DNA COLD HIT SOLVES 1987 MASS. MURDER
A Massachusetts prison inmate serving a sentence for violating his parole on a burglary offense has been linked by the state DNA database to the 1987 murder of a Worcester woman in her home. In October, Massachusetts became the 28th state to enact a law that requires all convicted felons to provide DNA samples.
Source: “DNA ends 16 years of mystery; 1987 Worcester slaying” by Chris Echegaray; Worcester (Mass.) Telegram & Gazette, 25 March 2004: A1
COLO. REGIONAL COMPUTER FORENSICS LAB
The FBI has allocated $2 million to create a Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory for Colorado and Wyoming that will search for digital evidence in a wide variety of crimes, including murder, rape, robbery, child pornography, fraud and domestic violence. The lab, expected to handle 200 to 300 cases annually, will employ 12 to 15 forensic examiners from the Denver and Aurora police departments, the Douglas and Arapahoe county sheriffs’ departments, and the FBI.
Source: “Computers the suspect at new lab FBI, metro agencies to hunt electronic clues” by Manny Gonzales; The Denver (Colo.) Post, 15 March 2004: B1
GPS PILOT BY MIDDLESEX COUNTY (MASS.) SHERIFF
The Middlesex (Mass.) Sheriff’s Office has initiated a Global Positioning System (GPS) Offender Tracking Project with 23 “model” volunteer inmates from the Billerica House of Correction. The early-release participants pay the $8.95 per day cost of the system, with the county saving $100 per day by keeping the inmates out of prison.
Source: “GPS bracelet keeps tabs on early-release convicts” by Laurel J. Sweet; The Boston (Mass.) Herald, 27 March 2004
NEW YORK CITY HOLDS ANTI-TERROR DRILL
On March 14, city, state and federal first responders participated in a four hour mock disaster exercise at New York City’s Shea Stadium to test response times and to improve communications between agencies in case of a terrorist attack. Approximately 2,000 law enforcement officers, fire and rescue personnel and volunteer civilians participated in the $400,000 drill, dubbed Operation United Response,” which centered on a terrorist attack with a weapon of mass destruction.
Source: “Apple ‘Attack’ A Drill” by Angelina Capiello and Cynthia R. Fagen; New York Post, 15 March 2004
DNA COLD HIT SOLVES 1988 CHICAGO MURDER
The Chicago Police Department's cold case squad recently announced a cold hit from the FBI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) on the 1988 stabbing death of a local florist. The 43-year-old Nevada prison inmate linked to the murder is currently serving three life sentences for crimes committed in that state.
Source: “DNA evidence links robber to '88 slaying” by Jaclyn O'Malley; Reno (Nev.) Gazette-Journal, 18 March 2004: 1B
MCHENRY COUNTY (Ill.) E-TICKETING PROJECT
If the Village Board approves the $17,000 software purchase, the Lake in the Hills, Ill., Police Department hopes to participate in a McHenry County computerized ticketing plan that would save officers four to five minutes per ticket and reduce paperwork errors. Adding the voice-enabled ticketing software to squad car laptops would allow officers to enter only a driver’s license number, with the rest of the driver’s information and offense automatically filled in and sent to state and county record databases.
Source: “Police aim to be on cutting edge; Lake in the Hills officers hope ticket-writing technology will save time, reduce errors” by Scott Ray; Chicago Daily Herald, 24 March 2004
