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Summer 2005
Oare killed; five of them American. Bombings are linked to Libya. On April 2, 1986, a
D
As these incidents so clearly and tragi
decadesold Federal Air Marshal
September 2001 attacks.
ment Division of
ment of Homeland
Administration.”
Hedges says that the new air marshals
(See SMART Offenders, page 3)
n December 18, 1985, airports in Rome and Vienna are bombed. Twenty people
bomb explodes aboard TWA flight 840 en route from Rome to Athens. Four Americans are killed; nine are injured.
On December 21, 1988, a New Yorkbound Pan Am Boeing 747 explodes in flight from a terrorist bomb and crashes into a Scottish village, killing all 259 people aboard plus 11 on the ground. Passengers include 35 University of Syracuse students and many U.S. military personnel. Libya formally admits responsibility 15 years later.
On September 11, 2001, hijackers crash two commercial jets into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. Shortly afterwards, two more hijacked jets are crashed: one into the west side of the Pentagon; the other into a field near the village of Shanksville in rural western Pennsylvania. Total dead and missing number 2,992: 2,749 in New York City, 184 at the Pentagon, 40 in Pennsylvania, plus 19 hijackers. The Islamic alQaeda terrorist group is blamed.
uring the last 5 years the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) for the District of Columbia has not only created a smoothrunning probation and parole operation, it also has developed an innovative
new information system that continuously evolves and serves as a model for agencies around the country.
Formed from two overburdened municipal agencies in August 2000, CSOSA faced the challenge of providing pretrial services for the Federal and local courts of the District of Columbia, as well as managing 15,000plus adult District of Columbia offenders on probation, parole, and supervised release. CSOSA also assumed control of both agencies’ information systems.
In response, CSOSA developed the Supervision and Management Automated Record Tracking (SMART) system, reflecting its plan to use researchdriven programming and best practices from the field to build a model community corrections agency.
According to Thomas H. Williams, associate director for community supervision services, SMART is a Webbased case management and information retrieval system customdesigned to meet agency needs.
(See Keeping the Skies Friendly, page 2)
cally illustrate, the terrorist threat to the United States is at least in part focused
on the commercial airline industry. To counter this threat, the U.S. Govern
ment began a rapid expansion of the
Service shortly after the
Part of the Immigration and Customs Enforce
the U.S. Depart
Security, the air marshals operate from a variety of locations around the country and are charged with securing the Nation’s airline industry from threats.
According to Tony Hedges, special agent in charge at the Denver (Colorado) Federal Air Marshal Service Office, the attacks of 9/11 brought both a new focus and a new strategy to fighting the longstanding terrorist threat to commercial air travel. “September 11 definitely focused Federal law enforcement’s attention on airline security,” Hedges says. “The obvious signs were a dramatic increase in the number of Federal Air Marshals and the establishment of the Transportation Security
undergo intensive training to enable them to recognize and eliminate threats to the safety and security of an aircraft and its passengers. They are required to meet the
2
(Keeping the Skies Friendly . . . cont. from page 1)
skills, and a variety of other skills, including stopping
In summer 2004, NLECTC–Rocky Mountain began
can be used to make a bomb shows the air marshals
thinking about what can be used to build a bomb.”
training on explosives and how to handle a situation
“The men and women of the Federal Air Marshal
lenges,” says Paul Reining, Explosives Remediation
tain. “They must make lightningquick decisions in
thousands, of lives may hang in the balance. They
Reining adds that the objective of the Rocky Mountain explosives training for Federal Air Marshals is to
If you have never seen explosives detonate, you can’t
❋
❋
❋
❋
D
can be concealed in
demonstrates the threat,
most strict marksmanship standards of any branch of Federal law enforcement. This marksmanship training is supplemented with training in situational awareness, close combat tactics, handtohand fighting
the use of improvised explosive devices—an area of expertise for the National Institute of Justice’s National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC)–Rocky Mountain in Denver.
a series of classes, based on its existing Explosives Remediation Program, that gives air marshals handson opportunities to learn about types of improvised explosive devices terrorist organizations might try to use onboard commercial aircraft. The classes also include other information and tactics to help marshals mitigate threats to commercial aviation.
“Being able to see real explosives and what items
exactly what they’re looking for,” Hedges says. “Showing how explosives can be concealed in everyday items demonstrates the threat, and seeing the power of the explosives drives home the threat.”
The classes include demonstrations of numerous improvised devices constructed using a variety of explosives (both military and commercial in origin). Because the threats the marshals face are constantly evolving, the marshals are exposed to situations that skew toward the unorthodox. The classes also feature explosives concealed in items that travelers regularly
bring onboard aircraft and unusual items used in the construction of improvised explosive devices.
“The opportunity to see actual explosives and watch what they can do reinforces the seriousness of the threat,” Hedges says. “The ability to show how explosive devices can be constructed teaches the marshals to think outside the box when it comes to
Hedges adds that the specialized training offered by NLECTC–Rocky Mountain effectively complements the training that all Federal Air Marshals received on entering the service. “The air marshals receive
involving them,” he says. “The training they received through NLECTC–Rocky Mountain goes much further into detail, however, and the actual demonstration of explosives cements the threat in their minds.”
Service face unique pressures, problems, and chal
Program project manager at NLECTC–Rocky Moun
a cramped, pressurepacked environment, and they must do so with the knowledge that hundreds, if not
must be familiar with all manner of threats, tactics, and weapons that may be encountered in any given situation.”
serve both as an eyeopener and as a means to mitigate one of terrorism’s most prominent advantages— surprise. “Through demonstrations of explosive devices concealed in innovative ways or made out of materials that make them difficult to detect via traditional means, participants learn to shift both their tactical and strategic approaches,” he says. “Rocky Mountain’s training offers them a number of new tools in their fight against terrorism.”
