Baltimore Police to Get Smart Phones
from the Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Police Department plans to equip more than 2,000 officers with sophisticated smart phones allowing them to check warrants, retrieve driver's license photos and conduct background checks on hand-held devices, an initiative designed to get police out of patrol cars and walking the beat. More

Civilian Patrols Grow As Recession Puts Citizens on Guard
from The Wall Street Journal
With the economic downturn, there's been a fresh boom across the country in volunteer cadres of citizens taking on some of the routine duties of short-staffed police departments. While many communities appreciate the help, friction has surfaced in some locales, with residents using terms like "little Napoleon" and "gung-ho" to complain about the citizen patrollers and their tactics. More

Police Keeping Cruisers Longer
from The Associated Press via Ohio.com
Tight budgets are forcing police departments and sheriff's offices across Ohio to keep cruisers on the road longer, raising safety concerns. Auglaize County Sheriff Al Solomon in northwest Ohio has nine cruisers with mileage well over 100,000 miles and in some cases approaching 200,000. More

Police Stations Add "Safe Rooms"
from The Columbus Dispatch
Police departments in Ohio have been adding a safe room. Safe rooms are a fairly basic concept that can be worthwhile, police say. Many departments long have had side chambers for fingerprinting and conducting interviews for minor issues, such as a bicycle theft. The difference -- for a few thousand extra dollars -- is that a safe room has bulletproof walls and locking doors, King said. More

New Technology Expedites Traffic Tickets
from the Journal Times
Police Officer Jon Cvengros has cut the amount of time he spends conducting traffic stops in half. The Mount Pleasant, Wis. officer said he can finish a single-citation traffic stop in about five or six minutes and spends even less time. Cvengros said he can finish a single-citation traffic stop in about five or six minutes and spends even less time writing municipal citations. Badger TraCS, or Traffic and Criminal Software, allows officers to key information into a traffic form on their laptop and then print that form right in their squad cars. "It makes it so much quicker," Cvengros said. More

Sheriff Museum Chronicles 160 Years of Crime Fighting
from the Examiner
Opened in 2001, the San Francisco Sheriff’s Museum chronicles the fascinating and varied history of the department. Besides honoring the department’s heritage it also sends an important message says Dorothy Strout, Executive Director. "It’s a wonderful educational tool," says Strout. More

Uncertified Officers Off the Street in Michigan Town
from Officer.com
In Michigan, officials admitted their own rule was broken when the township allowed people who aren't certified police officers to patrol roads in marked police cars by themselves and stop vehicles. It does not appear any laws were broken, but the situation has given officials enough pause that they've stopped the practice for the time being. More

Homeowners, Cops Battle Burglars with YouTube
from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When Georgia homeowners Dan and Alyssa Kopp posted video of a burglary at their home on YouTube, the footage went viral with tips, encouragement and commentary over the Internet. Randolph McLaughlin, a media law professor at Pace Law School in White Plains, N.Y., said that with the success of shows like “America’s Most Wanted” and more readily available video technology, criminals can expect to see more of themselves in the act on video. Atlanta Police Maj. Ernest Finley applauded the use of YouTube to help bust crime. “Whatever you can do to secure your property that much better is great,” Finley said, adding police had some promising leads on the Grant Park burglary case. More

Texas DNA Exonerees Find Prosperity After Prison
from The Austin-American Statesman
Exonerees in Texas, which leads the nation in freeing the wrongly convicted, soon will become instant millionaires under a new state law that took effect this week. Exonerees will get $80,000 for each year they spent behind bars. The compensation also includes lifetime annuity payments that for most of the wrongly convicted are worth between $40,000 and $50,000 a year — making it by far the nation's most generous package. They will also receive an array of social services, including job training, tuition credits and access to medical and dental treatment. Though 27 other states have some form of compensation law for the wrongly convicted, none comes close to offering the social services and money Texas provides. More