CrimProf Blog

The New "DNA": Antibody Testing.....

From associated press: Federal researchers say they've developed a human identification test that's faster and possibly cheaper than DNA testing. It would be a handy new weapon in the arsenal for detectives, forensic experts and the military, though no one expects it to replace DNA analysis — and its promoters say it is not intended to. The new method analyzes antibodies. Each person has a unique antibody bar code that can be gleaned from blood, saliva or other bodily fluids. Antibodies are proteins used by the body to fend off viruses or perform routine physiological housekeeping. "DNA is a physical code that describes you ... and in many ways so are your antibodies," said Dr. Vicki Thompson, a chemical engineer at the Idaho National Laboratory who's been working with other researchers to perfect the test for the past 10 years.   Rest of story here.  [Mark Godsey, hat tip Marty Yant]

Text Message Scandal Builds In Detroit

From NPR.com: The office of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is reeling following publication of a series of e-mails between him and his chief of staff, Christine Beatty. The messages suggest that the pair lied under oath last year in denying they were having an affair. Beatty is resigning. Their testimony last summer was part of a lawsuit by two police officers who claimed they lost their jobs because they investigated whether Kilpatrick used his security officers to cover up extramarital affairs. Listen. . . [Mark Godsey]

Remote Handcuffing Device

Got a call from the inventor of a product that allows law enforcement officers to restrain a person without getting close to them--a remotely operated mechanical restraint attached to the bumper of the car.  Remote handcuffing could improve officer safety because an individual could be restrained without the officer getting close enough to come into physical contact.  Here's a link to a Youtube Video.  Leave a comment if you have an opinion about the device. [Jack Chin]

Boston'a Text Message Tip Line is a Success

From bostonherald.com: Boston cops’ anonymous text-message tip line has busted at least two murder suspects and popped up hot leads in other high-profile homicides - including the shooting of 8-year-old Liquarry Jefferson - in the two months since the first-in-the nation program was unveiled, the Herald has learned.

     “It has performed beyond our wildest expectations. We had no idea it was going to work as well as it has,” Boston police Commission Edward Davis said yesterday. “It’s a great method by which the community can talk to us without fear of retaliation.”

     Anonymous tipsters have tapped out some 230 text messages to the Boston Crime Stoppers unit since the line opened June 15, the BPD said. By comparison, the unit averages a paltry 10 phone calls from tipsters a month. Rest of Article. . . [Mark Godsey]

GPS Tracking for Violent Robbers

From NPR.com: One month after two paroled burglars were arrested for a brutal home invasion that killed a mother and her two daughters in Cheshire, Conn., state officials have announced new plans to crack down on violent burglars.

Offenders will have to wear GPS tracking devices, so officials know where they are at all hours. Most states use the devices to keep tabs on sex offenders.

Connecticut's plan raises questions about whether it's wise to do the same for this whole new category of criminals. Listen. . . [Mark Godsey]

The Fight Against Sex Offenders on MySpace, Facebook, and Other Sites

From washingtonpost.com: Last week, 29,000 registered sex offenders were identified and removed from MySpace. And this week, the Connecticut attorney general said he was looking into a few cases of convicted sex offenders setting up profiles on Facebook, another popular site. Those on the front lines of the fight against predators on the Web, who use these sites to find young people and lure them to meet, say the battle is complex and will take a combination of education, high-tech security, old-fashioned investigative work, and cooperation among police, lawmakers, schools, parents, teens and the sites.

"This isn't going to be something that we just solve," said Chad Harms, an assistant professor at Iowa State University who serves on the advisory council for the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. "This is a relatively new problem, and the light has only been shed on this issue in the last two to three years. In terms of combating this problem, this will be a continuous battle."

Facebook, like MySpace, has tools to allow users to customize privacy settings. Facebook officials could not be reached yesterday to comment on the investigation into sex offenders on its site or its efforts to police the site. Rest of Article. . . [Mark Godsey]

States Calling for MySpace to Release the Names of Sexual Predators

From cleveland.com: An untold number of sexual predators could be using the popular MySpace.com to lure children into dangerous face-to-face meetings, said attorneys general from eight states, including Ohio, who want to crack down on the Web site.

MySpace earlier this year said that it had worked with an online security company to discover hundreds of registered sex offenders with MySpace profiles and had taken steps to block their access to the site.

But that's not enough, said the attorneys general from Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia, Idaho, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Mississippi and Connecticut, who on Monday sent a letter to MySpace calling for it to reveal the names of those predators. Rest of Article. . . [Mark Godsey]

Bill Passed to Help Stop Identity Theft

From PCWorld.com: The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee recently unanimously approved a pair of bills that aim to bolster consumers' protection against misuse of their social security numbers and computer-borne spyware.

The two bills, known officially as the Social Security Protection Act of 2007 (HR 948) and the Securely Protect Yourself From Cyber-Trespass, or Spy Act (HR 964), respectively, are now headed to a House-wide vote in the coming weeks.

