Taser @ MindSay 
Military WrapsTM Unveils New Camouflage Technology PIRATETM
Stockhouse.com, (06/13/2008)
To aid law enforcement and military personnel in achieving realistic training exercises, Military WrapsTM, Inc., which specializes in camouflage concealment, has created Photo-Immersive Realistic Aides for Training Environments (PIRATETM). The system is designed to accurately create and depict situations based on high-megapixel images that can be altered to enhance the perception of scale and perspective for the user, and then the images are printed to special vinyls. These vinyls can be used to make rooms, offices, city blocks, schools, or parade routes and then be applied to the interior or exterior of the agencies training facility.
www.stockhouse.com/News/USReleasesDetail.aspx?n=6939185
Tasers Getting More Prominent Role in Crime Fighting in City
The New York Times, (06/15/2008), Al Baker
One of the Nation's largest police forces is re-evaluating the use of the Taser as a less-lethal option for the department. However, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) isn't just putting the units out on the streets; it is using a study from the RAND Corporation, using feedback from department personnel about the study, and using an internal study between two similar departments (one with the Taser and one without) as a guide for the implementation of the Taser. The RAND study was commissioned in 2007 after a police-involved shooting found two things: that additional study would be needed based on current available Taser use data, and the department's 455 fatal police-involved shootings may have ended differently had a Taser been an alternative. For now, NYPD's plan is to move Tasers from the trunks of certain vehicles to the gun belts of the agency's 3,500 sergeants while continuing to analyze full implementation of the Taser units.
www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/nyregion/15taser.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin
GE Security's MobileTrace Helps Iredell County Sheriff Identify Narcotics-Tainted Cash
BusinessWire.com, (06/16/2008)
Iredell County Sheriff's Office officers using GE Security, Inc's MobileTrace were able to seize almost $300,000 cash from a rental car stop. The MobileTrace technology is portable and capable of detecting explosive and narcotics at the same time. The information collected by the units can be used as evidence and allows officers to evaluate findings in a timely fashion while in the field.
www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080616005275&newsLang=en
DuPont Announces New Kevlar Technology
Forbes.com, (06/16/2008), Randall Chase
The development of a more demanding National Institute of Justice (NIJ) standard for body armor has resulted in DuPont, Inc., producing a new Kevlar product. The new product is a lighter woven material coupled with a new process for coating the fibers. According to DuPont, the new material will stop the projectile sooner with less layers, allowing the remaining layers to protect against backface deformation. The new material will have a broad range of applications for the company, but initially the aim is greater protection for law enforcement against high-caliber handguns.
www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/06/16/ap5121589.html
Tech-Savvy: Mineral Co. Sheriff's Office Gets New Equipment
News-Tribune, (06/13/2008), Bobbie Carpenter
The Mineral County Sheriff's Office is purchasing laptops to be installed in 6 of the agency's 12 cruisers. These laptops must be in place and be used to transmit electronic traffic reports by 2009 in order to comply with a State mandated law. The first six laptops were purchased using a Federal grant from the Governor's Highway Safety Program, and additional laptops for the remaining cruisers will hopefully be funded through the county's budget. The sheriff's office used concealed weapons funding to purchase the mounts for the first six vehicles to be equipped with the laptops.
www.newstribune.info/news/x822800157/Tech-savvy-Mineral-Co-Sheriff-s-Department-gets-new-equipment
Police Use GPS-Equipped Bait Car to Catch Car Thieves
Government Technology, (06/09/2008), Jim McKay
Catching car thieves using a bait car began in the late 1990s, but required much police manpower to monitor the vehicle. Times have changed, and now officers can go about their regular duties instead of monitoring the vehicle. In Sacramento, California, the bait car is equipped with GPS that activates should the car be tampered with or started, and alerts police dispatch at the command center so they can track the vehicle's location and notify nearby officers to respond. Should the thief try to run when officers attempt to stop the vehicle, the dispatcher will be notified and has the ability to activate the car's kill switch, which will gradually slow down and shut off the vehicle. For added measure, the dispatcher can also lock the car to prevent the thief from running away on foot. Benefits of this type of system are huge, both for police and the public because it eliminates and/or significantly reduces the opportunity for a high-speed chase.
www.govtech.com/gt/366274?topic=117680
CSI: Anchorage-Summertime Sleuths
Anchorage Daily News, (06/16/2008), Megan Holland
Riding the popularity wave of the "CSI" series and subsequent spinoffs, a summer camp started by a South Anchorage High biology teacher draws on the popularity to teach students and maybe develop future forensic specialists. Students participate in mock crime scenes to gather and analyze evidence to help solve the "crime." Along the way, and without noticing because of the fun they are having, students learn biology, chemistry, and physics. The camp is operated by the Fraternal Order of Alaska State Troopers.
