Law & Order

Safecom Offers Real Communications Help

SAFECOM is a communications program within the Office for Interoperability and Compatibility (OIC) by the Department of Homeland Security that provides research, development, testing and evaluation, guidance, tools, and templates on communications-related issues to local, tribal, state, and federal emergency response agencies.

Bae's First Intercomm System

Each VCA is connected into its respective department's radio system, and it will access and relay voice and allow video, geolocation, and data feeds to and from dispatch if desired. Designed to promote fast development of anti-terrorism technology by providing its creators with liability protection, the SAFETY Act designation is DHS' version of a stamp of approval.

Mobile Language Interpretation Program

Between 2004 and 2006 in New York City, and more recently, since October 2007 in San Francisco, a new kind of partnership between community groups, police departments and telecommunications companies has provided law enforcement with a unique, simple tool to improve communication in cases of domestic violence. With the support of local community groups including La Casa de las Madres, a program for battered women, teens and their children, the city of San Francisco began a partnership with A...

Versadex Policecad

Computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems allow all public safety services to be delivered much more efficiently, accurately, and safely because they assist in automating the information delivery. More and more, a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) CAD system that is part of a vendor's "software suite," which includes an integrated RMS, mobile report entry (MRE) software and a mobile data terminal (MDT) are being selected by law enforcement. The working environment is critical and should provide b...

Spillman Software Improves Emergency Communication

Dispatchers can have immediate access to critical information, including real-time call updates, reports, logs, special instructions, premises information and unit responses, in addition to automatic alerts on wanted or missing persons, possible duplicate calls, and dangerous or hazardous sites. Using a state connection, officers can quickly search real-time data for names, vehicles, property, weapons, wanted persons, driver's license information, vehicle registration, stolen vehicles, missi...

Law Enforcement Information Exchange (Linx)

Now that data from arrest and incident records, investigations, traffic reports, computer-aided dispatch data, booking records, warrants, field interviews, and other key law enforcement data sources is available automatically, the probability of solving crimes and incarcerating criminals has improved dramatically. NCIS developed a secure Web service interface between LInX Northwest and One DOJ, permitting local / county officers and detectives to conduct queries of law enforcement informatio...

Victims' Advocacy Programs

With community-based policing strategies increasing, law enforcement agencies struggle to incorporate social justice within their overloaded criminal justice role. Victims' advocacy programs offer a host of services, including 24/7 crisis intervention; emergency needs assessments, including shelter placement; information and referral; crisis counseling; food and transportation; case management; liaison with law enforcement, and other criminal justice professionals and legal assistance. Curr...

Body Armor Coverage Study Needs Participants Who Have Been Shot

Last fall, I was awarded funding through the National Institute of Justice to investigate the effects of increased coverage area for soft body armor. This is a two-year effort in collaboration with Mississippi State University. The first part of this effort will determine the types of injuries sustained by officers while wearing body armor compared to the type of injuries sustained by those either not wearing armor or in areas where there was no armor coverage. I believe that this will provid...

Exercise Phoenix

The prevalence of truck stops and overnight parking facilities within the area has provided terrorists in the past, an ideal rendezvous or staging post for an attack on the nation's capitol. Participation on the exercise from other relevant agencies within the CIPG area included, fire and rescue services, ambulance (EMS) services and the Highways Agency (HA).

Velvet-Covered Nightsticks

In my considered opinion, the combination of these attributes is truly exclusive to law enforcement leaders. Either inherently through natural leadership ability and interpersonal skills or by having been taught through formal educational experiences, velvet-covered nightstick leaders know the true value of situational leadership.

Napfm Educational Sessions

While the clear focus of the NAPFM is on police vehicles, attendees are from, and some exhibits are geared to, both ambulance and fire and rescue services. Environmental issues aside, dwindling petroleum supplies and rising prices are forcing the worldwide automotive industry to hydrogen fuel cells. Waters' final advice on fuel costs was to urge fleet managers to focus on the total cost of ownership, and not the cost of fuel, the fuel mileage, the fuel type or the carbon footprint.