Hedges says that the handson, practical nature of the training helps the information “stick.” He says, “We received nothing but positive responses from the marshals. They really enjoy the demonstrations. I think they gain a new respect for the explosives threat and will use this information on every mission.
fully appreciate the power and destructive capability.”
The training offered by NLECTC–Rocky Mountain to the Federal Air Marshal Service consists of series of instructional sessions featuring live explosives demonstrations, lectures, and handson exercises. It is a variation on the Center’s ongoing explosives training classes offered to the general law enforcement and public safety community at various times throughout the year at the University of Denver’s test range facility in Watkins, Colorado. For more information about the Explosives Remediation Program and related training initiatives at NLECTC–Rocky Mountain, contact Paul Reining, 800–416–8086 or [email protected].
The Federal Air Marshal Service began in 1968 as the Federal Aviation Administration’s Sky Marshal Program.
In 1985, President Ronald Reagan requested the expansion of the program, and Congress enacted the International Security and Development Cooperation Act, which provided the statutes behind today’s Federal Air Marshal Service.
On September 11, 2001, the Federal Air Marshal Service consisted of 33 Federal Air Marshals. President George W. Bush quickly authorized an increase in the number of Federal Air Marshals, and almost overnight the service received more than 200,000 applications. A classified number of these applicants were screened, hired, trained, certified, and deployed on flights around the world.
Today these individuals serve as a key component of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the largest investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in the war against terrorism.
Text excerpted and adapted from the website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Federal Air Marshal Service, at www.ice.gov/graphics/fams/index.htm.
ID YOU KNOW . . .
“Showing how explosives
everyday items
and seeing the power of the explosives drives
home the threat.”
3
not only for daytoday operations and case management, but also for measuring
historical data. Modules include intake,
The system design also includes administrative function, user customization, and automatic notification capabilities. Its
out and the design allows for the easy addition of new modules.
“CSOSA is continuously looking at innovative ways of enhancing its case
to meet their needs.
about education level, functional litera
complete social, criminal, and functional
months and when a major life event or
the printed version of the completed plan and a contract specifying sanc
says, include—
• zation. By automatically generating
• The system automatically categorizes
identifying highrisk individuals
•
and design new ones.
• Historical data tracking. AUTO
• other agencies. Although CSOSA is
other advanced technologies used
agement in other criminal justice agencies and easily customized to fit
Agency for the District of Columbia,
SMART provides tracking and monitoring capabilities not found in offtheshelf community supervision applications.
Williams says that CSOSA uses SMART
overall agency performance and tracking
reports, offender demographics, replication of drug testing results, detailed supervision information, and tracking capabilities for treatment, community service, employment, and education. Additional features include electronic signature and workflow and limited access for external users. The latter allows Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department to upload rearrest notifications; the D.C. Superior Court to receive notification of presentence investigations, review them online, and approve or reject them; treatment vendors to log offender attendance at treatment sessions; and the U.S. Parole Commission, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Park Police, and the U.S. Marshals Service to have readonly access to offender data.
secure, easily navigable interface promotes a standard look and feel through
management and information retrieval technology,” Williams says. One such
enhancement, he notes, is the recently created AUTO Screener. AUTO Screener is a stateoftheart assessment tool available through the SMART system that determines the appropriate level of supervision for offenders and recommends treatment and support services
“Good offender assessment is key to the case planning process,” Williams says. “With funding from Congress, our agency has developed a tool to capture both the offender’s risk level to reoffend and the offender’s specific needs.”
According to Williams, the initial AUTO Screener assessment is performed by a community supervision officer during a structured interview when an offender enters community supervision. The offender answers a series of questions
cy, employment, residence, social networking, and originating offense—a
history. Each question helps assess the offender’s criminal risk level, recidivism probability, and supervision needs. Information is routinely updated every 6
rearrest occurs.
From the data obtained in the interview, AUTO Screener generates a prescriptive supervision plan, viewable by all staff, that contains support service recommendations to guide staff in the offender’s reentry process. Based on these recommendations, the
supervision officer can readily determine an appropriate treatment and supervision plan. The offender signs
tions. AUTO Screener, however, allows an officer to override the suggested plan, with supervisor approval.
Benefits of AUTO Screener, Williams
Objective assessment and standardi
an individualized plan, AUTO Screener helps community supervision officers ensure fair and appropriate treatment and supervision.
Riskgroup classification.
offenders based on their risk levels,
who need specialized supervision. Managers can then direct additional resources to highrisk offenders and monitor their effectiveness.
Flexibility. AUTO Screener allows users to customize existing screens
Screener keeps a chronological record of information.
Ability to share information with
a Federal agency bound by guidelines related to the Privacy Act, AUTO
Screener data can be shared with CSOSA’s criminal justice partners.
The AUTO Screener implementation brings other benefits to CSOSA, Williams adds, including paperwork reduction, secure access, and a userfriendly interface. It helps CSOSA standardize and improve offender assessment, ensuring quality treatment while providing services targeted to each offender.
Williams sums up the value of the new tool this way: “Through a combination of logic, rules, and formulas, AUTO Screener derives a total score and a list of prescriptive treatments and supervision recommendations. Supervision officers can quickly determine the appropriate treatment and supervision level for each offender. AUTO Screener allows quantitative intelligence to provide quality supervision and treatment services better, faster, and more accurately.”
