Biometric Fingerprint Systems Not Just For Use in Law Enforcement

Of all the biometric techniques available now – from vein recognition to iris recognition to facial recognition – fingerprinting is the oldest and most well-known.  Not just for use in crime scene investigation or heavily secured laboratories anymore, biometric devices are being widely employed throughout various industries now. 
 
While fingerprinting may have started as simply a component of suspect processing and identification within law enforcement scenarios, its use has been used for far more mainstream activities over the past decades. Personal laptops now even come with fingerprint scanners built right into the keyboard. Cars are now being introduced with fingerprint access, to further reduce the “burden” of getting into your car, say, without your keys or remembering a numeric code.
 
Fingerprint recognition is also being used in health club settings for access controol; in places where multiple users log onto shared computers or networks; and as part of a unique identifier for financial transactions. More and more everyday activities involve types of biometric security. Now that the application of these methods continues to expand, we wonder how accurate is it?

Each person has unique, immutable fingerprints. The patterns of our ridges and furrows, as well as our minutiae points, make our fingerprints different from everyone else’s. These make us uniquely quantifiable and verify our identity for security purposes.
 
Some fingerprint systems stop at these measurements, as that is what makes a system AFIS compliant.  But the true leaders in this market take it even further. The most successful technology companies incorporate palm prints, vein recognition, and flexible recording options into a comprehensive fingerprint system, where breaching is practically unheard of.  Add a more than 100,000 record database, varied search capabilities and 100% non-manual interaction, and the risk of unreliability is extremely diminished.
 
While no system is ever 100% infallible, the right combination of screening methods can provide utmost security and authenticity. And nothing happens in a vacuum. Human interaction, in addition to state of the art gadgets is the best way to protect against vulnerability.  After all, that’s what happens when I lose my car keys – I call someone on my very high-tech phone.

Body Worn Video Heralded a "Game Changer"

Body Worn Video is taking hold in police departments nationwide.  More forces are starting to employ this state of the art aid in their daily beats -- about a handful in each state.  And the more these devices become operational, the more we are hearing about the necessity of using them.

Most officers don't know what they're missing until they start using the comfortable, reliable and easy-to-use systems, which are worn on their headgear. In Burnsville, Minnesota, for example - dashboard video cameras are being removed in favor of the body worn devices on each and every officer.  The benefits far outweigh the critiques, as far as Hunter Systems Group is concerned.

The portable video recorders are constantly in "active" status, and with the touch of the record button, the previous 30 seconds of "live action" becomes part of the intentional recording.  Recordings then become a digital part of the police department's RMS, allowing for easy archival, retrieval and management of files.  The files are password protected, and are not able to edited.  This is especially helpful is credibility issues, since the recording cannot be altered.  With such indisputable evidence, cases develop -- or are dismissed for lack of supporting evidence -- more quickly than ever before.

In these cases, the body worn video systems, while an expense to the city or state operating budgets, are predicted to more than pay for themselves in fewer fruitless cases being pursued,  and processing efficiencies that are made possible with these "gold-standard" accessories.  These are not just niceties to a police department -- they are absolute requirements.  No longer viewed as a product of the future, body worn video has entered the scene and shown its utmost worth.

Hopefully more police departments, government agencies, border patrols and law enforcement everywhere will soon follow suit,  This trend has exploded, and we don't see it dissipating anytime soon.

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Zooming in on Facial Recognition -- Not Giving In

Methods and products are constantly improving.  We are never satisfied with the “good enough”, and consistently aim for the next version, the faster operating system, the smaller smartphone.  Why should biometrics such as facial recognition be any different?  No, they are not 100% infallible perfection now – but isn’t that what makes us work harder to improve them?

A study was published stating that Biometric Security Products are inherently fallible and therefore should not be relied upon for crime prevention and processing scenarios.  So that’s it? End the billions of dollars of research; eliminate the funding and release all of the programmers? That’s what the National Research Council would have us all believe.

If we take a step back and look objectively over our technological discoveries and creations over the past decades, haven’t they all improved periodically? Apple didn’t stop after version 1 of the iPod.  Intel still continues to introduce faster processors.  So why do the critics of biometrics feel this genre won’t improve as well?  And, as any security professional knows – security is about redundancy and layering of techniques; not simply relying on one security aspect to answer all concerns.  If we use them for that they are – one more piece of validation in a process that helps identify, track and manage issues – then they are one of the greatest innovations of the security landscape.

Each month the technology improves.  Now we can track biometrics of faces, veins, irises and even ears.  It would be a lot easier to walk through an entrance gate and be scanned while inputting a unique code (a layered approach) than it would to have manual intervention at every access point.  The potential is endless for what biometrics could do for police and security scenarios. 

Shopkeepers in London, for example, have integrated facial recognition into their CCTV cameras, so that they are instantly alerted if a repeat offender enters their establishment. This has cut down on the occurrence of theft that had been on the rise before the installation of the biometric capabilities. 

Some people worry about breach of privacy issues with this technology.  The purpose is not assert a” Big Brother” watchful eye over us.  The purpose is to use innovation to keep us safer and to rectify issues faster and with more confidence when situations to arise.  Why wouldn’t we all want what’s better?

This Kind of Body Worn Video is Always Handy -- And Controversial

It's body worn video in a sense, and once again it's a hot topic: videotaping by cellphones.  With recent arrests caught on tape, videos posted to YouTube and court battles regarding felony wiretapping, we wonder -- what is the law on this prevalent feature, the pocket video camera.  A few months back we posted a blog on this same topic, which I will reprint below:

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iPhones, Smartphones, Dime-sized video cameras. Even kid-focused Nintendo DS's and candy-colored Nickelodeon-character video recorders. Personal videotaping devices are more portable and easy-to-use than ever. The primary purpose of these devices -- pure entertainment (though the woman caught on tape, who attacked a McDonald's worker over morning Chicken McNuggets may think otherwise). Videotaping amongst children doing pop-a-wheelies on their bikes is one thing. But what about videotaping that is far from child's' play -- like police officer encounters?

