CENTER FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE TECHNOLOGY
RESEARCH WEEKLY NEWS: Covering Law Enforcement, Corrections
& Courts across the United States
| Vol. 3 #26 October 11, 1999 |
#1 Charlottesville (VA) Police get cold hit DNA match
#2 New Jersey State Police to get squad car laptops
#3 Fresno (CA) Police to get new computer systems
#4 Hernando County (FL) Sheriff's web site offers records inquiry
#5 Louisiana law enforcement consortium gets grant for laptops
#6 Wilmington (NC) Police use of new fingerprint system
#7 Hillsborough County (FL) Court web site goes online
#8 New high-tech
Fayette County (KY) Detention center
LAW ENFORCEMENT TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Charlottesville (Virginia) Police were able to arrest a man on rape charges based on a DNA "cold hit" run by the State Police Division of Forensic Science on evidence collected at the crime scene near the University of Virginia. The suspect's DNA sample was in the state's database because it was collected after his 1996 arrest for malicious wounding.
[Source: "DNA Leads to Arrest in Rape of Student" by Carlos Santos; Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch, October 6, 1999, Pg. B1]
Item #2 NEW JERSEY STATE POLICE TO GET SQUAD CAR LAPTOPS
New Jersey State Police Troop D, which patrols the New Jersey Turnpike, will soon have new mobile data computers for its 145 vehicles that will allow officers to do license plate checks without the aid of dispatchers. The $1.5 million needed to purchase 175 computers -- of which 30 will be held in reserve as replacements-- is expected to be approved by the Turnpike Authority.
[Source: "Turnpike to Boost Troopers' Safety; 145 Cruisers Would Get Computers" by Pat R. Gilbert; Record (Northern New Jersey) October 5, 1999, Pg. A4]
Item #3 FRESNO (CA) POLICE TO GET NEW COMPUTER SYSTEMS
Fresno (California) Police are replacing their dispatch, 911, and records management computer systems as part of a major $5 million technology upgrade being funded by federal grants that will also make the department Y2K compliant. All ten squad cars will also be outfitted with new laptop computers that will be located in the glove compartment with a touch screen located on the dashboard. Officers will be able to use the computers to write reports from the field, keeping them on the street longer each shift.
[Source: "Blue Streaks New Computer Systems; In Fresno Police Cars Will Speed Crime-Fighting Efforts and Take Care of Y2K Problems, Too" by Russell Clemings; The Fresno (CA) Bee, October 4, 1999, Pg. B1]
Item #4 HERNANDO COUNTY (FL) SHERIFF'S WEB SITE OFFERS RECORDS INQUIRY
The Hernando County (Florida) Sheriff's Office has added a Public Records Inquiry to its four-year old web site. Residents will be able to search for arrest information by name and date, can access offense reports by date and street name, and can search civil data by name as well as see a lost of those served over the last three days.
[Source: "Sheriff's Office Puts its Records on Web Site" by Jamie Malernee; St. Petersburg (FL) Times, October 2, 1999, Hernando Times Pg. 1]
Item #5 LOUISIANA LAW ENFORCEMENT CONSORTIUM GETS GRANT FOR LAPTOPS
The St. Tammany Parish (Louisiana) Law Enforcement Consortium was recently awarded a second $1.2 million federal grant to continue work on its plan to equip 274 local squad cars with laptop computers. The grant will improve communications among the different municipalities represented by the consortium, speeding up response time and increasing officer safety. The consortium was awarded $1.2 million to begin the computer plan in 1997. This second grant will provide the following amounts, including the matching portion: $689,500 for the Sheriff's Office , $13,850 each for Folsom and Madisonville, $30,125 each for Abita Springs and Pearl River; $168,750 each for Covington and Mandeville; and $475,000 for Slidell.
[Source: "Tammany Cops to Get High-Tech Advantage; Cars with Laptops Speed Checks, Cut Response Time" by Richard Boyd; New Orleans (LA) Times Picayune, September 30, 1999, Pg. B1]
Item #6 WILMINGTON (NC) POLICE USE OF NEW FINGERPRINT SYSTEM
The Wilmington (North Carolina) Police Department has used its new $100,000 fingerprint identification system to make eight matches in the first month of use, including a case involving robbery and vandalism of a church. Police also used the system to identify a suspect who refused to give his identity to police when arrested.
[Source: "City's Fingerprint Analysis: Only 1 print needed to track offender; New technology helps peg 2 suspects" by Mike Ramsey; Morning Star (Wilmington, NC) October 6, 1999, Pg. 2B]
COURT TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Item # 7 HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY (FL) COURT WEB SITE GOES ONLINE
The Hillsborough County (Florida) Clerk of the Circuit Court's office has established a new Web site to provide the public information on its various operations, including costs and lists of frequently asked questions. The site will change as needs of the public evolve. Plans are to offer court records online sometime in the future.
[Source: "Clerk of the Circuit Court's Office Goes Online" by Graham Brink; St. Petersburg (FL) Times, October 2, 1999, Pg. 3B]
CORRECTIONS TECHNOLOGY
NEWS
Item #8 NEW HIGH-TECH FAYETTE COUNTY (KY) DETENTION CENTER
The new $71 million Fayette County (Kentucky) Detention Center will open in May 2000, and will offer videoconferencing facilities and other high-tech capabilities. The jail will house 1,200 inmates in modular living areas that can be monitored by fewer guards, and will be built so it is not visible from the nearby road which passes through thoroughbred horse farms.
[Source: "Kentucky County, City Trot Out Stylized Jail" by Tim Whitmire; Fort Worth (TX) Star-Telegram, October 3, 1999, Pg. 26]
Center for Criminal Justice Technology Research Weekly News is
compiled by Jeffrey Michaels jeffreym@mitretek.org