Winter 2007
T
he day begins as just any other quiet weekday morning in any one of a thousand small towns in America’s heartland, but at 9:15 a call to 911 changes everything. The caller reports seeing a man with a gun near the local high school. Before officers can reach the scene, the man enters the school and takes a number of hostages. For the next sev- eral hours, area emergency response agencies will be pushed to their limits. Not only must they resolve the hostage situation without loss of innocent lives, they also must deal with a demand- ing media and concerned and frightened parents.
Agencies, O’Shea says, are now required to complete some type of National Incident Management System training to apply for U.S. Department of Homeland Security grants. Incident Commander can be used to help meet that training requirement. Incident Commander offers a realistic represen tation of crisis management with realistic scenarios, realistic time delays, and realistic resource limita tions. Focusing on smaller jurisdictions (less than 50,000 residents), participants face the problems of dealing with a school hostage situation, a chem ical spill, the aftermath of a severe storm, and a possible terrorism incident as they fill the roles of the incident commander and the command team. At the same time, participants also control the various agencies responding to the incident, including police, fire, emergency medical services, public works, and school personnel. Anywhere from 1 to 16 people can partici pate in a scenario by taking on a variety of roles within the operations team. In addition, multiple simultaneous roles for player interaction are avail able, allowing independent action in any role or
(See Commanding the Incident, page 12)
In an event such as a school takeover, the ability of law enforcement to establish an incident command post quickly, combine and allocate resources effectively, and cooperate with other emergency responders fully is paramount. Unfor tunately, public safety agencies, especially smaller agencies in rural and remote parts of the country, do not often have the staff or budget resources for critical incident command training. A recently released, no-cost training program called Incident Commander, however, can help. Available through the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) sys tem, a program of the Office of Justice Programs’ National Institute of Justice, Incident Commander is a PC-based software simulation that models real-world situations within a community, allowing for training at the management level during a criti cal incident. According to Mike O’Shea, NIJ program manager, Incident Commander is based on the command structure mandated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in its rules for National Incident Management System compliance.
I
nteroperability, information sharing, and time- line and link analysis are buzzwords getting a great deal of use in the law enforcement and homeland security communities. Now the Penn- sylvania Department of Corrections is capitalizing on a software program called WebTAS, originally designed for government agencies and law enforce- ment, to show that these buzzwords also have meaning for corrections.
(See Doing Prison Time, page 2)
(Doing Prison Time . . . cont. from page 1)
Short for Web-Enabled Timeline Analysis System, WebTAS is a flexible suite of analytical tools that enable public safety agen cies to quickly and easily merge data from disparate databases or other sources of information. It uses an agency’s existing mainframe system to track pertinent incidents. “WebTAS is basically what we call ‘government off the shelf,’” says Jamie Hepler, a contract analyst with the Law Enforcement Analysis Facility located at the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC)–Northeast, a program of the Office of Justice Programs’ National Institute of Justice. The software gives analysts the ability to plot events spatially and temporally and look for links. “You should see the look on the people’s faces when the raw data they have been working with, but have never been able to see visualized, is first plotted on a map or grid for them,” Hepler says. “It’s just amazing, like ‘where has this been all my life?’” Originally, WebTAS was used in the defense and intelligence community, predominately for intelligence analysis by the United States Space Command. Currently, Hepler says, WebTAS is used to support tactical and strategic analysis in support of the global war on terrorism, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Law enforcement has also realized the software’s potential to help analyze evidence. WebTAS, Hepler says, has even been featured on “He Said...She Said,” one of the stories in the Autopsy 11: Sex, Lies, and Murder video series (HBO, Spring 2006). Bob Flaherty, a security data analyst with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, says that although the Federal Pris on Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003 provided a trigger, his agency really just wanted to see what WebTAS could do in the corrections arena as a whole. The passage of PREA (which man dates that all State and local correctional agencies meet specific reporting requirements related to prison rape, sexual assault, and harassment) and the subsequent receipt of a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, he says, allowed the corrections department to purchase needed equipment and begin exploring WebTAS’ possibilities. (The grant primarily went to purchase new servers, computers capable of running the software, and minor consulting fees.) When PREA came into play, Hepler says, Dr. John Shaf fer, Pennsylvania executive deputy secretary for corrections, quickly recognized WebTAS’ potential. Discussions began on making WebTAS fit into Pennsylvania’s correctional intranet,
called DOCNET. One requirement was that State employees would continue entering data into the various databases used by different correctional facilities and WebTAS would connect all these varied data sources together. “It’s been a great system,” Flaherty says. “We took it in baby steps by looking first at rapes; now we’re expanding it to other types of sexual activity, assaults, and misconducts. We want to try to build up the analysis aspect, but so far, the number of PREA incidents has been so low that we haven’t been able to do much analysis.” Now that Pennsylvania knows about WebTAS, Flaherty says the State is working on other uses for the software. In addition to tracking nonsexual assaults and inmate misconduct, Flaherty thinks it could be a useful tool for combating gang activity and drug use. “We’d also like to use it to analyze visitors, inmates, gangs, drug tests, and phone calls to visualize whether there are any linkages between these entities,” Flaherty says. “It could help us keep drugs out of prison and the wrong people from being allowed to visit.” WebTAS also could help find patterns following canine and other contraband searches. “It will help us to pick up trends and call them to the attention of the administration.” While Pennsylvania examines ways to expand WebTAS use within its correctional system, Hepler says he hopes to expand WebTAS’ correctional applications outside the State. “I think every State has similar technology needs in terms of infrastructure and software requirements,” he says. “One of my hopes is to establish its use in more States. All States must report under PREA, and it could also be used for inhouse inves tigations, visitor tracking, and intelligence and financial analysis—all the same problems that law enforcement faces. States could use WebTAS to share critical information and collaborate with each other. Once you’ve got it in place, it can be used for so many things. It helps you find the pattern before the pattern becomes a problem.” For more information about WebTAS, visit www.webtas. com or contact Jamie Hepler at James.Hepler@rl.af.mil. For information about how WebTAS was used in one instance to help solve a murder-for-hire case, read “Time Proves the Crime” from the spring 2002 edition of TechBeat at www. justnet.org/techbeat/spring2002/TimeCrimeSpr02.pdf.