There have been several newsworthy occurrences of alleged illegal wiretapping of police officers lately. This recent trend can be directly correlated to the smartphone craze. Always handy, the cell phone has recorded police arrests, altercations, and police interrogations that otherwise would have gone undocumented. And when the police officers realize the recording is taking place, some situations become even more argumentative.

Take Tasha Ford, for instance, a South Florida woman who was jailed for "eavesdropping" when she, along with her video camera-phone, approached police that had handcuffed her son in a parking lot for allegedly trying to sneak into a movie without a ticket. The police told her it was illegal to record someone without them being aware. She quickly responded ,"My name is Tasha Ford and I am recording you." The police abandoned the trite charge against her son, and changed their focus to Ms. Ford, arresting her under Florida's electronic surveillance law.

"What's the big deal?" one might ask. If a police officer is doing his or her duty, that officer should have no beef with the fact that a recording is being made of the actions, right? After all, police and government work for US, the people. Not the other way around. It could be argued that the more transparent and out in the open the law enforcement exchanges are, the better.

But is that what is really happening? Or are these recordings problematic under the Wiretap Act, which prohibits all wiretapping of citizens without a warrant from a three-judge court? Mostly, this Act pertains to the videotaping of private matters, and without the other person's consent. It could be argued that police matters are always public matters serving the public interest. But what about receiving their consent? It is a murky area, that has been argued under many different circumstances in many state and federal courts.

No consent was given to Anthony Graber, a Maryland National Guard officer, before he videotaped his traffic stop from his motorcycle helmet and released it onto YouTube. He is now facing up to 16 years in jail for violating the state's wiretap laws, for recording the state trooper that pulled him over, without his consent. The fact that the recording shows the trooper cutting Graber off and pulling his revolver on him during the traffic stop could have added fuel to the fire. We also don't have the context of these actions to get the whole unadulterated story of the incident -- just Graber's video portrayal.

One of the arguments against videotaping of police activities by civilians is that no one can be sure that the original recording has not been altered after the fact. Editing software is just as easy and commonplace as the video recording devices themselves. It wouldn't take much for a grudge-wielding accessory to a crime, or any editing novice to completely change the sentiment or "evidence" within the recording, and then release it to news organizations to influence an ongoing investigation.

The major point seems to be the potential inconsistencies and varying points of subjective views that one civilian's video may have toward a police officer or ongoing case. And it seems the only satisfactory way to deal with these issues is to continue barring civilians from filming and capturing police scenes themselves. A government-sanctioned, police-endorsed product that records, that cannot be overridden or edited, and that expertly captures the entire encounter, both video- and audio-wise, needs to be the only acceptable media for such endeavors.

Hunter Systems Group's body worn video recorder, Hunter iCapture(TM) does just that. Its high quality picture, audio and remote operating capabilities make it a best-in-class alternative to grainy, inaudible and indecipherable recordings by civilians or lesser products. It's worn comfortably by officers in any situation, whether a routine traffic stop or a more active S.W.A.T-scenario, and is not susceptible to any after-the-fact rogue editing.

Because it is password-protected and technologically superior to any other handheld or personal video recording mechanism in existence, there is no reason to use anything but Hunter iCapture. Additionally, the camera device may be mounted in the police cruiser as an in car video or may easily be detached to act as a body worn video recorder. The more universal the operating system for police departments, security organizations, border patrols, and any other crime-prevention entities, the better and more useful the evidence.

If police wear these types of cameras, citizens like Ms. Ford and Mr. Graber wouldn't feel the need to pirate their own recordings, getting themselves into even more trouble than the initial instigation. In the meantime, let's save the iPhone and handheld cameras for what they were intended --the birthday parties and pop-a-wheelies. And the occasional drive-through debacle. 

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To read the latest news on this topic, please visit this link.

 

http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/special_reports/cell-phone-video-know-your-rights-20101117

Tips on Staying Safe During this Most Wonderful Time of the Year

We wouldn't be a true public safety company if this time of year didn't conjure up a little alarmist in us all. Halloween with its kids' safety issues. Thanksgiving with its kitchen, deep fryer and drinking issues. And Christmas with the fire hazards and burglary potential. We would like to remind you all that once you strip away the technologies (the body worn video, the smart cameras, the biometric applications) -- the one fundamental goal for all in law enforcement is to keep you safe. Read on for holiday-specific tips and reminders.

Yes, Halloween has passed. We reminded you through our Facebook page to keep the kids safe, and to stay on well-lit and well-traveled streets. Well that holds true for this time of year in general. With the clocks set back and the darkness setting in sooner, it's getting easier to lose track of those neighborhood playdates.

Please remind your children to be home earlier. A cul-de-sac football game that starts right after school could easily go until 5 or 6 o'clock at night without the energetic players taking a breather. But now it's dark even before 5 o'clock. Make sure there is enough light where the kids are playing so that cars will notice them easily. Better yet, make an afternoon curfew to get the kids home before dusk. If this means swapping their homework time to after dinner, instead of right after school, that may be your best bet to escape any resistance on this new plan. Just take extra precautions with the early darkness and the potential desolation of darkened neighborhood streets.

As for Thanksgiving, lots of unwatched pots are boiling. An extremely hot deep fryer may even be sizzling away. And houseguests are coming, going, "helping", distracting and interrupting. We have a lot on our minds -- just make sure that safety in cooking is one of them. Set and adhere to timers. Assign jobs out to other guests, and make sure they follow up on them.

