Law enforcement
Motorola Solutions Helps Elgin IL Leverages Public, Private Video Assets
The Chicago-area suburb of Elgin is using Motorola Solutions’ real-time intelligence console (RIC) technology to put public and private video surveillance on a single platform that integrates with the computer-aided dispatch mapping software in the 911 center, according to city police officials. “Like most departments, we’re having issues with making sure we have appropriate staffing,” Elgin Police Chief Jeff Swoboda stated. “One of the ways we looked at creating a force multiplier was through the use of video cameras.”
NJ Bill Calling for Police Registry of Security Cameras Coming Into Focus
When a bad guy abducted a woman off the street in Philadelphia a few weeks ago and she was rescued when his car was located in Maryland, I marveled at the black box technology that found the vehicle. Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, D-Essex, NJ, was even more impressed with a nearby store’s video camera that recorded the entire incident and identified the car. So he crafted bill A-3843 permitting a municipality to enact an ordinance establishing a private outdoor video surveillance camera registry, requiring owners of such cameras to register them with police.
ACLU Urges More Public Debate on Surveillance Technologies
The ACLU recently released a report regarding how security and surveillance cameras and recordings are beginning to erode at civil liberties. The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California recently launched a statewide campaign to ensure that public debate, oversight, and accountability precede the acquisition of surveillance technologies by law enforcement agencies. Counties and cities across California have spent in excess of $60 million on invasive surveillance technology, and only five of 90 communities studied held a public debate each time they introduced a new element, according to the ACLU report released Nov. 12.
Biometric Law Enforcement Comes to Canada
Facial recognition technology for the purpose of law enforcement has now marched into Canada, with the Calgary Police Service set to become the first Canadian police service to use such technology. They’ve contracted Texas-based NEC Corporation to provide the tech in the form of its NeoFace Reveal system.
U.S. Court Rules That Phone Passcodes Are Protected by the 5th Amendment, but Fingerprints Aren?t
A Circuit Court judge in Virginia has ruled that fingerprints are not protected by the Fifth Amendment, a decision that has clear privacy implications for fingerprint-protected devices like newer iPhones and iPads. According to Judge Steven C. Fucci, while a criminal defendant can’t be compelled to hand over a passcode to police officers for the purpose of unlocking a cellular device, law enforcement officials can compel a defendant to give up a fingerprint.
New March Networks RideSafe Introduces Fully Integrated Mobile and Wayside Video Management
March Networks, a global provider of intelligent IP video solutions, is pleased to announce its new RideSafe solution for bus, para-transit, and passenger rail. A true enterprise-class video surveillance offering, March Networks RideSafe provides transportation agencies with comprehensive oversight across their entire operation including on transit vehicles, and in stations, depots, and park-and-rides.
Could Police Drones Be an Unexpected Guest in Your Yard?
Legislation passed by the N.C. General Assembly would allow drones to take pictures of an open-invitation gathering, even if it’s on private property, without a warrant. North Carolina is figuring out the boundary between expectations of privacy and the use of surveillance drones by law enforcement agencies.
LPR Cameras Provide Leads to Pawleys Island, SC Police Department
“We have had many successes with the LPR, including the arrest last week of the individuals who broke into 25 cars last week & stole one of them. I look forward to many more,” stated Police Chief Mike Fanning of the Pawleys Island Police Department.
FaceFirst Expands Its Existing Facial Recognition Services in Panama Airport
FaceFirst facial recognition has provided the following benefits for Panamanian national security: Enabled the capture of multiple Interpol suspects; Enabled the ongoing tracking and captures of multiple regional and nationally wanted persons; Enabled the geo-fencing of authorized people throughout the facility. These capabilities are especially vital due to the increasingly high volume of traffic through Tocumen International Airport in Panama, reaching approximately 7.8 million people in 2013 alone and nearly doubling in size the last five years.
Sielox Recaps Recent Deployments of Sielox Class
Sielox LLC announces the deployment of Sielox Class™ Crisis Lockdown Alert Status System at Onslow County School District in North Carolina, Floyd County School District in Georgia and at Seton Catholic Preparatory High School in Arizona. Sielox Class provides real-time classroom status, updates and notifications to administrators and first responders through the use of interactive floor plans, email and text messaging to assist in making split-second decisions.
Judge Allows Video in Toledo Chop Shop Case
A video camera mounted on a telephone pole overlooking a purported central Toledo chop shop for more than four months was legal, a federal judge ruled, though investigators still should have sought a warrant before installing it. [ See the original article posted August 12 here .]
Digital Ally Receives VuLink Patent, Provides Automatic Body Cam Activation & in-Car Video System Linking
Digital Ally, Inc. (Nasdaq: DGLY), which develops, manufactures and markets advanced video surveillance products for law enforcement, homeland security and commercial applications, today announced that it has been notified by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (?USPTO?) that its initial patent (No. 8,781,292) on its VuLink™ connectivity system has been approved and will issue on July 15, 2014. The Company also announced that it has begun shipping the new product to law enforcement customers.
Identifying Humans at Night With Face or Ear Recognition
In this interview, Dr. Thirimachos Bourlai, an expert at the forefront of face recognition technology, shares his opinions regarding the challenges of night time facial recognition systems. He also sheds light on the advantages and disadvantages of using visible or infrared sensors for practical facial recognition applications and scenarios.
Gatekeeper Systems Announces Increased Interest in Its XFORCE HD Body Worn Cameras After Ferguson, MO, Shooting
Gatekeeper Systems Inc. (TSX.V: GSI) has experienced significant increased interest on its high definition body worn cameras, from police forces throughout Canada and the United States, in light of recent events and media coverage surrounding the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
Iveda Collaborating With Body-Worn Camera Manufacturers to Enable Live Video Streaming for Law Enforcement
Iveda®, enabler of cloud video surveillance solutions via Sentir™ platform, announced that it is working with domestic and foreign body-worn camera manufacturers to integrate its live, mobile video streaming application software for instantaneous video recording to the cloud.
FBI Digitizes Millions of Records to Prepare for New Biometric System
The FBI announced it has digitally converted millions of files stored at its Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) division’s warehouse in Fairmont, West Virginia, as the Bureau prepares to transition […]
Inquiries For Digital Ally’s FirstVU Body-Worn Cameras Increase Dramatically Due To Recent Civil Unrest
Company’s Patented VuLink Connectivity System Allows Law Enforcement Agencies to Gather and Record Evidence From Multiple Perspectives by Seamlessly Communicating Between In-Car Video Systems and Body Cameras. Digital Ally, Inc., […]
Maricopa County Sheriff?s Office Deploying 5.5PB DDN SFA Storage
With its zero-tolerance toward crime, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has deployed a video surveillance and storage archive system with 5.5PB of DataDirect Networks, Inc., storage. As the nation’s third […]
NYPD Urged To Step Up Body-Worn Camera Pilot After Chokehold Death
Amid accusations of excessive force and increasing civilian video of police activity, New York officers may wear cameras while on duty. Had the death of 43-year-old Eric Garner not been […]
FBI Just Used Facial Recognition To Catch A Fugitive Of 14 Years
I’ve had my doubts about the FBI’s facial recognition systems, but a new case has given a rare window into how the system will actually work ? and it looks […]