Justice and Public Safety

The California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office estimated that 31.4 percent of student applications in 2024 were fraudulent, coming from bots or AI agents being used to steal financial aid money.

In a new report, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers proposes cybersecurity training for incarcerated people could enable them to more easily find work once released — addressing an acute staffing shortage.

State officials in Kansas have continued to modernize technology platforms and improve cybersecurity, even as they spearheaded a recovery from a 2023 ransomware attack against the judicial system.

The North Bergen Police Department has become the first in Hudson County to launch a cutting-edge drone unit, integrating unmanned aerial systems into its public safety operations as a first responder.

State officials are pitching a plan to businesses and hoteliers that would enable it to have real-time access to their private security camera footage. One goal is to address an ongoing shortage of law enforcement officers.

The GPS launchers allow police officers to find and arrest suspects later without having to pursue them in dangerous, and sometimes deadly, high-speed vehicle chases on public roads.

A website from the nonprofit Opportunity Labs went live this week with a K-12 deepfake policy framework, incident response guide and the start of a platform for state education leaders to collaborate on guidance.

The Niagara County, N.Y., municipality will receive at least eight license plate readers to install around town, something Police Chief Frank Previte said would be used to help solve crimes.

In one month, AI-assisted cameras mounted on Los Angeles Metro buses generated nearly 10,000 citations for parking violations, according to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

A new system, powered by LexisNexis, lets Oklahoma City residents report nonemergency crimes to police online. More than 400 have logged reports since the platform made its debut April 1.

The county sheriff’s website came back online Monday, after a cybersecurity event prompted its shutdown in mid-April. The Sheriff’s Office has worked with a cyber defense company to restore systems.

The ransomware incident has forced county officials to take offline systems belonging to the sheriff’s office, the circuit clerk’s office and the courthouse. The incident came to light around 2:30 a.m. Monday.

At a recent hearing on cybersecurity organized by the sheriff of Bucks County, Pa., authorities discussed how organized groups of cyber criminals are attacking American youth with sextortion.

Municipal law enforcement has begun the physical device reprogramming process that will ultimately take its police scanner traffic off the air. A privacy advocate noted the need for greater transparency into government work.

With the goal of further enforcement of speeding and reckless driving laws, a bill that was recently passed in Connecticut calls for a plan to expand speed safety cameras on state highways.

Pocketalk, an AI-powered handheld, real-time translation device, has helped law enforcement in a small Oregon town bridge communication gaps with non-English speakers during critical incidents and daily interactions.

To drastically cut response times to people needing help on remote trails, the Seminole County Fire Department created an internal app using lay-of-the-land expertise and countywide collaboration.

A new suite of technology will enable real-time text updates to 911 callers on response times and delays. It will also let callers critique and review police officers, the city’s interim police chief said.