Local Government

In his final State of the City address this year, Mayor Richard Irvin said his city is “becoming a city of bytes, bandwidth and breakthroughs,” highlighting its work expanding broadband access and modernizing its online presence.

Pre-shift inspections of police vehicles is a tedious but vital task that can impact officer and citizen safety. A new tool could make that process more efficient and more reliable — and could save money for cities.

Justine Tran, recently named technology leader, served as deputy CIO for the city of Dallas for nearly four years. She brings with her years of technology work in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

State and local agencies have until Dec. 31 to commit federal funds they received through the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund as part of the response to the pandemic. Anything not obligated must be returned.

A new data system in Washington, D.C., will track student outcomes from preschool through post-secondary education and employment, potentially informing decisions by parents, employers and community partners.

The Georgia city is the latest local government to set up an AI study group, which could lead to municipal improvements. But before that happens, the commission might have to make it through several hurdles.

Leaders hope NVIDIA’s resources, training and networking opportunities will help improve competency in artificial intelligence among San Jose city employees, as well as faculty and students at San Jose State University.

Mayor Randall Woodfin writes about how collaboration between cities helped shape the Birmingham Talks program, which was inspired by work in other cities that used tech to help children with language.

City officials have approved a request from Missoula police for 120 new Tasers and a bundle of add-on services, including AI software that writes up to 80 percent of police reports.

Officials in Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin and Tulare counties are asking why the San Joaquin Valley received just 6.6 percent of the first $804 million California gave out to increase access to affordable broadband.

As a new federal administration prepares to assume control, the GovAI Coalition Summit showed the local promise of artificial intelligence, from solutions available to the leaders ready to make them work.

Mayor Ben Walsh’s administration wants to expand the use of body-worn cameras to its code enforcement staff, but city lawmakers want questions answered before they’ll go along with buying the equipment.

A so-called “man-in-the-middle” cyber attack last month compromised the city’s transfer of nearly half a million dollars to pay for excavation during a water infrastructure replacement project. The FBI is among agencies investigating.

A new front in the battle over the benefits of AI versus its risks is opening up in law enforcement, where police are increasingly using the software to write up incident reports — to the concern of civil libertarians.

As the capital of Silicon Valley, San Jose has become a leading force in pushing local government agencies to be more efficient and deliberate by applying artificial intelligence.

White Lake Township was “a victim of a sophisticated cybersecurity attack,” its police chief said. The incident has compromised a portion of $29 million in infrastructure bond funds. Federal authorities and local police are investigating.

The environmental costs of using artificial intelligence tools is an area of growing concern for government technology officials. Transparency from vendors can shed light on their energy and water usage.

The funding, via a Fleet-ZERO grant from the Colorado Energy Office, will help pay for the city’s internal Electric Vehicle Action Plan and enable the transition to EVs and their supporting infrastructure.