Justice and Public Safety

The Hawai'i State Department of Education has flagged the fire-alarm systems at 15 of the state's 264 schools as inoperable and needing replacement — a concern in the wake of last summer's wildfires on Maui.

Sheriff’s deputies in Kanawha County, W.Va., donned body-worn cameras Wednesday as part of a $3 million county program. All 106 deputies in the county will get the devices, along with in-car cameras by early June.

The Texas-based Raptor Technologies is teaming up with Alertus Technologies, which provides mass notification and emergency communication services, to connect wearable panic buttons to emergency notification systems.

A team of state court administrators and chief justices, supported by the National Center for State Courts, is developing resources to help courts address AI by deciding their own approaches.

The move by League City follows an increase in vehicle break-ins with 28 license plate-reading cameras. Police have also begun a grant program letting subdivisions and homeowner associations apply to place cameras in their neighborhoods.

In an era marked by technological advancements, the thin line between ensuring public safety and invading individual privacy has become increasingly blurred.

Veritone on Tuesday launched a digital evidence management system that uses artificial intelligence for object recognition, redaction and other tasks. It comes in a time of big projected growth for evidence management tech.

The devices, which are being installed on bridges, will monitor drivers entering and exiting New Jersey and Pennsylvania. They reflect growing tech investment by agencies in the Garden State.

The company sells subscription-based offerings to law enforcement but, like Axon, wants to build sales in other industries such as health care and retail. With its Series A funding round closed, AI and hiring are also on Halo’s to-do list.

The surveillance company Iveda built a security system for a Navajo reservation's school district that uses artificial intelligence to scan faces and license plates. This type of technology is restricted in some states.

A $445,650 grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency will pay for body-worn cameras and related tech for police in Meadville and Vernon Township. For the former, deployment will be April 1.

After an investigation, Beverly Hills Unified School District expelled five students of Beverly Vista Middle School for creating and sharing fake nude images of 16 other students that had been generated by AI.

In the wake of a shooting on campus last year, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill has contracted with Flock Safety to place cameras on campus that keep records of passing traffic.

Voters were projected to approve a ballot measure that will ease restrictions on vehicle pursuits, allowing for the use of more surveillance technology and reducing oversight from the Police Commission.

Staff at Gilbert Public Schools are drafting a policy to restrict student use of cell phones at school, arguing the devices are a distraction both in class and during a crisis, and harmful to student mental health.

In a statement by the Los Angeles Police Department, officers warn that a group in Wilshire is using Wi-Fi jamming technology to disarm surveillance cameras and alarm systems that rely on Wi-Fi.

A legislative push that would have given local governments more power to regulate e-bikes and scooters appears dead for the legislative session, but the lawmaker who led the issue says she will try again.

The closing of the Series C round, with $75 million from BlackRock, could drive further integration of AI into RapidSOS’ products. The company is now one of the “highest-funded businesses” in public safety, an industry observer said.