Justice and Public Safety

The Federal Emergency Management Agency plans to conduct a nationwide test to gauge how effective the government’s mass communication can be in the event of an emergency, the agency said in a statement.

Police in La Mesa, Calif., may soon purchase cameras that scan the license plates of cars, a system that is already employed in El Cajon that critics say is illegally sharing data across state lines.

A new state law that went into effect Sept. 1 requires all emergency medical responders to report drug overdose information to local health authorities, who then feed the data into a software program that maps it.

The new Everbridge 360 joins an increasingly crowded field where companies are racing to produce better dashboards. This new product offers upgrades and what the company calls a “unified view” of critical event management.

The retailer and cloud computing giant has announced the first cohort of the AWS GovTech Accelerator Program. Thirteen startups focused on public safety and courts will soon get a chance to impress the public sector.

The shooting death of a teenager at San Francisco's Twin Peaks lookout point over the weekend has highlighted the need for new police patrols and technology in the area, officials say.

Attackers exploited the Log4j vulnerability in spite of mitigation efforts, compromised several accounts and began reconnaissance. Three days and 5,000-plus password resets later, the court system was back on safe ground.

Cyber attacks and natural disasters are serious threats to courts, and tabletop exercises can help prepare. For courts looking to try out tabletops, starting small can help.

The Albuquerque Police Department has implemented three new tools to help enable police to use a more informed response to calls for service. The tech could be especially impactful for community members with disabilities.

The state of Florida is using artificial intelligence to monitor and transcribe the phone conversations of the 80,000-plus inmates within the prison system. Calls with legal, medical and religious representatives are exempt.

The Frederick County State's Attorney's Office is working to publicly share data about sentences and plea offers in the cases it prosecutes. The data will include information like case outcomes, race and ethnicity data and more.

Dallas could start using a gunshot detection system to help police address crime, but the tool has gotten mixed results for decades as cities continue to add — and drop — similar systems amid questions.

A bill that for the first time in California history would authorize speed cameras on roadways in six selected cities passed both houses in Sacramento last week and is now on Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk.

The move, involving eight public safety agencies, is designed to improve responses to hurricanes and other emergencies. The CAD-to-CAD deployment reflects a hot trend in gov tech, according to an executive.

Remote hearings, adopted as a pandemic necessity, could become common going forward in some states. Minnesota and Arizona have created guides indicating which hearings are suited for remote and which should be in person.

The Aurora City Council this week approved a new five-year, $6.2 million contract for police body cameras and tasers that officials said would save the city about $2 million.

Officials approved arming several hundred officers in Hollywood and South L.A. with new tasers that have more than double the range as their old models, an upgrade they hope will help prevent officers from using guns.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s FLIR technology helped catch Danilo Cavalcante after his escape from prison in Pennsylvania, but severe weather rendered the tool useless during a critical part of his capture.