AUTO Screener, along with the
in its parent SMART system, can be applied to offenderbased case man
particular needs. For more information, contact Leonard Sipes, senior public affairs specialist at the Court Services and Offender Supervision
202–220–5616 or Leonard.Sipes@ csosa.gov. For general information about the agency, visit www.csosa.gov.
(SMART Offenders . . . cont. from page 1)
Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization Wheeling, WV
Office of Law Enforcement Standards Gaithersburg, MD
NLECTC–Southeast Charleston, SC
NLECTC–Northeast Rome, NY
Border Research and Technology Center San Diego, CA
NLECTC–West El Segundo, CA
NLECTC–Rocky Mountain Denver, CO
NLECTC–National Rockville, MD
NLECTC–Northwest Anchorage, AK
Rural Law Enforcement Technology Center Hazard, KY
N L E C T C
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology
Center (NLECTC) system, a program of the National Institute of
Justice (NIJ), offers nocost assistance in helping agencies large
and small implement current and emerging technologies.
The NLECTC system was established in 1994 by NIJ’s Office of
Science and Technology to serve as an “honest broker” resource
for technology information, assistance, and expertise by provid
ing information and technology assistance to the Nation’s more
than 18,000 police departments; 50 State correctional systems;
thousands of prisons, jails, and parole and probation depart
ments; and other public safety organizations.
With a network of regional centers and specialty offices located
across the country, the NLECTC system delivers expertise in a
number of technologies in partnership with a host organization.
In addition, a number of technology working groups and a
national advisory council provide guidance relating to the
technology needs and operational requirements of the public
safety community for each of NIJ’s technology focus areas.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Technology Identification
The NLECTC system provides information and assistance to help agencies determine the most appropriate and costeffective technology to solve an administrative or operational problem. We deliver information relating to technology availability, performance, durability, reliability, safety, ease of use, customization capabilities, and interoperability.
Technology Assistance
Our staff serve as proxy scientists and engineers. Areas of assistance include unique evidence analysis (e.g., audio, video, computer, trace, and explosives), systems engineering, and communications and information systems support (e.g., interoperability, propagation studies, and vulnerability assessments).
Technology Implementation
We develop technology guides, best practices, and other information resources that are frequently leveraged from handson assistance projects and made available to other agencies.
Property Acquisition
We help departments take advantage of surplus property programs that make Federal excess and surplus property available to law enforcement and corrections personnel at little or no cost.
Equipment Testing
In cooperation with the Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES), we oversee the development of standards and a standardsbased testing program in which equipment such as ballistic and stabresistant body armor, doublelocking metallic handcuffs, and semiautomatic pistols is tested on a pass/fail basis. NLECTC also conducts comparative evaluations—testing equipment under field conditions—on patrol vehicles; patrol vehicle tires and replacement brake pads; and cut, puncture, and pathogenresistant gloves. NLECTC also has evaluated emerging products to verify manufacturers’ claims. The primary focus of OLES is the development of performance standards and testing methods to ensure that public safety equipment is safe, dependable, and effective.
NLECTC–National
800–248–2742
NLECTC–Northeast
888–338–0584
800–292–4385
800–416–8086
888–548–1618
NLECTC–Northwest
866–569–2969
Border Research and
888–656–2782
Rural Law Enforcement
(RULETC)
866–787–2553
Office of Law Enforcement
(OLETC)
888–306–5382
Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES)
301–975–2757
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2277 Research Boulevard
Rockville, MD 20850
26 Electronic Parkway
Rome, NY 13441–4514
NLECTC–Southeast 5300 International Boulevard
North Charleston, SC 29418
nlectcse@nlectcse.org
NLECTC–Rocky Mountain 2050 East Iliff Avenue
Denver, CO 80208
NLECTC–West c/o The Aerospace Corporation
2350 East El Segundo Boulevard
El Segundo, CA 90245–4691
nlectc@lawwest.org
3000 C Street, Suite 304
Anchorage, AK 99503–3975
Technology Center (BRTC) 1010 Second Avenue, Suite 1920
San Diego, CA 92101–4912
Technology Center
101 Bulldog Lane
Hazard, KY 41701
Technology Commercialization
2001 Main Street, Suite 500
Wheeling, WV 26003
100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8102
Building 220, Room 8208
Gaithersburg, MD 20899–8102
Contact NLECTC for:
Technology Demonstration
We introduce and demonstrate new and emerging technologies through such special events, conferences, and practical demonstrations as the Mock Prison Riot (technologies for corrections) and an annual public safety technology conference. On a limited basis, NLECTC facilitates deployment of new technologies to agencies for operational testing and evaluation.
Capacity Building
We provide handson demonstrations of the latest technologies to address such operational issues as crime and intelligence analysis, geographic information systems, explosives detection and disablement,
inmate disturbances and riots, and computer crime investigation.
Technology Information
NLECTC disseminates information to the criminal justice community at no cost through educational bulletins, equipment performance reports, guides, consumer product lists, news summaries, meeting/ conference reports, videotapes, and CD– ROMs. NLECTC also publishes TechBeat, an awardwinning quarterly newsmagazine. Most publications are available in electronic form through the Justice Technology Information Network (JUSTNET) at www.justnet.org. Hard copies of all
publications can be ordered through NLECTC’s tollfree number, 800–248–2742, or via email at [email protected].
Technology Commercialization
Our law enforcement and corrections professionals, product and commercialization managers, engineers, and technical and market research specialists work together to identify new technologies and product concepts. They then work with innovators and industry to develop, manufacture, and distribute these new, innovative products and technologies.