And watch the amount of alcohol. A glass or two of wine with dinner is one thing. But there are people that start drinking first thing in the morning (kegs and eggs, anyone?), and don't stop until right before they leave their host's house for the night. As the host, you have an obligation not to over serve. So take guests up on their offers to help in the kitchen and with the grill outside. You have more to focus on than just the presentation of a perfectly cooked turkey.

Then there's Christmas. Obviously we know by now that dry Christmas trees and exorbitant amounts of lights left unattended do not mix. Be careful with your decorations. Do not overload any outlets. Don’t leave lights on over night or when you are away from home. And do not place your tree too close to heating ducts that will expedite the drying process or even pieces of furniture that will burn if in fact a small fire does occur. Also make sure smoke detectors have fresh batteries and sprinklers (if your house is equipped with them) are in working order.

Also be extra cautious with your belongings, your car and your house. This time of year people are desperate for extra money and it is prime break-in season. Keep doors locked and alarms on at all times. Use a hidden safe to store expensive items and extra cash. The news is already reporting a rash of burglaries in South Shore towns of Massachusetts. Now is the time to prepare and be vigilant.

Be aware of your surroundings, when walking through darkened parking lots, and keep your cell phone handy in case you need to call 911 immediately. Always lock doors as soon as you enter your car -- try to only unlock the driver's door if you are alone. Diligence and observation are your best defenses, so don't text while you are walking to your car, or even while you are idling in the parking lot. Get in and start moving. Don't make yourself an easy target.

This time is year is filled with joy, excitement, happiness and expectations. And the more we arm ourselves with proper preparedness, common sense and proactive organization, the more we can actually enjoy it. So remember these pointers, and prepare to have a safe and secure winter season.

Business Social Media Sites for Public Safety and Law Enforcement Personnel

This series of blog entries discusses the different types of social media, and how those can be employed in the public safety and law enforcement arenas. Today we're on to the Business Category. Business social media sites include Plaxo, Ryze, Biznik, Cofoundr E.Factor, Ecademy, Networking for Professionals and probably the most well-known, LinkedIn.These sites are all communities that are used for networking, address book management, business communications, and knowledge sharing. LinkedIn also has a question and answer section where “connections” (rather than “friends”) share information on particular topics.

Many police departments use LinkedIn for its business networking capabilities. For example, the Las Vegas Police Department’s LinkedIn page has 209 followers, and lists officer profiles, job opportunities, and crime statistics on the site. LinkedIn can also be linked with Twitter, so that a user can cross-post to both services in order to reach a wider audience and keep its updates synced.

Ning is another site, in which communities are created around specific interests, job, etc. Loopthing is similar to LinkedIn, and lists company profiles and contact information. Xing is a networking site, most popular in Europe, where it has over 7 million users.

Any of these sites may be further categorized. For instance an online group for officers to ask questions about body worn video or mug shot capture systems would be a helpful and supportive community. Here they could stay informed, or share ideas with other dealing with the same types of issues and situations. The social media reach is endless – with more and more sites being created, one could easily spend his or her entire workweek updating sites. 

This is where a site like Posterous saves a huge amount of time. Posterous manages all of a department’s social media sites from a central hub. Officers can link all of their sites together, and one post simultaneously updates all of their accounts. This would be extremely helpful when time is of the essence, and you were, for instance, sending out information on a crime that just took place. Immediately, all of your sites would communicate the information to all users at once.

Sites like Posterous are helping non-social media experts become more familiar and comfortable with this “new” communication tool. And making them more useful is helpful, especially for such industries like law enforcement and crime prevention, where communicating with the public is so crucial. 

Next: Community Social Media Sites, and how they are best employed for the law enforcement and public safety industries.





Fingerprint System In Use at Nationwide Health Club

Fingerprint Systems aren't just for use in the law enforcement industry.  One national fitness club, 24 Hour Fitness, has employed fingerprint systems for access in its more than 400 nationwide clubs. Now, with the scan of a finger (along with a 10-digit code, to ensure enhanced security), members can enter the facility without having to show their ID cards.

Of course, with any security advancement, there are two sides to this debate.  Proponents claim that convenience, environmental benefits (the club will no longer have to supply almost a million plastic membership cards) and cost savings are significant enough to justify this new technique.  But, those against this "Big Brother-type" program fear that their privacy is at stake. 

  Some feel that biometric devices that employ fingerprint, iris, voice or facial recognition are subject to hacking and therefore are not protected.  But 24 Hour Fitness counters this argument with the implementation of the unique code, along with the fingerprint scan.  And it even goes further as to encrypt a snapshot of the fingerprint ridgese into a binary code that is more secure and protected than the whole fingerprint may be.

  I don't know about you, but heading to the gym without my ID card sounds pretty appealing, and I'm not too worried about what trainers are going to with my BMI and rep counts.  Read the full article and tell us what you think.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

High-Tech Safety Products for the Police... To Drive In.

Body-worn video.  Biometric solutions.  Voice recognition and smart cameras. All belong on a police officer's list of best crime prevention tools.  But let's not forget...the cars themselves.

Last week we learned that the UK rolled out BMW Police Cars for all 52 of its forces. Intrigued by the idea for this side of the pond, I asked a few police officers stateside what they would think of such an occurrence here. Officers Jason McNamara of The Roanoke County Police Department and Tim Cohoon, a Massachusetts police officer, were helpful enough to shed some light on this topic for us.

Both told me that the police cars here, especially those involved in patrolling, need to have enough cargo room to accommodate equipment, gear and potential transport of suspects. While driving an unmarked BMW may sound appealing – maybe even glamorous – after speaking to these officers and reading up more on the topic, the concerns with practicality do seem to outweigh the mere enjoyment of such a scenario.

