N. Richland Hills (TX) Police Use of Handhelds
The six motorcycle officers with the North Richland Hills (Texas) Police who issue the most traffic tickets will be provided new handheld computers with printers to make their time even more productive. During traffic stops, officers will swipe driver’s licenses through the computers and drivers will digitally sign the citations. Since the encrypted tickets are downloaded directly to the municipal court system at the end of each shift, the system eliminates handwriting transcription errors and streamlines the process. The $4,700 computers were paid for through a technology fee the city began adding to convictions in October 1999.
Source: "Traffic stops go high-tech with hand-held computers" by Domingo Ramirez Jr.; Fort Worth (TX) Star Telegram, 12 May 2003
Mass. DNA Database Solves
The Massachusetts DNA database run by the State Police Crime Lab has helped close 64 cases, including 51 cases of rape or sexual assault, three robberies, four homicides and six B&Es. The state database currently includes 20,000 DNA profiles of people convicted of 33 categories of crimes. Connecting to the national database has also allowed the lab to solve cases based on DNA profiles from Maine, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Connecticut, and Oregon.
Source: "Missing link; Database connects cons to unsolved crimes" by David Weber; The Boston (MA) Herald, 12 May 2003: 1
Operation Winter Sun Tests NYC First Responders
New York City carried out a five-hour anti-terrorism exercise, called Operation Winter Sun, to test the emergency response preparedness of local police, hospitals, and other first responders in the event of a chemical, biological, or radiological attack. The drill consisted of a 911 call where fake patients, complaining of symptoms indicative of exposure to biological agents, were responded to and treated in a decontamination site in Brooklyn. The drill was organized by the N.Y.C. Office of Emergency Management, the federal Department of Homeland Security, N.Y.C.’s police, fire, and health departments, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the regional hospital association.
"NYC agencies respond to mock bioterror attack." The Associated Press, 19 May 2003
Oklahoma Requires Fingerprints for Driver's Licenses
Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry has signed into law Senate Bill 423, which will require people getting a new or renewed driver's license, replacement license or identification card from the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to first have their fingerprints scanned. The law was designed to prevent identity theft and improve homeland security. The legislation prohibits any other state or federal agency outside the DPS from accessing the fingerprint database without a court order.
Source: "Fingerprint scanning bill set to take effect July 1" by John Greiner; Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK) 17 May 2003: 10A
DNA Cold Hit on 1992 Florida Murders
A DNA cold hit from CODIS helped the Palm Beach County (Florida) Sheriff's Office solve the 1992 murder of a mother and daughter. The suspect was in the national DNA database because he is currently serving a life sentence in Wisconsin for attempted murder. After additional investigative work by detectives, he has now been charged with two counts of murder, burglary, kidnapping, sexual battery and grand theft in the 1992 case.
Source: "DNA Links '92 Killings to Inmate, Police Say" by Robert Eckhart; Orlando (FL) Sentinel, 18 May 2003: B5
Paying Tickets Online in Virginia
Virginia Beach, Virginia has become the first municipality in the state to allow traffic tickets to be paid online by credit card. eTickets is a pilot project of VIPNet, the state agency that assists other Virginia government offices in providing information services via the Internet. VIPNet hopes to make the online prepayment option available statewide.
Source: "Virginia Beach first to allow traffic ticket online payment" by Bob Lewis; The Associated Press State & Local Wire, 20 May 2003
