OJP -Information Technology Initiatives: News

A Guide to Global Products by IJIS Executive Director Emeritus Paul Wormeli

Wed, 09 May 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Global has now introduced a Global Wizard that provides access to the Global Information Sharing Toolkit, covering all of the publications developed by and in support of information sharing. Through this portal, there are a very intelligent set of filters defined to limit the search to specific areas of interest and applicability, resulting in a set of results that can be further perused. The wizard is carefully designed to directly guide the user to products of interest. Through the use of the filters, keywords, and other time-saving search parameters, users can search the toolkit for those documents and guidelines of interest and then go directly through the many hyperlinks to view documents, podcasts, and other materials relevant. There is even a guided search section where phrases can be clicked like this one: “I want a review of the operational policies and procedures that govern the basic operation of a federation for trusted information sharing.” With only one click, the user is taken to the most relevant section of the toolkit to then permit further scanning, downloading, or perusing as appropriate.

Source:

National Governors Association

Privacy Policies for State Justice Information Systems Explored

Tue, 01 May 2012 08:00:00 GMT

To help governors address the balance of justice agencies’ need for information with individuals’ privacy rights, the National Governors Association (NGA) released an issue brief highlighting actions states have taken to create and implement privacy policies within their justice information sharing systems. A System of Trust: Privacy Policies for Justice Information Sharing builds upon the lessons learned from a recent NGA meeting held in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance. Participating states created privacy policies designed to govern their integrated justice information systems, provide accountability for potential misuse of the system, and protect the privacy rights of individuals.

Source:

Social Media, Crime Fighter

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Social media is an increasingly useful investigative tool for identifying breaking events and potential threats, as well as for surveillance to counter cyber crime and terrorism, according to law enforcement officers. But because the line between public and private is blurring so much in the online world, it’s wise for law enforcement officers to seek advice from legal counsel about how they are setting up their investigations, some officers say. Those lines can be something of a moving target, changing from site to site or every time Facebook updates or changes privacy settings, said FBI Special Agent Gunpat “Gunner” Wagh.

Source:

GCN

Bringing All Criminal Justice Stakeholders to the Table

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The following post appears courtesy of the Access to Justice Initiative.

The Department of Justice’s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program provides federal funding for states and localities to promote effective strategies across the criminal justice system. JAG grants provide support for a wide-range of program areas including law enforcement, prosecution and court programs, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, crime victim and witness initiatives, planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs. The 2012 JAG solicitation, released on March 28, 2012, includes important new language of interest to indigent defense providers and other criminal justice stakeholders that have not consistently been a part of local and state jurisdictions’ planning processes for allocating JAG funds.

Source:

DOJ

Prominent Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Thought Leader Named Director of The Police Institute at Rutgers-Newark

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Dr. Todd Clear, dean of the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University, Newark, has announced the appointment of Thomas J. O’Reilly as director of The Police Institute at the School of Criminal Justice. O’Reilly comes to Rutgers from the United States Department of Justice where he served as a senior policy advisor for the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Justice Programs, since 2006, and director of the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative (NSI) Program Management Office since 2010. O’Reilly is a noted manager and thought leader in the areas of law enforcement, criminal justice, and homeland security.

Source:

Rutgers

Can Technology Predict Gun Crime? ATF Hopes So.

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is shopping for crime forecasting technology to predict where gun violence may occur so that ATF can intercede before it happens. The Justice Department (DOJ) on April 12, 2012, issued a solicitation for a system "designed to accurately identify the risk of personal and property crimes" covering 200 locations throughout the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada.

Source:

An Open and Accessible OJP

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The following post appears courtesy of Mary Lou Leary, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs. The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) is committed to providing timely and accurate information about OJP’s policies, programs, activities, and procedures to a wide public audience—organizations and individuals. Highlighting a few of these efforts during this year’s Sunshine Week gives us an opportunity to share our work with those new to our efforts and to encourage those familiar with OJP resources to use them in new ways.

Source:

The Criminal Justice Enterprise

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:00:00 GMT

In the late 1990s, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) conducted a series of focus groups of justice practitioners on the general topic of information technology and the needs of the field. The overwhelming outcry of these focus groups was that the various systems previously implemented were not compatible and could not exchange information, leading to duplicate data entry as the normal behavior rather than being the exception. Early efforts to apply computer technology to support operational processes generally led to what are now called “silos” or “stovepipes.” Such systems are labeled in this way because they do not work together well in exchanging information or because they end up being so organization-centric that there is no easy way to extract and re-use data that has been previously entered, leading to an enormous amount of redundant data entry. For some years now, the antidote to such designs has been to persuade system designers to think about “enterprise” information systems, in which the information system serves all components of the enterprise and minimizes redundant data entry while protecting data integrity.

