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

Vol. 3 #32 November 29/December 6, 1999

The Plainfield (Indiana) Police Department  recently purchased a $769,000 Motorola 800 MHz radio,  and the Town Council has approved the purchase of squad car laptop computers to optimize use of the new communications system. The laptop computers will make officers more efficient in their preparation of reports and through improved access to criminal and motor vehicle registration databases.

[Source: "Police key in on crime with new computers; Department's laptops and new radio system will give officers flexibility and rapid access to files" by Bruce C. Smith; The Indianapolis (IN) Star, November 27, 1999, Pg. W3]

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Item #2  SACRAMENTO (CA) POLICE USE OF CRIME ANALYSIS COMPUTERS

Sacramento (California) Police are now able to enter crime data into department computers within 24 hours thanks to its InfoCom crime analysis system, which went online in July.  The new computers and crime analysis software employed by the department were funded through a recent $469,000 U.S. Department of Justice grant, and allow the department to allocate resources according to crime trends.

[Source: "Police Go High-Tech to Fight Crime" by Ralph Montano; Sacramento (CA) Bee, December 2, 1999, Pg. B4]

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Item #3  COUNCIL BLUFFS (NE) POLICE TO GET LAPTOP COMPUTERS

 The Council Bluffs (Nebraska) Police Department has added laptop computers to some cruisers using grant funds, and notes an increase in arrests and served warrants due to officers' improved ability to check state and local databases.  Officers can also communicate with each other via the computers, and in the future will be able to access department mug shots and files from their vehicles.

[Source: "Computers Bolster Men in Blue Police Praise Speed, Security" by Gary Newman; The Omaha (NE) World-Herald, November 29, 1999]

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Item #4  SPOKANE COUNTY (WA) SHERIFF USES GPS TO TRACK MURDER SUSPECT

After the recent disappearance of a 9-year old girl in circumstances much like the unsolved case in which her mother vanished 7 years earlier, the Spokane County (Washington) Sheriff's Department attached global positioning system (GPS) equipment to her father's pickup truck during a warrant search. The GPS equipment was used to track the father to the child's grave, and the man has been charged with first degree murder. The case involving the missing mother has also been reopened.

[Source: "Police tail murder suspect using satellites" by the Associated Press; Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, IA) November 22, 1999, Pg. A7]

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Item #5  JEFFERSON COUNTY (KY) POLICE USE GRANT FOR LAPTOP COMPUTERS

Jefferson County (Kentucky) Police recently received a $1 million COPS MORE grant to purchase an additional 80 laptop computers for its cruisers, supplementing an earlier technology grant. The new computers speed up the time it takes officers to run record checks at traffic stops, making them more efficient at patrolling the county's jurisdiction of 340 square miles.

[Source: "$1 million grant to pay for computers in Jefferson police cars" by Grace Lee Uy; The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) November 23, 1999]

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Item #6  SOUTH CAROLINA CRIMINAL RECORDS ON THE WEB

The South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division recently made criminal records available on its web site at a charge of $25 per search. All convictions, except those of juveniles, will be available on the system. South Carolina Sex Offender Registry searches will continue to be free.

 [Source: "SLED Web site offers S.C. criminal records" by Bill Swindell; The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC) November 23, 1999]

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COURT TECHNOLOGY NEWS
 

Item # 7  NORTH CAROLINA'S HIGH-TECH BUSINESS COURT

The North Carolina Business Court in Greensboro recently held its first test trial using advanced courtroom technology with the goals of reducing paperwork, speeding up trials, and making evidence presentation clearer for jurors in complicated business trials. The court uses special software and high-definition television screens for evidence presentation, allowing attorneys to display all evidence and exhibits electronically. Superior Court Judge Ben Tennille presides over the court.

[Source: "Courtroom a la Circuit City; Computers Run This Greensboro Courtroom, Drastically Reducing the Amount of Paperwork" by Paula Christian; News & Record (Greensboro, NC) November 21, 1999, Pg. B1]

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 CORRECTIONS TECHNOLOGY NEWS
 

Item #8  MAINE DNA DATABASE SUCCESS

The Maine State Police Crime laboratory recently used the state's DNA database to solve two rape cases, the first such cold hits from the 350 samples in the system. The man's DNA profile was put into the database last year after his burglary conviction. The state's database will soon grow from 350 to 3,500 samples, making it even more effective at solving crimes.

 [Source: "First convict linked to new crimes by DNA directory;" The Associated Press State & Local Wire, November 25, 1999]
 

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