DNA Cold Hits on Oklahoma Rape Cases
The FBI Laboratory's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) has linked an Oklahoma prison inmate to a 1998 assault on a woman in Tulsa and a 2001 attack in Duncan. The man was recently profiled in CODIS because of first-degree burglary convictions.
Source: Nicole Marshall, “Tests link man to 2 rapes in Oklahoma,” Tulsa (Okla.) World, 23 Dec. 2004: A1
Massachusetts Gun Check Database
Massachusetts has become the first state to install an electronic instant-check system complete with a fingerprint scanner for gun licenses and gun purchases, allowing police and gun stores to learn right away if a person can legally own or buy a firearm. The system, developed by the state's Criminal History Systems Board, provides instant updates on arrest warrants, restraining orders and convictions, and so far has been installed in 159 of the state's 351 police departments and at the four largest gun dealers.
Source: Fox Butterfield, “State Sees Instant Results in Electronic Gun Checks,” The New York Times, 25 Dec. 2004: A14
LAPD Tests Face Recognition
The Los Angeles Police Department is seeking half a million dollars from the federal government to expand the use of advanced facial-recognition systems to identify criminal suspects. In the eight weeks that the Rampart Division has been testing the devices, they have been used about 25 times, resulting in 16 arrests for alleged criminal contempt of a permanent gang injunction and three on outstanding felony warrants.
Source: Richard Winton, “ID System Gets in Face of Criminals; LAPD officers field-test a hand-held computer using facial recognition to identify suspects,” Los Angeles Times, 25 Dec. 2004: B1
Tacoma Police Get AFIS
The Tacoma Police Department's new fingerprint identification system - linked to King County, the Washington State Patrol and the Western Identification Network – has already generated leads for more than two dozen unsolved cases. The city paid $190,900 for two AFIS workstations and $18,756 a year for maintenance.
Source: Stacey Mulick, “Fingerprint database already giving a lift; Tacoma police have leads in 29 unsolved cases, including a Stadium District bank robbery, thanks to a new fingerprint system installed this month,” The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.), 29 Dec. 2004: A1
Wisconsin Town Gets Fingerprinting Equipment
Using a federal homeland security grant, the Burlington, Wis. Police Department has purchased new fingerprinting equipment that will allow prints to be almost instantly checked against records of the Wisconsin Department of Justice. The $2,100 purchase will speed up the booking process and make it easier to check if offenders are supplying false information.
Source: Megan Twohey, “New system to simplify fingerprinting; Burlington police expect more reliable I.D.'s,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 23 Dec.2004: B5
New Pennsylvania State Police Dispatch Centers
New dispatch centers will allow Pennsylvania State Police to track squad cars by satellite and access criminal records by wireless, freeing up more than 180 troopers for patrol duty. The regional dispatch center that serves Philadelphia, Montgomery and Delaware Counties was opened in November and is the second of five centers being built under the $136 million Consolidated Dispatch Center project, set to be completed by 2006.
Source: Stephanie L. Arnold, “New technology lets police answer with great dispatch,” Philadelphia Inquirer, 3 Jan. 2005: B1
Wyoming Wireless Network Under Construction
Laramie County, several Cheyenne city departments and the Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities are working together on a new mobile and wireless communications network that will enable law enforcement to access criminal records and prepare reports in their vehicles. The $683,083 project will be paid for with sixth- and fifth-penny sales tax money as well as already budgeted funds.
Source: Kelly Milner, “County, BOPU, City Hope to Get Wireless Network Up and Running in 2005,” Wyoming Tribune-Eagle (Cheyenne, Wyo.), 26 Dec. 2004: A6
