2/15/2013 8:00 AM
 In what may be a first among the nation's police chiefs, Chief Dennis Burns of the Palo Alto Police Department, California, will be hitting the beat this Friday night, February 15, 2013, in his very own "virtual ride-along" via Twitter. Starting at 2 p.m. and running for 12 hours, Palo Alto Police Chief Dennis Burns will don a uniform and get behind the wheel of a patrol car to help his officers handle calls, patrol neighborhoods, and investigate crimes. A member of the Public Information Officer team will be riding with him and live-tweeting calls for service, crimes in progress, arrests, vehicle accidents, and anything else that may come up during the course of the shift on the official Department Twitter account, @PaloAltoPolice. “My goal is to give everyone insight into the realities of policing in Palo Alto and also to bring attention to our social media channels. In the event of a disaster or widespread critical incident, we want people to turn to our social media outlets for emergency information.” Twitter users can ask questions during the ride-along, and the team will answer questions as time allows. They estimate sending between 100 and 250 tweets during the twelve-hour ride-along, depending on the volume of calls of service and the level of engagement with the public.
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2/13/2013 8:00 AM
The Transportation Security Administration ( TSA) plans to roll out fraudulent document technology scanners to airports which will be networked with the no-fly list. The scanners are meant to replace the current system in which a TSA officer called the "travel document checker" looks intently at a boarding pass and passenger identification under ultraviolent light before scrawling an assent for the passenger to proceed. In a January 18, 2013, privacy impact assessment, TSA says it plans to connect the scanners to watch lists via its Secure Flight program, which matches passenger data to databases of suspected terrorists. TSA announced a three U.S. airports pilot of the scanners--dubbed the Credential Authentication Technology/Boarding Pass Scanning System--in April 2012.
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2/12/2013 8:00 AM
Virginia has gone mobile in its effort to keep citizens informed about statewide emergencies and disaster planning. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management ( VDEM) launched the Ready Virginia mobile app earlier this month, featuring a variety of notification and planning amenities that can be used in the event of a flood, hurricane, or other catastrophe. The app includes location-specific weather watches and warnings and flood information issued by the National Weather Service; disaster news from the VDEM; maps detailing where open American Red Cross shelters are; evacuation routes and storm surge zones; a template to create family emergency plans; and various informational links.
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2/11/2013 8:00 AM
The National Association of State Chief Information Officers ( NASCIO) has released 2013 Federal Advocacy Priorities. Through this report, NASCIO hopes to put a spotlight on modernizing outdated federal rules and regulations, bolstering nation’s cybersecurity, building a public safety broadband network, and pushing greater collaboration to expand the maturity and use of information exchange models and secure identities in cyberspace. With technology and telecommunications evolving faster than federal rules and regulations, NASCIO is looking to work with federal partners to ensure citizens’ tax dollars are not being wasted due to regulations that do not complement current technologies and best practices in information technology management.
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2/8/2013 8:00 AM
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics' (BJS) study, Correctional Populations in the United States, 2011, the adult correctional population declined by 1.4 percent or 98,900 offenders during 2011. This was the third consecutive year of decline in the number of offenders under the supervision of adult correctional authorities. The rate of adults under supervision on probation or parole was more than double that of adults incarcerated in state and federal prisons or local jails in 2011, though both decreased at about the same rate. The number of adults under community supervision—probation, parole, or other post-prison supervision—also declined for the third consecutive year in 2011 according to a second BJS study, Probation and Parole in the United States, 2011.
Source: BJS
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2/7/2013 8:00 AM
Today, investigators face a daunting task of processing large numbers of seized cell phones, desktop computers, camera footage, laptops and more. This has become a common trend, recovering digital evidence. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Computer Analysis Response Team (CART) is the FBI’s go-to force for providing digital forensic services, not only to FBI investigators but also to local, state, and federal partners. The cases that CART examiners work span the gamut of FBI program areas: from cybercrimes and computer intrusions to violent crimes, financial crimes, organized crime, and national security matters. CART consists of nearly 500 highly trained and certified special agents and other professional personnel working at FBI Headquarters, throughout 56 field offices, and within the network of Regional Computer Forensics Laboratories across the nation. During fiscal year 2012, CART—while supporting nearly 10,400 investigations—conducted more than 13,300 digital forensic examinations involving more than 10,500 terabytes of data.
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2/6/2013 8:00 AM
Listen to an interview between Kshemendra Paul, Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment ( ISE), and the Information Security Media Group regarding the implementation of the National Strategy for Information Sharing and Safeguarding. Sharing information about physical and cyber threats needn't be segregated under the national strategy, says Paul. "Our stakeholders all of the time tell us 'We want an integrated view of the threat . . . Something that goes on in the physical world may give you clues on what's going on in the cyber-world and vice versa. ... There is a nexus there, so that is why people want to look at it in an integrated way," says Paul. In the interview, Paul also addresses challenges the government and stakeholders face in implementing the strategy; managing risk in an information sharing environment; and determining the success of the strategy. To listen to the interview, select this link and select “play” on the media player.
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2/5/2013 8:00 AM
The city of Boston is interested in modernizing its fire alarm boxes, but how the city does that will be determined by which vendor submits the best idea. The city, in conjunction with the Boston Fire Department, released a request for information (RFI) for ideas on how the city can upgrade its current fire alarm system using new technologies. The primary objective of this RFI is to solicit information about possible designs, services, and interactive uses that might be provided through a modern upgrade. The city is exploring ways to prototype the new fire alarm box by the end of 2013, with subsequent expansion to street-corner fire alarm boxes throughout the city. RFI submissions are due February 22, 2013.
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2/4/2013 10:00 AM
The Bureau of Justice Assistance ( BJA) Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative ( Global) is pleased to announce the release of the Responding to First Amendment-Protected Events—The Role of State and Local Law Enforcement Officers training video, recommended by the Global Advisory Committee, the Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council, and the Global Intelligence Working Group. This resource, part of a First Amendment-protected events resource package, is available at https://www.ncirc.gov/training_firstamendment.cfm.
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2/1/2013 2:00 PM
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security ( DHS) has released a draft request for proposals (RFP) for the first stage of its $3.1 billion BioWatch Gen-3 program. DHS’ Office of Health Affairs is building an autonomous network of biodetectors to monitor the air for biological and chemical threats. The program began in 2003, and this will be the third generation of the system. The current system operates outdoors and is comprised of aerosol collectors and teams of support personnel. RFP goals include expansion to cover 90 percent of the population in 50 jurisdictions, increasing indoor coverage to about 160 high-risk facilities, and a decrease in detection time to four to six hours. The agency wants an autonomous biodetection system that integrates sample collection, preparation, analysis, and reporting functions. The system needs to complete those tasks without human intervention. Comments on the draft RFP are due February 11, 2013. The draft is for stage 1 of the procurement. Awards will be made to no more than three companies, who will then compete for the final spot to build the system. DHS plans to hold an industry day, but no date has been set. The final RFP will be out in the third quarter of fiscal year 2013, which ends June 30, 2013.
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