Justice and Public Safety

Pre-shift inspections of police vehicles is a tedious but vital task that can impact officer and citizen safety. A new tool could make that process more efficient and more reliable — and could save money for cities.

The Florida Department of Education will use a new web portal to assess and address the behavioral issues of students statewide, according to the safety software company Versaterm.

The state recently launched BEACON, driven by artificial intelligence and capable of transforming written emergency updates into real-time, multilingual audio message broadcasts on multiple platforms.

The time it takes the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office to respond to calls for police service will slow in the foreseeable future as budget cuts eliminate six deputy positions.

Washington, Conn., with one stoplight and a population of just under 4,000 people, is set to become the first town to begin ticketing speeders by license plate readers.

The Spokane County Commission voted to accept a nearly $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, to examine body camera footage and determine the effectiveness of its training. A system will scrutinize deputy interactions.

The Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office is seeking official approval to purchase 62 new Taser 10 devices for use by patrol officers at a total cost of $289,721.

The FBI says more than 5,000 drone sightings that the bureau investigated in New Jersey ended up being small planes, hobbyist drones, helicopters, stars or law enforcement aircraft.

Axon, best known for its Tasers, is trying to sell its relatively new Draft One software to police. A new ACLU report advises police to avoid AI for crafting reports — and an Axon competitor weighs in.

The Nevada Highway Patrol will begin using a thermal imaging van that officials hope will help the agency focus on the most problematic trucks and perhaps even combat human trafficking.

The city’s Office of Records Custodians now publishes the reports of vehicle crashes online weekly. This means the public is no longer required to file individual public records requests to gain access.

An ordinance from two city aldermen would create an approval process for “policing surveillance technology and databases” as well as policy. The police chief has said he cannot support it as written.

More than seven months after Manatee County, Fla., launched a pilot program for a drone that can quickly respond to medical emergencies, 911 dispatchers have yet to use it.

In an effort to address constant speeding in three locations in town, Washington, Conn., officials are preparing to deploy automated cameras along country roads to capture pictures of the speedsters.

School administrators at a district in Pennsylvania predicted some logistical issues with new AI-driven security devices, but on the second day of the new process, officials said it was running more smoothly than expected.

Rhode Island is the first state that will use a federally funded service offered through MS-ISAC to automatically block all public school computers from connecting to malicious domains.

The city has decided that it will use about a third of its free cash to purchase new police cruisers in addition to building up its pension system.

City officials have approved a request from Missoula police for 120 new Tasers and a bundle of add-on services, including AI software that writes up to 80 percent of police reports.