"Identity theft is a scourge on the American consumer; it exacts a heavy financial toll on individuals and on businesses," Congressman John D. Dingell, a Michigan Democrat and Chairman Committee on Energy and Commerce, said in a statement on the bills, both of which he helped sponsor. "These two bipartisan bills strike a blow against this problem in a fair and balanced manner."

The Social Security Protection Act of 2007 -- first proposed by Rep. Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat -- makes it illegal to purchase or sell social security numbers in a manner that violates Federal Trade Commission (FTC) anti-fraud regulations.

Among the recent amendments made to the bill before its approval were a number of exemptions to the rules to help law enforcement, national security, public health or safety, and credit verification organizations utilize the numbers for purposes of identification. The bill would also preempt similar state laws if passed, and provide for enforcement of the rules by individual state attorneys general.

Rest of Article. . . [Mark Godsey]

Archiving Security Cameras to Catch Suspected Criminals

From NPR.com: In an attempt to capitalize on the ubiquity of security cameras, police are trying to search thousands of videos for suspected criminals. They input specific criteria — the name of a weapon or a region — and the computer determines if any of the images are a match.

But there is too much video to sort through. With new equipment, police in Cincinnati and in a handful of other cities will be able to archive and find videos based on certain specifications, as in: all female bank robbers using shotguns; convenience store hold-ups where the suspect wears a blue baseball cap; and other cross-referenced criteria. Listen. . . [Mark Godsey]

University of Texas Launches Actual Innocence Database

The Tarlton Law Library at The University of Texas at Austin has compiled an Actual Innocence awareness database which contains citations, and links where possible, to current articles, scholarship, legislation and other materials in the area of wrongful convictions.

The materials are classified into what are considered the primary causes of wrongful conviction. They include forensics/DNA; eyewitness identification; false confessions; jailhouse informants; police and/or prosecutorial misconduct; and ineffective representation. There is also a “general” category for those items which defy further categorization.

The project developed out of a need to support the Texas Center for Actual Innocence and the Actual Innocence Clinic at The University of Texas Law School, as well as other innocence projects around the country.

“We hope that the database will be a valuable resource to the community of attorneys, scholars and students who work tirelessly to release those who have been wrongly convicted,” said Melissa Bernstein, the reference librarian in the Tarlton Law Library who compiled the materials.

The purpose of the database is to create a type of “virtual library” that brings together and organizes the overwhelming amount of material that is now available on wrongful convictions, from popular media (such as newspaper articles and segments on television news magazines), to journal articles, books, reports, legislation and websites. Materials from approximately the last 10 years have been included in the database, which was designed by Scott Webel, print and digital publications designer in the Tarlton Law Library. [Mark Godsey]

911 is in a State of Crisis

From NYTimes.com: As in many areas of the country, more 911 calls here come from cellphones than land lines. But 40 percent of the nation’s counties, most of them rural or small-town communities like this one, cannot yet pinpoint the location of cellphone callers, though the technology to do so has been available for at least five years.

Since the inception of 911 more than 30 years ago, the three-digit S O S has become universally familiar and relied upon. But the system has not kept pace with the nation’s rapidly changing communication habits. As it ages, it is cracking, with problems like system overload, understaffing, misrouted calls and bug-ridden databases leading to unanswered calls and dangerous errors.

At the same time, the number of calls continues to grow. In Cherokee County, for instance, the volume has increased by 20 percent a year.

Officials in places large and small have declared a 911 crisis. When 30,000 emergency calls went unanswered in Chattanooga, Tenn., where Bob Corker, the Republican candidate for United States Senate in 2006, had served as mayor, his Democratic opponent, Harold E. Ford Jr., made it a campaign issue.

Officials in Riverside County, Calif., fed up with misrouted calls, have been advising residents to call the sheriff or local fire department directly.

In Bessemer, Ala., city employees could not get through to their own 911 system when a colleague had a seizure, at a time when the city and others like it are struggling to upgrade their systems at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Yet even the newest systems cannot adequately handle Internet-based phone services or text messages, which emerged as the most reliable form of communication during Hurricane Katrina.

“Everyone expects 911 to work perfectly 100 percent of the time,” said Patrick Halley, the governmental affairs director for the National Emergency Number Association, whose state-by-state tracking shows that New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are in the forefront of adopting new technology. “And the public doesn’t really care about 911 until they go to use it and expect it to work perfectly and it doesn’t.” Rest of Article. . . [Mark Godsey]

Ohio Plans to Link All Courts to One Website

From Cleveland.com:The Ohio Supreme Court hopes to launch an online site by December that within two years could contain legal records from all 385 Ohio courts - from the high court down through the municipals.

"Ohio cannot afford not to do this," said Chris Davey, spokesman for Chief Justice Thomas Moyer. "Under the current system, a person could commit domestic violence in Cuyahoga County and move to Medina County, and the courts would not have 100 percent ability to know about that previous offense."