Technology Needs Assessment
Our national body of criminal justice professionals—the Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Advisory Council
(LECTAC)—ensures that we are focusing on the realworld needs of public safety agencies.
Because most of the country’s law enforce
ment and corrections services are provided at the local level, the NLECTC system is composed of five regional centers and is complemented by several specialty offices and a national center. Most centers and offices are collocated with or supported by federally funded technology partners so they can leverage unique science and engi
neering expertise.
4
MP3 players now replace stacks of music CDs, which not so long ago replaced even bigger stacks of vinyl records. Digital cameras now produce photos instantly, eliminating the need for film and a photo shop dropoff and pickup. Personal gaming systems are putting a dent in video arcade profits. Digital video recorders make television programs available any time of the day or night. Faster, smaller, and cheaper—everybody can benefit from these advances in technology. Everybody, including criminals.
“The long and the short of it is, 5 to 10 years ago, we did not have to worry about this type of electronic crime. Technology was big and expensive, laptops weighed 20 pounds, cost upward of $4,000, and were highly visible,” says Joshua Bartolomie, an electronic crime specialist at the CyberScience Laboratory, which is affiliated with the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center–Northeast, a program of the National Institute of Justice in Rome, New York.
“Now, you can buy an enormous amount of technology at your local shopping mall,” Bartolomie says. “Because of this, we are taking for granted a lot of these devices that could contain electronic evidence. For example, take a Microsoft® Xbox® or other gaming system: For as little as $30, you can modify it to use Linux®. At this point you could make it into a fully functioning file server, email server, and/or peertopeer server and utilize it to store any type of illicit material. Most law enforcement officers won’t even think to look at a gaming system when they’re performing a search. They take the computer and the visible peripherals. Oftentimes they might not know to look for the
gaming system or MP3 player, or any of the other dozens of devices that are available on the market today that could be utilized to store computer data.”
Bartolomie says that other places criminals might hide data include—
• Digital cameras.
• DVD players that have internal hard drives.
• TiVo® systems.
• Any number of other new home entertainment systems that are on the market today.
• New computer peripherals that have multiple functionality.
“Plus, there’s the added complication of emerging wireless technology,” Bartolomie says. “You can purchase and hide a wireless hard drive virtually anywhere—in your garage, above ceiling tiles, even in the unfinished part of your basement. There’s no direct connection to your computer to lead law enforcement to it. There are a multitude of books and websites with full instructions and tips on how to modify these items. Most people do it just for the fun of it, but they can always be exploited by those with criminal intent.”
The key for law enforcement officers, he emphasizes, is awareness. “There’s no solution to this problem other than oldfashioned police work.” Things to be aware of when doing that oldfashioned police work, he says, include—
• If a suspect has many technology devices, such as gaming systems and MP3 players, check them thoroughly. Be on the lookout for duplicate items or other technology “toys.” The overabundance of technological gadgets is an indicator that things might not be all they seem.
• If a suspect is running a Linuxbased operating system, it may be an indication that he or she has computer knowledge above and beyond the average person.
• Be sure to take peripherals as well as the computer “box” as evidence. A plethora of devices are available today that look like standard peripherals, but they do much more. For example, a mouse currently on the market has the capability to act as a compact flash and secure digital card reader/writer. With this device, if an investigator does not seize the mouse, up to 6 gigabytes of potential electronic evidence could be lost.
• Common items such as pens, watches, cassette tapes, and even a Swiss army knife may hold memory cards or large amounts of builtin storage potential.
Through the CyberScience Laboratory, Bartolomie offers a presentation called “Technology Exploitation: Hide & Seek,” which has been given at numerous conferences and workshops. This presentation highlights some of the potential electronic evidence that first responders might, and have, encountered. These are the electronic devices that they should be aware of in addition to the usual items, such as computers, laptops, and personal digital assistants. For more information, contact Joshua Bartolomie at 888–338–0584 or [email protected].
5
TECHNOLOGY PRIMER:
Radio Frequency Identification
n inmate’s daily movements are tracked and monitored, and a record of each movement is automatically stored in a central database. An unauthorized person removes a piece of evidence from its secure A location in the evidence control room; at once, an alert notification goes out to a central monitoring station. Terrorists tamper with a
shipping container, but scanning the container reveals the tampering before it is allowed into a U.S. port.
These are a few of the current and potential applications in corrections, homeland security, and law enforcement for radio frequency identification (RFID), a wireless communications technology that enables users to authenticate, locate, and track objects or people tagged with a unique identifier.
RFID technology traces its beginnings to World War II, when it was used to identify aircraft. However, it has become commercially viable only in the past two decades as a result of advances in radio frequency electronics, information technology, and materials science.
How RFID Works
An RFID system has three basic components: tags, readers, and a host computer. RFID tags contain tiny semiconductor chips and miniaturized antennas inside some form of packaging. Some RFID tags look like paper labels and are applied to boxes and packaging. Others are incorporated into the walls of injectionmolded plastic containers. Still others are built into wristbands. Each tag is programmed with a unique identifier that allows wireless tracking of the object or person the tag is fastened to. Because the chips used in RFID tags can hold a large amount of data, they can also include such information as serial numbers, time stamps, configuration instructions, technical data, medical records, and travel history.
Like broadcast television and radio, RFID systems use four major frequency bands: low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), ultrahigh frequency (UHF), or microwave. Systems coming on the market today operate in the UHF band, whereas older RFID systems typically use the LF and HF bands. The microwave band is being reserved for future applications.
