New computers for Montgomery Co. (TX) Sheriff
The Montgomery County (Texas) Sheriff's Department plans to use $2.6 million in federal grant funds for a new computer system that includes laptops for 140 patrol cars. The system offers silent dispatch, records management and e-ticketing of traffic violations. An imaging component of the system will allow the county to upgrade booking photos and mug shot databases.
Source: "Sheriff's patrol units go high-tech; County OKs $2.6 million for computers" by Beth Kuhles; The Houston (TX) Chronicle, April 25, 2002
Clinton (IL) Police get squad car computers
The Clinton (Illinois) Police Department will outfit eight squad cars with touch-screen wireless laptop computers that will allow officers to run records checks from their vehicles without using dispatchers. Most of the purchase price comes from a federal grant, which required 25% in matching funds from the city. The computers have scanners that could be made operational in the future to enable credit card payment of fines during traffic stops.
Source: "Clinton police vehicles to get computers" by Jim Stahly Jr.; The Pantagraph (Bloomington, IL) May 7, 2002, Pg. A4
DNA cold hits in Alaska
The Alaska State Crime Lab recently helped solve five rape cases in Anchorage and Palmer. An alert victim helped identify her assailant, who was then linked through DNA cold hits to the other rape cases, the first of which occured in 1992. The accused, who was recently charged with five counts of rape plus five counts of burglary and assault, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Source: "Alaska digest;" Anchorage (AK) Daily News, May 8, 2002, Pg. B3
Columbia (PA) Police get squad car computers
Police in the Borough of Columbia, Pennsylvania are outfitting five patrol cars with new ruggedized laptop computers, with 90% of the funding coming from a federal grant. Police will be able to run their own license plate checks, and can also write reports and send email from their vehicles.
Source: "Columbia latest to get police-car laptops; Computers allow cops to trace license plates, file reports on the road" by David O'Connor; Lancaster (PA) New Era, May 6, 2002, Pg. B1
Indianapolis-area agency gets mobile command center
The Metropolitan Emergency Communications Agency (MECA) – which serves the City of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana — has purchased a new $340,000 mobile command post to provide support during police emergencies and natural disasters. The 38-foot vehicle has 12 phones, eight radios, and other high-tech equipment. MECA employs a wide variety of communications equipment, including more than 1,800 mobile devices, 8,000 handheld radios, 3,000 mobile radios and 5,000 pagers.
Source: "New mobile command post chock-full of high-tech tools" by Tom Spalding;The Indianapolis (IN) Star, April 29, 2002, Pg. B1
California DNA lab gets 100th cold hit
A recent press release from California Attorney General Bill Lockyer announced that the California Department of Justice DNA Laboratory in Richmond made its 100th cold hit. Since 1999, the DOJ DNA Convicted Felons data bank has shown steady annual increases in DNA matches as more samples were added to the system, which currently includes more than 200,000 DNA profiles from convicted felons.
Source: "Lockyer: State's DNA Data Bank Has Made More Than 100 'Cold Hits';" City News Service, May 6, 2002