The Ohio Courts Network - discussed within the legal community since 2003 but with nothing tangible to report to date - received a big boost last week when Gov. Ted Strickland included the idea in his state budget lineup.  Rest of Article. . . [Mark Godsey]

The No Lie MRI: Next Step In Human Lie Detection

From reason.com: Most of us think that we're pretty good at identifying liars. However, a lot of experimental data says that we're wrong. Most people can distinguish truth from lies at a rate no better than chance. Not even professionals, such as cops and judges, do much better. Of course, humanity has been ceaselessly seeking the fool-proof lie detector, ranging from thumbscrews to polygraph testing.

With regard to the latter, the National Academies of Science issued a comprehensive report in 2003 on polygraphy that concluded, "There is essentially no evidence on the incremental validity of polygraph testing, that is, its ability to add predictive value to that which can be achieved by other methods."

A machine that could reliably identify the neural correlates of truth and deception would be the ultimate lie detector. Now a couple of American companies are claiming to be able to do just that. No Lie MRI in Tarzana, Calif., and Cephos Corporation in Pepperell, Mass. use fMRI scanning to uncover deception. No Lie MRI asserts that its technology, "represents the first and only direct measure of truth verification and lie detection in human history." Both companies say that their technology can distinguish lies from truth with an accuracy rate of 90 percent.

The New Scientist cites the case of a No Lie MRI client, Harvey Nathan, whose deli burnt down in 2003. His insurance company refuses to pay him because of suspicions that Nathan may have set the fire himself. In order to prove his innocence and thus collect his insurance money, Harvey had No Lie MRI scan his brain. The result? The scan says Nathan is innocent. No word yet on how impressed his insurance company is. Rest of Article. . . [Mark Godsey]

Ohio Town Will Broadcast Criminal Cases

From enquirer.com: Starting today, Mason Municipal Judge George Parker will broadcast criminal cases live on local cable stations. It's part of Parker's effort to educate the public about how the court system works, according to his staff.

"He's dedicated to the education of young people as related to the judiciary," said Clerk of Court William Scherpenberg. "He considers this an educational phenomenon. Students can tie into (the broadcast through) the school system and see what goes on in court."

Mason will likely be the first trial court in Ohio to broadcast live, according to an Ohio Supreme Court spokesman.

The experimental program will run for 60 days, then be re-evaluated. It does not cost taxpayer money. Rest of Article. . . [Mark Godsey]

Using DMV Photo Databases to Detect Fraud

From NYTimes.com: At least seven states have or are working on enormous databases of driver’s license photographs. Coupled with increasingly accurate facial-recognition technology, the databases may become a radical innovation in law enforcement.

Other biometric databases are more useful for now. But DNA and fingerprint information, for instance, are not routinely collected from the general public. Most adults, on the other hand, have a driver’s license with a picture on it, meaning that the relevant databases for facial-recognition analysis already exist. And while the current technology requires good-quality photographs, the day may not be far off when images from ordinary surveillance cameras will routinely help solve crimes.

Critics say the databases may therefore also represent a profound threat to privacy.

“What is the D.M.V.?” asked Lee Tien, a lawyer with the Electronic Frontier Foundation and a privacy advocate. “Does it license motor vehicles and drivers? Or is it really an identification arm of law enforcement?”

The databases are primarily intended to prevent people from obtaining multiple licenses under different names. That can help prevent identity theft and stop people who try to get a second license after their first has been suspended.

“The states are finding hundreds of cases of fraud each year in each state,” said J. Scott Carr, executive vice president of the Digimarc Corporation, which says it has sold biometric technology to motor vehicle departments in seven states and has a role in the production of more than two-thirds of all driver’s licenses in the United States.

But the databases can also be used for law enforcement purposes beyond detecting fraud.

A page concerning Mr. Howell, printed out from the “America’s Most Wanted” Web site, is taped to the wall of the investigators’ office here. It is a kind of trophy. Rest of Article. . . [Mark Godsey]

Terrorists Likely to use Mother of Satan Explosives

From startribune.com: Kirk Yeager makes bombs from the stuff found under kitchen sinks. He does it to help the FBI defend against what officials say is the next frontier for terrorists in the United States.

Ten years ago, peroxide-based bombs were mostly the work of young pranksters. But the easy-to-make yet deadly chemical cocktails were embraced in the late 1990s by Palestinian militants and suicide bombers bent on killing large groups of people.

Now, Yeager says, the "Mother of Satan" explosives are considered the most likely weapon that terrorists will use against the U.S., more so than a nuclear or radiological "dirty" bomb.

"Every serious terrorist group knows about them and knows how to make them," Yeager said. The forensic scientist heads the explosives unit at the FBI's laboratory in Quantico, Va., about 35 miles south of Washington.

"Bad guys are bombers. You don't have to have the level of sophistication to make a bomb that you need to get nuclear materials," Yeager said.