www.adn.com/crime/story/437803.html
DNA Evidence Gains Acceptance as a Key Tool in Robbery Cases
The Wall Street Journal, (06/19/2008), Gautam Naik
DNA evidence more commonly used for serious offenses like rape or murder is now being considered as an option for helping to solve property crimes. However, the down side to what seems to be an effective tool is the cost associated with such analysis. Analysis may be or can be more than some jurisdictions can afford. A five-city pilot project funded by the National Institute of Justice indicated that DNA evidence can have a powerful and positive affect on property crime investigations. According to Steve Allison of the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center at Denver University, "People committing serious crimes usually start on smaller ones. So through this process you can get these people identified and in the system earlier." This concept is now new in Great Britain, which has embraced a broader use of DNA evidence, and because of the results the U.S. Department of Justice funded this five-city project.
online.wsj.com/article_email/SB121384113207187445-lMyQjAxMDI4MTEzOTgxNDkxWj.html
Tracking the Event Horizon
Corrections.com, (06/17/2008), Ann Coppola
The 9th Annual Innovative Technologies for Community Corrections conference highlighted the latest innovations in tools for offender monitoring, as well as risk assessment and testing, but it also showcased tools and technology not yet available to practitioners. Conference attendees involved in various aspects of community corrections came from several foreign countries and 44 U.S. States. One technology on display was hybrid GPS tracking that incorporated cellular communications to ensure indoor tracking and monitoring. The conference sponsor, the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center-Rocky Mountain, introduced the newest version of Field Search and discussed the future release of a Macintosh compatible version. Of particular note was the increase in law enforcement attendees. Agencies are seeing advantages to working with those in the community corrections field due to the information produced as a result of offender monitoring.
www.corrections.com/news/article/18816
Pistol Cam: When Cops Draw This Point-and-Shoot, Say Cheese
Wired.com, (06/23/2008), Vince Beiser
The SWAT team of the Orange County (New York) Sheriff's Office has recently begun using the PistolCam. The PistolCam is a small device, combining a video camera, a flashlight, and a laser sight, that attaches to the underside of a gun barrel. The camera begins recording when the gun is drawn and can store an hour of video. Developed by Legend Technologies, the PistolCam is priced at $695.
www.wired.com/gadgets/miscellaneous/magazine/16-07/st_pistolcams
02-13-2008
Daily Mail
Police have been given the go-ahead to use Taser stun guns against children.
The relaxing of restrictions on the use of the weapons comes despite warnings that they could trigger a heart attack in youngsters.
Until now, Tasers - which emit a 50,000-volt electric shock - have been used only by specialist officers as a "non lethal" alternative to firearms.
However, they can now be used against all potentially violent offenders even if they are unarmed.
It is the decision not to ban their use against minors that is likely to raise serious concerns.
Home Office Police Minister Tony McNulty said medical assessments had confirmed the risk of death or serious injury from Tasers was "low".
But he failed to mention Government advisers had also warned of a potential risk to children.
The Defence Scientific Advisory Council medical committee told the Home Office that not enough was known about the health risks of using the weapons against children.
Tasers work by firing metal barbs into the skin which then discharge an electrical charge which is designed to disable someone long enough to allow police to detain them safely.
The committee, which is made up of independent scientists and doctors, said that limited research suggested there was a risk children could suffer "a serious cardiac event".
It recommended that officers should be "particularly vigilant" for any Taser-induced adverse response and said guidance should be amended to "identify children and adults of small stature" as being at potentially greater risk from the cardiac effects of Tasers.
The Government scientists were also asked to test whether the weapons could cause a miscarriage if used on a pregnant woman.
While not saying whether police would be allowed to Taser an expectant mother, the Home Office said the DSAC committee had "specifically asked" for computer simulations to be carried out to analyse the effect on "a pregnant female".
Amnesty International claims Tasers have been responsible for 220 deaths in America since 2001. Many cities and police forces there have banned their use against minors.
Two years ago in Chicago a 14-year-old boy went into cardiac arrest after being shot with one. Medics had to use a defibrillator four times to resuscitate him.
Taser International, the American firm that makes the device, said tests on pigs suggested the weapons were safe.
The Association of Chief Police Officers, which issues guidance to forces on the use of weapons, said Tasers would be made "readily available" for "conflict management" at incidents of "violence and threats of violence of such severity that they will need force".
