DNA Cold Hits Solve Baltimore Rape Cases
The Baltimore County, Md. Police Department recently announced arrests in two unsolved 1998 rape cases. The crimes were solved based on cold hits from the FBI Laboratory's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and additional county detective work supported by federal grants targeted at cold cases.
Source: Anica Butler, “DNA identifies suspects in two 1998 rape cases; National database gives Baltimore County police leads in unsolved cases,” The Baltimore (Md.) Sun, 7 Jan. 2005: 3B
LAPD Tests License Plate Cameras
The Los Angeles Police Department is testing a mobile, computerized camera system that allows officers to scan license plates and compare them to a state database of 123,000 stolen vehicles. The new system uses tiny digital cameras - either hand-held or mounted on the top of a police car -- that can capture up to 2,000 images an hour on the freeway, in parking lots or on streets.
Source: Richard Winton, “Spotting Car Thieves in Blink of a Digital Eye," Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2005: B3
DNA Cold Hit Solves 1995 Florida Rape Case
A Miami-Dade County jail inmate was arrested after a DNA cold hit from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) database linked him to an unsolved 1995 rape case. Before charging the inmate, who was serving a sentence for burglary, Miami-Dade police had to track down the victim who had moved since the crime occurred.
Source: Luisa Yanez, “DNA from 1995 rape gets inmate arrested,” The Miami (Fla.) Herald, 13 Jan. 2005: B5
Crime Mapping Adopted by Camden, N.J. Police
The Camden, N.J. Police Department has unveiled a new crime-mapping system and announced the inauguration of their CompStat strategy, which holds commanders accountable for crime trends in their divisions. Maps are produced by the department's new Bureau of Information Technology for use during weekly CompStat meetings to decide where officers and resources need to be deployed.
Source: Sam Wood, “Camden adds anticrime tools,” Philadelphia (Penn.) Inquirer, 11 Jan. 2005: B1
New Jersey Model Mall Program
The Garden State Plaza shopping mall in Paramus, N.J. is installing state-of-the-art cameras to spot suspicious people or packages as part of the Model Mall program under the leadership of the state's Homeland Security Technology Systems Center. The $1 million dollar program includes high-tech, “intelligent” cameras that analyze people and situations and alert police when human response is necessary.
Source: Jean Rimbach, “High-tech eyes to focus on mall; ‘Smart’ cameras with links to cops premiere at Plaza,” The Record (Bergen County, N.J.), 14 Jan. 2005: A1
Secret Service to Protect Presidential Inauguration
The Jan. 20 presidential inauguration will be the most heavily guarded in history, with the Secret Service in charge of a command post in Northern Virginia that will help 50 federal, state and local agencies monitor security. The facility is outfitted with plasma screens showing live video feed from the event, three-dimensional maps of downtown D.C., and computers that can project the plume of any chemical release.
Source: Sari Horwitz and Spencer S. Hsu, “Inaugural Security Draws on Latest Technologies; Intelligence to Stream Into Command Center From 50 Police Agencies Aloft and on the Ground,” The Washington Post, 10 Jan. 2005: A1
