New Mobile Command Center for South Carolina Emergencies
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) unveiled its new mobile command center during a meeting of the South Carolina Sheriffs' Association. The 40-foot-long vehicle, paid for with a $450,000 grant from DHS, is equipped with a conference room where officials can coordinate strategy, five plasma screens that beam images from surveillance cameras, telephone lines for communication with suspects and emergency officials and satellite television.
Source: Pamela Hamilton, Associated Press, “New SLED gear to aid in crisis; Command unit on wheels helps crew safely make quick decisions," Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Sun News, 23 April 2005
Interoperability Improves Security in West Virginia
Because of newly achieved radio communications interoperability, the Kanawha County, W.V. Sheriff's Department and the West Virginia State Police say they're experiencing a new spirit of cooperation, where road patrol officers from both agencies work together to decrease response time and make certain the closest officer to a call gets there first. Authorities also were hopeful the shared duties would lead to more information being shared.
Source: George Gannon, “Sheriff, State Police working together,” Charleston (W.V.) Daily Mail, 22 April 2005: 1A
MATRIX Pilot Project Ends
The Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange (MATRIX) Pilot Project, created after 9/11 as a proof-of-concept program in response to the need for timely terrorism and criminal information sharing between state and federal agencies, concluded on April 15. Florida and some other participating states of the original project are independently negotiating the continued use of MATRIX’s Factual Analysis Criminal Threat Solution (FACTS) application within their agencies to improve information sharing.
Source: “MATRIX Pilot Project Concludes,” Florida Department of Law Enforcement Press Release, 15 April 2005, online at http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/press_releases/20050415_matrix_project.html
Fresno, Calif. Police Purchase Handheld Computers
The Fresno, Calif. Police Department has purchased 400 hand-held wireless devices as part of a $750,000 communications upgrade set to launch in June. The calculator-sized units will enable officers to send and receive suspect photographs and thumbprints, check criminal histories, write up traffic tickets and prepare reports while on patrol.
Source: Matt Leedy, “Fighting crime in the palm of their hands; Fresno police will use hand-held computers to better access information on suspects, file reports,” Fresno (Calif.) Bee, 13 April 2005: B1
Northeast Minnesota Law Enforcement Information Sharing
The North East Minnesota Enforcement and Safety Information System (NEMESIS) was unveiled on April 21, providing police, prosecutors and the courts in St. Louis, Carlton, Cook, Koochiching and Lake counties a central resource for tracking people, incidents and cases through the criminal justice system. NEMESIS was paid for through a Minnesota CriMNet grant that required matching local funding of $1.6 million.
Source: “Law enforcement unveils regional system; NEMESIS will allow information-sharing on people and cases in the criminal justice system,” Duluth (Minn.) News-Tribune, 22 April 2005
Connecticut Towns Use of Traffic Monitoring Computers
Metro Traffic Services, a regional traffic group representing towns around Hartford, Conn., plans to use data monitoring devices to find neighborhoods with speeding problems to better allocate police to those locations. Using a $25,000 federal grant, the Manchester Police Department, which has been using one of the traffic monitoring units since 2002, has purchased an additional seven units to share with Coventry, East Hartford, East Windsor, South Windsor, Vernon and Windsor.
Source: Christine Dempsey, “Sneaking a Peek at Traffic; Stealthy Devices to Provide Police Departments with `Snapshots' of Driving Patterns,” Hartford (Conn.) Courant, 21 April 2005: B3
