Laptops Keep Police on Patrol in Indiana
The Marion, Ind. Police Department was given 48 used squad car laptops from Indiana State Police at no cost to the department. The computers will enable officers to prepare reports in their vehicles, allowing them to patrol longer.
Barry William Walsh, Police laptops allow more time to patrol," Chronicle-Tribune (Marion, Ind.), 28 March 2007: 1A
Billerica, Mass. Police Go High-Tech
Among the recent high-tech upgrades of the Billerica, Mass. Police Department are a $2,200 live-scan fingerprinting system purchased with grant funds, digital evidence software, and secure wireless communications from all police vehicles. A grant from the North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council has funded computer training to 15 officers through Middlesex Community College.
Jennifer Amy Myers, "Police going high-tech," Lowell (Mass.) Sun, 21 March 2007
DNA Cold Hit Solves 1982 New Jersey Murder
Authorities in Bergen County N.J. have charged a convicted felon with raping and killing a 19-year-old woman in her Ridgefield Park bedroom on Jan. 30, 1982 thanks to a DNA cold hit. The case had been investigated by 30 detectives who conducted more than 700 interviews over the past 25 years.
Carolyn Salazar, Jason Tsai and Michael J. Feeney, "Man arrested in '82 murder; Cops say DNA database helped crack case," Herald News (Passaic County, N.J.), 23 March 2007: C4
NYPD to Test Radiation Detectors
Under a U.S. Department of Homeland Security pilot program, the New York City Police Department will deploy nuclear detectors in the subway system to improve defense against a terrorist attack. The $30 million "Securing the Cities Implementation" initiative, a partnership between the Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement, aims to develop regional strategies to protect critical road networks, mass transit, maritime, and rail vulnerabilities.
Christopher Faherty, "Police Test Technology to Safeguard City From Nuclear Attacks," The New York Sun, 2 April 2007: 4
Live Scan Use Widens in Pennsylvania
A grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has funded the purchase of Live Scan fingerprinting equipment for the Kingston Police Department and the Luzerne County Correctional Facility. The system will help identify suspects using aliases at booking, and will also help speed up the processing of arrest warrants.
John Chaumpi, "Live Scan zeroes in on suspects/inmates' real IDs," Wilkes Barre (Pa.) Times Leader, 25 March 2007: A3
GAO Looks at Communications Interoperability
In testimony before Congress, GAO was asked to determine, among other things, (1) the extent to which Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding and technical assistance has helped to improve interoperable communications in selected states and (2) the progress that has been made in the development and implementation of interoperable communications standards. To address these objectives, GAO reviewed grant information, documentation of selected states' and localities' interoperability projects, and standards documents.
U.S. Government Accountability Office, "First Responders: Much Work Remains to Improve Communications Interoperability," GAO-07-301, 2 April 2007