Non-firearms officers in ten forces will be trained to use the weapons. Every incident they are involved in will be assessed over a 12-month trial period.
I've taken the ride (yes, I actually volunteered to be tasered) and I can tell you they are safer, but not 100% safe. "Safer" meaning less likely the person hit will bleed out. HOWEVER.
If you have asthma, heart problems, etc., you cannot convince me they are safe. I felt my lungs contract and I know my heart reacted weird, too (it tenses all your muscles and people forget the heart is also a muscle. I'm not sure whey people think their organs will be uneffected by tasers). I always remind people that they are not NON-lethal, only LESS-lethal. It also insights an instant panic which can effect the heart. On a less lethal note, they also left scars. I was not hit with the harpoon like projectiles they spit, I was actually tasered via two clamps, one on the should of my shirt and one on my pants at the hip. The clamps never touched skin and I was tasered by my clothes, pretty much. But I have scars. It somehow tore open my skin and made me bleed without contact to my skin (the other guy who was tasered reported this did not happen to him, though).
The reaction of a child's body to a taser cannot be good. I am a full grown adult and I felt like I was being crushed to death by my own muscles, like every bone in my body would break if he didn't let off that trigger. So allowing children to be tasered, in my mind, is a horrible choice. The people who made that decision should take the ride for themselves. You don't fall to the ground harmlessly with no threat of death. Heck, the blow to the head from hitting the ground alone could kill you!
So while it is safer, I believe it is false advertising to say they are non-lethal, because they are not. And there are records showing people have been killed by tasers. So telling cops and civilians alike that they are non-lethal and completely safe is BS.
Like to get TASED for Thanksgiving? Better do what the cop says - immediately!
I'd like to hear from any police / law enforcement on Mindsay about this video.
Study Shows Tasers to be Relatively Harmless
The Post (10/22/07), Alivia Nuzzo
A study examining instances of Taser® use by law enforcement at six agencies supports the use of the electro-muscular discharge units as a less-lethal alternative for law enforcement. Research data for the study, which was funded by the U.S. Department of Justice and conducted by Wake Forest University's School of Medicine, was gathered from criminal suspects' reports regarding use of Tasers®. Of the almost 1,000 subjects, 99.7% had little or no injuries. Death occurred in two instances, but it was later determined that the deaths were unrelated to the use of Tasers®.
www.thepost.ohiou.edu/Articles/News/2007/10/22/21838/
New 911 System Can Trace Cell Calls
Daily News Transcript (10/22/07), Keith Ferguson
The Walpole (Massachusetts) Police Department has taken advantage of Vestas Pallas, a new 911 system that reports cell phone numbers to dispatchers and provides dispatchers with the ability to trace cell phone calls to detailed locations on a computer-generated map. In the past, cell phone call location and phone number information were difficult to acquire. The system takes advantage of the GPS feature that's on most new phones to obtain location and phone number information. However, if the cell phone is older and doesn't have a GPS feature, the system initially will indicate the nearest cell tower and zero in on a more precise location as the call continues.
www.dailynewstranscript.com/homepage/x857473994
Townwide Alert Helps Police Find Missing
nashuatelegraph.com, an edition of "The Telegraph," (Nashua, NH). (10/22/07), Hattie Bernstein
Lt. James Sartell has 10 years on the Hollis, New Hampshire, police force, and has always been concerned about children and elderly citizens going missing, especially in the fall and winter months when temperatures dip down quickly. Recently an elderly man called the department after his wife did not return from an afternoon walk. The department took this opportunity to contact the toll-free national hotline for "A Child is Missing" alert system, which the town subscribes to free of charge, and within a minute the service telephoned 1,000 residents in the area near where the woman had last been seen. Roughly 490 of those calls were answered, and citizens received an automated message regarding the situation. Some of those citizens also volunteered to assist police with the search. These efforts resulted in the missing woman being found in about 2 hours.
www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071022/NEWS01/310220058/-1/news
SUU Issues First E-Mail Safety Notice
SUUjournal.com (11/12/07), Josh Smith
The Southern Utah University (SUU) Department of Public Safety recently issued its first-ever campuswide e-mail alert. The alert included a mug shot and information about a gentleman "considered by Public Safety to be a threat" and requested that people alert the department if they saw him on the campus. Previous efforts would have required public safety officials to post signs throughout campus. With this new system, notification is instant and provides the capability to send notifications to everyone on the SUU system. Other future technology projects include electronic locks on exterior doors, digital signage, comprehensive video surveillance, and an emergency siren system.
