Justice & Public Safety

In a recent article, we discussed the changing communications landscape of the public emergency management sector. This covered trends like end users’ evolving data and communication needs, the limitations of traditional networks to meet these needs and how natural disasters further disrupt communication channels. Together, these three factors can severely inhibit the preparedness and on-site effectiveness of response teams in achieving mission-critical goals.

The 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Albuquerque has been delivering electronic devices to certain victims and witnesses so that they can testify at online court hearings during the pandemic.

A different sort of virus — ransomware — has taken down the computer system at the Newhall School District, forcing a shutdown of distance learning for some 6,000 elementary school students, officials said.

In early March, when the true scope of the coronavirus pandemic was still widely unknown to the public, misinformation was rampant on social media such as Facebook and Twitter, according to a recent study.

The Duxbury Fire Station has opened its doors to residents, students and guests from across the world, welcoming visitors for the first time since the pandemic began, and it’s all being done virtually.

Vehicle registration renewal stickers are not going away despite a proposal for electronic record keeping to fully take their place. State police opposed the switch saying the tags are useful for investigative purposes.

The county council unanimously approved the first step in purchasing body cameras and in-vehicle cameras for deputies of the Sheriff’s Office this week. The first five years of the program will cost roughly $9.2 million.

San Diego's controversial Smart Streetlight cameras will be shut off, drawing applause from social justice activists, but removing police access to a tool they say helps solve violent crimes.

The Portland City Council unanimously approved bans on city and private use of facial recognition technology at a meeting on Wednesday — marking the strictest such restriction in the country.

The technology that detects and alerts police of gunfire is making a return in the city as part of a federal crackdown on violence. The effort also includes an increased federal law enforcement presence in the city.

The Clearview AI application was piloted by police in the city, but most city leaders and the public had no idea it was being used. The technology has raised concerns among civil rights and privacy advocates.

A coalition of community groups called on leaders to reject a proposal they fear would put thousands of streetlight cameras in the hands of the San Diego Police without proper transparency, oversight or accountability.

A series of grants aims to corral as many perspectives as possible from international and underserved communities so state and local governments can design safe, equitable contact tracing systems.

The new nine-camera system will be mounted on poles in some of Lemon Grove’s public parks and at a busy intersection as part of the SafeSanDiego-Lemon Grove program. Footage will be accessible to deputies in real time.

In these days of COVID-19, Prentiss County Sheriff Randy Tolar still does not allow the prisoner and the visitor in the same room. Instead, the county jail started video visitation last week.

If one uses national headlines as a guide, it's police in cities that utilize drones and navigate all the issues involved with the technology. As such, the drone program in the small town of Linn, Wis., is a distinct case study.

City officials began discussing body cameras for the police department in 2019, but budgeting priorities delayed the process. The national conversation about police misconduct is now speeding the $1.4 million technology spend.

The St. Clair County, Ala., Sheriff’s Office unveiled access to the national victim notification network that allows victims of crime and other citizens to access information about offenders in U.S. jails and prisons.