The bombs are made by mixing chemicals that are used in common household items, including hydrogren peroxide and paint thinner, and easily found at drug stores or hardware stores. Experts know them as TATP, short for triacetone triperoxide, and HMTD, or hexamethylene triperoxide diamine.  Rest of Article. . . [Mark Godsey]

Technology Links Cold Murder Case to Former Black Panther Associates

From npr.com: Eight men linked to the Black Panthers were recently arrested in connection with the 1971 murder of a San Francisco police sergeant. The officer was killed during a shotgun attack on a police station in San Francisco's Ingleside neighborhood.

Seven of the suspects were members of the Black Liberation Army, which was an offshoot of the Panthers. Detectives say they finally got a break in the 35-year-old cold case based on new advances in forensic technology. Listen. . . [Mark Godsey]

US Dept of Justice Publishes Internet Manual for the Technologically Challenged

From c-netnews.com: The US Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs recently published what amounts to a manual for tech-challenged gumshoes, covering everything from how to track suspects through an Internet Relay Chat network to targeting copyright thieves on peer-to-peer networks.

The new 137-page manual appears to represent the Justice Department's attempt to offer at least some basic technical and legal tips to law enforcement agencies that may not have computer experts on the payroll.

The manual warns of the perils of assuming that the owner of a computer--especially Windows PCs, which can be vulnerable to security breaches--is responsible for what's actually on it.

"Because investigations involving the Internet and computer networks mean that the suspect's computer communicated with other computers, investigators should be aware that the suspect may assert that the incriminating evidence was placed on the media by a Trojan program," it says. "A proper seizure and forensic examination of a suspect's hard drive may determine whether evidence exists of the presence and use of Trojan programs."  Rest of Article. . . [Mark Godsey]

Brainwave Security? Not Quite the Wave of the Future

An electronic security system that purportedly identifies people by monitoring the unique pattern of electrical activity within the brain is being tested by European scientists.  The system was developed by two companies - Starlab in Spain and Forenap in France - in cooperation with researchers at the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, in Greece. It uses an established method for measuring activity in the brain, called electroencephalography (EEG).

EEG measurements identify the location and intensity of millisecond-long fluctuations in electrical activity in the brain via electrodes positioned around a person's scalp. (The person has to be wearing a wired helmet to take the measurement). Since an individual's brain activity is determined by the unique pattern of neural pathway in their brain, measuring brain activity could be used for identification, says Dimitrios Tzovaras, who is the coordinator at the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas. "So it could be a very good security control," he says.

But, separate groups studying the same technique question is reliability and practicality, for some blatant reasons. A research group at the University of Warsaw in Poland point out that the method can only identify subjects with 88% accuracy.  A biometrics researcher at the University of Cambridge is bothered by the method's invasiveness. "Wearing a wired helmet with sensors on one's scalp might change the ambiance of the workplace somewhat," he says.  Plus, stressful situations complicate the results.  "You might not want to be taken for someone else at the airport just because you had a bad night before." Full story here from NewScientistTech.com. . . [Michele Berry]

On Campus Recruiting for Cyber-Crime Gangs

From psfk:  According to a report conducted by Mcafee, the recent boom in cyber crime is forcing criminals to go to great lengths to recruit skilled hackers.  The report claims that cyber crime gangs, who have the inclination and criminal skills no longer have the technological know-how to keep up and are being forced to recruit younger, tech-savvy students to carry out their cyber biddings.

These cyber gangs are recruiting the next generation of techies by sponsoring students through their IT degree, with the expectation that they will bring their 'unique skill set' back to the gang after graduation. Hyping up the glamours hacker lifestyle (as seen in this movie) is apperantly also a favored tactic for the criminal recruiters when reaching out to the younger kids.  Rest of article....[Mark Godsey]

FBI, Cyber Slackers? Taiwan Says Yes

Law enforcement officials in Taiwan are calling the FBI slackers when it comes to fighting cyber crime in Taiwan and other countries abroad, even when the cases directly affect the U.S.  Because Taiwan doesn't have any FBI agents, Taiwanese law enforcement must go through the American Embassy in Tokyo when they want to pursue cyber crime involving the U.S.  But Lee Hsiang-chen, director of the High-tech Criminal Center of the National Police Agency, said Taiwanese requests for help from the FBI representative at the American Embassy in Tokyo routinely go unanswered, though they involve serious crimes such as child pornography or major fraud scandals.  The U.S., he says, is simply unresponsive. 

Lee's complaint appeared to stem from the deliberately low profile assumed by the U.S. representative office in Taiwan, which was set up when Washington transferred its recognition to Beijing in 1979. The mainland and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949, and the U.S. operates according to the principles of the "one China policy," which keeps its presence in Taipei deliberately low key.  The FBI's cyber crime division promises to investigate the problem.  Story from Forbes.com. . . [Michele Berry]

U.S's Only Jail Web Cam May Be Coming to an End

From tennessean.com: For roughly six years, rural Anderson County, Tenn., has beamed live 24-hour video from its jail, offering anyone with a computer and the Internet a view into the realities of jail life. But because of security concerns, the experiment — which appears to be the only such system operating in the U.S. — could be coming to an end.

