Wisconsin Terrorism Preparedness Report
On November 13, the Wisconsin terrorism task force -- created a year ago by Governor Scott McCallum, who was recently defeated in his reelection bid -- released a report with 31 recommendations to improve state readiness for a terrorist attack. The Task Force for Terrorism Preparedness Report promotes the use of the Incident Command System (ICS) by emergency response agencies, and urges the state’s emergency responders be trained and equipped to appropriate readiness levels. Governor-elect Jim Doyle will take office January 6 and has not yet commented on the report.
Source: “Terrorism preparedness task force makes its recommendations” by Jenny Price; The Associated Press State & Local Wire, November 13, 2002
Baltimore County (MD) Police get first DNA cold hit
Baltimore County (Maryland) Police recently announced their first CODIS match. An inmate at the Maryland Correctional Institution in Hagerstown has been linked through the DNA match to a home invasion robbery on Nov. 26, 2000 in which a young woman was raped. The inmate, who was out on parole at the time of the crime, has been charged with first-degree rape, armed robbery and several other counts.
Source: “Inmate's DNA linked to sample found at scene of home invasion; Police bring rape, robbery charges in 2-year-old case” by Linda Linley; The Baltimore (MD) Sun, November 13, 2002, Pg. 3B
Marshfield (MA) Police get technology grant
Marshfield (Massachusetts) Police recently received a $69,500 U.S. Department of Justice COPS grant, which has been used to purchase new equipment to make officers more effective. The department has purchased 10 handheld wireless computers and five squad car laptop computers that will provide officers access to state and federal databases for rapid searches without relying on dispatchers. The grant required a 25 percent match from the town.
Source: “Police adding to their arsenal of technology; New computers will provide instant access to information” by Shamus McGillicuddy; The Patriot Ledger (Quincy, MA) November 8, 2002, Pg. 9
Fremont (CA) Police Web site leads to arrests
The Fremont (California) Police Department has unveiled a Most Wanted page on its Web site with mug shots of the Top 10 felons. The site has already resulted in tips leading to seven arrests. Fremont, a city with 200,000 residents, has about 5,000 active warrants compared to the 40,000 active warrants in San Jose, a city of 900,000.
Source: “New police Web site featuring fugitives leads to arrests in Fremont” by Lisa Fernandez; San Jose (CA) Mercury News, November 5, 2002
St. Johns County (FL) technology upgrade
The St. Johns County (Florida) Sheriff's Office is undergoing a two-year $1.7 million technology upgrade. Computers have recently been installed in 112 of the department's 150 patrol cars, allowing deputies to run record checks from their vehicles. The rest of the cars should be outfitted with computers by February. Dispatch improvements, including the ability to locate cell phone 911 calls, are expected to decrease the Sheriff's Office's average response time from seven minutes to four minutes.
Source: “St. Johns Sheriff's Office upgrades its technology” by Shawna Sundin; The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville, FL) November 13, 2002 Wednesday, Pg. B1
Virginia's new homeland security alert system
Virginia's Office of the Assistant to the Governor for Commonwealth Preparedness, the state homeland security office, has released a statewide terrorism alert system as a guide for the public. Virginia Homeland Security Terrorist Threat Conditions suggests specific citizen actions for each level of the federal Office of Homeland Security's five level, color-coded system. Other states are creating similar citizen’s advisories.
Source: “Va. Spells Out Color-Coded Terror Plans; New System Aims to Help Public Respond to Alerts” by Spencer S. Hsu; The Washington Post, November 15, 2002, Pg. B1