Another major concern expressed by both McNamara and Cohoon was the cost of outfitting and maintaining police cars. Officer Cohoon tells HSG that it is not uncommon for police cruisers to log nearly 100,000 miles each year. This fact, combined with the rigors of frequent and dramatic accelerations and stoppings, mean that whatever car the police drive, it would have to be powerful enough, reliable enough, and cost-effective.

Not to say that BMW’s are not reliable and powerful, but when something does need to be maintenanced or even replaced (as happens normally within any given car’s driving life), it is no secret that BMW’s parts and certified mechanics are a bit pricier than say, Ford or Chevy. The Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, on the other hand (the standard police vehicle of choice for most departments, including Cohoon’s and McNamara’s) can be easily serviced, and is specifically built with police modifications.

But it’s not just maintenance costs that would probably deter U.S. police departments from acquiring BMW’s. The initial cost of the car, plus the modifications necessary to equip it to be a police vehicle would most likely be prohibitive – especially in today’s economic environment. Now, I do not know the actual BMW prices for the UK cars – I am sure there was a very exhaustive RFP and bid process that took place and took into account all competitors and details. But still, knowing the economic climate that pervades the U.S. at this time, how do you think people would react, seeing the entire state of Massachusetts, for example, getting fleets of super-charged, and probably super-costly, Beamers to drive around in? Public perception must always be factored in, as police and community interaction and cooperation is paramount to performing their job successfully.

Also, in many cases, departmental patrol cars are normally serviced at the actual car dealership (with only minor repairs done in the actual town or city) by certified Ford mechanics. Again, this reflects back to the issue of costs. And convenience, really. These kinds of cars cannot be out of commission for long, so time is definitely of the essence. Just looking in the local online phonebook I found five times as many Ford dealers than BMW. 

All interviewed do admit that the speed of the BMW 3 Series could definitely come in handy. Officer McNamara points out that for pursuit vehicles or even traffic units, a speedy and not-so-large car could be effective. In these situations, officers don’t typically need as much cargo space, as they don’t arrest as many or as often as patrol officers. Yes, there are bigger BMW models (530d), but once again, we are back to costs, since the higher the model number, the higher the base cost.

But it seems that some sort of a change is inevitable for departments nationwide, as HSG has been told that the Crown Victoria will be discontinued next year. And we’ve heard from not just one source that Dodge Chargers (a sometimes alternate choice) have proven unreliable. Chevy Malibu has been used, with mixed results – not exactly acceptable in this extreme line of work. Maybe there really will be a push toward BMW – this could in fact be a new trend.

While both officers admitted it would be appealing to drive a sports car like a BMW all day for work, they also agree that the cons outweigh the pros at this time. Adds McNamara, “However, if BMW wants to send me a car to test drive for research purposes, I’d be more than happy to provide my address!” You hear, that, BMW?

How British Columbia Handles Duplicate Records Generated by Province-Wide System

With the help of IBM's entity analytics application, Britich Columbia is cleaning up its records management to remove duplicate records and to identify and remove instances of criminals lying about their names or addresses.  The issue is whether the PRIME application will be able to be effective considering Canad's strict privacy laws.  PRIME maintains that the sharing of information under the entity analytics platform will be able to be followed.

http://www.itworldcanada.com/news/bc-police-fight-crime-with-ibm-entity-analytics/141812

 

When Body Worn Video & Facial Recognition Are Merely Terrestrial

We are all intrigued by the technological advances that are portrayed on T.V. and in film that appear to be larger than life, and more supernatural and science-fiction in nature than real.  We suspend our disbeliefs in shows like NBC's The Event, where The President is covering up a 60-year-old conspiracy, and is full aware that there are E.B.E's (Extraterrestrial Biological Entities) both held captive by-- and living unbeknownst in--  the United States. 

The E.B.V.'s technological prowess far outweighs the United States' own capabilities, and we see things like instantaneous time travel and localized harnessing of something more powerful and targeted than our nuclear fission.  And among these unbelievable concepts, we also watch and hear about the use of facial recognition software, real-time digital video, body-worn video and other more terrestrial abilities.  Our most advanced tools against theirs, one might say.  And more advanced each day, we are.

Facial recognition technology is now employed in a number of law-enforcement and crime prevention applications -- from stadium entrances to police booking systems to CCTV on city streets.  These systems can pick up an individual with near-100% accuracy and immediately produce a real-time report, whether it is to bar the person's entrance to a particular event or tie them to a crime.  Facial recognition has even gone mobile recently -- Smart Phones are now capable of using face tracking software, which will allow users to log onto social networking sites, conduct online banking, and access email all by looking at their phones.  Not that this is comparable to a "poof, the 200-passenger-full plane has been transported from Miami to Arizona in a single flash" a la Thomas from The Event.  But these very technologies that not long ago seemed like future science fiction movie props, are now real, useable, and helpful in our everyday lives.

The same holds true for real-time digital and body worn video.  These features aid greatly in law enforcement and crime prevention, and are growing more robust and applicable each year.  Years before when any sort of video recording device was large at best, and poor quality at worst, the technology simply was not utilized and investigations and surveillance operations suffered.  Today, pieces are so small and comfortable, and the image and sound captured is of the utmost quality, that police forces, university police, and government teams alike are using them in their everyday actions.  That's not to say that if they found themselves up against the likes of 50-plus E.B.V.'s that our gadgets would help apprehend and quell the angry "others".  But, these products are useful on just about everyone else.  We'll be watching The Event closely for our next generation ideas though.

Safety Products for Drug-War Fighting Police Forces

Marisol Valles Garcia, a 20-year old female police officer took over as Chief of Police in Chihuahua, Mexico – a town that has been torn apart by drug trafficking violence for the past several years.  Besides her fearlessness and bravery, a few necessary law enforcement and crime prevention products are definitely in order to help her in her endeavors:

-          Surveillance –Because Garcia prescribes to the  “Community Policing” method - a strategy in which community involvement and support aims to control crime and reduce fear – she and her staff definitely need accurate, easy-to-use, and reliable body worn video recording.  A body-worn video device will capture tips that she receives when going door to door and talking to the townspeople.