As of Tuesday, the Anderson County site had logged more than 8.8 million Web hits from across the U.S. and from places as far away as Sweden, Belgium and England.In December, EarthCam.com, an Internet-based Web cam network, ranked the sheriff's site as one of the 25 most interesting cams in the world, placing it beside views of the Great Pyramids, koala and panda bears, swimming piranhas and a virtual 50-camera tour of Valencia, Spain.

But, some viewers have been using the cameras to harass female jailers by calling them on the telephone and taunting them as they work, sheriff's officials said.

In other cases, viewers are tracking inmate movements and using the information to coordinate deliveries of contraband to prisoners on work details outside the jail.

"It's a good public relations thing. It shows the public what we are doing. I like that idea," said Paul White, who in August became sheriff in the East Tennessee county of 75,000 residents. "But by the same token, the bad things that could happen are not worth the good things that happen out of it."

Rest of Article. . . [Mark Godsey]

CSI: Parenting

The "CSI" craze has hit Miami, Vegas, NYC, jury boxes, and now, parenting.  Many parents across the country are swabbing the insides of their children's mouths to get a DNA sample just in case they need it if the youngster is kidnapped, runs away, or suffers a terrible accident.  The "insurance policy" of sorts they hope to never use.  Kits are being distributed by private companies, police stations, and orthodontists, ranging in cost from free to $60, and including a photo, fingerprints, a collection swab, and a special envelope in which to put the DNA sample. Story from MSNBC.com. . . [Michele Berry]

Deck the Cars with Digital Cameras...

Fa la la la la, la la la la.  Beginning next week, the Los Angeles Police Department will begin installing digital video cameras in some patrol cars to better track how arrests are made.  Arrest tactics have been an issue under scrutiny since the recent surfacing of two amateur videos, shot by passers-by, documented forceful tactics by officers. Officials hope to install cameras in most of the 300 patrol cars in that bureau by the end of next year, with the goal of expanding to the rest of the force over the next three years. As of Monday, the LA City Council approved $5 million for the cameras. Story from washingtonpost.com. . . [Michele Berry]

Prosecutors' Catch 22, Forensic Science 101

Prosecutors in New Mexico say they face a Catch-22 situation because of delays in receiving DNA results from the state crime lab.  As prosecutors in New Mexico describe it--if they wait for the state crime lab to analyze DNA or other evidence before charging someone, they risk leaving someone who might be guilty on the street to commit other crimes.  But, if they file charges and go to trial without lab evidence, a guilty person might be acquitted or an innocent person might be convicted.

"Effectively, we can't get DNA analysis. We're not exaggerating the problem...It has been a nightmare," District Attorney Scot Key of Alamogordo.  In major cases, evidence is sent to private labs, but testing in a single cases easily can exceed $5,000. The crime lab has been backlogged for a decade, and now, each of the state's 19 forensic technicians would have to work 485 hours each just to handle what's backed up.  Sounds like more effective and efficient processes need to be put in place for collecting and processing evidence and more qualified forensic scientists are needed.

On the other hand, as eager as prosecutors may be to test DNA at the outset of the investigation, post-conviction DNA testing is often another story. [Michele Berry]

DNA Matches Lost in the Mix

A DNA match —a crime "solved" by the FBI's CODIS database — does not mean that an arrest was made, that a criminal was prosecuted, or even that detectives considered a case closed. So how many DNA matches lead to an arrest and how often is the ball dropped?  Unknown, no government agency keeps track.

But a USA TODAY investigation found almost three dozen cases during the past five years in which investigators failed to pursue potential suspects whose DNA matched evidence found at crime scenes.  DNA matches that could have closed cases weren't pursued because of basic police foul-ups, such as overlooking a telephone message reporting the match. According to USA TODAY, backlogs of unsolved "cold cases" that threaten to overwhelm some big-city police departments caused matches to be ignored. In some jurisdictions — Richmond, Va., Cincinnati, and DeKalb County, Ga. — police offered no explanations for why matches were not pursued.

Among the cases USA TODAY found:

•In Oakland, in June 2004, the DNA of convicted child molester Kalonji Lee matched DNA from an attempted sexual assault of a 10-year-old Oakland girl the previous January. Police did not contact Lee until after he had molested another Oakland 10-year-old in December 2004, deputy chief Howard Jordan confirms. Lee was caught for the second assault after the victim's parents spotted his picture on California's "Megan's Law" website and alerted detectives.

•In Cincinnati, September 2004, the DNA of career felon Gary Box matched DNA left at a December 2001 rape and abduction that Cincinnati police had been unable to solve. At the time of the match, Box was serving a prison sentence for assault. But police did not contact him until May 2005, after he had been released from prison and had returned to Cincinnati. Court files show that police acted after being alerted by Box's victim, who encountered him by chance while walking in a local park.