RFID tags may be powered by a miniature battery inside the tag (active tags) or by an RFID reader that “wakes up” the tag to request a reply when the tag comes within range (passive tags). Active RFID tags may be read up to 100 feet from the RFID reader and may be either “smart” tags (with memories that can be written to and erased like a computer hard disk) or readonly tags. Passive RFID tags can be read from up to about 20 feet away and generally have readonly memory. Tag size and cost, read range, read/write accuracy, data rate, and system functionality vary according to which features are included in the design and which frequency band the RFID system uses.
RFID readers are composed of an antenna that communicates with the RFID tags and an electronics module networked to the host computer. The module relays messages between the host computer and all the tags within the antenna’s read range, enabling one reader to communicate with hundreds of tags simultaneously. It also performs security functions such as encryption/ decryption and user authentication. RFID readers can detect tags even with no clear line of sight between them.
Most RFID networks are composed of many tags and many readers networked together by a central host computer, most often a desktop workstation. The host processes the data the readers collect from the tags and shuttles it between the RFID network and larger enterprise information technology (IT) systems, where supply chain management or asset management databases may operate. “Middleware,” software that connects the RFID system with an IT system, manages the data flow.
Current RFID Applications
Commercial applications for inventory and supply chain management are driving the development and growth of RFID technology. WalMart®, the world’s largest retailer, and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the world’s largest supply chain operator, have spurred this growth by requiring suppliers to use RFID tags. WalMart required its top 100 suppliers to begin tagging pallets and cases with passive RFID tags by January 1, 2005, prompting other retailers to announce similar plans. DoD quickly followed suit, and additionally requires containers shipped outside the continental United States to have active RFID tags that identify content and point of origin.
WalMart’s and DoD’s size and RFID mandates have helped bring this technology into the mainstream and make it more cost effective. Their specifications have also spurred the RFID industry to unite behind a single technology standard, EPCglobal’s Electronic Product Code™ (EPC).
The drive to incorporate RFID technology into supply chains is motivated by the advantages that palletlevel visibility of inventory offers: increased shipping, receiving, and stocking efficiency and decreased costs for labor, storage, and inventory loss. RFID readers installed at loading dock doors can detect RFID tags on merchandise or pallets passing through the doors. The reader sends a
command to the tags to transmit their identities, collects this information, and forwards it to the host computer. The host then credits or debits the inventory database depending on whether the merchandise is coming or going. If the system uses smart tags, the host computer can write the shipping/receiving date and time onto the tags.
The same capabilities that make RFID ideal for managing supply chains give it great potential for corrections, homeland security, and law enforcement. Applications include property tracking (e.g., firearms, communications equipment, computers), evidence tracking, passport and visa tracking, tracking inmates and staff within corrections facilities, and access control systems for buildings and rooms (e.g., keyless entry devices). RFID technology has made greater inroads in corrections and homeland security than in law enforcement.
RFID in Corrections
RFID technology enables correctional facilities to convert routine manual tasks that require costly staff time to electronic functions performed automatically at a minimal cost. In addition to promoting operational savings and creating a more effective and efficient correctional system, the use of RFID systems helps increase security, decrease violence, and create a safer environment for inmates and staff.
Correctional facilities in California, Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio are already using an RFID tracking system developed by an Arizonabased company. This system has five primary components: a tamperdetecting wristwatchsized transmitter for inmates, a beltmounted transmitter worn by officers, a strategically placed array of receiving antennae, a computer system, and proprietary application software.
The transmitters worn by inmates and officers send unique radio signals every 2 seconds, enabling the system to pinpoint the wearer’s location and track and record his or her movements about the facility in real time. In effect, the system automatically conducts an electronic head count every 2 seconds and sends an alarm if an inmate is missing. If an inmate enters a restricted area or attempts to remove the wristband transmitter, the device signals an alarm to the monitoring computer. If an inmate knocks an officer down or removes the transmitter from the officer’s belt, the officer’s transmitter sends an alarm. Officers can also send an alarm by pressing an emergency button on the transmitter.
The RFID system records all tracking data collected over a prescribed period in a permanently archived database. This enables the system to identify and report all inmates in the vicinity of any incident that triggers an alarm. Other management reporting applications include medicine and meal distribution, adherence to time schedules, and specific arrival and departure information.
RFID in Homeland Security
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has embraced RFID as a technology of choice for improving security at U.S. borders and ports of entry. RFID technology is ideal for locating, tracking, and authenticating the movements of people and objects as they enter and depart the United States.
In January 2005, DHS announced plans to begin testing RFID technology under its US–VISIT initiative, which now uses biometric technology to verify the identity of foreign visitors at 115 airports and 14 seaports. A visitor’s index fingers are scanned to obtain digital fingerprints and a digital photograph is taken. The fingerprints and photograph are used to authenticate the visitor’s travel documents and are recorded and checked against terrorist watch lists.
To automate the entryexit process, the DHS proofofconcept test will assign visitors entering the country an RFID tag with a unique serial ID number that links to their digital fingerprints, photos, and other personal information in US–VISIT’s secure database. The initiative will use passive readonly tags that cannot be altered. No personal information will be stored on the tag.
RFID technology is expected to improve the ability of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to match entries to exits at land borders rapidly,
accurately, and reliably. RFID tags will permit automatic recording of arrivals and departures of visitors in pedestrian and vehicle lanes and could give border personnel quick verification on the length of a visitor’s stay in the United States and whether he or she overextended a visa. RFID testing is scheduled to begin at the ports of Nogales East and Nogales West in Arizona, Alexandria Bay in New York, and Pacific Highway and Peace Arch in the State of Washington by July 2005. Testing will continue through spring 2006.
