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Researchers fire 1,000th shot on laboratory railgun
Scientists reached a milestone in the Electromagnetic Railgun program when they fired a laboratory-scale system for the 1,000th time on 31 October, the raygun is a long-range weapon that launches projectiles using electricity instead of chemical propellants
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Sector Report for Wednesday, 1 November 2011: Law Enforcement Technology
This report contains the following stories.
Plus 1 additional story.
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Zombie herd tests Ohio’s emergency response capabilities
On Monday, a horde of ravenous flesh-seeking “zombies” descended upon Wesleyan University and tested the response capabilities of Ohio’s emergency personnel; in the spirit of Halloween, Delaware County recruited 225 volunteers to dress up as zombies and participate in a drill designed to help prepare first responders deal with real situations like hazardous material cleanups
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U.S. Army to deploy “kamikaze” drones
The U.S. Army is getting ready to add a “kamikaze drone” to its arsenal; the new drone is designed to hover quietly in the sky before it dive-bombs directly into a human target
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Mathematicians help LAPD fight gangs
UCLA mathematicians working with the Los Angeles Police Department to analyze crime patterns have designed a mathematical algorithm to identify street gangs involved in unsolved violent crimes
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U.K. police technology allows tracking, controlling cell phones remotely
Civil rights groups in the United Kingdom are up in arms over the revelation that the U.K.’s largest police force, the Metropolitan Police, has acquired the technology to shut down cell phones remotely, intercept communications, and gather data on thousands of users in a targeted area
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Law agencies want YouTube police brutality videos removed
In Google’s latest Transparency Report, the company revealed that there has been a 70 percent increase in requests by law enforcement agencies to remove police brutality videos from YouTube; according to the report, from January to June of 2011 the “number of content removal requests we received increased by 70 percent” compared to the period from July to December of 2010
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New iOS Forensic Toolkit circumvents iOS 5 security measures
While Apple gave a minor facelift to the whole security system in iOS5, it made significant changes regarding keychain protection, replacing the encryption algorithm entirely; but criminals thinking they can thus use the latest iPhone and iPad devices to store information may want to think again, as a new information acquisition solution cracks the latest iOS5 security measures
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BVS helps U.K. prisons detect cell phones
Berkeley Varitronics Systems (BVS) has made quite a splash in recent weeks announcing a new partnership to distribute its cell phone detection technology in the United Kingdom, adding several options to its line of multi-band transmitters, and teaming up with Los Angeles Laker Andrew Goudelock
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Laser Energetics delivers Dazer Laser GUARDIAN
Mercerville, New Jersey-based Laser Energetics, Inc. has announced the delivery of their Dazer Laser GUARDIANS; the initial delivery was made yesterday
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Texas county police buys drone that can carry weapons
The police in Montgomery County — and area north of Houston, Texas — is the first local police in the United States to deploy a drone that can carry weapons; the police says it will be used in chases of escaping criminals and tracking drug shipments
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"The Dragon" makes life difficult for first responders
For emergency personnel in Tennessee, responding to calls on “The Dragon,” an unforgiving 11.1 mile stretch of highway, is no easy task; the Dragon consists of 318 sharp curves through hilly terrain making it treacherous for drivers and a nightmare for first responders; each year there are several fatal crashes and since 2005 the desolate road has been the scene of at least forty injury crashes a year
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U.A. Navy sees blimp come-back
In 1962, after forty-seven years, the U.S. Navy effectively terminated Lighter-Than-Air (LTA) operations; but the blimp is making a come-back, and on 26 October, the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory unveiled the MZ-3A airship; for now, it is the only manned airship in the U.S. Navy’s inventory
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Eight NY police officers charged for gun-smuggling
Eight police officers in New York City were charged on Tuesday for taking part in a gun-smuggling ring; the men stand accused of using their experience and authority to help illegally transport guns, slot machines, cigarettes, and counterfeit goods across state lines; among the items the men are accused of smuggling are twenty firearms including three M-16 assault rifles, a shotgun, and sixteen handguns
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Turkish PM criticizes builders for unsafe practices
Sunday’s 7.2 tremor in Turkey killed at least 460 people, injured 1,350, destroyed more than 2,000 buildings, and displaced thousands; Turkish prime minister harshly criticizes Turkish builders, saying negligence amounts to murder
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The long view
AI-Controlled Fighter Jets May Be Closer Than We Think — and Would Change the Face of Warfare
Could we be on the verge of an era where fighter jets take flight without pilots – and are controlled by artificial intelligence (AI)? US R Adm Michael Donnelly recently said that an upcoming combat jet could be the navy’s last one with a pilot in the cockpit.
What We’ve Learned from Survivors of the Atomic Bombs
Q&A with Dr. Preetha Rajaraman, New Vice Chair for the Radiation Effects Research Foundation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.
Need for National Information Clearinghouse for Cybercrime Data, Categorization of Cybercrimes: Report
There is an acute need for the U.S. to address its lack of overall governance and coordination of cybercrime statistics. A new report recommends that relevant federal agencies create or designate a national information clearinghouse to draw information from multiple sources of cybercrime data and establish connections to assist in criminal investigations.
Autonomous Weapon Systems: No Human-in-the-Loop Required, and Other Myths Dispelled
“The United States has a strong policy on autonomy in weapon systems that simultaneously enables their development and deployment and ensures they could be used in an effective manner, meaning the systems work as intended, with the same minimal risk of accidents or errors that all weapon systems have,” Michael Horowitz writes.
Twenty-One Things That Are True in Los Angeles
To understand the dangers inherent in deploying the California National Guard – over the strenuous objections of the California governor – and active-duty Marines to deal with anti-ICE protesters, we should remind ourselves of a few elementary truths, writes Benjamin Wittes. Among these truths: “Not all lawful exercises of authority are wise, prudent, or smart”; “Not all crimes require a federal response”; “Avoiding tragic and unnecessary confrontations is generally desirable”; and “It is thus unwise, imprudent, and stupid to take actions for performative reasons that one might reasonably anticipate would increase the risks of such confrontations.”
Luigi Mangione and the Making of a ‘Terrorist’
Discretion is crucial to the American tradition of criminal law, Jacob Ware and Ania Zolyniak write, noting that “lawmakers enact broader statutes to empower prosecutors to pursue justice while entrusting that they will stay within the confines of their authority and screen out the inevitable “absurd” cases that may arise.” Discretion is also vital to maintaining the legitimacy of the legal system. In the prosecution’s case against Luigi Mangione, they charge, “That discretion was abused.”