Justice and Public Safety

The number of cameras capable of detecting vehicle descriptions and license plate numbers as cars traverse streets will more than double after action by the Greensboro City Council on Tuesday night.

New sensors atop Marin’s Mount Burdell are the latest additions to the West Coast ShakeAlert network. The system is a collaboration between universities in California, Oregon and Washington and the U.S. Geological Survey.

Security cameras that scan and record the license plates of every passing vehicle will be installed this month at four intersections in St. Mary’s Point, a small city on the St. Croix River in Minnesota.

The Buffalo Police Department's computer network is back up following a hardware failure that knocked it out Friday evening and through the weekend, Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said Monday.

Buffalo Police Department brass are talking with representatives of ShotSpotter about setting up a pilot program in the city’s Masten District to evaluate what the company calls its "acoustic gunshot detection service."

A state initiative will use $6.5 million in federal funds to finish creating digital maps of New Jersey's 3,000 public and private schools, including interior and exterior layouts, doors and surrounding areas.

Lawmakers have introduced legislation that, if passed, would require all vehicles built after Jan. 1, 2024, that are registered in New York to include advanced safety technology, including speed-limiting capabilities.

Today’s judges must manage hybrid hearings and digital case management systems, consider digital evidence, understand cyber risks and avoid social media ethical breaches. How do states keep them informed — and is it working?

After privacy concerns, three Republican senators introduced legislation to repeal a provision that would mandate the development of advanced drunken driving prevention tech required in all new passenger cars.

A Pennsylvania school district has recovered most of $13 million stolen by international thieves who hacked an email account, used a fake dating profile to lure an accomplice and laundered deposits via cryptocurrency.

Police will soon be equipped with body-worn cameras and other tech designed to bolster public safety and transparency after lawmakers approved a 10-year contract worth more than $4.8 million to purchase the equipment.

The California project is designed to help disparate public safety agencies share data and improve communications during emergency responses. The move comes amid a broader push to upgrade 911 call center capabilities.

The Editorial Board of the Charlotte Observer raises issues with body scanners installed by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to detect guns, including false alarms and a lack of research about their effectiveness.

Civil rights organizations in Alaska are now demanding action on long-delayed body cameras for Anchorage police officers, a voter-approved priority that continues to lack an official start date.

The Durham City Council has delayed the approval of the final agreement with the gunshot detection company for the second time this month. California-based ShotSpotter is set to begin a year-long pilot with the city.

The Yakima County Sheriff's Office launched its body camera program this week, issuing 60 of the 70 cameras and associated gear ordered to deputies and detectives to increase transparency around public interactions.

Joseph Syas was shot and killed near a police camera perched below a street sign in Dallas that feeds to a police intelligence center where analysts monitor footage, but nothing was recorded the night Syas died.

So far, the U.S. tropical storm season has been undramatic, but that could soon change. Many emergency response agencies have upgraded their tech, but they still need better mobile and digital tools to weather storms.