Preventing weapons of mass destruction from entering the United States via cargo containers is another top priority for DHS. Under the Container Security Initiative (CSI), announced in 2002, gamma or Xray imaging and radiation detection equipment is being used to examine cargo containers before they are shipped to the United States. CSI also calls for the development of “smart” tamperevident containers—a clearcut application for RFID technology. Certainly, RFID will be a key component in the Nation’s efforts to secure its borders and transportation systems.
RFID in Law Enforcement
Law enforcement agencies have shown less interest in RFID technology than corrections and homeland security agencies, in part because of privacy concerns that will be discussed later. However, some RFID applications that will benefit law enforcement simply require the collaboration of other areas of government or of commercial manufacturers. RFID law enforcement applications fall into three main categories: evidence handling and property control, crimefighting, and officer safety.
RFID systems may prove more effective and efficient than barcodes for recording, locating, and tracking evidence and property. RFID smart tags are ideally suited to meeting chainofcustody requirements. These tags can record the who, what, where, and when of each piece of evidence from a crime scene and, once the evidence is stored in a secure location, send an alarm automatically if anyone attempts to tamper with it. They can also track and record such valuable police equipment as firearms and laptop computers. RFID technology also enables the assignment of a particular piece of equipment to a specific officer.
As consumergoods manufacturers adopt RFID tagging, the technology’s tracking and tracing capabilities will help law enforcement identify and recover stolen merchandise and provide evidence in court. RFID tagging will also help prevent counterfeiting because the tags are difficult to forge or copy. Incorporating unobtrusive RFID tags into consumer goods will make it easy to tell the real thing from a knockoff.
An initiative to use RFID technology to reduce property crime, called “Chipping of Goods,” is underway in the United Kingdom. In the future, any RFIDenabled object found at a crime scene, from an empty soda can to a knife, conceivably could be traced through the supply chain to a retailer. If the object was purchased with a credit card or a customer loyalty card, it could be traced back to the purchaser, giving the police the identity of a potential suspect or witness to the crime.
Applying RFID technology to license plates has the potential to help law enforcement in a variety of ways, from tracking stolen vehicles or vehicles used in the commission of a crime to enforcing speed limits. A U.K. company is developing a system that will allow a network of fixed and portable RFID readers to identify tags embedded in license plates up to 300 feet away. The tag will send a unique identifier to a central system that will use it to access data such as the vehicle registration number, make, model, and color, and the owner’s name, address, and other information.
A more controversial proposed use of RFID’s tracking capabilities in law enforcement has been the promotion of officer safety by tracking officers’ locations throughout their shifts. The police union in Orlando, Florida, resisted the department’s attempt to conduct a pilot test of a system designed for this purpose that combined RFID and global positioning system technology. The union held that continuous
(See Technology Primer, page 8)
6 7
8
and monitor people and objects with
ficers in Orlando, Florida, found an RFID tracking system intended to
jous social and ethical issues.
and privacy advocates. In October 2004, the Commonwealth
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monitoring of an officer in daytoday police work was intrusive. The department canceled the project.
Privacy Issues
The same features that make RFID a valuable technology for corrections, homeland security, and law enforcement also raise serious concerns about privacy that may limit its use. Consumer privacy and civil liberties organizations have pointed out that, if used improperly, the ability to identify, locate, track,
hidden tag readers jeopardizes individual privacy, reduces or eliminates consumer anonymity, and threatens civil liberties.
As mentioned earlier, police of
ensure officer safety to be too intrusive, and union resistance to the project closed it down. Corrections will likely confront even thornier issues now that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an RFID chip that can be implanted in humans. The possibility of replacing devices worn on inmates’ wrists with subdermal microchips that are less subect to tampering but considerably more invasive raises seri
The availability of RFID applications with the potential to help law enforcement fight crime and increase national security raises the stakes in the debate between RFID proponents
of Virginia held hearings to explore creating an RFIDenabled driver’s license that eventually would include biometric data such as fingerprints or retinal scans. Such a license could
not easily be forged, would be nearly impossible to use for identification if stolen, and would streamline checking of licenses by law enforcement and other government officials. However, an RFID license would also allow authorities to profile and track citizens nationwide without their knowledge or consent, because RFID tags can be read from a distance and RFID readers can easily be hidden. Privacy advocates also noted during the Virginia hearings that an RFID driver’s license could lead to the development of a
national identification system without actually creating a national ID card.
Several States have introduced legislation to set limits on the use of RFID technology. A congressional subcommittee has also held hearings on RFID technology, and the Federal Trade Commission has convened a workshop to determine if Federal regulation is necessary.
On the Horizon
Significant growth in the use of RFID technology is expected over the next 5 years. Proponents of the technology predict that RFID tags will someday be as pervasive as barcodes. Corrections, homeland security, and law enforcement
have much to gain from the continued development, testing, evaluation, and demonstration of RFID tools. Being proactive offers each field the best opportunity to have a hand in shaping these tools to best serve its
For more information about radio frequency identification technology, the following websites are a good place to begin: www.rfidjournal.com, www.rfidnews.org, and www.rfid101.com.
The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center is supported by Cooperative Agreement #96– MU–MU–K011 awarded
by the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice. Analyses of test results do not represent product approval or endorsement by the National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice; the National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce; or Aspen Systems Corporation. Points of view or opinions contained within this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The National Institute of Justice is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and Office for Victims of Crime.
