Law & Order

H. Scott Kingwill 1928-2007

Following two years of service, he attended Iowa Wesleyan College, in Mount Pleasant, where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and the Blue Key society, an honors group for scholarship, leadership and community. When many of the trees were destroyed by the Dutch elm disease or the Asian longhorn beetle, Mr. Kingwill began to donate money every year to the village to plant more trees.

Handheld Ticket Writer: The Software and the Hardware

Technological advances in the public safety area have resulted in handheld computers for ticket and parking enforcement that make our jobs simpler, quicker and more efficient. Additional related solutions include the APS PocketID, which lets agencies use an electronic fingerprint and complete a full automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) check. The wireless printing and instant data uploads and downloads permits an efficient system for many areas of law enforcement.

Survey Technology for Crash Reconstructionists

Now, law enforcement professionals trained in forensic mapping are using total stations to map fog Unes, street width, center lane dividers, utility poles, skid marks and any other details that might help explain the circumstances of a car crash. The state police agency has partnered with the state Medical Examiner's Office to use total stations to document mass casualty incidents, and crash reconstructionists trained on the technology have been called upon to help out at the scene of homici...

Mobile Computing 'Lessons Learned'

The pressures of technological advances continues to push boundaries as police agencies load more equipment in their police vehicles, and we may be at a tipping point where capturing data supercedes our core purpose. Police agencies face inultifaceted issues when outfitting their vehicles, which include ergonomie considerations and the integration of bundled software systems that include computer-aided dispatch, a records management system, and a mobile reporting system. First, police agenc...

Online Property Room.Com Auction

[...] not just any online auctions, an auction site that specifically caters to police departments' needs. [...] far, the company has returned everything from jewelry, carpet cleaning machines to the Rug Doctor Company, and even a guitar to a punk rock band in Japan. Gates said he hoped that by having former police officers evaluate each item and describe it honestly in the auctions, the public would be more willing to trust and purchase the merchandise-unlike auctions on Web sites like eBa...

Crimecog Information System Technology

CrimeCog's user-friendly Web browser can manage all types of police reports, court records, case histories and information about prisoners in jails and prisons. When the system is fully installed early next year, police officers from all four agencies will be entering incident reports, arrest records and other important data into the CrimeCog integrated criminal justice system using personal computers.

Dna Evidence: A Powerful Tool

From current DNA analysis, we can tell if we have a match to a person in CODIS (the FBI's Combined DNA Index System), in the database subset of convicted offenders, or from a suspect who has provided a DNA sample. Finding markers on the Y chromosome in a DNA sample indicates that the sample is from a male because the Y chromosome is passed from the father to the son and is not found in female samples.

Effective Written Reports

With incident reports, supplemental reports, patrol reports, e-mails, memos and special projects becoming more frequent, longer in length and, hi many ways, more scrutinized for accuracy and meaning, good writing skills are becoming an even more critical skill for law enforcement officers. Pn oral, interpersonal communication, participants have body language, facial expressions, hand gestures, voice volume, pitch and intonation to discern meanings that can be too complicated to express in wo...

Resolving Conflicts Between Police and Schools

The deaths of a Red Lake, MN teacher, security guard and students, along with many others in the past few years remind us that school violence continues to be a problem. Once the lines of communication have been opened, the essential question is, "How safe is your school?" Assessing your school's security and determining the latest trends takes not only law enforcement training, but specialized training on school security and threat assessment. The audit should assess the exterior access to...

Calendar of Events

On The Job

Vehicle Graphics, Officer Safety and Design Contest

Some of the police departments involved in the rear crash controversy are among the leaders in enhanced overall vehicle visibility, like Arizona Highway Patrol, Florida Highway Patrol and Illinois State Police.

News

Nra Names Texas Trooper Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for Acts of Valor

In recognition of Trooper Smith's heroic actions, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) awarded him the Commissioner's Medal of Valor and the DPS Purple Heart.