n a late winter day, police arrested three men after receiving a report of gunshots in a neighbor- hood of North Charleston, South Carolina. One of the men arrested was carrying a weapon that had been reported stolen just 30 minutes earlier. Although reports of shots fired are common occurrences in urban areas, in this particular incident, the report did not come from a human witness but from a gunshot location system. At the time, the gunshot location system was not even officially operational. The installation process— testing and calibration of the sensors— had just begun when the system provided its first hit.
Two gunshot location systems produced by ShotSpotter® began oper ation in North Charleston and Charleston in spring 2003. At that time the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Cen ter (NLECTC)–Southeast, a program of the Office of Justice Programs’ National Institute of Justice, was called in to help evaluate the technology, which relies on fixed telephone lines. In addition, NLECTC–Southeast became involved in the initial evaluation of the wireless version of the gunshot location system with the Charleston Navy Yard and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in Columbia, South Carolina. Availability of a wireless sys tem will allow jurisdictions to choose between the original location system, which relies on fixed telephone lines but is small and inconspicuous, and the larger wireless sensors, which are not as easily hidden from the criminal element but are easily moved. The wireless system has a higher initial cost, while the landline version has ongoing telephone charges. ShotSpotter uses a network of weatherproof acoustic sensors to record and locate gunshots and other loud noises. The system uses relative arrival times from a minimum of three acoustical sensors to triangulate and determine a location, employing technology similar to that used by geologists to pinpoint the epicenter of an earthquake. When the sensors pick up a sound in the appropriate frequency range, the system ties into geographic information system technology and generates a colored dot on a city map. Gunshots show as red dots; firecrackers and other loud noises have their own colors. The marked map shows a 911 dispatcher the location of the gunfire; the dispatcher can then listen to a WAV file of the report, verify it as a gunshot, and dispatch officers. The entire process usually takes no more than 6 to 10 seconds, which leads to more rapid incident dispatch that could help save victims’ lives. According to Coleman Knight, deputy director at NLECTC–Southeast,1 dis patch reports in Charleston and North Charleston have placed officers within a 20-foot range of where shots were fired. Officers can be notified via dispatch radio, cell phone, mobile data computer, e-mail, pager, or personal digital assis tant. The system also records a WAV file of the number of gunshots detected by sensors. This file can be used in court to support or refute, as needed, observa tions by witnesses, victims, and suspects. Officers headed toward the scene of a gunshot location system report are confident that the information came in not only quickly, but accurately, Knight says. When (and if) witnesses report gunshots heard, however, their information may be delayed and may conflict with the location and direction of the gunfire identified by ShotSpotter. The precise location information generated by gunshot location devices increases an officer’s chances of finding spent casings or even catching a perpetrator with a weapon in hand. In multishot incidents, the system reports the location of each individual shot. Charleston and North Charleston received initial funding for their gunshot location projects under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Safe Neighborhoods program. The U.S. Attorney General for South Carolina chose reduction of street violence and gunfire through an initiative named Project CeaseFire. The initiative provided $750,000 to install the two gunshot location systems, which featured 32 sensors (8 per square mile). Charleston has added eight more sensors to fill in gaps or weak areas in targeted areas and North Charleston is in the process of adding four to six more to cover gaps. The cities selected coverage areas based on their frequent appearance on reports related to violent crimes, firearms offenses, and drug-related incidents. For more information on gunshot location systems and the ShotSpotter evaluations, contact NLECTC–Southeast at 800–292–4385 or e-mail Charles Stephenson at stephenson@nlectc-se.org.
1Mr.
O
Knight passed away in January 2007, after this article was written.
In addition to Charleston and North Charleston, South Carolina, gunshot location systems have been deployed across the Nation, with more in the planning and development stages. Systems can be found in such diverse areas as Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles, California; Gary, Indiana; and Glendale, Arizona. Systems are also in use by the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Joint Forces Command, and the U.S. Army. Successes have included the following:
●
citizens reported gunshots in only 11 percent of the
cases detected by the system.
●
Gary, Indiana. In one evening, use of a gunshot location system resulted in 15 multiple-charge arrests and 45 confiscated weapons. State of Ohio. Temporary deployment of a gunshot location system covering 90 miles of State highway helped lead to the capture of the Columbus highway sniper in 2003. Redwood City, California. A gunshot location system helped to reduce the threat of random gunfire in one part of town. The result? People felt safer, businesses began returning to the area, and property values increased.
