DNA COLD HITS IN GEORGIA
DNA cold hits by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation have linked a state prison inmate to the rapes two years ago of an 84-year-old Waycross woman and a 17-year-old Camilla woman. The man now charged with the crimes is already serving a four-year term for a 2002 burglary, and is currently awaiting trial on murder, kidnapping, theft and burglary charges for the Oct. 2, 2003, strangulation of a 30-year-old mother of three.
Source: “DNA links inmate to 2 sex assaults, Ware sheriff says” by Teresa Stepzinski; Florida Times-Union (Georgia edition), 28 May 2004: B1
DNA COLD HIT ON 1985 CALIF. MURDER
Evidence processed by California’s Cold Hit program has led to an arrest in the 1985 murder and rape of an Anaheim teenager. The man linked to the crime was about to complete a sentence for the 1988 kidnapping and molestation of an 11-year-old Orange County girl. The Cold Hit program, funded by a $50 million grant, enables the Bureau of Forensic Services to work with law enforcement agencies to process backlogged evidence through public and private laboratories.
Source: “Convict Charged in '85 Anaheim Death; Kidnapper about to end a 30-year prison term pleads not guilty in slaying of 19-year-old” by David Reyes; Los Angeles Times (Orange County edition), 27 May 2004: B1
VIRGINIA RECORDS 2000TH DNA COLD HIT
Va. Governor Mark R. Warner recently announced that the Virginia Division of Forensic Science has scored its 2000th DNA databank hit, probably the first state to do so. The state database, established in 1989, is the largest in the nation, with DNA samples from more than 216,000 felons.
Source: “Virginia Verifies 2,000 DNA 'Hits'” by Frank Green; Richmond Times Dispatch, 4 June 2004: B5
TWO CONN. CITIES REDUCE VIOLENT CRIME
According to data recently released in the FBI’s Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report, Bridgeport went from 1,700 violent crimes in 2002 to 1,300 last year and Waterbury went from 580 to 480, two of the biggest decreases for cities on the East Coast. According to Bridgeport's acting police chief, key factors included strategically moving patrols to locations identified through crime analysis, and more collaboration between patrol units, the detective bureau and community policing.
Source: “Fewer Violent Crimes Cited for Three Cities” by Jeff Holtz; The New York Times, 30 May 2004
PA. CRIME STATISTICS ONLINE
A new Web site created by the Pennsylvania State Police offers easier public access to crime statistics – including homicide, sexual offenses and robbery – both by county and by smaller jurisdictions within counties. The "Are You Aware" site is available through the Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Report Web site, launched in March 2001.
Source: “State police Web site provides access to crime statistics” by Justine Maki; Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster, Pa.), 31 May 2004: B1
GREENSBURG (PA) METER MAID USES HANDHELD COMPUTER
The meter maid for the City of Greensburg, Pa., is equipped with a handheld computer to help her perform her duties most effectively. The computer has a wand for entering license plate number, vehicle make, location and violation, and prints a bright yellow waterproof ticket for placement on the offending vehicle.
Source: “Meter Maid Fires From the Hip; Her Holster Contains a Computer, and She 'Shoots' Tickets at Offending Vehicles” by Rebekah Scott; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2 June 2004: EZ-5
