Justice and Public Safety

FirstNet Board Is Off to an 'Optimistic' Start

April 19, 2013 - Kevin McGinnis is helping to drive the FirstNet board toward the creation of a nationwide public safety network.

Drone Limits Become Law

April 19, 2013 - Legislation that would limit police drone use is still active in 29 state legislatures.

Security Cameras May Be Key to Finding Boston Bomber

April 19, 2013 - Since 9/11, law enforcement agencies have used federal grants to buy surveillance cameras for areas across the country plagued by crime or potentially targeted for terrorism.

Will Florida Regulate Drone Activity?

April 18, 2013 - Use of unmanned aircraft by law enforcement may become a reality in the Sunshine State.

NYC Web Platform Targets Near Miss Crashes

April 18, 2013 - A new crowdsourced website asks residents to document unsafe road conditions, hoping to inform city transportation decisions.

California Bill to Restrict Wireless Communication Shutdowns Clears First Hurdle

April 17, 2013 - On April 16, a bill to prevent wireless communication interruption was approved by the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee.

Facebook, Attorneys General Partner for Teen Online Safety

April 16, 2013 - Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg will appear with 19 state attorneys general in a public education campaign to encourage safer teen behavior online.

Boston Uses Tech to Communicate After Marathon Explosions

April 15, 2013 - Boston PD solicits video footage of finish line, while Massachusetts governor asks for those who may have seen something to call and share their tips.

Anti-Big Brother Act is Now Law in New Jersey

April 15, 2013 - After students in Pennsylvania were monitored in their homes using school-issued laptops without knowledge or consent, a law was passed in New Jersey to ensure written notice of such activities is provided.

IRS Can Search Email Without Warrant

April 11, 2013 - A document released by the IRS suggests that Americans enjoy "generally no privacy" where online private communication is concerned.

California Senate Committee Approves Earthquake Early Warning Bill

April 10, 2013 - SB 135 was approved by a 10-0 vote by the Senate Governmental Organization Committee.

Maryland County Pilots Text-to-911

April 5, 2013 - In March, Frederick County became the first jurisdiction in Maryland to make this service available to certain wireless customers.

Latest Move in School Safety? A Panic Button.

April 4, 2013 - Not all emergencies give people the time or ability to call 911. One Georgia city has installed panic buttons in all of its schools, and similar plans have been introduced in California and New Jersey.

Technology Aids Tuscaloosa, Ala., Tornado Response

April 2, 2013 - A citywide IP communications system helps the city implement two emergency action centers in just a couple of hours.

Cops Give Telemetry Tracking New Life

April 1, 2013 - Police nationwide breathe new life into the nearly 85-year-old technology.

FirstNet Moves Forward, But Hurdles Remain

March 29, 2013 - The national public safety broadband network should let federal, state and local emergency response personnel share data, do their jobs more efficiently and save more lives in the process.

Should Local Government Be Run More Like Silicon Valley?

March 29, 2013 - Cities are contracting with Code for America -- what some call “the Peace Corps for geeks” -- in an effort to seed Silicon Valley virtues, such as creativity, speed and experimentation, in local government.

Integrating 311 and 911 Streamlines Operations

March 28, 2013 - An integrated call center in Dyersburg, Tenn., streamlines citizen service requests and emergency calls.

Study: Impending Drones Need More Research

March 28, 2013 - A recent study released by the National Center for Policy Analysis concluded that because drones are coming, increased technological research and development of public policy is needed.

Can Open Source Software Enhance Collaboration?

March 27, 2013 - Post-9/11, common justice-related data standards let states use open source software to effectively collaborate across agencies.