●
Rochester, New York. Officers responded to a shotsfired incident so quickly that a suspect was still holding a shotgun when they arrived. Los Angeles County, California. The sheriff’s department conducted a study in target areas where a gunshot location system was in use and found that
●
●
TECH
T
The Eagle Has Landed
Russian explosives experts are lending their expertise to their American counterparts to help in the detection of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Last fall, NLECTC– Northwest sponsored the visit of two Russian IED experts to Washington, D.C. While in the United States, the Russians trained American explosives specialists so they could conduct an NIJsponsored evaluation of a Russian IED detection device called the Eagle. The two Russian IED experts also met with a number of their U.S. counterparts to discuss and demonstrate the latest in Russian IED detection equipment and share lessons learned from IED detection experiences in Chechnya and Dagestan. NIJ is evaluating the Eagle for potential domestic use with assistance from NLECTC–Northwest and NLECTC–Rocky Mountain. The Eagle consists of a backpack system designed to detect IEDs through identification of remote control receivers, transceivers, electronic fuses, electronic timers, and delayed-action units.
Russian Federation Special Forces have successfully deployed the Eagle since 2001. Dustproof and shockproof, it is designed for outdoor use in a wide range of temperatures. Plans are also underway for NLECTC–Northwest to evaluate the Eagle’s “little brother,” the less powerful NR-u, for possible detection of clandestine cellular phones smuggled into domestic prisons and jails. This portable device relies on the same technology as the Eagle. For more information, contact NLECTC–Northwest, 866–569–2969 or nlectc_nw@ctsc.net.
shorts Technology News Summary
groups to collaborate on regional incident management coordination and response planning. Following several tabletop and field exercises, the group recognized the need for an ongoing effort to promote incident management data sharing through the use of emerging technologies and current off-the-shelf and nonproprietary equipment and systems, and requested assistance from NLECTC–West. For more information, contact NLECTC–West, 888–548–1618 or nlectc@law-west.org.
ECHshorts is a sampling of the technology projects, programs, and initiatives being conducted by the Office of Justice Programs’ National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the centers and specialty offices that constitute its National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) system. If you would like additional information concerning any of the following TECHshorts, please refer to the specific point-of-contact information that is included at the end of each entry.
In addition to TECHshorts, an online, weekly technology news summary containing articles relating to technology developments in public safety that have appeared in newspapers, newsmagazines, and trade and professional journals is available through the NLECTC system’s website, JUSTNET, at www.justnet.org. This service, the Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology News Summary, also is available through an electronic e-mail list, JUSTNETNews. Each week, subscribers to JUSTNETNews receive the news summary directly via e-mail. To subscribe to JUSTNETNews, e-mail your request to asknlectc@nlectc.org or call 800–248–2742. Note: The mentioning of specific manufacturers or products in TECHshorts does not constitute the endorsement of the U.S. Department of Justice, NIJ, or the NLECTC system.
On the Skids
A 59-percent decrease in driving accidents is the very tangible result of a “safe driving” partnership between the Anchorage Police Department and NLECTC– Northwest. The Skid Car, made available by NLECTC–Northwest to numerous law enforcement agencies in Alaska, allows drivers to practice driving skills needed on icy roads by pushing a button that throws the car into a simulated skid. The technology can simulate a front skid, a rear skid, or an all-wheel skid, all of which call for different driving tactics. NLECTC–Northwest sponsors a train-the-trainer program for driving instructors from individual agencies and helps coordinate the transportation (along with the Alaska National Guard) of the Skid Car around the State. Anchorage, one of several law enforcement agencies employing the technology as part of its emergency vehicle operations course, reported a substantial decrease in accidents in the first year of using the training program. For more information, contact NLECTC–Northwest, 866–569–2969 or nlectc_nw@ctsc.net.
easy to use, and provides law enforcement and private sector organizations with 24/7 access to numerous training materials from any Internet-enabled computer. Currently, the CSL Web environment contains more than 40 hours of tool demonstrations and training videos created specifically for first responders, forensic investigators, and the legal community. CSL uses this information-sharing method when hosting and participating in cybercrime and cybersecurity conferences and seminars nationwide. The events are captured on video and made available to registered users on the CSL website at www.cybersciencelab.com. Examples include the Prosecutors’ Perspective on Electronic Crime Seminar, held in conjunction with the New York/New Jersey United States Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force (USSS ECTF) meeting on October 4, 2006, and the Organization of American States Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Workshop, held in cooperation with the Miami USSS ECTF on April 25–27, 2006. For more information about these or other CSL activities, contact Joshua Bartolomie at 888–338–0584 or josh@cybersciencelab.com.
Looking at the Same Picture
At the request of the Golden Gate Safety Network, NLECTC– West is developing a system of components that will help determine the operational requirements for a common operating picture system. A common operating picture system is a
computer-generated display of identical information shared by
more than one command. Its purpose is to provide situation
awareness and facilitate collaborative planning.
