Justice and Public Safety

The City Council voted 7-2 to expand the use of the cameras despite vocal opposition by residents and groups worried the system will be used by federal authorities to persecute immigrants and communities of color.

The contract, which can be terminated without cause at any time, will cost about $2.6 million for five years, as the city re-ups its use of a controversial system of audio sensors to help police respond to gunfire.

In an effort to address delays in releasing people from jail, the Sheriff’s Office is looking to update its Adult Information Systems to be more integrated with an existing case management system.

As calls for service involving electric bikes and scooters rise, municipalities are tightening up regulations on the devices. Leawood and Prairie Village are among the latest to establish age and operational requirements.

At an upcoming meeting, the Watsonville City Council will vote on whether to expand its contract with Flock Safety, which provides automated license plate readers to the city.

The incident early Thursday compromised computers connected to the law enforcement agency’s system, but did not impact jail computers. The parish shares its boundaries with the city of New Orleans.

The legislation would require state corrections to create a secure digital way to deliver legal mail. If approved, it would eliminate the last paper mail delivered to those incarcerated.

Individuals are receiving an increased number of these types of scam messages and phone calls, officials say, with scammers using fake browser pop-ups or unsolicited phone calls to trick victims.

Officials will use the money, from the Missouri 911 service board, to improve software and hardware redundancies, and to update GIS systems. The center serves two counties and area first responders.

The new Omnilert system at Oak Lawn High School District 229 can use artificial intelligence to identify a gun, then send the data to a human expert to verify before contacting first responders.

Travelers at the Harry Reid International Airport can use biometric data instead of placing their ID in a card reader and having a photo taken. Three airlines are using the system; passengers must be enrolled in TSA PreCheck.

In June 2024, the central Illinois community of Effingham entered a two-year contract with Flock Safety for a total of six traffic cameras for an annual cost of $18,000 and an initial setup fee of $7,500.

A recent incident involving the rocker and an undetected handgun in the Michigan state Capitol shows the need for better security. That need, in turn, could spark more business for suppliers of gov tech.

With a $643,000 investment, Phoenix is now utilizing Versaterm’s AI-driven CallTriage system to help residents, shorten wait times and keep lines clear for emergencies. It went live earlier this month.

The public safety tech provider has teamed with two other companies to help route non-emergency calls from motorists away from busy 911 call centers. The move reflects larger trends in public safety tech.

The township will spend $399,000 in a three-year contract with Flock Safety, enabling police to field three of the company’s Aerodome drones. They will only be used to record live events in public places.

The origins of the agreement with technology and services firm CGI stretch back to 2012, when the state was recovering from Hurricane Sandy. CGI has helped it distribute and track more than $7 billion in assistance.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed three bills aimed at preventing sexual harassment by making it a crime to create and distribute generative AI images or videos that feature a specific person in sexual situations.