Source:

Being Smart on Crime With Evidence-Based Policing

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Cities face a growing number of fiscal challenges, among them balancing the need to combat crime with the cost of policing. Decreases in funding for public safety mean that police departments cannot support an ever-increasing number of law enforcement officers—or, in many cases, even the status quo. Therefore, police officials must shift their attention to the science of controlling crime and disorder. That model is called evidence-based policing, and it represents the field's "most powerful force for change," according to criminologist Lawrence Sherman.

Source:

NIJ

Readout of Secretary Napolitano's Remarks at the 2012 National Fusion Center Training Event

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano traveled to Phoenix recently to meet with state and major urban area fusion center leaders and deliver remarks on information sharing and analysis, and collaboration with federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners at the 2012 National Fusion Center Training Event. During her remarks, Secretary Napolitano underscored the importance of collaborating with federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners to improve information sharing and analysis, and enhance our nation’s ability to identify, mitigate, and respond to emerging threats. Secretary Napolitano also emphasized the importance of working jointly with fusion centers to further develop their grassroots analytic capabilities, so that national intelligence can be placed in a local context.

Source:

Bureau of Justice Assistance Launches Redesigned Web Site

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)'s Web site has a new look. The newly redesigned site allows users to create a "My BJA" account. It also includes a "Trending" link for popular content. Other tools provide customizable, self-service options to enhance visitors' experiences on the Web site.

Source:

BJA

Abracadabra. See the Magic of NIEM Video!

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) Executive Director, draws an analogy between NIEM and a bank card transaction, both of which use the power of a common language to enable the cross-jurisdictional exchange of information, while protecting the information’s integrity. For more information on the "Magic of NIEM," click here.

Source:

NIEM

Solving Crime Problems With Research

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) CrimeSolutions.gov offers practitioners and policymakers a practical tool for finding information about evidence-based criminal justice programs. "We already know a great deal about what can be done to prevent and control crime," then-University of Pennsylvania professor Laurie Robinson told Congress in 2007. "But we have done a poor job—especially at the federal level—in getting information out." Robinson was testifying to encourage the development of a "what works clearinghouse," a centralized repository of information on evidence-based criminal justice programs and practices that would be specifically designed to meet the needs of policymakers and practitioners. Her vision became a reality in 2011, two years after she returned to the OJP for her second stint as Assistant Attorney General, with the launch of CrimeSolutions.gov.

Source:

NIJ

Microsoft Donates Image-Matching Tools to Fight Child Porn Trafficking

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Microsoft said it is joining the battle against child pornography by donating to law enforcement agencies advanced image-matching technology that helps track child pornography online and locate its traffickers. The company said it would make Microsoft PhotoDNA software available at no cost to law enforcement agencies to support their child sex-abuse investigations. The software, developed by Microsoft Research and Dartmouth College, creates a unique signature for a digital image, akin to a fingerprint, which can then be used to find other copies of the image online.

Source:

Cloud Will Change Intelligence Community's Business Model

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Cloud computing has the power to not only change the way the federal intelligence community manages information technology, but also to fundamentally change agencies' business models, according to a report released recently. That change will be effective, however, only if intelligence agencies are prepared to modify their own organizational cultures to match the new technology and to learn from similar transitions in the corporate and civilian government spheres, the report from the nonprofit Intelligence and National Security Alliance said.

Source:

Secretary Napolitano Issues Directive to Strengthen the Sharing of Classified Information with State, Local, Tribal, and Private Sector Partners

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano released an implementing directive that strengthens the sharing of classified information by the federal government with state, local, tribal, and private sector partners. The directive implements Executive Order 13549, “Classified National Security Information Program for State, Local, Tribal, and Private Sector Entities.”

Source:

FBI Chief Touts Partnerships in Cybercrime Fight

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT

FBI Director Robert S. Mueller believes public-private collaboration is crucial to protect America from cyberattacks—a threat he thinks could become bigger than terrorism itself. Addressing a crowded hall at the annual RSA Conference on Thursday, March 1, Mueller said government and business need to pool their resources to combat cyberthreats.

Source:

2 Nations’ Approaches to Data Center and E-Mail Consolidation

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT

After years of talk about cutting costs and eliminating waste, U.S. and Canadian federal governments are making good on those promises as leaders in both countries attack ambitious IT consolidation projects. Consolidation efforts in both countries are aimed at cutting operating costs and improving quality of service, which they do by reducing duplication and increasing hardware optimization. Efforts to eliminate acres of unneeded data centers and e-mail networks are moves toward embracing industry trends, such as server virtualization and cloud computing. Consolidation plans also point to reduced energy consumption and real estate costs.