The project involves the development of capabilities in five basic
areas: shared mapping, key resource tracking using a global
positioning system (GPS), on-scene digital imagery, incident
command directives (e.g., safety perimeters, road closures), and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). A shared server architecture allows ongoing experimentation with shared mapping, GPS tracking, and transmission of video and still imagery. Participating agencies enter information, including feeds from video cameras, into the shared server. The system’s mapping capability can then show vehicle locations on a map and provide video footage to all users. The common operating picture system has been used in training exercises that have included as many as 16 different public safety agencies at the Federal, State, regional, and local levels, as well as participation by several nongovernmental organizations. The Golden Gate Safety Network was formed several years ago as an informal means for San Francisco Bay Area private and public safety
CyberScience Laboratory’s Webinar Capability
In an effort to enhance outreach and training in combating cybercrime, the NLECTC–Northeast CyberScience Laboratory (CSL) has expanded its Web environment to include interactive, live, and on-demand streaming video. This “Webinar” capability is cost effective,
N L E C T C
NLECTC–National
2277 Research Boulevard Rockville, MD 20850 800–248–2742 asknlectc@nlectc.org
...............................................
.................................
NLECTC–Northeast
26 Electronic Parkway Rome, NY 13441–4514 888–338–0584 nlectc_ne@rl.af.mil
The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) system, a program of the Office of Justice Programs’ National Institute of Justice (NIJ), offers no-cost assistance in helping agencies large and small implement current and emerging technologies. The NLECTC system was established in 1994 by NIJ’s Office of Science and Technology to serve as an “honest broker” resource for technology information, assistance, and expertise by providing information and technology assistance to the Nation’s more than 18,000 police departments; 50 State correctional systems;
thousands of prisons, jails, and parole and probation departments; and other public safety organizations. With a network of regional centers and specialty offices located across the country, the NLECTC system delivers expertise in a number of technologies in partnership with a host organization. In addition, a number of technology working groups and a national advisory council provide guidance relating to the technology needs and operational requirements of the public safety community for each of NIJ’s technology focus areas.
NLECTC–Southeast
5300 International Boulevard North Charleston, SC 29418 800–292–4385 nlectc-se@nlectc-se.org
NLECTC–Rocky Mountain
2050 East Iliff Avenue Denver, CO 80208 800–416–8086 nlectc@du.edu
Contact NLECTC for:. . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................
Technology Identification
The NLECTC system provides information and assistance to help agencies determine the most appropriate and cost-effective technology to solve an administrative or operational problem. We deliver information relating to technology availability, performance, durability, reliability, safety, ease of use, customization capabilities, and interoperability.
Technology Demonstration
We introduce and demonstrate new and emerging technologies through such special events, conferences, and practical demonstrations as the Mock Prison Riot (technologies for corrections) and an annual public safety technology conference. On a limited basis, NLECTC facilitates deployment of new technologies to agencies for operational testing and evaluation.
ordered through NLECTC’s toll-free number, 800–248–2742, or via e-mail at asknlectc@ nlectc.org.
NLECTC–West
c/o The Aerospace Corporation 2350 East El Segundo Boulevard El Segundo, CA 90245–4691 888–548–1618 nlectc@law-west.org
Technology Commercialization
Our law enforcement and corrections professionals, product and commercialization managers, engineers, and technical and market research specialists work together to identify new technologies and product concepts. They then work with innovators and industry to develop, manufacture, and distribute these new, innovative products and technologies.
Technology Assistance
Our staff serve as proxy scientists and engineers. Areas of assistance include unique evidence analysis (e.g., audio, video, computer, trace, and explosives), systems engineering, and communications and information systems support (e.g., interoperability, propagation studies, and vulnerability assessments).
NLECTC–Northwest
6411 A Street, Suite 200 Anchorage, AK 99518–1824 866–569–2969 nlectc_nw@ctsc.net
Capacity Building
We provide hands-on demonstrations of the latest technologies to address such operational issues as crime and intelligence analysis, geographic information systems, explosives detection and disablement,
Technology Needs Assessment
Our national body of criminal justice professionals—the Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Advisory Council
Border Research and Technology Center (BRTC)
c/o The Sheriffs’ Association of Texas 1601 South I–35 Austin, TX 78741 512–445–2316 brtc@txsheriffs.org
Technology Implementation
We develop technology guides, best practices, and other information resources that are frequently leveraged from hands-on assistance projects and made available to other agencies.
NLECTC–Northwest Anchorage, Alaska NLECTC–Rocky Mountain Denver, Colorado NLECTC–Northeast Rome, New York Office of Law Enforcement Standards Gaithersburg, Maryland NLECTC–National Rockville, Maryland Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization Wheeling, West Virginia
BRTC–Western Operations
c/o SDSU Research Foundation 5178 College Avenue, Suite 10 San Diego, CA 92182 888–656–2782 brtcwestops@sbcglobal.net
Property Acquisition
We help departments take advantage of surplus property programs that make Federal excess and surplus property available to law enforcement and corrections personnel at little or no cost.
NLECTC–West El Segundo, California
Border Research and Technology Center (Western Operations) San Diego, California
NLECTC–Southeast Charleston, South Carolina
Equipment Testing
In cooperation with the Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES), we oversee the development of standards and a standards-based testing program in which equipment such as ballistic- and stabresistant body armor, double-locking metallic handcuffs, and semiautomatic pistols is tested on a pass/fail basis. NLECTC also conducts comparative evaluations—testing equipment under field conditions—on patrol vehicles; patrol vehicle tires and replacement brake pads; and cut-, puncture-, and pathogenresistant gloves. NLECTC also has evaluated emerging products to verify manufacturers’ claims. The primary focus of OLES is the development of performance standards and testing methods to ensure that public safety equipment is safe, dependable, and effective.