-          Processing System – Garcia’s team of 13 will undoubtedly be processing many suspects in Chihuahua.  Since crime and violence is so prevalent and frequent, the barracks will need to be equipped with state-of-the-art mug-shot, fingerprinting and reporting capabilities.  A system that can connect directly with other agency databases and immediately circulate records of gang members would be a good choice.

-          Value-Added Tools – Chihuahua Police would be well-suited to have facial recognition and license plate recognition software products.  Again, when dealing with gang suspects, immediate identification is crucial to any proceeding.  The ability to act quickly and confidently will make their job easier and more effective – and with the degree of crime and violence that they will be dealing with, the extra advantage of leading products is crucial.

 

Having some key crime management products in the war against drug crime may give Garcia and her force the edge they need to make the difference.  Hopefully the Community Policing strategy will unite a people that have all but stopped noticing that these violent crimes are taking place all around them. While many are skeptical, or even apathetic, that Garcia will effect change, we as law enforcement solutions providers, know that any change is a start.

Welcome

Hunter Systems Group would like to welcome its newest Hunter Smartshot customers, Parker, CO Police Department, Woburn, MA Police Department and Brunswick, GA Police Department!

Body Worn Video Provides Better Police Evidence

Body worn video, and digital video in general, obviously has a lot of clear advantages over the old ways of taping evidence, logging, and storing tapes. But is it worth the effort to convert old body worn videos to a more modern and useful digital system? Police departments need to keep some video for up to 25 years due to the statute of limitations on particular crimes. That’s a lot of video. Many struggle with not only the spacing concerns of housing all the video tapes or even DVD cases, but also with the possibility of evidence tampering.

Advanced digital video solutions, such the Hunter iCapture(TM) body worn video system, eliminate both the tampering and storage concerns – not to mention deliver much better quality and reliability. These digital body worn video recordings cannot be edited or recorded over, and are password-protected so only the assigned office can view them. Therefor there is no worry that evidence has been tampered with or accessed by anyone else.

HD digital video is now becoming the norm for capturing all facets of crime prevention and police activities. From witness interviews to suspect interrogation to body worn video to in-car recording to prison cell surveillance, digital video makes all of these applications more effective. Managing all of these different videos would be an IT department’s biggest nightmare if they were not integrated within a department’s RMS. But when body worn video – and all types of police video – is digitzed, it is easily managed on the main network that interfaces with all other facets of department work, such as booking, reporting , etc .

But moving from physical storage to digital is quite an undertaking. And the success of such a project depends upon the relationship between the IT and business sides. Partnering with a software provider who is an expert in body worn video and digital video implementation makes all the difference. Departments that have made the conversion, tell us they are thrilled that they did it. Dealing with videos, both body worn video and all others, is much easier than ever before, which allows them to focus more of their time on the most important part of police work – keeping the community safe.

To read more about Hunter Systems Group's body worn video solution, feel free to contact us.

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Massachusetts Adopts No-Texting-While-Driving Law

As a public safety and law enforcement solutions company, Hunter Systems Group, aims to not only develop innovative products that allow police departments and patrol forces everywhere to exceed at targeting and processing criminals, but we also strive to keep the public informed of pertinent safety and law-related information:

Remember today, September 30, 2010 is the first day that The Massachusetts No-Texting-While-Driving Law goes into effect. Now we know that all of our readers, friends, and subscribers are smart enough already, and didn’t need a LAW to tell us not to do this not-so-smart action. But in case some of you didn’t know what exactly is forbidden under this new law, here it is:

It is now against Massachusetts law to:
-type a text message while driving.
-read a text message while driving.
-send a text message while driving.
-access the Internet in your car from any mobile device

And, finally, sixteen and seventeen year olds cannot talk on cell phones at all when they drive – only in the event of an emergency.

But, we’re sure your common sense already prevented you from doing any of the above-mentioned offenses. Stay Safe!
-The Staff at Hunter Systems Group, Inc.

Would Legislation Be Un-Social?

I read today that technologies are making our younger generations less equipped to do things on their own, i.e. use a paperback thesaurus, tie their own shoes, remove ice cubes from a tray. Is this because online wordfinders, velcro shoes and automatic icemakers have made these needs obsolete -- or is it that they spend so much time Googling, Facebooking, Tweeting, etc. that little time is left for real interaction and physical "doing"?

I would argue it's combination of both, born from a constant attachment to IPhone, Androids, Blackberries and some, still their laptops.

I am not here to judge whether time spent online is hindering or helping their socialization, common sense or educational progress. I am sure there is data to argue both sides of that debate. But when online time overtakes offline time -- we now text more than we call; we teleconference and online chat a whole lot more than we business travel-- we need to examine the law enforcement ramifications.

When an investigation is underway, law enforcement personnel utilize monitoring techniques and surveillance systems to record conversations and phonecalls. But when criminals elect to text rather than talk, or kidnappers Skype their demands, we are unequivocally behind the technology times. Presently, there is no way to access these types of communications in real time, severely hindering criminal investigations -- especially those involving suspected terrorism.

The Obama administration is seeking to remedy this disadvantage with its initiative to require social media and voice-over-technology companies to build in a way for law enforcement personnel to monitor these types of communication, when the need calls for it. As of now, applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Sykpe and others do not have this capability.

Always sensitive to the personal privacy versus public safety argument, the FBI, Justice Department and National Security Council, remind us that this is not a new, more expansive stance -- yet an extension of the already existing CALEA Act of 1987 which grants court-ordered access to telecommunications methods during criminal investigations.