media.www.suujournal.com/media/storage/paper951/news/2007/11/12/News/Suu-Issues.First.EMail.Safety.Notice-3092965.shtml
Minneapolis Wins Award for New High-Tech Emergency Dispatch System
Government Technology (11/8/07), News Report
Minneapolis' new cutting-edge computer aided dispatch (CAD) system, which will improve how police and fire and rescue units respond to emergency situations, was awarded top technology honors at the 8th annual Tekne Awards. These awards acknowledge organizations and individuals that have a positive impact on the technology-based economy of Minnesota. The award-winning system went into service in March 2007. It provides first responders and 911 dispatchers with new ways to respond faster and smarter to emergency situations by making more detailed information available to them. This new system was paid for using U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant funds, and was developed by TriTech, Inc. of San Diego.
www.govtech.com/gt/174473?topic=117699
Device Will Put Crooks at Cops' Fingertips
WTOP Radio (11/14/07), Hank Silverberg
Technology designed to correctly identify criminals who have given false information regarding their identity will be implemented by Fairfax County, Virginia. The county will be the first in the nation to use a handheld device that will allow police officers to instantaneously identify a person who has been arrested either by using fingerprints or a digital photo. The information captured will be cross-referenced against information contained in a database of criminal records, and in the future this system may connect to a national database of criminal records. Fairfax County is expected to have 50 of the units, which have been paid for using U.S. Department of Homeland Security funding. Several surrounding jurisdictions hope to obtain similar devices as well.
www.wtopnews.com/?nid=600&sid=1291897
Local FBI Rolls Out Online Sharing Network
The Gazette (11/6/07), Alicia Ebaugh
In terms of information sharing between local and State law enforcement Iowa is "far ahead," according to an FBI official, but taking advantage of an FBI site will only serve to make that communication better. On October 6, officers from across Iowa got their first look at the FBI's Law Enforcement Online information sharing network. This network assists all levels of agencies in sharing information nationwide. The FBI's system has been operational since 1995 and the agency is still working to get thousands of local, county, and State agencies involved by providing trainings to organizations nationwide. Law Enforcement Online gives officials a secure, encrypted location in which to put crime information so they can seek out information from other jurisdictions or make information available to other agencies. Access to Law Enforcement Online is granted using an FBI background check process.
www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071106/NEWS/711060036/1006/news
FBI Harnesses Power of "On Demand" From Comcast to Track Criminals, Find Missing Persons, Make Communities Safer
CNNMoney.com (11/1/07), PR Newswire
The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has found a valuable tool in using the ON DEMAND technology that Comcast uses for cable service. "Police Blotter ON DEMAND" is a community-oriented video on-demand service that was launched in the Philadelphia area last December. Recently a Comcast customer, after seeing the profile of a wanted bank robber, contacted the FBI with a tip that led to an arrest. This service provides law enforcement with another tool to reach out to the public for assistance. The features the service provides, such as pause and rewind, can assist customers in seeing details and making connections that might otherwise be lost. Police Blotter ON DEMAND is regularly updated with video profiles for bank robbers, missing persons, and individuals from the Philadelphia Police Department's most wanted files. The offering is available free of charge to customers on the Comcast system.
money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/NEM04312112007-1.htm
I often wonder what the purpose of this law is, aside from the fact that it is often used to tack on more fines and jail time at sentencing. I have come to the realization that there needs to be a clarification of this law, a new constitutional amendment. So I propose the following for Amendment 28:
The Right of a Citizen to Resist Unlawful Arrest and Imprisonment
If an officer of the law orders a citizen to engage in behavior that is unlawful and physically hazardous to the public or to himself, the citizen has the right to refuse the order and no adverse action may be taken by the officer.
This protects a citizen from being ordered to engage in something illegal so the officer has reason for arrest.
If an officer of the law attempts to detain a citizen who has not committed a crime, the citizen has the right to physically resist.
Obvious in it's wording. This law would have protected the taser victim at the John Kerry speech from prosecution and would have taken away the "right" of the officers to engage in torturing him.
Now there are obviously potential issues with this. One being what about those who have committed a crime? Won't they cite this law as reason for their resistance? This is something that must be decided by a court on a case-by-case basis. No one should be able to use the excuse that they "thought" their rights were being violated when they actually weren't.
What we need is a balance to police authority, the power to overrule an officer who abuses his power. Too often are people tortured and wrongfully arrested by bad cops. We can no longer wait for our lawyer to handle it in court, we need the power to resist unlawful arrests now!
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