NewsWatch: Public Safety -- ID Fallible, Police Jobs Saved, Online Wiretaps, More ...

Biometric ID Technologies 'Inherently Fallible'
Biometric systems -- designed to automatically recognize individuals based on traits such as fingerprints, palm prints, or voice or face recognition -- are "inherently fallible," and no single trait has been identified that is stable and distinctive across all groups, says a new report by the National Research Council. National Academies

Bill Improves Search for Missing Children
Measures to improve the search for missing children, protect intoxicated minors who call 911 for help and expand betting on horseracing in California are among dozens of bills signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, he announced Friday. Los Angeles Times

Cops Proud of 'Worst Speed Trap' Designation
The township of Mahwah in northwestern Bergen County has been named New Jersey’s "worst speed trap" by the National Motorists Association driving-rights group. It’s a badge of honor Police Chief James Batelli is happy to wear. "If motorists obey traffic laws, then they should have no concerns about being stopped in what some describe as a ‘speed trap,’ " he noted. New Jersey Star-Ledger

Feds Working to Enable Online Wiretaps
Federal law enforcement and national security officials are preparing to seek sweeping new regulations for the Internet, arguing that their ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is “going dark” as people increasingly communicate online instead of by telephone. New York Times

Police Officer of the Year Receives Medal of Valor
The IACP/PARADE Magazine Police Officer of the Year for 2009, Officer Pedro Garcia III of the San Antonio, Texas, Police Department, was recently presented the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor by Vice President Joseph Biden. IACP

Judge Grants Discovery of Postings on Social Media
A plaintiff must give a defendant access to private postings from two social networking sites that could contradict claims she made in a personal injury action, a Suffolk County, N.Y., judge has ruled. Acting Justice Jeffrey Arlen Spinner of New York's Suffolk County Supreme Court held that precluding defendant Steelcase Inc. from accessing Kathleen Romano's private postings on Facebook and MySpace "not only would go against the liberal discovery policies of New York favoring pretrial disclosure, but would condone Plaintiff's attempt to hide relevant information behind self-regulated privacy settings." Law.com

Sheriff's Cruisers to Carry Anti-Texting Message
The Jefferson County, Ala., Sheriff's Office is joining an education initiative sponsored by Alabamians Against Distracted Drivers. Bumper stickers warning of the dangers of distracted driving-- which has replaced impaired driving as the No. 1 cause of teen car wrecks -- will be placed on 300 sheriff's patrol cruisers. The bumper stickers read, "Don't Text and Drive." Birmingham News

Hoboken Police Jobs Saved
The layoffs of some Hoboken police officers have been rescinded and the rest have been put on hold, Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer announced. Jersey Journal