Law Enforcement

Resident data profiles trigger targeted emergency response

First responders can save time and resources when they have access to resident information such as existing medical conditions or their home layout.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

Justice launches $8M smart policing grant program

State, local, tribal and campus law enforcement agencies can apply for funds to develop, implement and test new technologies that support community violence intervention and promote information sharing and data transparency.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

How blockchain can improve digital evidence collection and collaboration

Blockchain offers an immutable chain of custody that guarantees data integrity, prevents fraud and provides a transparent, auditable system of record for digital assets related to investigations.

  • By Kevin Doubleday and Buck Flannigan

Criminal justice algorithms still discriminate

Algorithms built upon messy, subjective and discriminatory data can replicate or even amplify bias that disproportionately harms marginalized communities.

  • By Molly Callahan

Public safety data officer wants to break silos, make data more transparent

Better use of data can help the business community work with the city to reduce crime, according to the Greater Baltimore Committee’s new public safety data officer.

  • By Chris Teale

In search of better criminal justice data

The Biden administration wants to know how data can be used to deliver more equitable policing.

  • By Susan Miller

How video evidence is presented in court can hold sway in cases like the beating death of Tyre Nichols

Video surveillance footage may help courts better judge past events, but viewers can still be influenced by their own biases and even the way video is presented, an expert says.

  • By Sandra Ristovska, The Conversation

Platform streamlines sharing, analysis of criminal justice data

The Justice Counts initiative is developing a cloud-based portal to address the long-standing lack of standardized, accessible criminal justice metrics.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

Is it forensics or is it junk science?

Dubious forensic techniques have spread throughout the criminal justice system for decades. Here’s what ProPublica has learned about junk forensic science techniques and how they proliferate.

  • By Sophia Kovatch, Pamela Colloff and Brett Murphy, ProPublica

Police tech requires better trained officers, more cybersecurity

State governments should also build in more oversight around data collection and privacy, according to researchers at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.

  • By Chris Teale

Portable gunshot detector senses firearms’ sound and flash

The system uses the sound and flash of the fired gun to identify and validate each shot, reducing response times and false positives.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

Efficient public safety demands evolving tech

Modern cloud, mobile and data analysis tools are key to streamlined, professional police work, a new survey found.

  • By Chris Teale

Algorithm analyzes escort ads to detect human trafficking

Researchers have developed an algorithm that identifies similarities in escort advertisements, which often indicates trafficking behavior.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

What is Fog Reveal? A legal scholar explains the app some police forces are using to track people without a warrant

Law enforcement use of Fog Reveal puts a spotlight on that loophole between U.S. data privacy law and electronic surveillance law.

  • By Anne Toomey McKenna, The Conversation
Featured eBooks

House bill limits police use of facial recognition

The legislation would place “strong limits” on the technology’s use, provide transparency to those harmed by it and ensure there are annual assessments of its accuracy.

  • By Chris Teale

DHS commits to better intel sharing with law enforcement, points to mobile app

Whether the department has increased information sharing with government partners is unclear, but—either way—the quality is just not there, according to DHS’ Office of the Inspector General.

  • By Mariam Baksh

Accurate U.S. crime data demands more state participation

FBI Director Christopher Wray discussed federal data reporting from state and local jurisdictions, and how advanced technologies stand to help.

  • By Alexandra Kelley

Sales of citizen data worries lawmakers and experts alike

Expert witnesses expressed support for bills that close loopholes in existing laws, which currently allow government purchase of private data.

  • By Alexandra Kelley

Amazon admits to giving police ring footage without owners’ permission

The smart-doorbell company, which has partnered with more than 2,000 law enforcement agencies, said in a letter that it shared multiple videos with police departments without first seeking user consent.

  • By Edward Graham

State and local leaders call for overhaul of nation’s 911 system

A group that includes mayors, police chiefs and state officials want to rethink who should respond to calls for help.

  • By Kery Murakami

Navigable 3D site models would improve responder, law enforcement training

The intelligence community's research arm wants to use images collected at a range of altitudes to create seamless, photorealistic walk-throughs for law enforcement, military or aid workers familiarizing themselves with a location before their arrival.

  • By Lauren C. Williams