Border Research and Technology Center Austin, Texas
Rural Law Enforcement Technology Center Hazard, Kentucky
Rural Law Enforcement Technology Center (RULETC)
101 Bulldog Lane Hazard, KY 41701 866–787–2553 ruletc@aol.com
inmate disturbances and riots, and computer crime investigation.
Technology Information
NLECTC disseminates information to the criminal justice community at no cost through educational bulletins, equipment performance reports, guides, consumer product lists, news summaries, meeting/ conference reports, videotapes, and CD– ROMs. NLECTC also publishes TechBeat, an award-winning quarterly newsmagazine. Most publications are available in electronic form through the Justice Technology Information Network (JUSTNET) at www.justnet. org. Hard copies of all publications can be
(LECTAC)—ensures that we are focusing on the real world needs of public safety agencies.
Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization (OLETC)
2001 Main Street, Suite 500 Wheeling, WV 26003 888–306–5382 info@oletc.org
Because most of the country’s law enforce ment and corrections services are provided at the local level, the NLECTC system is composed of five regional centers and is complemented by several specialty offices and a national center. Most centers and offices are colocated with or supported by federally funded technology partners so they can leverage unique science and engineering expertise.
Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES)
100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8102 Building 220, Room 8208 Gaithersburg, MD 20899–8102 301–975–2757 oles@nist.gov
TechBeat is the award-winning newsmagazine of the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) system. TechBeat’s latest award is the APEX 2006 Award of Excellence–Newsletters–Print. Our goal is to keep you up to date with current and developing technologies for the public safety com- munity, as well as other research and development efforts within the Federal Government and private industry. TechBeat is published four times a year.
Individual Subscriptions: TechBeat is available at no cost. If you are not currently on our mailing list, please call us at 800–248–2742, fax 301–519–5149, or e-mail us at asknlectc@nlectc.org. Domestic Department Subscrip tions: If your division, department, or agency has more than 20 individuals, we can drop ship as many copies as you require. All you have to do is provide us with the quantity needed, a shipping address (no Post Office boxes, please), and a contact name and telephone number. Your only obligation is to disseminate them once they arrive. If you require fewer than 20 copies, please provide us with the
names and addresses of individuals who are to receive the newsmagazine and we will send copies directly to them. Contact Rick Neimiller, TechBeat managing editor, at 800–248–2742 for additional information or to subscribe. Address Correction: Please notify us of any change in address or point of contact. Call 800–248–2742; fax 301–519–5149; or e-mail asknlectc@ nlectc.org. Article Reproduction: Unless otherwise indicated, all articles appearing in TechBeat may be reproduced. We do, however, request that you include a statement of attribution, such as, “This
article was reproduced from the Winter 2007 issue of TechBeat, published by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center, a program of the National Institute of Justice,
800–248–2742.” Awards: TechBeat has received numerous awards, including the 1998 Best of Category, Excellence in Printing Award from the Printing & Graphic Communications Association; the firstplace 1998 Blue Pencil Award for Most Improved Periodical from the National Association of Government Communicators; the 1999 Silver Inkwell Award of Merit from the International Association of Business Communicators; the APEX
2001 Award of Excellence for Maga
zines and Newspapers–Printed; and
the APEX 2006 Award of Excellence–
Newsletters–Print.
Photo Credits: Photos used in this issue of TechBeat copyright © 2007 Corbis; Alamy; Getty Images; Photodisc; Veer; Masterfile; iPhotos; and Dan Peck. Staff: Managing Editor, Rick Neimiller; Editor, Michele Coppola; Assistant Editor, Janet McNaughton; Lead Writer, Becky Lewis; Graphic Designers, Cheryl Denise Collins and Tina Kramer.
2007 NIJ Technology Institute for Corrections
September 16–21, 2007 • Washington, D.C.
Agenda: Attendees will receive information on and assistance about existing and developing technologies, learn ways to solve problems relating to technology implementation, and exchange technology lessons learned. Attendees also will participate in briefings and demonstrations at various agencies and departments in the metropolitan area.
Registration: Attendance is limited to 25 midlevel managers from State, local, and community corrections agencies who are involved with technology. Applications: To obtain an application, visit www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/events/techinstitutes/ or contact Laura Luhn at 800–248–2742, ext. 5145 or at lluhn@nlectc.org. One application is allowed per agency. Alumni of previous institutes are not eligible. Travel, lodging, and meal expenses are paid by the National Institute of Justice.
Application deadline: July 13, 2007
w w w . j u s t n e t . o r g
Online News Summary. Online News Summary includes article abstracts on law enforcement, corrections, and forensics technologies that have
appeared in major newspapers, magazines, and periodicals and on national and international wire services and websites. Testing Results. Up-to-date listing of public-safety
equipment evaluated through NIJ’s testing program. Includes ballistic- and stab-resistant armor, patrol vehicles and tires, protection gloves, handcuffs, and more. Publications. Publications from NIJ and NLECTC that you can view or download to your system, including printer-friendly versions of TechBeat articles and features. Calendar of Events. Calendar of Events lists
upcoming meetings, seminars, and training.
