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Technology September 15, 2017

Vehicle Pursuit Technology

Bill Siuru, Ph.D., PE Living in the Los Angeles area, hardly a week goes by that I don’t view a high-speed police chase being covered on television. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that about 360 people are killed annually and many more are seriously injured as the result of police pursuits. This number includes suspects, police officers and bystanders alike. Currently, spike strips manually laid across the road by officers are commonly used to terminate a high-speed…

Technology September 15, 2017

The Use of Textalyzer Technology to Curb Distracted Driving

Hannah R. Heishman; Tod W. Burke, Ph.D.; and Stephen S. Owen, Ph.D. On June 16, 2011, Evan Lieberman, a 19-year-old university student, was a passenger in a car driven by an acquaintance while on the way to a summer job. The vehicle was involved in a head-on collision which resulted in fatal injuries to Lieberman. The driver stated that the accident occurred when he fell asleep while driving. Lieberman’s father subsequently filed a civil lawsuit to acquire the driver’s phone…

Technology September 15, 2017

Automated License Plate Recognition: An Insider’s Look

Rebecca Waters What are some of the newest, extensive uses of this technology and how can they be best utilized? Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) systems – made up of a camera or cameras, a processor and character recognition software – at their most basic are designed to capture license plate images, transform them into characters and compare the results to a database of license plates which are of interest to law enforcement. We asked six industry experts to fill…

Equipment & Apparel September 15, 2017

Odor Crusher™ Can Make Your Job Easier

Odor Crusher™ Can Make Your Job Easier Bill Siuru, Ph.D., PE Not only can law enforcement be a dangerous job, it can also be a smelly one. Clothes, body armor and tactical gear can smell of sweat, mildew, smoke, and other unpleasant odors.  Also, police vehicles can be “scent-laden” after a day’s shift or after transporting a drunk or a homeless person who hasn’t taken a shower in a while. Or, how about canine units which carry a dog in…

The Wheels of Justice September 15, 2017

The Wheels of Justice September October 2017

Sergeant James Post GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS AND REALLY GOOD NEWS Okay, I’m one of those guys who likes to get the bad news out of the way first. Then, I have something good to look forward to after I’ve had the rug pulled out from under me. Unless you’ve been on the International Space Station for the last six months, you know that the bad news comes from Ford® Motor Company. Yes, the folks who gave us the Edsel,…

Legal Update September 15, 2017

Legal Update

Larry E. Holtz, Esq. A First Amendment Right to Record the Police   “Every Circuit Court of Appeals to address this issue . . . has held that there is a First Amendment right to record police activity in public.” With major advances in technology and the widespread ownership of smartphones, civilian recording of police officers has become common place. Recently, in Fields v. City of Philadelphia (3rd Cir. 2017), the Third Circuit joined a growing array of federal circuit…

Law Enforcement Leadership September 15, 2017

Law Enforcement Leadership September October 2017

Mike Carpenter Moving Up the Ladder What does it take to build a successful career in law enforcement?  The answer to that has changed in recent years. “Moving up the ladder” may have a different meaning to different people, but, regardless of your rank or your future aspirations, there are some basic guidelines for reaching your future goals. In the past, good common sense was thought to be the number one attribute necessary for success in policing at any rank….

Busted September 15, 2017

Busted! – Real Stories of Genuine Absurdity September/October 2017

James L. McClinton, Ph.D Now, he’s wondering if the judge is up for a spirited match of “rock, paper, scissors!”… A 39-year-old man, who was sound asleep at 6:00 a.m. behind the wheel of his car and with the motor running, was in no position to talk his way out of a DUI arrest. However, he did offer a gentle challenge to a Youngstown, Ohio, police officer. According to the police report, the man offered several times to “thumb wrestle”…

....and nothing but the truth September 15, 2017

AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH…September October 2017

Ramesh Nyberg Moving Forward in Reverse Mercifully, the door has closed on a summer which has been tumultuous, frustrating, violent, and divisive. But, even with fall being just around the corner, I can’t help but get the feeling that all of the anger, rage, mistrust, hatred, and misperceptions have only just begun. As I write this, there are reports of Confederate statues coming down and being dismantled in the middle of the night, and more vitriol and finger-pointing on social…

News August 1, 2017

Office of Justice Programs Releases Toolkit to Aid Police Response to Children Exposed to Violence

Acting Assistant Attorney General Alan R. Hanson recently announced the launch of the Enhancing Police Responses to Children Exposed to Violence toolkit. The toolkit is designed to equip law enforcement professionals with trauma informed, developmentally appropriate tools to effectively respond to children who have been exposed to violence. Funded by the Office of Justice Programs’ Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), the toolkit contains protocols, checklists and other field-tested and research informed resources to enable law enforcement leaders…