•In Georgia, March 2003, the DNA of convicted burglar and sex offender Floyd "Tony" Arnold matched DNA left at separate rapes in Fulton and DeKalb Counties. The rapes had taken place in 1993 and 1995. But neither Fulton nor DeKalb authorities contacted Arnold, according to both police departments, even though at the time of the matches he was in Georgia's prison system serving a five-year sentence for cruelty to children. The unpursued matches came to light last December, when Arnold was matched through a third DNA hit to a 1981 Cobb County rape for which another man had been wrongly convicted. That man, Robert Clark, Jr., had served almost 24 years in prison.

•In Oregon, 2002, the state police crime lab used DNA to match 26 men to unsolved Portland burglaries. The names were reported to Portland police, department spokesman Detective Paul Dolbey acknowledges. None was followed until one of the 26 suspects was matched again to an additional burglary, and lab technicians pointed out the earlier matches.

More from USA TODAY including some DNA success stories. . . [Michele Berry]

Latest Trend in the War Against Drunk Driving: Alcohol Detection Ankle Bracelet

From dailyherald.com: Motorists accused of driving drunk soon may be fitted with a fancy new piece of jewelry - a high-tech ankle bracelet to see if they're tipping the bottle.

The electronic device is part of an alcohol-detection system gaining popularity across the nation that can sample a person's perspiration as often as every 30 minutes to gauge consumption.

At least 4,000 people are wearing the gadget today, and another 2,800 are waiting to be outfitted in the 38 states where SCRAM, Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring, is in place.

The wearer must stand within 30 feet of a modem in his home once a day for up to 15 minutes so the results can be transmitted through a telephone line to a secure computer system, which is monitored by either the manufacturer, service provider or, in some cases, probation or other court officials.

"I was impressed with the system," DuPage Chief Judge Ann Jorgensen said. "Unless you have a probation officer sitting with someone 24 hours a day, seven days a week, it's impossible to monitor someone all the time." Rest of Article. . . [Mark Godsey]

Crime-solving Goes Topsy Turvy with Technology: Non-DNA for Violent Crimes & DNA for Non-violent Crimes

Topsy turvy in a good way.  Hearing about the prevalence and expansion of DNA-analysis and DNA technology in crime labs isn't suprising these day, but I still love to hear about it.  Then again, there's still some brazen reluctance about using DNA even when it can definitively prove guilt or innocence. But here are a couple new trends that are shaking up the crime-solving scene as technology expands: digital crime labs and the expansion of DNA analysis to solve property crimes. 

Digital Crime Labs to Solve Violent Crime: Increasingly, criminals are leaving behind digital traces of their activities — on computers, cell phones, BlackBerries and other electronic devices. This week, the FBI announced it’s setting up a Regional Computer Forensics Lab in Louisville that will examine digital evidence from law enforcement agencies across Kentucky. The lab, one of 14 nationwide managed by the FBI, will be staffed by one officer each from Louisville Metro Police, the Kentucky State Police, Kentucky Bureau of Investigation and Lexington Police, in addition to two FBI agents. Just as the Kentucky State Police forensic lab does when it accepts blood and DNA evidence from other departments, the new lab will analyze materials and provide a report to police, and then have experts testify about the analysis at trial. More from the CourierJournal.com. . .

Expansion of DNA Analysis to Solve Property Crimes: According to a USA today review, in 10 states — Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia and Wisconsin — the total number of DNA matches in property-crime cases has exceeded the number of matches in violent crimes.  And it's all because DNA testing has become more sophisticated. DNA analysts (at national labs) can draw genetic profiles from evidence left at burglary scenes — palm prints, cigarette butts, sweat stains on gloves and masks — nearly as easily as they can get profiles from blood or semen at the scenes of violent crimes. And government grants for testing evidence, initially limited to violent crimes, now can be used to analyze DNA from property crimes. Critics say using DNA to solve non-violent crimes could raise privacy concerns by dramatically expanding the database. Some question spending millions of dollars to probe such crimes citing concern for civil liberties. But supporters of expanded DNA testing say burglars often go on to commit more serious crimes. In Alabama, about 80% of the rapes solved via DNA databasing in the past five years were linked to criminals whose DNA was taken after a burglary conviction. More from USAToday.com. . . [Michele Berry]

The Private Sector's Role in Combatting Crime in South Africa

Here's an article about the private sector's (specifically the group Business Against Crime (BAC's)) involvement in combatting crime in South Africa, most recently through leadership courses for the South African Police Services (SAPS) to improve its managment processes.  SAPS officials admit, the South African criminal justice system isn't just hindered by inadequate resources, but also, by a general lack of accountability--people just not doing their jobs and not working together.  But BAC and SAPS are working together to change that.

The partnership between BAC and SAPS isn't a new one.  In the past, BAC and SAPS have met behind closed doors, trying to avoid media interference, to implement several successful projects, including among others, the establishment of special anti-hijacking units and persuading car manufacturers (Nissan and Toyota) to employ cutting-edge micro-dot technology to prevent car theft and hijackings. 