On The Job

Brutality and Blue Knights

In exchange, the knights became hired muscle who used violence to persuade those who lived within a days' ride to pay fees and taxes and to perform unpaid labor. With the inability of the rulers to check them, local churches and court chaplains came up with a most unlikely approach...that the most brutal men in society would use their fighting skills only for good.

News

Nra Honors Officer of the Year

Hemphill has long acted as an ambassador of the NRA to his fellow law enforcement officers, citing the credibility the NRA lends to the field. "lf you go to John Doe's Shooting School and then train your people and one of your officers is involved in a shooting, they'll subpoena the shooting records," Hemphill said.

Ford of Canada Announces 3-Year Contract with Caw

OAKVILLE, Ontario-For the first time in its history, Ford Motor Co. of Canada, Limited has reached a collective bargaining agreement with the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) more than four months before the current contract expires.

Digital Billboards to Help Recover Abducted Children

OAAA, the industry group representing outdoor advertising companies, is partnering with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) as a secondary AMBER Alert(TM) distributor.

Technology

Illinois State Police Internet Crimes Unit

The unit will coordinate investigations with other law enforcement agencies helping to prevent conflicting investigative efforts. The unit will also perform the needed forensics to assist in the successful prosecution of Internet crimes, from identify theft, to fraud, to exploitation from sexual predators and everything in between.

Open Channels

The Future of the Emergency Communications Network

Frontline, a start-up company backed by Silicon Valley heavyweights and co-founded by former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt, was the only prospective bidder that showed interest in buying the spectrum and sharing it with public safety. According to the Associated Press, a congressional panel of Republicans recently said the FCC should re-auction a block of public airwaves to the highest bidder and turn the proceeds over to public safety professionals to build a new, nationwide emergency communicati...

Sergeant

Minding the Store

Far be it from a profession with a divorce rate 1.5 times the national rate to set the standard for giving "what to do in a relationship" advice, but there are a couple of things that can surely be learned from all of our collective experiences.

Training

Competitive Events at Ileeta

The ILEETA Cup; The Iron Cop Competition; The International Law Enforcement Driving Skills Competition; The Flatfoot Five 5K Fun Run/Walk; and, the World Cop Donut Eating Championship. At one time, the donut competition was the only event held and the sole method of raising funds to donate to the NLEOMF and The ILEETA Scholarship Fund. 2008 celebrity donut judges included Craig Floyd, executive director of the NLEOMF, former '50s and '60s NY Yankee first baseman, Bill "Moose" Skowron, and fo...

Special Report

German Police Vehicles

[...] in the state of Bavaria, the meeting will consist of officials under the leadership of the Bavarian Ministry of Interior Affairs, car and radio specialists, members of the budget bureau, police officers from the uniformed police, and detectives. The SW 4 is used in support of SEK teams during hostage situations to clear obstacles such as downed trees and wrecked vehicles that have been put across roadways by demonstrators, to transport and protect people, protect and enforce police bar...

Investigations

The Art of a Conversation

In this case, an officer spends a lot of time trying to control the suspect and little on building rapport. Mirroring is the process of consciously modeling the suspect's behaviors, such as speech pattern, posture, and other personal gestures. Leading Once we have mirrored and paced the interview to point where there is verbal and nonverbal agreement, we will turn the table and lead the suspect in our direction.

Just Handed Down

Evaluation and Recognition Systems

Interpersonal communication skills are part of the most important skill set in law enforcement, and proper evaluation of a professional law enforcement office requires measurement of those skills. The third and fourth stars would represent the officer's level of physical preparedness to perform essential physical tasks that don't always occur during a rating period and the officer's ability to apply competently the tactical skills that are critical to professional law enforcement.

Recruiting

Compensation Versus Recruitment

The issue of police salaries is always a central theme when describing the difficulty attracting and retaining staff The greatest factor impacting a department's ability to successfully recruit and retain police officers is the economy. The skills and abilities possessed by most officers, including oral and written communications skills, conflict-resolution skills, and problem-solving abilities, make them attractive candidates for most employers, public and private. A number of factors infl...