FBI to Use Digital Billboards in Twenty Cities
Albuquerque, N.M. is one of 20 cities nationwide that will use digital billboards to publicize wanted fugitives, missing persons, and other high-priority topics, according to an FBI announcement. Clear Channel Outdoor has agreed to preempt paid advertising on a total of 150 billboards upon request of the FBI, which proved successful in October when two fugitives were captured as a direct result of publicity generated by a pilot billboard program in Philadelphia.
Jeff Proctor, "Digital Billboards to Aid Manhunts; Donated Space to Show FBI Alerts," Albuquerque (N.M.) Journal, 28 Dec. 2007: B1
GPS Helps LAPD Solve Murder
In what is being hailed as a first for the department, the Los Angeles Police Department used a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) monitor to track down four suspects connected to a murder that took place in the Mid-City neighborhood on Dec. 10, 2007. One of the suspects was wearing the GPS ankle device as part of a statewide crackdown on gang members paroled from prison.
Andrew Blankstein and Richard Winton, "GPS helps crack case in killing, police say," Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2007: B1
New Jersey County Gets Ballistics ID System
The Union County Police has announced that the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has installed a state-of-the-art ballistic computer system at police headquarters. Union County is the first county in the state to receive the automated system which creates 2D - and eventually 3D - images of discharged cartridge casings for comparison against evidence on file in the ATF's Integrated Ballistic Identification System (IBIS).
Robert E. Misseck, "Ballistics tool comes to Union police," The Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.), 18 Dec. 2007
Networked Surveillance Cameras Help Reduce Crime in Puerto Rico
Over the past few years, the Puerto Rico Police Department and the Puerto Rico Housing Department have placed infrared video cameras, which are connected to a police monitoring center, in 20 housing projects and at least 26 municipalities. Caguas, the island's fifth-largest city and first to install the surveillance cameras, has seen violent crime decrease from 4,600 violent crimes annually ten years ago to less than 2,000 last year.
Jeannette Rivera-Lyles, "Cameras: New eyes of police observe all; Puerto Rico accepts electronic surveillance while Florida approaches it cautiously," Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2007: A1
Kansas Creates Statewide Interoperability Executive Committee
A group charged with establishing a plan to implement statewide communications interoperability has been formed by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. The Kansas Statewide Interoperability Executive Committee, created by Executive Order 07-27, will develop the policies, procedures and guidelines of a statewide system designed to allow emergency service providers the ability to communicate with one another over a radio network. "The inability of first responders to directly talk with other responding agencies through radio communications made rescue and recovery efforts even more difficult on Sept. 11, 2001," Sebelius said. "Kansas is not immune to what happened in our nation that day. This system will allow law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services, and the National Guard to seamlessly communicate with one another and share information in disasters, emergencies and day-to-day operations."
"Sebelius forms group to improve emergency communication," Kansas Governor's Office news release, 20 Dec. 2007
FBI Biometrics Database Under Development
The FBI has planned a $1 billion effort to build the world's largest biometrics database - including digital images of faces, fingerprints and palm patterns, under a 10-year Next Generation Identification (NGI) contract to be awarded next month. The NGI program is designed to reduce terrorist and criminal activities by improving and expanding biometric identification and criminal history information services through research, evaluation and implementation of advanced technology within the existing IAFIS environment.
Ellen Nakashima, "FBI Prepares Vast Database of Biometrics; $1 Billion Project to Include Images of Irises and Faces," The Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2007: A1