Links. Links takes you to other important law
enforcement and corrections websites.
For help establishing an Internet connection,
linking to JUSTNET, or finding needed technology
and product information, call the NLECTC Information Hotline at 800–248–2742.
he National Center for Missing & Exploited Children revealed in a June 2005 study that 40 percent of arrested child pornography possessors had both sexually victimized children and were in possession of child pornography. Due in part to the increasing prevalence of child exploitation and pornography, the digital photograph has now become a fixture in gathering and examin- ing forensic evidence in such cases.
Investigators who frequently handle child pornography cases usually have (or know where to access) the tools and the knowledge to obtain evidence associated with contraband images. Nevertheless, law enforcement officers who do not handle these cases on a regular basis may be unaware of the important data that can be derived from digital images. Exchangeable Image File Format, “Exif” for short, defines the file structure and metadata tags used by digital cameras. The Exif standard, origi nally created to enhance interoperability between photographic imaging devices, can be found in both JPEG and TIFF files. The Exif standard associates a variety of information with a photograph, such as the date and time the image was taken and the make and model of the digital camera used. It also stores camera settings such as shutter speed, film speed,
T
flash settings, aperture, focal length, and meter ing mode. A less common feature is the inclusion of global positioning satellite coordinates that provide the exact location where the picture was snapped. Thus, law enforcement can use Exif data to find out when a photograph was taken, tie photos to a specific make and model of camera, or pinpoint the location where an image was cre ated. More advanced techniques can identify the owner of a specific camera by extracting its serial number. Currently not all digital camera manufacturers support the standard, although makers of many popular brands, such as Nikon, Sony, Canon, Fuji, HP and Olympus, have adopted it. Many image editing programs (such as Microsoft® Paint) ignore Exif data embedded in a photo if they are used only to open the file. If, however, these programs are used to modify an image, they can destroy the Exif data. The most important data may be the thumbnail image linked to the photograph. Thumbnails are saved in their own hidden file (a thumbs.db file placed in folders containing images on the comput er), and changes to an image may not always trans fer to the corresponding thumbnail. If an original image is wiped from a disk using a program such as Secure Clean™ or BCWipe®, the thumbnail may still be available. Officers have encountered situ ations in which the victim’s or perpetrator’s face was blurred or concealed in the full image, but the
thumbnail depicted an older version that revealed the obscured area. The Exif standard also supports data called “makernotes.” These data fields and their values are unique to each digital camera manufacturer. They can help determine if a suspect has tam pered with Exif data in an attempt to prevent linking images to a specific digital camera. For example, encountering an image with the Exif data of a Canon camera and the makernotes of a Nikon would indicate that fields have been modified. Several tools facilitate the extraction and analysis of Exif data and image thumbnails. Exifer, ThumbsPlus®, Jhead, EXIFextracter, Exif Reader, ExifPro, and IExif® are just a few of the many free or inexpensive tools available on the Internet. Additionally, many commercial forensic applica tions such as ProDiscover® and DataLifter™ now include Exif data analysis as one of their capabilities. For more information on Exif data, photo metadata, or image analysis tools, contact Salvatore Paladino, CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), at the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center–Northeast in Rome, New York, 888–338–0584 or sal@dolphtech.com. Visit www.missingkids.com for more information about the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Law enforcement can use Exif data to find out when a photograph was taken, tie photos to a specific make and model of camera, or pinpoint the location where an image was created.
T
South Carolina
information ExChangE
he inability to communicate with other departments plagues law enforcement and other public safety agencies nationwide. Incompatible radio systems, differing database structures, and a dearth of policies and procedures often leave police and other emergency responders working in isolation.
In South Carolina, however, that isolation is dissolving away. Two cooperative statewide initiatives have helped to remove communications roadblocks and facilitate information sharing. The initiatives are the South Carolina Information Exchange, known as SCIEx (a statewide data-sharing opera- tion) and the South Carolina State Interoperability System (a shared 800 MHz radio system). The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC)–Southeast, a program of the Office of Justice Programs’ National Institute of Justice (NIJ), has a hand in both enterprises.
