Technology

Johnmichael O’Hare Law enforcement agencies must contend with the proverbial double-edged sword when they attempt to chase down crime in the online world. On one side, threat actors leave a trail of information through Internet activity, social media posts and cell phone use which investigators can track. But, on the other side, those same actors – if sufficiently knowledgeable – can use born on the Web techniques to conceal their activities and evade detection. The same dichotomy also surfaces when…

Bill Siuru, Ph.D., PE Fingerprints and forensic evidence found at the scene of a crime are two of the most valuable ways to identify a suspect and solve crimes. Current methods for capturing latent fingerprints require physical contact which can possibly damage or destroy the fingerprint, or risk contaminating or destroying the DNA information contained in the fingerprints. Another problem is locating blood spots, gunshot residue and body fluids at the crime scene or on items taken from the scene…

Bill Siuru, Ph.D., PE Technology available to fight crime and guard against terrorism and other dangers brings challenges to the expectation of privacy and protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. Data collected by Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) systems can enhance law enforcement’s ability to investigate crimes and enforce the law.  However, at times, it also raises concerns that the information collected may be inaccurate; placed into databases shared without restrictions; retained longer than necessary; or used and abused in…

Bill Siuru, Ph.D., PE Facial recognition is considered to be the most natural of all biometric measurements by virtue of individuals being recognized not by scanning their fingerprints or eyes, but by looking at their face. Facial recognition could become the future investigative and surveillance tool of choice by law enforcement because it is much more accurate than the human eye in recognizing faces. It is also easy to implement; verification and/or identification of faces can be very fast; and,…

Bill Siuru, Ph.D, PE Video analytics, also called video content analysis, is needed today as the availability of digital recording devices explodes exponentially. Surveillance cameras monitoring a middle school detect a suspicious person lurking on the school grounds. This triggers an alert sent directly to the local police, even before the person tries to enter the school building and the alarm system is activated. Thus, the police can be dispatched to investigate a few minutes sooner, perhaps fast enough to…

Dr. Chuck Russo and Katherine C. Russo Recent news headlines highlight the creative and effective ways law enforcement agencies are using commercial Direct To Consumer (DTC) genealogy tests to close decades old cold cases. By using DTC genealogy testing services, police have been able to identify suspects linked to the murders of Christy Mirack, Tanya Van Culenborg, Jay Cook, and the many victims of the Golden State Killer. This investigation technique opens the door to potentially solving many more cold…

Leischen Kranick With today’s heated political climate, it is more important now than ever to protect yourself and your family from “online vigilantes.” According to Wikipedia, the term doxing or doxxing (from dox, an abbreviation of documents) is the Internet-based practice of researching and broadcasting private or identifiable information (especially personally identifiable information) about an individual or organization. It is typically done with malicious intent. The information published can be anything from home addresses to vehicle identification to social media…

 Andrew S. Klane and Mario Gosalvez Purpose-built rugged tablets designed with specific capabilities for certain tasks can save both time and money while driving superior outcomes. With the recent advent of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) rugged tablets, forensic mapping is being revolutionized. These new tablets enable something previously not possible: scientific-grade accurate measurements for those engaged in non land surveying work. These rugged tablets can deliver centimeter level measurement accuracy faster and easier than using conventional…

Mike Boyle                       Darkness presents special challenges for law enforcement officers. The collective police history illustrates that violent crime spikes in the evening hours, often with tragic consequences. For centuries, criminals have used the cloak of darkness to help conceal their illicit activities. Humans are visual creatures and, when our primary sensory receptor is compromised, performance suffers. In poor light, even simple tasks such as navigation through unfamiliar surroundings can be problematic. Locating and assessing potential danger is more…

Rebecca Waters         Rapid changes in technology can make it difficult to stay ahead of the game. The above statement is particularly true when it comes to Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) systems which combine cameras, data processors and character recognition software, all of which are constantly evolving. Even law enforcement’s use of the technology continues to evolve. Once used only to recover stolen vehicles and track expired vehicle registrations, ALPR is now used to solve a countless number of offenses….