Justice and Public Safety

To fight enrollment fraud, the state chancellor of California Community Colleges has proposed to raise security around the state's online application portal and begin charging students a fee "in the tens of dollars."

The online tool makes information available on every neighborhood in the Pennsylvania city. Years in the making, it includes data dating to Jan. 1, 2024, with near real-time updates, and may add older details.

The state’s National Guard has donated five devices to local law enforcement to assist it in combatting drug trafficking. The components and software will aid in managing mobile device data and extracting information.

Federal investigators found that a Washington school district complied with program rules when it used Emergency Connectivity Fund dollars to purchase Chromebooks, despite a state audit alleging record-keeping issues.

Factors like off-duty officers arriving at 911 scenes before their on-duty counterparts, as well as inaccurate information from emergency callers, have interfered with how well law enforcement monitors response times.

The City Council is considering adopting a range of new security cameras. Public opinion on the devices, however, has been mixed, both in emails to the city and testimony. A decision could come as soon as next month.

Just months in the making, the city’s new facility includes an advanced public safety hub with real-time video analytics and artificial intelligence-enabled surveillance to respond to incidents, and guide future strategy.

Users can go to Midland County’s new app to access information online rather than calling the jail to see if someone is there or to learn what their bond is, among other functions.

The agency is seeking feedback on its idea to bring more precision to emergency call locations in hopes of helping first responders. The proposal reflects larger trends in the public safety space.

The California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office estimated that 31.4 percent of student applications in 2024 were fraudulent, coming from bots or AI agents being used to steal financial aid money.

In a new report, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers proposes cybersecurity training for incarcerated people could enable them to more easily find work once released — addressing an acute staffing shortage.

State officials in Kansas have continued to modernize technology platforms and improve cybersecurity, even as they spearheaded a recovery from a 2023 ransomware attack against the judicial system.

The North Bergen Police Department has become the first in Hudson County to launch a cutting-edge drone unit, integrating unmanned aerial systems into its public safety operations as a first responder.

State officials are pitching a plan to businesses and hoteliers that would enable it to have real-time access to their private security camera footage. One goal is to address an ongoing shortage of law enforcement officers.

The GPS launchers allow police officers to find and arrest suspects later without having to pursue them in dangerous, and sometimes deadly, high-speed vehicle chases on public roads.

A website from the nonprofit Opportunity Labs went live this week with a K-12 deepfake policy framework, incident response guide and the start of a platform for state education leaders to collaborate on guidance.

The Niagara County, N.Y., municipality will receive at least eight license plate readers to install around town, something Police Chief Frank Previte said would be used to help solve crimes.

In one month, AI-assisted cameras mounted on Los Angeles Metro buses generated nearly 10,000 citations for parking violations, according to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.