Justice and Public Safety

The county's Department of Public Safety Communications and Emergency Management upgraded its computer-aided dispatching system to one that is cloud-based and can work more easily with neighboring agencies.

The new technology, which the police department in Norwalk, Conn., recently launched, “makes things a whole lot easier,” its Chief James Walsh said. The software is an upgrade to officer cameras.

The Woodland City Council renewed a $300,000 contract with Flock Safety for automatic license plate readers this week, despite concerns from residents about privacy and data security.

As part of a 10-county pilot, the local government fully implemented the technology Jan. 29. Its GPS, GIS and improved cellphone technology offer additional accuracy during emergencies.

The county Board of Commissioners has delayed a decision on whether to renew contracts for 30 surveillance cameras. Residents have voiced their objections and a commissioner has shared his concern.

School-zone speed cameras in Richmond, Va., which are only online while children arrive or leave from school, produced just over 100,000 violations in their first year of use.

The town of Vernon recently became the latest of several local governments in Connecticut to put enforcement cameras on school buses, hoping to curb moving violations around the vehicles when students are present.

The company provides maps and other AI-driven solutions to help local government agencies with transportation, transit, natural disaster response and traffic safety efforts. The new funding comes from a single investor.

Automatic license plate reader technology gathers data and images for use by government agencies for law enforcement, and this bill prevents that data from being used by immigration authorities.

The Circuit Court initiative is a trial in replacing an entirely manual process. So far, the sheriff’s office and about 40 municipalities are on board and 20 more are expected by the end of March.

The deal will bring together AI-powered transcription technology with a suite of court solutions from Tyler Technologies, one of the largest gov tech providers in the market, matching data to case files in near real time.

Lawmakers and leaders of California’s mental health crisis centers hoped that by 2026 the state would have a more robust system to address the growing need for behavioral health services. But delays have frustrated stakeholders.

The Santa Ana Police Department is proposing to spend about $683,000 on a contract to launch the city’s drone program, pending approval from the City Council.

The Laredo Police Department is expanding its use of artificial intelligence across several incoming programs — a move teased by Chief Miguel Rodriguez during last week's State of the City address.

Commissioners OK’d spending about $39,000 for software to better coordinate crisis services, particularly around mental health and substance abuse. It is intended to improve public-facing case management.

Local law enforcement praises the devices, hundreds of which are in place, for helping solve crimes. Privacy and surveillance concerns, however, persist among critics and industry watchers.

Through electronic queueing and a pilot of drive-through court services, the governments hope to handle a rise in court transactions driven largely by an increase in traffic violations around school buses.

A donation of more than $400,000 enabled the county police department to add two new drones to its fleet of seven. Among residents, however, concerns over being surveilled persist.