• 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • California bill would restrict data usage from license plate scanners

    Legislation has been introduced in California to limit the use of data gathered by patrol car-mounted license plate readers, and the duration for which such data may be held; access to the data by other agencies and personnel would be limited as well

  • Dodge Durango Special Service available for police fleets

    Chrysler unveils the Dodge Durango Special Service SUV, which is specially designed to handle the rigors of everyday use by police and fire departments and fleet customers

  • Updated solution allows quick, secure information sharing

    Visual Alert 2 enables law enforcement agencies to get real-time access to police records through Pennsylvania’s Law Enforcement Justice Information System (LEJIS) and other authorized information sharing networks while the department maintains secure control of the information it shares

  • Bolstering police anti-child porn technology

    Microsoft Corp. and NetClean the other day announced a joint effort to combat the sexual exploitation of children by making Microsoft PhotoDNA technology available and accessible to law enforcement agencies worldwide to help enhance child sex abuse investigations

  • Using people with cell phones as surveillance nodes

    Eighty-eight percent of Americans now own a cell phone, forming a massive network that offers scientists a wealth of information and an infinite number of new applications; with the help of these phone users — and their devices’ cameras, audio recorders, and other features — researchers envision endless possibilities for gathering huge amounts of data