BAC seeks to motivate everyday citizens to fight crime, as well...so BAC's acronym has been used to stand for another of its latest missions, one with a pretty colorful title--(B**** About Crime).  By encouraging citizens to go ahead and bi...er, complain to the police about the criminal justice system's shortcomings and crime in general, BAC hopes the citizens and the police will, in time, always feel comfortable communicating and otherwise cooperating with each other on daily basis. [Michele Berry] 

Police Departments are Acquiring the Latest Technology to Prevent. . . Tailgating?

From NPR.com: A number of police departments across the country are trying out technology already used in Europe to help catch drivers who follow too close to the car in front of them. Officials believe it's time to crack down on tailgating. Listen. . . [Mark Godsey]

Does Your Cell Phone Scream?

There are some crazy ringtones out there, but soon you may hear cell phones screaming.  And if so, an alarm should go off in your head--stolen phone!  A new system, called Remote XT, available in the UK, has been designed to fight cell phone thieves one scream at a time, an ever increasing concern with all-in-one devices popping up all over the market.  Here's how it works.  Remote XT sends a signal to a handset reported lost or stolen, wiping data from the stolen phone, disabling it within two minutes, and causing it to emit an alarm similar to a scream.  The service is targeted at business customers and will be available on a number of smartphone devices, including several network branded HTC models, Nokia's E and N series handsets and the Sony Ericsson P990i.  But according to UK's Mobile Counter Intelligence Magazine, there's just one catch to the system's seeming ability to outwit thieves.  If the handset is reset, it is still possible to reprogram the phone.  Details here. . . [Michele Berry]

National Crime Lab Directors Symposium: Managing the Technical Side of Forensics

The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) is holding its 34th Annual Workshop and Symposium, "Practical Issues Facing Crime Laboratory Managers: Managing the Technical Side of Forensics," Tues, Oct. 3 through Thurs., Oct. 5 at the San Francisco Marriott. 

A common challenge facing all crime lab directors is how to manage the increasing forensic evidence backlogs -- including fingerprints, controlled substances, trace evidence, DNA and toxicology. At last check, the largest 50 laboratories in the U.S. more than doubled their backlogs of unprocessed evidence.  "Most crime labs in our country are located in aging facilities, face growing backlogs, lack equipment, and are not fully staffed...Most forensic funding is going to DNA-only, and we need to change this or everything else suffers," says Earl Wells, President of ASCLD.  The issue of funding forensic science is currently in discussion between U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives negotiators, as part of the federal government's criminal justice budget for next year.

The symposium is being sponsored by Marshall University, a member of the Forensic Resource Network, through its cooperative agreement with the National Institute of Justice. More information. . . [Michele Berry]

CrimProf Justin Brooks Featured on First Law School Podcast

From Newswise.com: In a new move to make faculty insights available to external audiences, law professors at California Western School of Law are now taking their expertise from the classroom to the iPod. On Law in 10, California Western's weekly podcast, professors provide legal analysis on current news topics, all in 10 minutes or less.

The first podcast debuted on August 24, and featured criminal law Professor Justin Brooks. Brooks--also director of the California Innocence Project--discussed media coverage, false confessions, and DNA testing concerning the 10-year-old JonBenet Ramsey murder.

The show is divided into two segments, each featuring a different legal expert and topic of interest. Listeners are able to receive a free weekly subscription using RSS feeds, with aggregators such as iTunes, Google, and Yahoo. Rest of Article. . . [Mark Godsey]

The Law Meets iPod: Cal. Western Debuts "Law in 10"

CrimProf Justin Brooks and constitutional LawProf Marilyn Ireland debuted California Western's new service, Law in 10.  Law in 10, a weekly podcast broadcast on iPod, allows professors to provide legal analysis on current news topics, all in 10 minutes or less.  Brooks, who also directs the California Innocence Project, discussed media coverage, false confessions, and DNA testing concerning the 10-year-old JonBenet Ramsey murder.  Listeners of Law in 10 are able to receive a free weekly subscription using RSS feeds, with aggregators such as iTunes, Google, and Yahoo. Listeners may also listen to podcasts directly from the California Western Web site at http://www.cwsl.edu/Lawin10.  More about Law in 10. . . [Michele Berry]

New Eye Detection Device

The state of West Virginia has spent $2 million to equip its officers with a new device that allows officer to determine if a suspect is intoxicated or on drugs by reading his pupil.  [Mark Godsey]

Surveillance Cameras Watch Ideologies Clash

UPDATED: Here's another perspective from the SanFrancisco Chronicle: "Community, Not Just Technology, Needed in Crime Prevention"

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San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced last week that the city will install 50 surveillance cameras in high-crime public housing projects around the city in attempts to to reduce the recent influx of violence. But in a society where surveillance cameras seem to have become ubiquitous, and in a major city that lags far behind other cities of its size in terms of camera presence, the Mayor's announcement has generated staunch criticism. 