Efj Receives $6.7 Million Contract From Dod

Nleomf Announces Donation of Three Motorcycles to Le Museum

Harley-Davidson is donating three brand new motorcycles to NLEOMF, the first of which is a 2007 Softail Defuxe model.The NLEOMF will receive and auction off one new motorcycle each year in 2007,2008 and 2009 to raise money that will directly support its campaign to build the National Law Enforcement , Museum.

Grant Writing

More Tips On Grants

Grant writing and grant management are difficult enough without complicating things with conflicts. In the course of grant management, you will probably deal with reputable firms that charge you fan prices for the equipment or merchandise you order. Be sure it's a legitimate business by verifying its address, phone number and other identification and checking that information with other customers of the business, or the Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau of the city in which the ...

Fleet Management

Update: Gm Law Enforcement Product Council

The TMD pads offered better high-speed performance and were more resistant to brake fade under the extreme pursuit situations simulated by the LASD tests. While these wizbang devices may feed the correct oxygen content reading to the vehicle's powertrain control module, they do not resolve the corrosive nature of alcohol. Here is how confident GM is about OLS...it extended the basic powertrain warranty to 100,000 miles after a decade of experience with the algorithm-based change interval sy...

Training

In-Service Training Programs

Some larger law enforcement agencies have their own in-service training requirements because specialized assignments require different specialized skills. In part, this summarizes the commission's formal approach as follows: "We believe this method for assessing training needs is not only more scientific and reliable than previous methods, but also provides an excellent avenue for law enforcement agencies and individual officers to actively participate in the development of their training."

Product Spotlight

Ge Security for Drug Crime and Terrorism

GE's trace detection technology can analyze minute amounts of vapors given off and the microscopic particles left behind on hands and clothes when narcotics and explosives are handled. Other agencies such as HARC (Houston Advance Research Center), CTAC (Counter-Drug Technology Assessment Center), PSDB (Police Scientific Development Branch) and Le Crel have approved GE Ion Track detectors for narcotics detection paving the way for customs, prisons and many other law enforcement agencies to em...

Captain

Power of Supervision

In interactions with the rank and file, it is imperative that supervisors examine their demeanor, actions and motives. Respected leaders, on the other hand, achieve consensus and direct their departments within the boundaries of their authority to do so. Establish respect with the judicious exercise of your inherent supervisory power, and your people readily will follow your lead to achieve your vision for the department.

Justice

Supreme Court Ruling: Knock-and-Announce

Toward the end of his opinion, Scalia summarized his position by writing, "The social costs of applying the exclusionary rule to knock-and-announce violations are considerable, the incentive to such violations is minimal to begin with, and the extant deterrences against them are substantial-incomparably greater than the factors deterring warrantless entries when [Mapp v. Ohio] was decided."

Traffic Safety

A Nation Without Drunk Driving

Rather than continuing to allow bad decisions made by people with alcoholsoaked brains to cause almost 40% of all U.S. traffic crash fatalities, a key component of MADD's campaign is to focus on the major role that advanced technology can play in eliminating drunk driving. MADD has secured the commitment of a number of vehicle manufacturers, alcohol ignition interlock companies, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and others to work together on this major task.

Rangemaster

Build a Range, Part 4

By this stage in the process you are well on your way to your new range. But one of the biggest issues remains.. .where are you going to put this firing range? That will probably decide if you are going to have an indoor range, an outdoor range or a combination of both.

Special Report

Biometric Analysis Answers, 'Who Are You?'

While each of the various facial recognition technologies and pieces of equipment has its advantages and disadvantages, much of the ability to accurately perform this analysis depends on the resolution provided by the software performing the analysis-not on the actual equipment used. Fingerprint scanners are used in prisons, police stations, secure data storage and computer areas to restrict or allow access. The FBI recently announced plans to overhaul the IAFIS system to include not only t...

Crime Scene Myths

Besides believing that forensic science has all the answers, there are other lingering misconceptions that continue to plague the law enforcement community. There is no scientific basis requiring a minimum number of points (ridge characteristics such as ridge endings, enclosures, dots) that must be present in two fingerprints to establish positive identification. Any time you see a crime show that indicates that AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System) made a hit or are asked abou...