I am not sure why this proposal has been bandied about for the past two years without any real movement taken. As the discussions have occurred, the prevalence of social media and encryption technologies has skyrocketed over the same time period. Law enforcement's reach into these media has been well outpaced by the actual media themselves.

So while some public safety software and equipment companies are utilizing these innovative and cutting edge technologies to prevent and report on crimes, shouldn't we also be able to monitor those applications that may be used to counter our very advancements? The technology should even playing fields -- and when there's an advantage to be given, shouldn't it be on the side of law enforcement, and not just on the side of the Velcro-wearing, ice-cube ignorant uber-online addicts?

Will Massachusetts Emergency Dispatch Services Ever Be Regionalized?

Massachusetts is one of the only states that has not, for the most part, regionalized its dispatch services. Granted, it takes years, serious investment and extreme dedication to accomplish such an undertaking. Case in point: the State of Oregon worked for 16 years to regionalize the dispatch of its state police services, but it was worth it. Now, there are two command centers that act as primary points of contact for all state police needs across the state - instead of 26. Tax payers' money is saved, scales of economies are realized, and updated technologies are enjoyed throughout the state.

It's not that the ideas and the benefits haven't been presented. In the last three years, Essex, Plymouth and Worcester counties have all brought up proposals for regionalizing emergency dispatch services. And with any Massachusetts proposal, there have been dissenters. Those opposed to the combining of services, site possible layoffs, lack of presence in overnight facilities to greet visitors, and varying degrees of dispatcher familiarity with towns involved, as main reasons to veto.

Even though finances shouldn't be the main reason to act on this trend, it is hard to overlook the hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money that could be saved. And now, when agencies are expected to do less with more, and budget cuts are forcing every department to look more thoroughly than ever at its expenditures, those savings could really be leveraged. If nothing else, then there are plenty of case studies to show us the way to regionalize emergency dispatch for our own success, and that may just be enough to lead us firmly in that direction.

Hunter Systems Group's Mugshot Capture System FAQ

Although our NIST-Compliant mugshot capture system, Hunter Smartshot, is easy-to-use and virtually maintenance and support-free we are still asked questions about our mug shot capture system. Three of the most frequently asked questions we will address below.

Question:
Our department has several officers taking mugshots with a digital camera and the photographs are all cropped differently. This has left us with a large database of mug shots that are inconsistently cropped and framed. Can we share these mug shots with other local or national departments?

Answer:
Whenever you have officers taking mug shots that are not aware of the NIST Best Practices, there will always be slight framing issues that go against NIST guidelines. If your department takes mugshots this way, just go back and compare your mugshots for the last 1 to 3 months, or more, to see how much they differ from officer to officer. These may be shared with other departments and larger databases, but using these mug shots for identification purposes may lead to their ultimate inadmissibility in courts of law due to bias, inconsistency or other factors.

Question:
We use software with pan-tilt-zoom features and our mug shots still come out inconsistently from officer to officer. How do we correct this to follow NIST guidelines?

Answer:
With this type of system, you will almost always experience inconsistencies because of different framing interpretations from one photographer to the next. To correct these inconsistencies, officers taking mug shots should be trained in NIST best practices found on our website.

Question:
Why are NIST standards not mandated by the Federal Government, or by our state?

Answer:
The Federal Government and several states are discovering the importance of consistent and standardized mug shots as an investigative and identification tool. We believe that these governmental bodies will soon start developing standardization that will be mandated across all jurisdictions. We advise you to constantly monitor your State's progress on standardization of mug shot capturing or to contact us for periodic updates.

For more information on our mug shot capture system, always feel free to visit our website at http://huntersystemsgroup.com/

New Type of Shooters Go to Jail...Videotaping police leads to time behind bars

iPhones, Smartphones, Dime-sized video cameras. Even kid-focused Nintendo DS's and candy-colored Nickelodeon-character video recorders. Personal videotaping devices are more portable and easy-to-use than ever. The primary purpose of these devices -- pure entertainment (though the woman caught on tape, who attacked a McDonald's worker over morning Chicken McNuggets may think otherwise). Videotaping amongst children doing pop-a-wheelies on their bikes is one thing. But what about videotaping that is far from child's' play -- like police officer encounters?

There have been several newsworthy occurrences of alleged illegal wiretapping of police officers lately. This recent trend can be directly correlated to the smartphone craze. Always handy, the cell phone has recorded police arrests, altercations, and police interrogations that otherwise would have gone undocumented. And when the police officers realize the recording is taking place, some situations become even more argumentative.

Take Tasha Ford, for instance, a South Florida woman who was jailed for "eavesdropping" when she, along with her video camera-phone, approached police that had handcuffed her son in a parking lot for allegedly trying to sneak into a movie without a ticket. The police told her it was illegal to record someone without them being aware. She quickly responded ,"My name is Tasha Ford and I am recording you." The police abandoned the trite charge against her son, and changed their focus to Ms. Ford, arresting her under Florida's electronic surveillance law.

"What's the big deal?" one might ask. If a police officer is doing his or her duty, that officer should have no beef with the fact that a recording is being made of the actions, right? After all, police and government work for US, the people. Not the other way around. It could be argued that the more transparent and out in the open the law enforcement exchanges are, the better.

But is that what is really happening? Or are these recordings problematic under the Wiretap Act, which prohibits all wiretapping of citizens without a warrant from a three-judge court? Mostly, this Act pertains to the videotaping of private matters, and without the other person's consent. It could be argued that police matters are always public matters serving the public interest. But what about receiving their consent? It is a murky area, that has been argued under many different circumstances in many state and federal courts.