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(Technology Primer . . . cont. from page 7)
National Institute of Justice’s Mapping
8th Annual Crime Mapping Research Conference at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa in
The conference will bring together researchers and practitioners to learn about recent innovative research
workshop sessions geared toward crime analysts, corrections, and other law enforcement practitioners and
managers; policymakers; researchers (criminology, criminal justice, geography, sociology, etc.); geographic
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/maps/savannah2005.
An RFID Tag
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w w w . j u s t n e t . o r gOnline News Summary. Online News Summary includes article abstracts on law enforcement, corrections, and forensics technologies that have appeared in major newspapers, magazines, and periodicals and on national and international wire services and websites.
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important law enforcement and 800–248–2742.corrections websites.
9
shoTECH rts Technology News Summary
ECHshorts is a sampling of the technology projects, programs, and initiatives being conducted by the National Institute of Justice and the centers and specialty offices that constitute its National Law Enforcement and TCorrections Technology Center (NLECTC) system. If you would like additional information concerning any of
the following TECHshorts, please refer to the specific pointofcontact information that is included at the end of each entry.
In addition to TECHshorts, an online, weekly technology news summary containing articles relating to technology developments in public safety that have appeared in newspapers, newsmagazines, and trade and professional journals is available through the NLECTC system’s website, JUSTNET, at www.justnet.org. This service, the Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology News Summary, also is available through an electronic email list, JUSTNETNews. Each week, subscribers to JUSTNETNews receive the news summary directly via email. To subscribe to JUSTNETNews, email your request to [email protected] or call 800–248–2742.
Note: The mentioning of specific manufacturers or products in TECHshorts does not constitute the endorsement of the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, or the NLECTC system.
To Investigate or Not To Investigate National Institute of Justice
To automate the processing of Internet crime complaints and provide investigative decision support, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is developing an Internet forensics toolkit for law enforcement that will collect, store, and analyze Internet fraud complaints. The backbone of the toolkit is the CrimetoComplainttoCaseProcessOptimizer (C3–PO), which acts as a decision tree—automating and systematically processing electronic Internet fraud complaints to help law enforcement decide whether to take a complaint to a fullblown investigation. C3–PO will produce formative and substantive reports that are understandable to nontechnical investigators and highly assistive to technically savvy personnel. It is being designed to automate the organization and systemic processing of Internet fraud complaints using the Global Justice XML data model standards. Development and testing of the application is underway at the San Diego Supercomputer Center in conjunction with the Southern California High Tech Task Force. For more information, contact Martin Novak at NIJ, 202–616–0630 or [email protected].
CIPC: Prevention and Preparation
and other emergency responders as subjectmatter experts. The CIPC approach will address prevention and preparation.
NLECTC–Southeast’s role includes providing contacts with State and local public safety agencies to define needs and
requirements and provide feedback on CIPC initiatives. The Center also will host a national advisory council. For more information, contact Robert Roberts, NLECTC–Southeast, 800–292–4385 or roberts@nlectcse.org.
Hanging on to Houdini Office of Law Enforcement Technology
Commercialization
In 1993, while working with a task force examining possible connections between commonly used restraint methods and incustody deaths, a San Diego (California) Police Department officer designed a variable hand and/or leg restraint device that immobilizes a prisoner completely or allows limited movement during processing, transport, and medical procedures. It also allows a prisoner to eat and tend to bathroom needs. The device, called BodyCuff™, uses buckles that give an officer control over a prisoner’s ability to use his or her hands and feet. Hand and leg restraint devices attach to a nylon waistbelt, which also has two carry handles that an officer can use to move an immobilized prisoner. A tether with a handcuff on the front passes through the belt’s two buckles, allowing the officer to loosen the tether so the prisoner can eat. Conversely, the officer can pull on the tether and bring the hand restraint tight against the prisoner’s hips at any time. The leg restraint also can be loosened to permit the prisoner to walk or retracted to immobilize the prisoner.
According to Tim McFadden, Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization (OLETC) project manager for BodyCuff, the
just click on it and buy it,” he says.“OLETC exposed us to the realities of marketing.” Based on feedback, the company redesigned some of the original belt components and sped up the assembly process for the restraint system. For additional information, contact Tim McFadden, 888–306–5382 or [email protected].
CASE for Crime Analysts NLECTC–Rocky Mountain
One of the best sets of Geographic Information System (GIS) tools available to crime analysts for predicting criminal patterns is the Animal Movement Analysis ArcView® Extension, originally developed for the science of ecology by the Alaskan Biological Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey. Unfortunately for crime analysts, the decision by the vendor to abandon the ArcView 3x design architecture in favor of ArcGIS 8x and 9x meant that extensions and scripts written for the “old” ArcView would not work under the new versions of the software. In response, the Crime Mapping and Analysis Program (CMAP), a program of NLECTC–Rocky Mountain located at the University of Denver, rewrote the Animal Movement Extension for the newer ArcGIS design architecture, making the extension more streamlined for crime analysis purposes and steering away from zoological terminology. Released earlier this year, the CMAP Crime Analysis Spatial Extension (CASE) v1.0. enables law enforcement and corrections agencies to use the techniques and functions they have grown accustomed to in the identification and resolution of criminal activity under the newer ArcGIS design architecture. CMAP will be adding additional functionality in subsequent releases. Interested public safety agencies can download CMAP CASE for no charge at www.crimeanalysts. net. For additional information about CMAP CASE, contact Danelle DiGiosio, NLECTC–Rocky Mountain, 800–416–8086 or [email protected].
