. 2007: L1
Podcasting in North Carolina
The Garner Police Department is the first law enforcement agency in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina to offer weekly public service podcasts. The five minute online broadcasts will cover crime prevention and other law enforcement news.
Marlon A. Walker, "Garner police try podcasting; Shoppers warned of online dangers," The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.), 24 Nov. 2007
Columbus Police Get Grant for Modeling
The Columbus Police Department is working with Ohio University's Telecommunications and Game Research and Immersive Design (GRID) lab on a modeling project to improve the preparedness of local first responders. The two-year project, funded by a $702,000 Urban Area Security Initiative grant, will develop virtual models of 30 area buildings deemed potential terrorist targets.
Kathleen Hickey, "Columbus police go virtual," Government Computer News, 8 Nov. 2007
