CENTER FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH WEEKLY NEWS: Covering Law Enforcement, Corrections & Courts across the United States
 

Vol. 3 #24 September 27, 1999

The Providence (Rhode Island) Police Department has had great success with the automated fingerprint identification (AFIS) system it purchased over a year ago for $980,000. AFIS has matched 63 crime scene fingerprints -- including one murder -- and identified 187 people using aliases.  The head of the department's Bureau of Criminal Identifications recently said about AFIS, "We went from the Stone Age to Star Wars."

[Source: "All the prints that fit is news - Fingerprinting made easier" by Jonathan D. Rockoff;  The Providence (RI) Journal-Bulletin, September 13, 1999, Pg. C1]

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Item #2  TECHNOLOGY IMPLEMENTATION BY UTAH LAW ENFORCEMENT

The use of law enforcement technology continues to widen in Utah: the Millard County (Utah) Sheriff's Office has added Live Scan fingerprinting for booking suspects; the West Valley Police Department recently purchased 55 laptop computers for use in cruisers with a $340,000 grant; most Utah Highway Patrol cruisers in Weber, Davis and Salt Lake counties have laptop computers which print easy-to-read electronic speeding tickets.

[Source: "Techno-Cops Invent Dim Future for Crooks; Latest devices give Utah peace officers the edge in ongoing fight against crime; Cops Gain An Edge With New Technology" by Kelly Kennedy; The Salt Lake (UT) Tribune, September 6, 1999, Pg. C1]

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Item #3  D.C. POLICE $50 MILLION TECHNOLOGY PLAN

Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey recently announced a $50 million technology plan that will include a new computer-aided dispatch system and purchases of 300 squad car laptop computers to advance the department's Police Reporting and Information Delivery System that offers criminal histories, and other information online. The department will also improve its web site, test the use of crime-mapping, and add a 311 non-emergency number. Chief Ramsey's goal is for the department to use technology to "fundamentally change the way" it works with the community.

[Source: "Ramsey Touts Technology Plan $50 Million Effort Includes Refurbished Dispatch System" by Cheryl W. Thompson; The Washington Post, September 23, 1999, Pg. B4]

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Item #4  PEMBERTON TOWNSHIP (NJ) POLICE WEB SITE

The Pemberton Township (New Jersey) Police Department web site has pages devoted to overview information on detectives, administration and records, and also offers an e-mail function for anonymous tips and other comments. Chief Paul Tuliano Jr. receives and reads all e-mail before forwarding it along to relevant departments, enabling him to learn about citizen complaints and compliments.

[Source: "Police E-Mail Clicking with Pemberton Twp.; the Department has begun taking suggestions and tips by computer" by Marc Levy; Philadelphia Inquirer, September 20, 1999, Pg. B9]

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Item #5  PHILADELPHIA POLICE USE OF DIGITAL MUG SHOT EQUIPMENT

The Philadelphia Police Department is one of 50 departments in the state to receive new digital mug shot equipment distributed by the Pennsylvania Police Chiefs Association through federal and state grant funds. Just as police use Live Scan fingerprinting equipment to pare down lists of suspects, digital mug shots allow witnesses to quickly search through photos using a wide variety of distinguishing characteristics.

[Source: "This Electric Sleuth Never Forgets a Face - Or Unusual Mark; A New  Police Imaging System Can Match Descriptions with Photos" by Rachel Scheier; Philadelphia Inquirer, September 15, 1999, Pg. B2]

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Item #6  CRIME DATA SHARING PROBLEMS IN MINNESOTA

At a recent St. Paul (Minnesota) City Council meeting, officials from the St. Paul Police Department , Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension , and representatives from various other law enforcement and state and local attorney offices, discussed the lack of coordinated online criminal history information in the state. Information sharing between jurisdictions is limited by different reporting formats as well as the lack of compatible computer systems. The City Council hopes to get Gov. Jesse Ventura involved in the issue.

[Source: "Data-sharing difficulties hurt state police, prosecutors; A major roadblock to solving crime is a lack of coordinated computer records, which include criminal histories, among agencies in Minnesota's 87 counties" by Heron Marquez Estrada; Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN) September 16, 1999, Pg. 3B]

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COURT TECHNOLOGY NEWS
 

Item # 7 ADOPTION OF COURTROOM TECHNOLOGY IN KENTUCKY

The Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts plans to install a new computer system in the next few weeks that will make criminal records information available to judges across the state. Kentucky is in the early stages of courtroom technology modernization, but many court systems have been slow to implement technology as they try to balance such capabilities as video arraignment with the rights of defendants to receive a fair trial before a judge and jury.

[Source: "A Look Ahead to the Year 2000; ` Courtroom of the future' raises issues of virtual justice" by Mark Schaver, The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) September 21, 1999]

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 CORRECTIONS TECHNOLOGY NEWS
 

Item #8  CARROLL COUNTY (MD) SHERIFF'S OFFICE WANTS DIGITAL BOOKING

The Carroll County (Maryland) Sheriff's Office plans to have digital booking equipment online by January to verify suspects' identities and speed up the processing of prisoners. Officials hope to receive state funding to cover the estimated $106,000 to purchase Live Scan fingerprinting, digital imaging and other computer equipment necessary for central booking.

[Source: "Sheriff aims to begin central booking in county; Quicker access to data on suspects is expected" by Mike Farabaugh; The Baltimore Sun (Carroll County edition) September 5, 1999, Pg. 3B]

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Center for Criminal Justice Technology Research Weekly News is compiled by Jeffrey Michaels jeffreym@mitretek.org