CENTER FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE TECHNOLOGY
RESEARCH WEEKLY NEWS: Covering Law Enforcement, Corrections
& Courts across the United States
| Vol. 3 #30 November 22, 1999 |
#1 Lafayette (LA) Police to get laptop computers
#2 Clearwater (FL) Police to purchase laptops
#3 Queen Anne's County (MD) Sheriff unveils web site
#4 Thornton (CO) Police use of crime mapping software
#5 DNA database leads to murder charge in Jackson County, MO
#6 Y2K status of Tennessee's 911 systems
#7 New York's 8th Judicial District links to state computer system
#8 West Virginia
Regional Jail Authority is Y2K-compliant
LAW ENFORCEMENT TECHNOLOGY NEWS
The Lafayette (Louisiana) Police Department plans to use federal grant funds to purchase new laptop computers for 115 squad cars to replace current mobile data terminals. The new computers will be used to reduce the time spent filling out reports, and will enable officers to run computer records checks. Police vehicles will also be equipped with automatic vehicle locator devices, which will allow dispatchers to send the nearest vehicle to respond to emergency calls.
[Source: "Grants buy laptops for all officers" by Kevin Blanchard; The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) November 18, 1999]
Item #2 CLEARWATER (FL) POLICE TO PURCHASE LAPTOPS
The Clearwater (Florida) Police Department has recommended the purchase of $2,800 366 MHz laptop computers for its squad cars, and the City Commission will soon vote on whether to authorize the buy. Police plan to use a $1.1 million COPS MORE grant for the laptops, which will upgrade computers bought in 1995. The new computers will have wireless modems that will allow officers to perform their own searches in county, state and federal crime databases.
[Source: "Laptop links in cars may aid police" by Jane Meinhardt; St. Petersburg (FL) Times, November 17, 1999]
Item #3 QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY (MD) SHERIFF UNVEILS WEB SITE
The Queen Anne's County (Maryland) Sheriff's Office has unveiled a web site to supply information to residents and offer a means of receiving anonymous crime tips. The site includes crime prevention tips, a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ), as well as phone numbers and e-mail addresses for the department.
[Source: "Web site is up for Sheriff's Office; More than 944 people have already visited site in the past two months" by Margot Mohsberg; The Capital (Annapolis, MD) November 10, 1999, Pg. A8]
Item #4 THORNTON (CO) POLICE USE OF CRIME MAPPING SOFTWARE
The Thornton (Colorado) Police Department has been successful at increasing arrests for crimes such as auto theft and burglary through the use of crime mapping software that allows resources to be allocated to areas where incidents are most likely to occur. Detectives using the $1,195 software have been able to reduce its percentage of unsolved burglary cases from 84% in 1997 to nearly 50% in 1998.
[Source: "Police find technology a faithful partner" by Trent Seibert; The Denver (CO) Post, November 15, 1999, Pg. B1]
Item #5 DNA DATABASE LEADS TO MURDER CHARGE IN JACKSON COUNTY, MO
A man recently put on trial for first-degree murder is the first person to be charged in Jackson County, Missouri using the state's DNA database, which began taking samples from convicted felons in 1994. The prosecutor in the case remarked that DNA evidence has become as useful as fingerprints, and will continue to grow in importance as more samples are entered in such databases.
[Source: "Trial in teen stabbing begins; Prosecution using felon DNA database" by Ruth E. Igoe; The Kansas City (MO) Star, November 18, 1999, Pg. B1]
Item #6 Y2K STATUS OF TENNESSEE'S 911 SYSTEMS
Even though the final report of the President's Year 2000 Conversion Council found just 50% of more than 2,700 emergency call centers surveyed were Y2K-compliant as of Oct. 1, the Metro Nashville (Tennessee) Police Department says its 911 emergency communications systems is ready for Y2K. Nashville upgraded its CAD system early in 1999, and verified that its 800-megahertz radio system was tested and upgraded by Motorola. In addition, all county 911 systems have been reported as Y2K-compliant by the president of the Tennessee Emergency Number Association .
[Source: "911 Services' Computers Y2K Compliant; Metro, Area Departments Expect Smooth Transition When 1999 Ends, 2000 Begins" by Kathy Carlson; The Tennessean, November 15, 1999]
COURT TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Item # 7 NEW YORK'S 8TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT LINKS TO STATE COMPUTER SYSTEM
The 8th Judicial District , which covers eight counties in Western New York, has become the first district outside of New York City to connect all its courts to the state's CourtNet computer system. The district's computer effort began in 1996, and will link judges, court clerks and other personnel over a network of PCs to various databases such as domestic abuse court orders of protection.
[Source: "New Computers Speed Data Flow in Courts" by Matt Gryta; Buffalo (NY) News, November 3, 1999, Pg. 5B]
CORRECTIONS TECHNOLOGY
NEWS
Item #8 WEST VIRGINIA REGIONAL JAIL AUTHORITY IS Y2K-COMPLIANT
The West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority has tested all its systems and recently testified before the state legislature that possible Y2K-related glitches in its jails offer no threat to public safety since doors are not computer operated. The Regional Jail Authority oversees roughly 1,700 inmates at six jails, and plans to install a new $1 million jail computer next year that will improve operations at its facilities.
[Source: "Jails will remain safe, officials say Gates, jail doors are not controlled by computer" by Dan LeRoy; Charleston (WV) Daily Mail, November 16, 1999, Pg. C1]
Center for Criminal Justice Technology Research Weekly News is
compiled by Jeffrey Michaels jeffreym@mitretek.org