Articles by publisher

Picture of a bullet

Technology January 24, 2018

BallisticSearch™ Delivers Faster Ballistics Analysis and More

Bill Siuru, PhD, PE When a gun is fired, it leaves a distinct impression on the ejected shell casing, a   “fingerprint of sorts,” which is unique to that weapon. The marks found on the cartridge case, which are created by the firing pin, breech face and ejector, can be analyzed to trace the spent case back to the exact gun from which it was fired. Upon verification by a professional forensic examiner, this information can be used as evidence to…

Police vehicle

The Wheels of Justice January 20, 2018

The Wheels of Justice January February 2018

SERGEANT JAMES POST THE 2018 DODGE DURANGO SSV In addition to the pursuit-rated vehicles tested each year by the Michigan State Police (MSP), occasionally, manufacturers will submit prototypes for evaluation and testing. Normally, these results are not published or included in the test results released to Law Enforcement (LE) agencies and the media. This is understandable because these vehicles can rightfully be called “works in progress” and the grueling MSP tests can frequently reveal areas which need more attention. Such…

Apple iPhone

Legal Update January 20, 2018

Legal Update

Restricting Sex Offenders’ Access to Social Media Web Sites Violates First Amendment Larry E. Holtz, Esq.  “To foreclose access to social media altogether is to prevent the user from engaging in the legitimate exercise of First Amendment rights.” In Packingham v. North Carolina, 137 S.Ct. 1730 (2017), the United States Supreme Court addressed a North Carolina statute making it a felony for any registered sex offender to gain access to “a commercial social networking Web site where the sex offender…

Man's head buried in paperwork

Law Enforcement Leadership January 20, 2018

Law Enforcement Leadership January February 2018

Mike Carpenter DELEGATE (BUT DO IT RIGHT!!!) Do you have too much work to do and too little time to do it? You are not alone! Administrators of all ranks, from sergeant through chief, all have this same complaint. However, the smart ones have found a solution to ease their time crunch. It’s called delegation. Some of what creates your time crunch is work which could be done by someone with a lesser rank. Even when a project requires your…

Rabbit jumping over fence

Busted January 20, 2018

BUSTED! – Real Stories of Genuine Absurdity January February 2018

James L. McClinton, Ph.D Now, there’s a harebrained idea that never really caught on!… When asked at a town meeting what his plans were for drug enforcement, a candidate for mayor of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania (population under 17,000), replied he would have the police department deploy drug sniffing bunnies. Yes, really, rabbits – they’re much cheaper to maintain than trained dogs. “I was dead serious,” he said later. “I would not make a joke about a rabbit if I did not…

Beware of falling iguanas.

....and nothing but the truth January 20, 2018

…AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH January/February 2018

Ramesh Nyberg Beware of falling iguanas. No…really. Though we don’t have any signs which actually say this in South Florida, it is a possibility. It even happened to my neighbor. Let me back up a bit. From Palm Beach County south to my neck of the woods, and all the way down to the tip of Key West, we are pretty much overrun with lizards of all kinds. In the last 15 years or so, though, the iguana population has…

License Plate

News December 15, 2017

License Plate Reader Policy Development Template for Use in Intelligence and Investigative Activities

The License Plate Reader Policy Development Template for Use in Intelligence and Investigative Activities (LPR Policy Template) is a policy guidance resource designed specifically for law enforcement entities and fusion centers to assist them in their efforts to develop comprehensive privacy, civil rights and civil liberties policies regarding the use of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs or LPRs) in intelligence and investigative activities. Justice entities are turning to LPR technology to help solve crimes, recover abducted children, detect trafficking rings, and…

A pile of newspapers bundled together with string.

News December 15, 2017

Innovative Technology Helps Responders After Mass Violence Events

Visit http://tinyurl.com/yado9op6 to read a new article from the National Institute of Justice, “Using Innovative Technology to Investigate Targeted Mass Violence: What the Future Holds”. After a mass violence event, law enforcement officers and other response personnel must work quickly to secure the scene, protect the public from further harm and begin investigation. In these often chaotic crime scenes, new technology can improve investigation safety and efficiency. This article discusses several new tools, including: Hyperspectral cameras which can detect chemical…

News December 15, 2017

Justice Technology Information Center Releases Guide for Small Law Enforcement Agencies

Visit http://tinyurl.com/y9m55dwp to download How to Assess and Improve Operations of Small Law Enforcement Agencies, a new guide based on a presentation given by author Paul Schultz at the 2016 International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference. It provides a framework of the areas which a small law enforcement agency needs to review and the signs to look for which might indicate a problem. It also provides practical tips on how to improve each functional area.

Valor symbol

News December 15, 2017

VALOR for Blue Releases New Training Program, New Spotlight for Safety

The VALOR Program has released “Ordinary or Extraordinary?”, a new eLearning module geared to law enforcement officers. This video challenges officers to reexamine their role as law enforcement professionals. It covers: The importance of treating your job as more than “just a job”; How your professionalism directly affects your safety and the safety of those you serve; The definition of a “professional” in law enforcement; and What it means to be a scholar, a statesman and a guardian. VALOR for…