NLECTC–Southeast U.S. military and foreign agencies currently make up the majority of BodyCuff ’s market, NLECTC–Southeast recently embut the manufacturer wants to include more barked on a new initiative with the U.S. law enforcement and corrections Space and Naval Warfare Systems agencies among its customers. Seeing its (SPAWAR) Command–Charleston, applications to law enforcement and correcSouth Carolina, to provide assistions, McFadden invited company representance to its new, congressionally tatives Michael Mead and George Cairnes to funded, Critical Infrastructure one of OLETC’s Commercialization Planning Protection Center (CIPC). CIPC Workshops®. Mead admits that he and will incorporate regional working Cairnes were naïve about how to market to centers for reviewing, testing, and public safety.“We thought we’d make this evaluating various technologies, thing, put it on a website, and people would using regional law enforcement
10
It offers highquality digital video recording capability in a
unit small enough to fit between a patrol car’s visors and continuous recording of images and sounds
onto a hard drive in a preprogrammed loop, usually 1 to 2 minutes in length. When overhead pursuit lights are activated, it
automatically saves the previous loop and continues recording, without erasing, until pursuit lights are turned off. Images include a date/time stamp and
can be synchronized with radar readings and global positioning system data.
At the end of a shift, the hard drive can be removed and images downloaded into a database for search and retrieval. The device includes automatic focus, automatic zoom, and simultaneous audio record
ing, and provides higher quality images than videotape. Operational range is more than 1,000 feet. It can be activated remotely and images transmitted to headquarters through a panic button. It helps ensure evidence integrity
through an electronic chain of custody and an encrypted algorithm that reflects any change to the file.
If the Coban InCar Digital Video Recorder seems tailormade to law enforcement needs, it is—in part due to the developer’s goal to meet the unique needs of policing and in part due to the commercialization assistance provided through the Office of Law Enforcement Technology
Commercialization (OLETC).
In 2001, Coban Research and Technologies, Inc.®, Institute of Justice’s National Law Enforcement and (Washington) Police Department called looking for a
set out to apply digital video recording techniques Corrections Technology Center system, with a digital video system about a year later, IBM became
to the particular needs of law enforcement. A pilot mission of placing innovative technology in the field the prime contractor and Coban became the subconproject with the Texas Department of Public Safety and helping law enforcement and correctional officers tractor. IBM and Coban have since run pilot projects
provided Coban’s designers the opportunity to ride do their jobs more efficiently and safely, Barte says. in Santa Barbara, California; St. Louis, Missouri; and
along with officers and finetune the newly developed At any given time, OLETC staff members are working Tyler, Texas. system. Coban began by building a very rugged with a number of vendors that have products in vari
“All these departments are different, with different system for the troopers from Humble, Texas, a ous stages of development. Also, every year OLETC
procedures, different needs, and different requireHouston suburb. hosts several Commercialization Planning Workshops—
ments for mounting the hardware in their cars. 4day events that introduce all elements of the com
Coban staff rode with troopers in their newly The pilot projects led to contracts with all three mercialization process to technology innovators and
equipped cruisers, troopers like Jeff Shipley, who departments,” Hinojosa says. provide guidance on the technology and its proposed
once played in the Canadian Football League, and his business plan. For more information about the Coban InCar
partner Don Bender. Each stands almost 61/2 feet and Digital Video Recorder or the commercialization
weighs around 250 pounds. “We were learning how “We were still wet behind the ears,” Hinojosa says. assistance activities offered by OLETC, contact
the officers work in the car, how the DA accepts “I was still trying to understand the whole commerWayne Barte, 888–306–5382 or wbarte@oletc.
evidence, things like that, and we were able to fine cialization process. The workshop was where I began org. OLETC maintains a website at
tune our system to provide great utility for them,” to grasp what we needed to do and the steps that www.oletc.org.
says David Hinojosa, Coban business director. needed to take place. We learned we needed to
synchronize our engineering and marketing efforts. It was also during 2001 that Hinojosa contacted
Now we’re into the second version of our product.” OLETC to find out more about the law enforcement market. “When Coban called,” says OLETC technology After attending the workshop, Hinojosa tried to
agent Wayne Barte, “we thought they’d be a good make a connection with IBM®, calling hundreds of Operational candidate for our Commercialization Planning Work people until he finally got the company’s
shop®. Company representatives attended in June 2002. attention. Coban ultimately became an range is more than 1,000 They got a lot out of the workshop because they put IBM business partner, reselling
a lot of effort into the process. At that time, they had a products to IBM. Thus,real barebones system, and didn’t know what agencies when the Yakima feet. It can be activated remotelycould afford to buy or what features officers were looking for in doing their jobs.”
and images transmitted to headquarters OLETC, located in Wheeling, West Virginia,
is the commercialization arm of the National
through a panic button.
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On October 31–November 2, 2005, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, in collaboration with the Department of Defense, will present the 7th Annual Technologies for Critical Incident Preparedness Conference and Exposition 2005 at the Marriott Hotel and Marina in San Diego, California.
This 3day conference will highlight currently available and underdevelopment technology and training tools for the firstresponder community to deal with major threats to lives and property, such as terrorist attacks.
With more than 1,000 attendees and 100 exhibits expected, this conference offers an opportunity for first responders, business and industry, academia, and elected Federal, State, and local officials to network, exchange ideas, and address common critical incident technology and preparedness needs and solutions.
For more information, including session topics and registration instructions, visit www.ctc.org.