Maryland Police Departments get crime mapping grant
Howard County Police, the Westminster Police Department, the Laurel Police Department, the Wicomico Sheriff's Department and a few barracks of the Maryland State Police are receiving crime mapping software free of charge through a state grant, in return for providing monthly crime reports using the software. The Street Level Activity Mapping (SLAM) software was developed by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council. A $99,000 grant from the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention will provide the computer equipment and training for officers in the participating departments.
Source: “Computer equipment to help police agencies track crime; 6 departments to get high-tech tools from metro council, state” by Lisa Goldberg; The Baltimore (MD) Sun, June 7, 2001, Pg. B3
Maine State Police access truck safety info online
Maine State Police and Department of Public Safety inspectors will soon have access to truck safety information online, making it easier to arrest drivers with suspended commercial licenses or unsafe vehicles. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration database includes accident records, driving records, vehicle inspection and safety compliance history for trucks from every state. DPS inspectors will be outfitted with laptops to access records on the road, and State Police will be able to run record checks without using dispatchers.
Source: “Laptops in cruisers will help state police nab illegal truckers;” The Associated Press State & Local Wire, June 17, 2001
Tech upgrade for Lake County (FL) Sheriff's Office
The Lake County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office has undergone a technology upgrade over the past 18 months, using $900,000 in federal grant funds. Wireless laptops have been installed in about 150 patrol vehicles, allowing deputies to run their own license plate checks and download mug shots. Records checks are run through the Sheriff’s secure Web site. Thirty of the vehicles have also been equipped with global positioning locator equipment.
Source: “Crime-Fighting Gets Wired; High-Tech Wizardry Gives Deputies Edge” by Robert Sargent Jr.; Orlando (FL) Sentinel, June 14, 2001
Louisville (KY) Police use of squad car computers
Louisville (Kentucky) Police recently completed testing squad car laptop computers that will be installed in 200 vehicles by the end of the year. The department received a $2.6 million federal grant for the computers in 1998, which was matched with $650,000 in city funds. The computers and software cost $9,800 per vehicle. Louisville Police hope to eventually outfit all 600 police cars with computers, enabling officers to run their own license plate checks, pull up mug shots online, and communicate by silent dispatch.
Source: “New, in-car computers give police instant information” by Chris Kenning; The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) June 12, 2001, Pg. B4
DuPage County (IL) Police upgrading technology
Police departments in DuPage County, Illinois outside Chicago have been purchasing a lot of high-tech crime-fighting equipment recently. Police in the Village of Addison , for example, have installed a digital fingerprint scanner. Police in Naperville , Lombard , Addison and other towns have equipped their squad cars with laptop computers so officers can run their own license plate checks. Departments have also purchased night-vision binoculars, mobile speed display signs, and other software products.
Source: “Police go high-tech to catch criminals” by Kathryn Grondin; Chicago (IL) Daily Herald, June 12, 2001
Electronic traffic tickets in Oregon
The Portland (Oregon) Police Bureau Traffic Division is hoping to start using electronic traffic tickets once the Oregon Senate approves a new traffic citation form. The Oregon House already passed House Bill 2424 by a vote of 48-0. The goal is to reduce paperwork and errors caused by handwriting and keypunching information in the citation process. Officials want reliable handheld computers and printers that will work in all weather conditions. The Legislature's approval is needed to change the size and format of the traffic citation.
Source: “Portland Hopes for OK to Give High-Tech Traffic Tickets a Try” by Peter Farrell; The Oregonian, June 8, 2001, Pg. C11
