Orange County (CA) Sheriff's Dept. gets squad car laptops
The Orange County (California) Sheriff's Department plans to outfit 350 vehicles with laptop computers, improving safety and operations efficiency. The County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $4.75 million, three-year contract for the computers. Deputies will be able to communicate with each other by instant messaging and run their own license plate checks, making it safer to approach vehicles during traffic stops.
Source: “Sheriff's vehicles finally will get mobile data units” by Rachanee Srisavasdi; The Orange County (CA) Register, April 4, 2001]
Tip to Holmdel (NJ) Police Web site leads to arrests
A tip sent to the Holmdel Township (New Jersey) Police Department Web site led to the arrest of several people for prostitution at a local hotel. Holmdel Police passed along the anonymous tip to the Bayshore Narcotics Task Force, which investigated the allegation and made the arrests.
Source: “Web site tip leads to prostitution bust” by Sherry Figdorf; Asbury Park Press (Neptune, NJ) March 30, 2001, Pg. B1
S.C. Law Enforcement Division sets up Computer Crime Center
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) recently announced a new $3.6 million Computer Crimes Center that will include a $2.5 million computer forensic laboratory. The center will be operated jointly with the F.B.I. and U.S. Secret Service, enabling it to handle cross-jurisdictional computer crimes such as identity theft and Internet fraud. Center investigators will work with state and federal prosecutors to determine which cases should be tried.
Source: “Agencies to establish computer crimes center for high-tech crimes” by Amy Geier; Associated Press State & Local Wire, April 2, 2001]
Florence (KY) Police get squad car laptops
The Florence (Kentucky) Police Department will receive squad car laptop computers under a $3.5 million program funded through 911 taxes that also includes other Boone County law enforcement departments. An officer using the department’s first laptop during its first patrol made an arrest after running a license plate on what turned out to be a stolen vehicle. Florence officers will be able to use their new computers to prepare electronic reports, creating a paperless records system for the department.
Source: “Computers in Florence police cars prove their potential in first hour” by Jim Hannah; The Cincinnati (OH) Enquirer, March 30, 2001, Pg. B2
Portsmouth (VA) Police use grant for squad car laptops
The Portsmouth (Virginia) Police Department has added 32 squad car computers, using $225,000 from a larger federal grant. Officers will be able to use the computers to run their own license plate and other records checks, easing the burden on dispatchers. The ability of officers to communicate with each other by silent dispatch will also make it impossible for criminals to monitor police communications with scanners as in the past.
Source: “Portsmouth Installing Computers in Police Cars for Faster Response” by John Hopkins; The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) April 1, 2001, Pg. B6
Lake Worth (FL) Police get DNA database hit
Lake Worth (Florida) Police recently arrested a man for an unsolved 1998 rape using a sample taken from him for the state’s DNA database. The DNA sample was taken only two months before the man finished serving a 20 month sentence for burglary, his 10th arrest since 1979. Florida passed a law last year authorizing DNA testing of inmates convicted of burglary, and its database now includes over 96,000 samples.
Source: “Ex-Inmate's DNA Sample Leads to His Arrest in Rape Case” by Chris Barker; Palm Beach (FL) Post, April 5, 2001, Pg. 1A
