BRADENTON, FLA., POLICE UPGRADE COMPUTERS
The Bradenton Police Department has upgraded the technology in half of its patrol cars over the last few years, adding touch-screen computers and voice-activated software to improve operations. The department hopes to have all 57 patrol cars upgraded in the next couple of years, at the cost of about $5,000 per vehicle.
Source: “Police cars get high-tech boost” by Aimee Juarez; The Bradenton (Fla.) Herald, 30 June 2004
SEATTLE POLICE CAN ACCESS INTERPOL DATABASES
The Seattle Police Department has become the ninth major metropolitan area law enforcement agency in the country to sign a partnership agreement with Interpol to share information concerning international crime and terrorism. Seattle will have direct access to Interpol's databases, joining New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, San Diego and Miami-Dade.
Source: “Seattle Police Dept. signs Interlope pact” by Michael Ko; The Seattle Times, 30 June 2004: B3
FBI REGIONAL COMPUTER CRIME LAB OPENS IN CONNECTICUT
On June 30, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the opening of the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force regional computer lab, the first such facility in New England. Designed for both law enforcement training and investigations into online crime and cyber security, the lab will serve as a model for the rest of the country. The task force includes state police troopers, FBI agents and police officers from Glastonbury, New Britain, New Haven and Windsor.
Source: Katie Malone, “FBI Opens New Computer Lab,” Hartford (Conn.) Courant, 30 June 2004: B5
MISSISSIPPI'S AUTOMATED SYSTEMS PROJECT
Mississippi’s Automated System Project, a federally funded data communications network begun in 2002 that has successfully been tested with first responders in Harrison, Hancock and Jackson counties, is set to expand to laptop computers in police cars in October. U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, who helped secure federal funds to develop the system, describes it as a virtual homeland security project that is the first network of its type in the nation. The project is funded by $14 million in grants to the Southern Regional Public Safety Institute (SRPSI), a partnership of The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast and the Harrison County Sheriff's Department.
Source: Robin Fitzgerald, “Data sharing system to grow,” Biloxi (Miss.) Sun Herald, 1 July 2004: A6
NEW ORLEANS POLICE USE OF HANDHELDS
Motorcycle traffic officers and parking enforcement officers with the New Orleans (La.) Police Department will soon start using handheld computers to improve operations. Officers will be able to access criminal records databases to learn whether offenders have previous citations, increasing traffic enforcement. In addition, citations are downloaded the end of each shift, decreasing transcription errors and speeding up processing.
Source: “Parking, traffic tickets go high-tech; Hand-held devices set to come online” by Michael A. Mohammed; Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.), 28 June 2004: A1
U.S. MAYORS' INTEROPERABILITY SURVEY
According to a new survey of 192 cities nationwide from the U.S. Conference of Mayors, 77 percent report their police and fire departments have interoperable communications, while 74 percent report they can communicate with first responder agencies in neighboring jurisdictions. The U.S. Conference of Mayors Interoperability Survey, which may be read online, looks at obstacles to complete federal, state and local public safety communications interoperability.
Source: Dibya Sarkar, “Interoperability: good locally, bad on a bigger scale,” Government E-Business, 28 June 2004