No consent was given to Anthony Graber, a Maryland National Guard officer, before he videotaped his traffic stop from his motorcycle helmet and released it onto YouTube. He is now facing up to 16 years in jail for violating the state's wiretap laws, for recording the state trooper that pulled him over, without his consent. The fact that the recording shows the trooper cutting Graber off and pulling his revolver on him during the traffic stop could have added fuel to the fire. We also don't have the context of these actions to get the whole unadulterated story of the incident -- just Graber's video portrayal.

One of the arguments against videotaping of police activities by civilians is that no one can be sure that the original recording has not been altered after the fact. Editing software is just as easy and commonplace as the video recording devices themselves. It wouldn't take much for a grudge-wielding accessory to a crime, or any editing novice to completely change the sentiment or "evidence" within the recording, and then release it to news organizations to influence an ongoing investigation.

The major point seems to be the potential inconsistencies and varying points of subjective views that one civilian's video may have toward a police officer or ongoing case. And it seems the only satisfactory way to deal with these issues is to continue barring civilians from filming and capturing police scenes themselves. A government-sanctioned, police-endorsed product that records, that cannot be overridden or edited, and that expertly captures the entire encounter, both video- and audio-wise, needs to be the only acceptable media for such endeavors.

Hunter Systems Group's body worn video recorder, Hunter iCapture(TM) does just that. Its high quality picture, audio and remote operating capabilities make it a best-in-class alternative to grainy, inaudible and indecipherable recordings by civilians or lesser products. It's worn comfortably by officers in any situation, whether a routine traffic stop or a more active S.W.A.T-scenario, and is not susceptible to any after-the-fact rogue editing.

Because it is password-protected and technologically superior to any other handheld or personal video recording mechanism in existence, there is no reason to use anything but Hunter iCapture. Additionally, the camera device may be mounted in the police cruiser as an in car video or may easily be detached to act as a body worn video recorder. The more universal the operating system for police departments, security organizations, border patrols, and any other crime-prevention entities, the better and more useful the evidence.

If police wear these types of cameras, citizens like Ms. Ford and Mr. Graber wouldn't feel the need to pirate their own recordings, getting themselves into even more trouble than the initial instigation. In the meantime, let's save the iPhone and handheld cameras for what they were intended --the birthday parties and pop-a-wheelies. And the occasional drive-through debacle.

Mugshot Capturing - NIST Best Practices

Mugshots are one of law enforcement's most important tools in cataloguing convict information as well as obtaining convictions for crimes. Whether they be jail mugshots, funny mugshots or just the creation mugshot database, this photographic evidence, once obtained, may be shared by departments across the country to identify a repeat offender in the same or another jurisdiction. Another important feature of mugshots, an increasing focus in today fiscal landscape, is their ability to be used for photographic arrays and lineups for victim and witness identification. Not only do lineup arrays employing mugshots save time and resources, they present these tools without individuals even knowing that they are suspects

The problem with mugshots' usage as a lineup tool lies with the uniformity of mugshots taken from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Whereas similar looking suspects presented in an unbiased photographic manner leads to identifications that can influence judges and juries, carelessly taken mugshots, mugshots with different lighting, different colored-backgrounds, disparate poses or aspect ratios may lead to bias in identifying perpetrators of crime - oftentimes leading to prosecutors determining that this type of evidence would be impermissible or worse the successful suppression of this type of evidence in courts of law. Thus, to create photographic arrays that consist of similar photographs fall into the hands of individuals making subjective decisions.

The NIST has developed the Best Practice Recommendation for the Capture of Mugshots. These practices, developed over the course of several years, were introduced in 1997 to mandate uniformity and consistency in mugshot taking. To create and maintain uniformity, NIST suggests standardization of the following photograph specifications:

Types of Poses
Depth of Field
Centering
Lighting
Background
Exposure
Aspect Ratio
Minimum Number of Pixels
Color Space
Pixel Aspect Ratio
Compression Algorithm
File Format

Recently, to combat the disparate nature of mugshot-taking, many states have begun to employ the NIST standards of mugshot capturing. For instance, States such as Michigan, Indiana, New York and Virginia have implemented similar procedures on mugshot capture consistency. After all, if mugshots are different from user to user or department to department, their use as identification tool is practically worthless.

It is incumbent on other states and municipalities to begin following these standards. Even if you believe that complying with standardized guidelines for mugshot capturing is unnecessary, your mugshots may need to be utilized by another locality for identification purposes. As a law enforcement agency, do you want to jeopardize the conviction process in this way?

Campus Security - Updates to the Clery Act

On July 1, 2010, new regulations affecting campus security at institutions of higher learning took effect. These regulations address many areas, including changes to certain financial aid rules and regulations, changes to fire reporting requirements and file sharing. However, the most important changes that were implemented include updates to the reporting requirements and notifications under the Clery Act.

The Clery Act, formally known as the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990, was named after Jeanne Clery, a 19 year old college student who was murdered in her dorm room in 1986. In the investigation, it was discovered that her school had either misreported or failed to report numerous instances of crime on her campus. The 1990 Act helped increase of awareness of crime on campus and as a result helped increase information-sharing and notification of issues.

Schools that receive or participate in federal funding programs must submit to its students and faculty Campus Safety and Security Reports detailing crimes, such as homicides, burglaries, aggravated assault, arson, etc. in and around campus. The Clery Act also requires campus security officials to maintain crime logs for several years, including a two month log immedately available to anyone who requests a copy, as well as timely reports if there is imminent threat. Failure to do so could result in thousands of dollars of fines per violation.

The 2010 regulations, originally issued by the Department of Education in October 2009, require additional reporting in these Campus Safety and Security Reports. These additions include the following:

• Campus policies regarding law enforcement authority of campus security officials.
• Details of relationships with local law enforcement.
• Methods of incident reporting.
• Description of processes that lead to notification of emergency situations.
• Additional reporting of crimes if determined to be hate crimes.

