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Supreme Court rules against GPS tracking
On Monday, in a landmark case, the Supreme Court ruled that law enforcement agencies needed a judge’s approval before using GPS technology to track a suspect
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High-tech developments help end high-speed pursuits safely
New technological developments are helping police officers end high-speed pursuits without jeopardizing the safety of themselves or the suspect
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Reduced prices for license plates readers attracts more buyers
Now that the cost of Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPR) has dropped $17,000 from its initial price of $24,000, these devices are becoming increasingly common with more and more police departments across the country purchasing them
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Also noted
Minn. police give body cams a tryout | Law enforcement technology aims to step up policing |New Jersey paves the way for stun gun deployment | Tomorrow’s law enforcement technology today | 18th century wisdom guides Supreme Court’s GPS ruling | Technology helps police become more efficient | Smart911 sees rapid growth in 2011
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Spike in violent incidents in hospitals
Over the past decade, hospitals across the nation have been subject to an alarming increase in violent incidents; in the last five years alone, there has been nearly a 300 percent increase in the number of reported homicides, assaults, and rapes compared to the previous five years
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Police chiefs at White House to discuss domestic radicalization
Law enforcement officials from state and local agencies across the United States gathered on Wednesday at the White House to discuss the delicate balance between safeguarding against domestic extremism and maintaining the trust of the residents they serve
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New robot for search-and-rescue missions
Scientists say the best way to design a new machine is to emulate the locomotion of a certain type of flexible, efficient animal
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Taser International reports orders by law enforcement
Quibbles about the use of taser guns notwithstanding, figures released by Taser International show that police departments around the United States continue to favor the company’s stun guns, and also other law enforcement gear the company offers
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Army wants IED detecting paintball gun
The U.S. Army is currently exploring how to turn an ordinary paintball gun into an explosive detecting tool; the Army hopes to create a gun that can shoot specially designed projectiles at a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) to determine if it is an explosive or not
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Link found between PTSD, respiratory illnesses in 9/11 responders
A new study finds that there are links between respiratory illnesses and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 9/11 first responders; “This study illustrates the integral relationship between mental health and physical diseases that WTC responders suffer,” one of the researcher says
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ETC launches new SmartModel technology
The new SmartModel technology consists of a library of 3D objects and elements that can be inserted into a Master Scenario Events List (MSEL) exercise scenario; the SmartModel library currently contains various intelligent elements including vehicles, crowds, casualties, threats, and hazards
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Walden University offers M.S. in Emergency Management
The school says that this new online master’s degree program emphasizes key skills related to creating and implementing disaster prevention and response plans
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Sponges stop troops from bleeding out
Researchers at MIT have created special sponges that can help stop bleeding almost instantaneously; the sponges have been given a coating that includes thrombin, a clotting agent found in blood
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DHS IG: Cook County communications program botched
On Monday the DHS Inspector General blasted officials in Cook County, Illinois for mishandling a $45 million federally funded project to upgrade communications equipment for first responders; the Inspector General said the Cook County program, dubbed Project Shield, was fraught with trouble from the start, resulted in equipment that did not work, and potentially wasted millions of taxpayers’ dollars
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Tampa begins preparations for Republican National Convention
As Tampa Bay gears up for the Republican National Convention, city officials recently announced some of its security plans for the three day event scheduled to begin on 27 August; with roughly 2,000 law enforcement officers between Tampa and Hillsborough counties, a significant number of additional officers will have to be called in from surrounding counties
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More headlines
The long view
Tantalizing Method to Study Cyberdeterrence
Tantalus is unlike most war games because it is experimental instead of experiential — the immersive game differs by overlapping scientific rigor and quantitative assessment methods with the experimental sciences, and experimental war gaming provides insightful data for real-world cyberattacks.
Using Drone Swarms to Fight Forest Fires
Forest fires are becoming increasingly catastrophic across the world, accelerated by climate change. Researchers are using multiple swarms of drones to tackle natural disasters like forest fires.
Testing Cutting-Edge Counter-Drone Technology
Drones have many positive applications, bad actors can use them for nefarious purposes. Two recent field demonstrations brought government, academia, and industry together to evaluate innovative counter-unmanned aircraft systems.
European Arms Imports Nearly Double, U.S. and French Exports Rise, and Russian Exports Fall Sharply
States in Europe almost doubled their imports of major arms (+94 per cent) between 2014–18 and 2019–23. The United States increased its arms exports by 17 per cent between 2014–18 and 2019–23, while Russia’s arms exports halved. Russia was for the first time the third largest arms exporter, falling just behind France.
How Climate Change Will Affect Conflict and U.S. Military Operations
“People talk about climate change as a threat multiplier,” said Karen Sudkamp, an associate director of the Infrastructure, Immigration, and Security Operations Program within the RAND Homeland Security Research Division. “But at what point do we need to start talking about the threat multiplier actually becoming a significant threat all its own?”
The Tech Apocalypse Panic is Driven by AI Boosters, Military Tacticians, and Movies
From popular films like a War Games or The Terminator to a U.S. State Department-commissioned report on the security risk of weaponized AI, there has been a tremendous amount of hand wringing and nervousness about how so-called artificial intelligence might end up destroying the world. There is one easy way to avoid a lot of this and prevent a self-inflicted doomsday: don’t give computers the capability to launch devastating weapons.