License Plate Cameras Boost Arrests in Louisiana City
from The Times-Picayune
After just 25 days, the Jefferson Parish, La., Sheriff's Office has racked up 20 arrests and recovered stolen 23 vehicles and license plates using its new automated license-plate recognition cameras. Sheriff Newell Normand provided an update Wednesday on the system of 76 fixed and mobile cameras that are programmed to scan the plates of passing vehicles, almost immediately identifying ones that have been reported stolen. More

Called to a New Duty: Injured Officer Not Backing Down
from the Ventura County Star
A year after an intoxicated driver slammed into Anthony Pedeferri while the California Highway Patrol officer was on duty north of Ventura, Calif., he maneuvered his wheelchair adeptly around his Camarillo home. The crash nearly killed Pedeferri and left him paralyzed from the chest down. But as the first anniversary of the crash approached, his focus was on the present and future. More

Getting Past the Uniform
from the Baltimore Sun
Forty officers from the Baltimore City Police Department's Eastern District joined 40 schoolchildren from the community for team-building exercises at the Baltimore Outward Bound Center. The activities were part of a training program that plucks entire shifts of officers out of their districts for 28 days, with an emphasis on communication to improve the department's relationship with the community. More

High-tech Crime Fighter
from The News Tribune
The Pierce County, Wash., Sheriff’s Department is testing computer software that checks surveillance photos from crime scenes against mug shots of potential suspects. So far deputies have made two arrests. More

Walsh Case Changed the Way Police, Public Search for Missing Children
from The Associated Press
The abduction happened 27 years ago, at a time when parents routinely left their children playing in the toy store, unattended, and continued shopping. But when Reve Walsh returned to pick up her 6-year-old son, he wasn't there. Over the mall loudspeaker, the plea came: "Adam Walsh, please come to customer service." Two weeks later, fishermen discovered the boy's severed head in a canal 120 miles away from the Hollywood mall. His body was never found. The case led to advances in police searches for missing youngsters and a notable shift in the view parents and children have of the world. More

Ohio Highway Patrol Selected for Award
from the Port Clinton News Herald
For a second consecutive time, the Ohio State Highway Patrol was selected as a Flagship Agency Award recipient by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. during a recent conference in Tulsa, Okla. The patrol received similar honors in 2005. CALEA was established as an independent accrediting authority in 1979 by the four major law enforcement membership associations, including the National Sheriffs' Association. More

'Move Over' Bill Urged in Massachusetts
from the North Adams Transcript
Highway drivers may find themselves facing a fine if they don't steer clear of emergency vehicles whose flashing lights could soon mean slow down and move over. The Massachusetts House recently approved a bill urging highway drivers to move out of the right lane when emergency lights are flashing to protect stopped emergency vehicles on the shoulder of the road. More

Inmates Build Respect, Furniture in Prison Program
from The Birmingham News
When it came time to furnish the new Hoover Fire Station No. 9 in the Greystone Legacy community, Battalion Chief Ben Allison knew what he wanted: cabinets and furniture made by state prison inmates. Allison is among the fans of the lower-cost, custom-made furniture produced at Draper Correctional Facility, a medium-security prison in Elmore near Montgomery. Inmates also produce standard furniture at a maximum-security prison in Springville, Ala. More

Inmates Give Back to Douglas, Ariz.
from the Douglas Dispatch
"Getting Ready" is more than just a catch phrase for the Arizona State Prison-Douglas program. It is a goal. The program is part of the Restorative Justice program to give back to the community. The Restorative Justice Program holds offenders directly accountable to the victims and the community they harmed. This year, prisoners raised funds for bikes, new toys and other gifts to help out foster children and their families. More

Study Will Seek To Break Cycle of Chemical Dependence and Incarceration
from WebWire
After serving time, prisoners battling heroin addiction, mental illness and HIV face many challenges as they re-enter society. As part of an effort to make this transition easier on both the prisoner and the community, researchers at the Yale University AIDS Program will study HIV prevention and drug treatment in soon-to-be released prisoners in Connecticut and Malaysia with funding from federal grants totaling $6.4 million. More