If you suspect that your school/employer is not complying with these new requirements under the Clery Act, contact the regional office of the Department of Education that handles the state in which your school/employer is located. The regional office will then assist you and, more importantly, determine the next steps to take to ensure compliance.

Trusting Video Evidence in Courtroom Proceedings

I was remembering an old saying from Benjamin Franklin recently that I had first heard several years ago - believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see. Franklin was merely trying to have us think for ourselves, trust our own judgments and not the judgments of others in forming opinions and taking actions.

Interestingly enough, this very quote came to mind after reading the cover story in the May-June 2010 issue of Evidence Technology about the use of video technology and the field of forensic video analysis. Putting aside the author's obvious aim to put his business in a better light, the question he poses is still a valid one - can video evidence be trusted?

First, video evidence may be used as primary evidence, but secondary evidence must also be gathered to strengthen a case against a perpetrator. Witness statements and scientific forensic evidence are just as important as video evidence in the accuracy of convictions. Reliance solely on video evidence is bad practice. Ultimately, it is merely one tool in law enforcement's arsenal and should be treated as such.

The author's anecdotes that seem to increase the need for specialized video analysts are inconsistent with current technology available to first responders. CCTV and time lapse photography are no longer the only tools that are available to law enforcement personnel investigating crimes, or perhaps even while those crimes are occurring. Technology has progressed to the point that police officers may obtain video and audio evidence that may not be tampered with or destroyed, includes GPS information stamp and a time and date stamp while the evidence is being collected. Analyzing video evidence is made much easier if judges and juries may review this type of evidence knowing that the evidence can't be lost or altered. Truly seeing is believing. There would be no need for experts in forensic video analysis with widespread use of this new technology. And the answer to the question posed above, while it remains just a piece of the puzzle, would be yes, video evidence may be trusted.

Hunter Systems Group is currently distributing its Hunter iCapture(TM) body worn video devices. Hunter iCapture(TM) combines state of the art video/audio capture with instant video display and playback that immediately becomes saved onto an accompanying hard drive. Employing both security software and camera technology that makes both day and night evidence gathering simple, the Hunter iCapture(TM) device is currently being used in 60 agencies worldwide. Visit our Body Worn Video homepage to find out more or email us at sales@huntersystemsgroup.com.

Solving the Dangers of the Gadget Police Car

In a recent New York Times Piece by Matt Richtel, the dangers of the "gadget" police car were analyzed. The police vehicles described in Richtel's series were equipped with sophisticated computers, GPS systems and radio systems, all requiring attention that took attention away rom driving. Not surprisingly, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has made the professional distracted driving issue a current day cause celebre; although he stopped short of accusing law enforcement professionals from engaging in acts of distracted driving.

But to combat the ever increasing sophisticated criminal element, these tools are necessary to fight this increasingly alarming type of criminal. Countless lives have been saved by police officers able to run license plate numbers, radio in suspicious activities, exchange messages with dispatchers or fellow officers and locate their own and their targets' whereabouts. Many agencies and departments will justify the added technologies by confirming rules related to said technology's usage. Unfortunately, for police officers in hot pursuit or even just responding to an innocuous call, these guidelines are just that - guidelines.

Reconciling the risks of distracted driving with the need for our police forces to employ all tools in their arsenal is our goal. Because, no matter what side of the issue you are on, use of one's cellphone, computer and radio are necessary components of a law enforcement personnel's job description in modern day crime fighting.

One solution is to automate the flow of information that the police officer requires in order to properly conduct his activities. If a police officer can call up information on a vehicle, review the driver's license of a suspect, or report suspicious activity without having to look down to type a license plate number or reach for his radio, the issue of police officer distracted driving will be diminished. Eyes are kept where they should be - on the road, and the risks of unintended accidents or damage are practically eliminated.

Hunter Systems Group is developing the proprietary technology to make this a reality. Contact your local Hunter Systems Group representative to find out more of this innovative technology, or visit us at http://www.huntersystemsgroup.com/.

NIST Grants as a Tool to Afford IT Equipment and Software

Many police departments and other law enforcement agencies have been feeling the pinch of the economic crisis of the last two years. Federal, State and local budgets are shrinking, and law enforcement agencies have had to make due with less. As budgets shrink, these agencies start having to make hard decisions about what are necessary expenditures to ensure public safety and what are expenditures that must wait for better times. Unfortunately, the purchase of new and updated IT equipment, hardware and software falls under the "wait for better times" expenditures. As criminals and their activity become more and more sophisticated and high tech, however, this belief systems begins to threaten public safety in and of itself.

There are Federal and State programs out there, however, that provide much needed funds to police departments and governmental agencies to purchase this type of much needed equipment and to assist in other research that a law enforcement agency might consider undertaking. One such program is the Grant Program through the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology.

This program, administered through the grants.gov program, is seeking applications for grants for FY2010, which ends on June 30, 2010 (except for Fire Research Grant, which expired earlier this year). The categories of grants that government agencies are eligible for include the following:

(1) Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory (EEEL);

(2) the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory (MEL);

(3) the Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory (CSTL);

(4) the Physics Laboratory;

(5) the Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory (MSEL);

(6) the Building Research Grants and Cooperative Agreements Program;

(7) the Fire Research Program;

(8) the Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) Program;

(9) the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR);

(10) Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST); and

(11) Technology Services (TS).

It appears that governmental agencies seeking to employ the latest software and hardware to augment its capabilities should review the Technology Services portion of the program which provides grants for "software/hardware needed to collect data of inspection records/results." Applications should be received by NIST prior to June 1, 2010 to ensure that the application is considered for the FY2010 program.

For assistance or further information on applying for the NIST grants pursuant to the grants.gov program, contact us at http://huntersystemsgroup.com/.