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Reason-based behavioral recognition system wins award
A reason-based behavioral recognition system for video surveillance developed by Houston, Texas-based BRS Labs wins an award at London’s Counter Terror Expo
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Seattle police takes steps to quell drone concerns
The Seattle Police Department recently acquired a small camera-equipped drone, but it remains unused while city policymakers work to calm privacy concerns
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Kansas City to deploy ShotSpotter technology
Kansas City police and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority have agreed jointly to deploy the Shot Spotter, an acoustic technology that provides detailed information on gunshots fired
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Maryland police defy court decision, continue to collect arrestees DNA
Police departments around Maryland will continue to collect arrestees DNA despite the state top court’s ruling by a five-to-two decision that such collection is a violation of Fourth Amendment rights to privacy
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Oklahoma University gets DHS research grant
The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) was awarded a $490,000 grant from DHS for a 2-year study of how law enforcement officers utilize awareness of their surroundings to collect and then analyze intelligence related to potential terrorist threats
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Baltimore police to videotape confessions
More and more police departments are videotaping suspects’ confessions, and presenting these recordings as evidence during legal proceedings; the cost of recording equipment has declined, but all these recordings must be catalogued and stored, and must be accessible upon request, adding to the total cost of system ownership and operation
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Identifying ammunition, gun used to commit a crime
New, Raman spectroscopy-based gun-shot residue (GSR) analysis technique would make it possible for forensic investigators to match minute amounts of GSR to the exact type of ammunition, and the caliber of the gun, used to commit a crime
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The technology behind the Zimmerman arrest video
Van Nuys, California-based Forensic Protection was asked by ABC News to clarify the grainy video showing George Zimmerman being brought to the Sanford Police Department headquarters; the video clarification work was so good, other media outlets used it (even if they attributed the technical work to ABC News); Forensic Protection insists that its client not disclose what it is that they are seeking or looking for in the clarification process: this allows the results of the clarification to stand on their merit
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DHS cuts grants to states, emphasizes maintenance
Over the past few years, DHS has been cutting funding for grants to state and emergency response agencies; the billions of dollars given to states after 2011 have been used to buy many pieces of first-response and law-enforcement equipment, and DHS now emphasizes the maintenance of that equipment
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Advanced technologies shed more light on the killing of Trayvon Martin
Since only two people know what happened in the confrontation between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin, and since one of them is dead, investigators must rely on circumstantial evidence — and on advanced technology; two such technologies — voice biometrics and redigitized imaging — help shed more light on the fateful February night
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ACLU: Cell phone tracking by police widespread
ACLU obtains information from over 200 law enforcement agencies; finds widespread police use of cell phone location tracking along with variance in legal standards, technology used
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Fingerprints offer a wealth of information
It has long been well established that fingerprints can be used to identify people or help convict them of crimes, but fingerprints can be used to show that a suspect is a smoker, takes drugs, or has handled explosives, among other things
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Test strip detects TNT and other explosives in water
Scientists developed a new explosives detector that can sense small amounts of TNT and other common explosives in liquids instantly with a sensitivity that rivals bomb-sniffing dogs, the current gold standard in protecting the public from terrorist bombs
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Machine can tell when a human being is lying
In a study of forty cases, a computer correctly identifies liars more than 80 percent of the time, a better rate than humans with the naked eye typically achieve in lie-detection exercises
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New surveillance system: 1 second to search through 36 million faces
New surveillance camera system can search through data on thirty-six million faces in one second
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