This column criticizes the critics. Here's an excerpt:  "Several public officials have decried the use of the security devices as an infringement on civil liberties — no matter how many criminals they help catch. And those people with thick rap sheets aren't happy about them either.  I have always been against more government interference in personal privacy, but that is hardly a big issue here. Nor is the use of surveillance cameras in general. They are not being installed in living rooms — just in the places where a lot of innocent people are terrorized.

San Francisco, reputedly one of the nation’s most technologically advanced towns, lags well behind big cities such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles in using the electronic eyes as a crime deterrent. Those cities have had success in reducing crime — which is why they have put cameras in hot spots. Some San Francisco officials have their knickers in a twist over a desire to install less than 100. Supervisor Jake McGoldrick called the installation of surveillance cameras a “case of mistaken strategy...The mayor says he’s doing 50 other [things] to fight crime and I think he should focus on the other 49,” McGoldrick said.

And while I can applaud his unshakeable ideological stance, it flies in the face of reason. Surveillance cameras are so ubiquitous in our daily lives, we’ve come to take them for granted. There is hardly a place where anyone can go today where they aren’t electronically monitored — department stores, supermarkets, ATMs, elevators. In a post-9/11 world, is anyone really objecting that cameras have become a security staple on transportation lines, including BART and Muni?" More from The Examiner. . . [Michele Berry]

McGruff Says, "Take a Byte out of Cybercrime"

McGruff, the beloved crime dog has a new mission: he's taking a 'byte' out of cybercrime.  He still strongly urges children not to talk to strangers or eat unwrapped candy, but now, McGruff has expanded his mission.  Yesterday, the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), the organization behind the McGruff face, in conjunction with the Chief Marketing Officer Council, formally launched Take a Bite Out of Cyber Crime, a campaign to promote awareness of the risks of cybercrime for individuals and small businesses.  According to the NCPC, only 20% of all computers have the protection needed against the many computer threats lurking out there.  Partners in the campaign include Intel, McAfee, VeriSign, USA Today, CNET.com, and Comcast. Here is McGruff's site to read more about the campaign. [Michele Berry]

Cryptology Behind the Scenes: How to Win at the Track

Just kidding, but speaking of the FBI cracking mafia codes, here's an article by FBI Forensic Cryptanalyst Daniel Olson about cryptology, the scientific study of solving criminal codes and ciphers. It briefly describes everything from sports and horse racing bookmarking codes to drug and pager codes. [Michele Berry]

Confronting the CSI Effect in Wisconsin

A new DNA unit at the lab in Wausau including five analysts and a technician, a second shift at the Madison lab, and two additional lab technicians at the labs in Madison and Milwaukee are some of the changes that may be in store for Wisconsin's crime lab scene.  Wisconsin AG Peg Lautenschlager says requests for DNA testing in Wisconsin have risen 18% compared to last year because more juries expect DNA evidence to reach a verdict.  If her plan is greeted with governor and legislature approval, the changes will be effective July 2007.  Story... [Michele Berry]

AZ Tests Automatic License Plate Scanners

From azstarnet.com: The Arizona Department of Public Safety has installed a system on the front of six vehicles — with more planned — that "reads" the license plates of other cars and trucks on the road. The information is fed into a computer that compares the plate with a list of stolen vehicles — as well as others police are looking for, perhaps because their owners are wanted for crimes.

 

A positive match sets off an alarm, allowing the officer to pull over the suspect vehicle, get positive verification by radio and, if appropriate, make an arrest.

 

DPS Director Roger Vanderpool said Wednesday the $22,000 devices do essentially what patrol officers do, but much faster: He said the system can review about 1,500 license plates in an eight-hour shift. Vanderpool hopes that the devices can lift Arizona out of its dubious distinction of having one of the highest vehicle-theft rates in the country. Rest of Article. . . [Mark Godsey]

New Laws Allow for Sex Offender GPS Tracking

According to USA Today, hundreds of convicted sex offenders will have to wear a two-piece electronic tracking device for the rest of their lives under a new Wisconsin law.

In May, Wisconsin joined a rapidly rising number of states using GPS to monitor convicted sex offenders. At least 23 states are doing so, according to a survey results from The Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole. Others have since begun or expanded GPS programs.

Congress may accelerate these states' efforts. The House and Senate have each passed sex offender bills this year that approve funding for GPS tracking and a currently drafting the final bill. More. . . [Mark Godsey]

FBI will Use DNA Database to Identify Missing Persons

According to USA Today, the FBI plans to use its national DNA database system to help identify not only criminals, but also missing persons and tens of thousands of unidentified bodies held by local coroners and medical examiners.

A new computer program planned for this fall will compare DNA taken from unidentified bodies to DNA submitted by family members of missing persons. The plan takes advantage of the fact that biological relatives sometimes have similar, though not identical, DNA profiles. [Mark Godsey]

FBI Dumping Gun Shot Residue Test as Junk Science

This could lead to many individuals convicted on the basis of such evidence to challenge their convictions post conviction.  Story....[Mark Godsey]