Justice and Public Safety

The City Council will this week consider a proposed bill requiring the police chief to adopt a strategic plan and procedures for “timely release of public information to the media and the public.”

A school district in Maryland is among among hundreds of districts and state officials seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in compensatory damages for years of dealing with the harm caused by social media companies.

Spurred by legislation signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023, schools in Palm Beach County will begin rolling out new safety cameras that will automatically issue tickets to vehicles exceeding the speed limit by 10mph.

The police drone program began in 2023, in response to thrill-seeking stunts that have lead to at least 16 deaths. In related news, the city has debuted a public safety alert tool on a popular app.

The city is using a tool with artificial intelligence to respond to more than 40 percent of its nonemergency interactions — freeing public safety dispatchers from over 900 hours of talk time to focus on real emergency calls.

The Union County Circuit Clerk’s Office has launched the eCitation system with the sheriff’s department and local police. The system replaces paper tickets with a digital version that can be submitted from squad cars.

Idaho is planning to revitalize its emergency response with new tech that will connect 911 call centers, allowing dispatchers to geolocate callers immediately and receive texts, photos, videos and call transcriptions.

Former Director of the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services Steven Harpe now leads the state's corrections agency, and he's harnessing AI to reshape safety, staffing and daily operations in state prisons.

As police use the cameras within areas that have high crime rates, civil liberty advocates have expressed concerns over personal privacy and more government intrusion into everyday lives.

Training poses deadly risks for firefighters. Researchers are experimenting with new augmented and virtual reality technologies to allow first responders to learn life-saving skills without risking their own.

Though the sheriff's office has employed drones over the past decade, this new model will be remotely launched from a substation to respond to active crimes and emergency incidents over the next year.

The state’s 911 tech management authority is deploying a new tool from Motorola Solutions that could ease burdens for call takers and dispatchers. It could also help agencies deal with hiring woes.

The "first-in-region public safety and data operations hub" will provide up-to-the-minute information and is funded by a $4.4 million grant from the state aimed at reducing retail theft.

The local government will embark on a nearly $3.7 million capital project to refresh its computer-aided dispatch system. Officials will work with other nearby counties on an 18- to 24-month implementation schedule.

A Thomson Reuters report has found scant use of AI among judges and other court professionals. But that also presents an opportunity amid persistent staffing shortages and growing case delays.

A 2023 indictment unsealed this week alleges that two men were directed by China's spy agency to target and access the emails of virologists and immunologists at two Houston-area universities.

Officials affirmed an expanded contract with Alabama Power to add the devices and license plate readers to power poles citywide. A federal grant to upgrade IT systems and cybersecurity will cover early costs.

Resilient regions and organizations require well thought out disaster plans addressing recovery and mitigation. In creating them, state officials said, collaboration with other governments and communities is essential.