New Machines Scan IDs at Border Crossings
from USA Today
Agents along the Canada and Mexico borders are using a controversial new machine that can "read" the personal information contained in some government-issued ID cards — such as passports and driver's licenses — as travelers approach a checkpoint. The Homeland Security Department says the new practice will tighten security and speed the flow of traffic. Privacy advocates say the technology could make Americans less secure because terrorists or other criminals may be able to steal the personal information off the ID cards remotely. More

Sheriff Brings Crusade Against 'Injustice' to D.C.
from the NWI Times
In October, Cook County, Ill., Sheriff Thomas Dart made national news when he decided to temporarily suspend evictions from foreclosed rental properties. Last week, he shared his perspective with the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, which was hearing testimony in support of legislation to help homeowners avoid losing their homes. Dart, who is believed to be the first sheriff of a major metropolitan area to take such broad measures to prevent foreclosures, said in a statement that he did so in response to a growing number of evictions that involve renters. He said in an interview after his appearance in Washington, D.C., that existing laws permitted evictions without enough investigation or adequate notice to homeowners or tenants. More

Juveniles Get Longer Terms as Arrests Dip
from the Houston Chronicle
Young offenders assigned to Harris County, Texas' juvenile detention facilities will be spending a little more time in lockup now that a reduction in arrests has eased chronic overcrowding in the system, juvenile probation chief Harvey Hetzel said. The average stay at the residential facilities that serve as jails for youths has fallen in recent years from four months to 10-12 weeks as authorities have struggled to make room for scores of offenders waiting for placements. More

County Jail Warden Steers Lockup to Order
from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Sixteen black boxes sit on gray metal shelves, their fans whirring softly in the basement of the Allegheny County Jail. In a facility near capacity, with a recent history of corruption and the constant potential for violence, this is the nerve center. The boxes record and store everything captured by the jail's recently expanded video camera system. More

States Want Second Chance Act Funded
from the Kansas City infoZine
With correctional facilities around the country teeming with repeat offenders, state and local officials are hoping the Second Chance Act — a federal law signed by President Bush in April to help keep former prisoners from committing new crimes — will be a priority under the incoming Obama administration. More

County Jail Inmates Seek Peace through Counseling
from the Gazette
Claude Browne, a Hyattsville, Md., resident, was talking about his girlfriend and their 18-month-old son. He choked his girlfriend in May. Browne, sitting in the small Landover office of domestic violence counselor John Davidson as he described his wish to bond again with his family, was sentenced to 60 days in the Prince George's County Correctional Center and ordered to take part in Davidson's domestic violence sessions, held once a week in the prison. More

Police Cars to Transmit Real-Time Video
from PR Newswire via Yahoo! Business
Ponca City, Minn., is installing wireless video cameras in police vehicles so precinct dispatchers and supervisors can monitor activities during traffic stops, and quickly deploy additional officers and resources if necessary. Ponca City will be the first city in the nation to provide this added level of monitoring and protection for its force. Police officers can also instantly connect to online databases when making a routine traffic stop to check for outstanding warrants or whether the vehicle is stolen -- further increasing officer and public safety. More

Effort Targets Underage Drinking
from TH Online
Ben Franklin observed, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Grant County, Iowa's Fresh Start program -- designed to reduce and prevent underage- drinking repeat offenses -- seems to take the Founding Father's saying to heart. This year, those who successfully completed the program have reoffended at a rate of 1 percent; those who haven't, 13 percent. More

Mobile Command Center Could Help in Emergencies
from WDTV
Randolph County, W.Va.'s emergency services could become more effective thanks to a new mobile command center headed up by the Sheriff's Department that could make its way to the county. The Sheriff's Department has applied for a homeland security grant in the amount of $211,000 for a 32.5 foot motor home with five work stations. More

The U.S. Conference of Mayors Challenges City Crime Rankings
from PR Newswire
The U.S. Conference of Mayors today sharply criticized the latest release of city-by-city crime rankings by CQ Press as "misleading and a disservice to the public." Rochester, N.Y. Mayor Robert J. Duffy, a former police chief and Chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Criminal and Social Justice Committee, said, "These rankings represent a misuse of FBI data. The rankings have no real value -- they are misleading and completely out of context." More