New Hampshire's "Project 54"
A New Hampshire project is upgrading the technology of police cruisers in order to make it easier for officers to use their radios, computers, sirens and other devices without taking their eyes off the road. Project 54, named after the 1960s television show, began at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in 1999. New Hampshire State Police are testing several of the new smart cruisers with voice activated functions, as are officers with UNH, Durham, Madbury and Lee.
Source: "State's police cruisers are getting futuristic, high-tech makeover" by David Tirrell-Wysocki, The Associated Press; The Union Leader (Manchester NH), 27 July 2003: B7
L.A. County (CA) Terrorism Early Warning Group
The Los Angeles County (California) Terrorism Early Warning Group [TEW] is being looked at as a potential model that state and local communities can use for improved anti-terror intelligence sharing. TEW gathers intelligence not only from law enforcement agencies, but also from firefighters, private industry, chemical and biological sensors, public health surveillance, satellite imagery, and vulnerability assessments of major terrorist targets. Its goal is to provide actionable intelligence, not vague warnings, on upcoming terrorist attacks.
Source: "State leads intelligence overhaul; California helping to blaze trail for a nationwide grassroots network" by Ian Hoffman and Sean Holstege; The Oakland (CA) Tribune, 3 August 2003
Montgomery County (MD) Communications Upgrade
A new $175 million public safety communications system that was years in the planning is now online in Montgomery County, Maryland. First responders throughout the county will be able to use the new system to communicate on the same frequency. In addition, the system allows police dispatchers to learn the exact location of cell phone callers and paramedics will be able to receive medical information and driving directions on their vehicle laptops. The system covers 97% of the county, with the radio signal reaching even the deepest subway tunnels.
Source: "Public Safety System Goes High-Tech; County Overhauls Communications Setup" by Matthew Mosk; The Washington Post (Montgomery County edition), 24 July 2003: T3
West Valley City (UT) Police Get Digital Recorders
The West Valley City (Utah) Police Department will outfit all patrol officers with $230 digital recorders, eliminating the need to type out reports and thereby saving an estimated hour per shift for each officer that can be devoted to fighting crime. Officers download the recordings into a shared network at the end of each shift, with records department staff transcribing them by order of importance into a shared database.
Source: "WVC police getting the word out; Verbal reports: New recorders save the time it takes to type, allow more time for street patrols" by Matt Canham; Salt Lake (UT) Tribune, 31 July 2003: C6
New Castle County and Wilmington (DE) Police use of Nickname Database
The New Castle County (Delaware) Police Department and the Wilmington Police Department recently used the crime analysis unit’s nickname database to identify and arrest a suspect in a robbery and murder spree. Detectives investigating a June 24 homicide during a failed home invasion robbery tracked the suspect down by his nickname, and bullets from that crime scene were matched to two additional shootings on July 10.
Source: "Man faces murder charges; Nickname database helps police apprehend suspect" by Mike Billington and Robin Brown; The News Journal (Wilmington, DE), 23 July 2003: 16B
Arizona Testing Bomb and Arson Tracking System
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is testing a Bomb and Arson Tracking System (BATS) with the two-year-old Maricopa County (Arizona) Fire Investigation Task Force as one of its partners. BATS is a secure, Web-based program designed to share details about arson cases – including photos and possible suspects – at no charge to local law enforcement and fire agencies. After BATS is tested in Arizona and the other pilot site in Maine, it is scheduled to be expanded nationwide.
Source: "Tracking System to Assist in Arsons; Valley Agencies to Use Database" by Patricia Biggs; The Arizona Republic, 29 July 2003: 1B