through a secure Web-based interface using such parameters as name; vehicle; property stolen; suspect address; incident location; narrative keywords; phone numbers; and scars, marks, and tattoos. Cosgrove adds that an agency cannot begin querying until its systems administrators first receive training, obtain passwords, and train the remainder of their staff. NLECTC–Southeast holds frequent training classes for approximately 20 agencies at a time. The underlying software that runs SCIEx is the NIJdeveloped Law Enforcement Automated Data Reposi tory (LEADR), which is available to law enforcement agencies without licensing fees. The success of this software has spurred interest from Federal agencies such as the FBI and from other States, including Ten nessee and Montana. Cosgrove says that although the software is free of licensing fees, agencies interested in implementing a “SCIEx” of their own need to have the right hardware and work with their records manage ment system vendor to obtain support. “It [LEADR] doesn’t just self-install, and that’s it,” he emphasizes. For more information about SCIEx or LEADR, contact Pete Cosgrove, 843–760–4089 or peter. cosgrove@nlectc-se.org. For more information about ITIP, read “Getting a ‘TIP,’ Making a ‘Linc’ ” from the winter 2005 edition of TechBeat at www. justnet.org/techbeat/winter2005/TIPLINC.pdf. For more information about the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, visit www.sled.state.sc.us. South Carolina StatE intEropErability SyStEm Although two hurricanes—Hugo in 1989 and Floyd in 1999—provided the impetus for development of a shared 800 MHz radio system in South Carolina, the system is not used solely in times of disaster; it is called upon in the daily operations of the State’s pub lic service agencies. The statewide 800 MHz system had its beginnings in 1992 in reaction to communications problems expe rienced during Hurricane Hugo, in which 70 South Carolina residents died. This initiative, called the Pal metto 800 Trunked Radio Network, was a public safety communications partnership, according to Bob Rob erts, project manager at NLECTC–Southeast. “The Palmetto 800 network has been financially self-supporting from the very beginning,” Roberts says. “The users pay the cost to operate the system on a per radio, per month basis, based on the number of tower sites needed to provide an agency with radio coverage. The cost of future upgrades is included in the user fee charges. The system developed on a payas-you-go basis, with expansion taking place when an area had generated sufficient revenue.” Even with the establishment of Palmetto 800, interoperability issues still existed. In 1999, evacuation efforts in preparation for Hurricane Floyd were com plicated by a lack of full interoperability. This led to
In September 2006, the Newbury Police Depart ment prepared to execute what appeared to be a fairly routine, relatively minor warrant, but something about the individual’s name struck an officer as familiar. A search of the SCIEx database revealed previous police contacts and a profile of threatening to use weapons. Based on this information, officers changed their tacti cal approach, and everything went smoothly. SCIEx, which uses an open source software pack age, has come a long way in a relatively short time. In 2000, sheriffs’ departments and major police depart ments from the three South Carolina “Low Country” counties of Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester approached NLECTC–Southeast for assistance in creating a shared master name database. This proj ect became known as the Information Technology Improvement Program (ITIP). With funding from NIJ, the programming was expanded to capture more and more elements until it took in “pretty much a whole incident report,” says Pete Cosgrove, program man ager at NLECTC–Southeast. The expanded version of ITIP became so successful that in 2005, when the South Carolina Law Enforce ment Department received a U.S. Department of Home land Security grant to create a central fusion center, the agency decided that ITIP was the perfect model for its new information exchange project called SCIEx. “We used the same model, a central data ware house model,” Cosgrove says. “We contracted with the records management system vendors that the law enforcement agencies were already using, gave them the specs, and asked them to include a module with their systems that would automatically replicate the data for SCIEx.” The module inclusion process began with the ven dor with the most clients. Those 70 agencies became the initial users. As more vendors added the program ming module to their software, more agencies came online. Today, Cosgrove says, approximately 300 agen cies across the State are eligible to use SCIEx, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Department Intel ligence Fusion Center has added a mapping compo nent that expands SCIEx capabilities to include crime analysis. “At the local level, officers don’t do anything differ ently from what they’ve always done,” Cosgrove says. “But once they hit “enter” or “save” or whatever they click, the data is automatically uploaded to SCIEx. You can key in and get the whole incident report. It’s really pretty powerful. It can be used for advanced planning of a tactical approach, as Newbury did [in the incident noted above], or the officer on the street can quickly look up something on his laptop.” Currently, more than 200 agencies are uploading data into the system, which gets about 6,000 queries per week. Data stored in the system can be queried
the creation of the State Interop erability System 2 years later. “During the Hur ricane Floyd evacuation, agencies that participated in the Palmetto 800 network could communicate with each other, yet others could not,” Roberts says. “As a result, NLECTC–Southeast partnered with the South Carolina Office of the Chief Information Officer (SC CIO) to imple ment a statewide interoperability project in which the Southeast Center plays the ‘honest broker’ role while the State agency manages the radio system.” NIJ provided grant funding to Southeast to administer and partner with SC CIO to fund local law enforcement agencies for the purchase of console, handheld, and mobile 800 MHz radio equipment for use on the Pal metto 800 Trunked Radio Network, Roberts says. Participating agencies must pay all asso ciated user fees. Built on the existing Palmetto 800 network, the South Carolina State Interoper ability System presently encompasses 69 tower sites, with at least one con ventional repeater
10
in each of 46 counties. This makes it the largest shared public safety radio system in the Nation, with more than 21,000 system users representing more than 350 different agencies. Roberts says the implementation strategy was slow and methodical, involving small group meetings and personal contact to convey the importance of joining the statewide system and to address individual agency concerns and issues. “There’s been a lot of human interaction,” he says. “Clearly, local agencies put a lot of thought into their decision to come on to a State system. “Our objective was to increase interoper ability. Local agencies didn’t need to abandon their existing systems to achieve interoperability capability. Some agencies were heavily invested in their existing systems and/or in financially dif ficult times and could not immediately replace all of their equipment again. The grant funding was not intended to fully equip every agency. Its purpose was to encourage transition and enhance interoperability.” Some agencies, Roberts notes, elected to pur chase additional equipment with local funds and move all of their users to the statewide system. Others decided to retain their existing systems and use the grant funds only to place selected
users on the statewide system. Although the vast majority of local agencies supported the project goals and elected to participate in the project, the offer of free equipment under the grant did not guarantee participation by a local government. New and recurring user fees, investment in exist ing systems, and local priorities caused some agencies to decline participation. Roberts adds that interoperability is not solely about disasters or acts of terrorism, but also about the important role it plays in day-to-day operations. “For example,” he says, “in Manning, the city police were able to communicate directly via two-way radio with highway patrol units in the region regarding fleeing bank robbery suspects. The result of the immediate dissemination of the suspect information directly from the Manning police units on the scene allowed the highway patrol to very quickly apprehend the suspects along the Interstate. This incident happened shortly after the City of Manning joined the net work with radio equipment provided by the State Interoperability System.” For more information on the Palmetto 800 Trunked Radio Network and South Carolina State Interoperability System, contact Bob Roberts, 843–760–4612 or roberts@ nlectc-southeast.org.
