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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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Riot police clear Oakland of Occupy Wall Street protestors
Early Tuesday morning, police officers clad in riot-gear arrested seventy-five people in Oakland, California as they cleared city hall of Occupy Wall Street protestors; the protestors had been camped out in front of Oakland’s city hall for about two weeks, before hundreds of police officers and sheriff’s deputies from more than a dozen local law enforcement agencies descended upon them firing tear gas and beanbag launchers
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Turkish prisoners riot following aftershock, quake death toll now 432
After a particularly strong aftershock rattled Turkey, terrified Turkish prisoners rioted after authorities refused to let them out
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Illinois distributes $3.4 million to help first responders upgrade radios
Earlier this week the Illinois Terrorism Task Force (ITTF) announced that it was awarding more than $3.4 million to 156 local emergency response agencies across the state to upgrade their communications equipment; the funds come from DHS grants designed to help states comply with new federal communications requirements aimed at relieving congestion and increasing channels on non-narrowband radios
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Army Reserve could soon take on homeland security missions
The House and the Senate are currently debating legislation that would allow the Army Reserve to be deployed for homeland security missions
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Innovative surveillance solutions recognized
MicroObserver Unattended Ground Sensor from Textron Defense Systems was recognized as one of the 2011 Big 25 intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) products; the solution detects and tracks vehicles and personnel for perimeter defense, border security, force protection, persistent surveillance, and critical infrastructure protection
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Flight control software helps pilots stick carrier landings
Navy and Marine Corps aviators conducting carrier landings today line up with a moving flight deck in a complicated process; they must constantly adjust their speed and manipulate the aircraft’s flight control surfaces — ailerons, rudders, and elevators — to maintain the proper glide path and alignment to the flight deck for an arrested landing; new software makes landing much easier
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LA-area hospitals prepare for the big quake
In earthquake-prone California, local hospitals and emergency responders are at hard at work preparing for the next big quake
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Sandia's rescue robot wins technology prize
The remote-control robot contains color video cameras, a thermal imaging camera, microphones, and sensors that act as eyes and ears for rescue crews and provide air-quality information; two-way audio enables survivors to communicate with rescuers
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Sector Report for Tuesday, 18 October 2011: Law Enforcement Technology
This report contains the following stories.
Plus 1 additional story.
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FBI training elite deep-diving counterterrorism unit
To bolster its counterterrorism capabilities, the FBI has created an elite group of special agents trained to track terrorism underwater
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Also noted
Forensic meteorologists help solve crimes | Lawmakers propose changes to Electronic Privacy Act, limit law enforcement reach | Defense contractors pitching military tech to cops | French judge blocks cop-watching site | Oklahoma bomb squads show off skills in “robot rodeo”
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New Jersey approves two Tasers under stricter safety regulations
Following the increasingly controversial use of Tasers in which several individuals died after being stunned, New Jersey has approved of two new Taser models that comply with new safety standards
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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.”