Justice and Public Safety

The small mountain town of Vail, Colo., has introduced agentic AI tools to aid in fire detection, public engagement and other areas. Being more efficient with mundane, everyday tasks is a key focus.

The new funding round follows the recent acquisition by the company of a Canada-based emergency communications tech provider. RapidSOS has raised more than $450 million since its launch in 2012.

The City Commission rejected a two-year pact with a company that would have stood up 13 cameras around the city. Dozens of residents expressed concerns at recent and past commission meetings.

Tech and transportation officials are working to bring together GIS, artificial intelligence and other tools to develop a traffic management system that’s smarter and improves safety for all.

Investigators of major crimes have been using AI to transcribe victim, witness and suspect interviews. The policy is intended, in part, to help safeguard private data, a police commander said.

City-commissioned independent research found that the gun detection technology was accurate and improved police response times, but noted that it doesn't integrate with other technology and doesn't deter crime.

The grants, for which public agencies must apply, promise to benefit the business of government technology. The federal agency also announced $500 million in grants for protection against unlawful use of drones.

Clark County first responders report their current 911 infrastructure is long overdue for a digital transformation. The county proposes a $1 monthly fee per telephone line to help offset costs.

Cellular telephones and other electronic devices including cameras are no longer permitted in the Forsyth County Courthouse. The aim is to prevent “recording and dissemination of images” of authorities and victims.

Staff from the Southern California city, from Fairfield, Calif., and South Bend, Ind., examined the reasons why technology projects were unsuccessful at the recent GovAI Coalition Summit.

The program will debut on a handful of streets in town limits. Drivers observed going 10 or more miles per hour over the speed limit will be cited. The technology will only capture images of speeding vehicles.

The Connecticut ACLU is demanding officials turn off automatic license plate reader cameras across the state until laws are passed to prevent misuse of personal data collected by the surveillance.

RapidSOS, backed by Black Rock, acquired the Canadian company as gov tech suppliers race to sell the last tools for emergency calls and responses. It follows a larger Axon acquisition announced last week.

The Baton Rouge Police Department is the latest agency to train at LSU's National Center for Biomedical Research and Training/Academy of Counter-Terrorist Education, which uses virtual reality tech.

By modernizing its 911 system and embracing automation, El Paso is delivering faster, more efficient emergency services with tools like a bot to take non-emergency calls and real-time language translation.

A multistate agreement between New York, California, Connecticut and Illuminate Education reinforces growing expectations that technology vendors take stronger measures to protect student information.

A test run of ShotSpotter technology announced in 2024 was funded by part of an $800,000 federal grant. The project was never activated; the decision follows a “comprehensive reassessment” of police priorities.

The Philadelphia Police Department is urging residents to protect their vehicles amid a wave of high-tech auto thefts targeting push-to-start vehicles with keyless fobs.