National Criminal
Justice Reference
Service
In addition to funding the National
Law Enforcement and Corrections
Technology Center, the National Insti
tute of Justice (NIJ) and other Fed
eral agencies support the National
Criminal Justice Reference Service
(NCJRS), assisting a global commu
nity of policymakers, practitioners,
researchers, and the general public
with justicerelated research, policies,
and programs.
NCJRS offers reference and refer
ral services, publications, onsite and
offsite conference support, and other
technical assistance. The easiest way to
access NCJRS is online.
Start at http://www.ncjrs.gov. The
NCJRS website showcases the latest
criminal and juvenile justice and drug
policy information. Take advantage of:
• Topicspecific resources. • Online registration and ordering. • Searchable abstracts, calendar of events, and questionsandanswers databases. Stay informed. Register at http:// www.ncjrs.gov/subreg.html to receive: • JUSTINFO. A biweekly electronic newsletter that includes links to full text versions of printed publications. • E-mail notifications. Periodic mes sages about new publications and resources that match your specific interests. NCJRS Contact Information ataGlance Web: http://www.ncjrs.gov
Phone: 800–851–3420
(Monday – Friday,
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. e.s.t.)
Fax: Mail: 301–519–5212
NCJRS, P .O. Box 6000,
Rockville, MD 20849–6000
The National Law Enforce ment and Corrections Technology Center is supported by Cooperative Agreement #2005–MU–CX– K077 awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice. Analyses of test results do not represent product approval or endorse ment by the National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice; the National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce; or Lock heed Martin Aspen Systems Corporation. Points of view or opinions contained within this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. epartment of Justice. D The National Institute of Justice is a com ponent of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice A ssistance, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and Office for Victims of Crime.
11
(Commanding the Incident . . . cont. from page 1)
as a part of a group of players over the Internet or on a local network. Solo play is also possible. Two years in develop ment, Incident Commander was created by BreakAway Limited, a company specializing in modeling and simulation software for both computer games and training purposes. “We wanted a tool that would make them think outside the box,” O’Shea says. “In one recent training session, officials from one jurisdiction yelled at each other throughout the whole first scenario. They did a horrible job. The second time they played, they started to communicate with each other. The third exercise went so well they didn’t want to stop even though it was 4:45 p.m. and the training officially ended at 4 p.m. That’s exactly what we want to have happen.” At the conclusion of a scenario, play ers receive a score based on how well they did in public safety (number of peo ple killed or injured), media response, and total response cost. The scoring sys tem was changed after the beta testing phase because nobody was winning. “We didn’t want people to win easily, but we didn’t want them to lose that badly either,” O’Shea says. He adds that the software developer ironed out several other glitches during the beta
testing phase and built in the ability to adapt maps and other aspects of the scenarios to make them specific for local areas and provide the capacity for juris dictions to develop their own scenarios. “It is important that agencies are able to play the scenarios in their city, county, or State,” O’Shea says. “The impact of the scenario is so much greater if, for exam ple, the school is located in the right place, the street names are the same, and the available responding units are what can respond in real life.” Also during the beta testing phase, NLECTC–Northwest, in Anchorage, Alaska, developed an extensive out reach program for Incident Commander. Training sessions for the program have been (and will continue to be) offered at regional and national conferences. NLECTC–Northwest is also offering trainthe-trainer instruction and developing a communications leader module so that dispatchers and communications unit leaders can also gain training benefits. “These Incident Commander scenar ios are events you never want to have happen in your community, yet if they do, you want to be able to mount a thor ough response,” says Bruce Richter, dep uty director of NLECTC–Northwest. A key lesson learned from the training, he says, is that one of the secrets to making
incident command work is effective com munication with the other participants. To “play” Incident Commander, you must have the following minimum system requirements:
• Windows® ME, XP, or 2000. • 400 MHz Intel® Pentium® II
(or equivalent).
• 128 MB RAM. • 4x CD–ROM/DVD–ROM drive. • Sound card. • 36.6 Kbps Internet connection (for In
ternet play). For more information about Incident Commander, visit www.incidentcommander.net, contact Mike O’Shea at michael.oshea@usdoj.gov, or call NLECTC–Northwest at 866–569–2969.
PRESORTED STANDARD u.S. POSTAgE PAiD ANNAPOLiS JuNCTiON, mD PERmiT NO. 2538
National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center 2277 Research Boulevard Mail Stop 8J Rockville, MD 20850
“Wear your body armor” poster inside
Winter 2007