Source:

Information Sharing Environment

CSIS: The Future of Information Sharing and the ISE

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Recently the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) hosted an impressive information sharing conference, Information Sharing: Adapting and Improving an Expanded ISE. The conference featured many great speakers from the information sharing and safeguarding community, including Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, ISE Program Manager Kshemendra Paul, and other prominent officials from the White House, Defense Intelligence Agency, General Services Administration, Department of Homeland Security, and others.

Source:

9 Quick Tips Agencies Need to Know to Make Collaboration Work

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Using the right tools in the right way can make collaboration efforts a resounding success. Industry observers maintain that there are numerous best practices federal agencies should employ to gain the many benefits collaboration tools can provide. Incorporating mobile devices, for example, makes collaboration and social media platforms more powerful by allowing employees to communicate and collaborate using multiple devices of their choice, throughout the day and wherever they may be. Highlighted are some of the best tips from industry experts to aid in the deployment and management of collaboration tools.

Source:

FederalComputerWeek

Cost Savings Draw Governments Worldwide to the Cloud

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Cost savings are the biggest driver to cloud computing for federal, state, and local governments and security concerns are the greatest obstruction, according to a recent KPMG survey. About 25 percent of respondents said their government division would have to realize information technology savings of up to 10 percent to make a cloud transition worthwhile and another 20 percent said they would have to slash as much as 25 percent off their IT budgets to justify the move. In addition, about 50 percent of the government respondents expect to save money from a cloud transition, but just about 25 percent thought it would fundamentally change their operating model. U.S. federal IT leaders project the government can save about 6 percent, or $5 billion, of its $80 billion annual IT budget by moving 25 percent of its enterprise operations to the cloud by 2015. The survey also highlighted Australia, Italy, and Denmark for taking a lead position on cloud adoption.

Source:

Social Media in Emergency Response: Advice from Officials

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Tweeting emergency alerts during a disaster isn't a panacea for effective communication with the public, said Chris Stelmarski, a digital strategy official at the Homeland Security Department, while speaking March 1 on a panel at the AFCEA Homeland Security Conference in Washington, DC. He noted that government has a reputation for excessive caution, so people might dismiss the urgency of a tweet or Facebook post from their local emergency management agency. But if someone's friend re-tweets the agency's information, that can validate the message, he said.

Source:

FierceHomelandSecurity

Western States to Modernize Shared Fingerprinting System

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT

A consortium of state and local law enforcement agencies in the western U.S. is set to modernize a criminal identification system shared by its members. There are eight states in the nonprofit Western Identification Network (WIN): Alaska, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Each state has access to nearly 28 million fingerprint records in the western U.S. and also interfaces with the FBI.

Source:

Todd Park Named New U.S. Chief Technology Officer

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Health and Human Services Department Chief Technology Officer Todd Park will be the next federal CTO, replacing Aneesh Chopra, the White House recently announced. For nearly three years, Todd has served as CTO of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he was a hugely energetic force for positive change. He led the successful execution of an array of breakthrough initiatives, including the creation of HealthCare.gov, the first website to provide consumers with a comprehensive inventory of public and private health insurance plans available across the Nation by zip code in a single, easy-to-use tool.

Source:

WhiteHouse

FBI: Cyberattacks Could Shove Aside Terrorism As No. 1 Threat to U.S.

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The leaders of the Department of Defense and the Federal Bureau of Investigation this week separately expressed concern over the increasing numbers of cyberattacks, with FBI Director Robert Mueller saying that while terrorism remains the FBI's top priority, "in the not too distant future, we anticipate that the cyberthreat will pose the No. 1 threat to our country."

Source:

CIO

Department of Justice FY 2013 Budget Request

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT

On Monday, February 13, the President released his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2013. The budget proposes over $27 billion for the Department of Justice and focuses on providing resources to sustain critical national security programs, upholding the department's traditional missions with an increased focus on financial and mortgage fraud and civil rights enforcement; investing in prisons, detention capacity, and reentry; and assisting state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners.

Source:

State CIOs Discuss Next IT Priorities

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Government-based cloud solutions, mobile platforms, shared services, and cyber security are the next sets of IT challenges facing Colorado, Michigan, and Texas, according to those states’ respective CIOs. CIOs Kristin Russell (Colorado), David Behen (Michigan) and Karen Robinson (Texas) gave a recap of their states’ current IT efforts and future priorities during a keynote roundtable discussion at the CIO Academy on February 29. Carlos Ramos, secretary of the California Technology Agency, moderated the session, which was held at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel.

Source:

National Adult and Juvenile Offender Reentry Resource Center FY 2012 Competitive Grant Announcement

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), is pleased to announce that it is seeking applications for funding to operate a National Adult and Juvenile Offender Reentry Resource Center under the Second Chance Act. This program furthers the Department’s commitment to providing services and programs to facilitate offenders’ successful reintegration into society.

Eligible applicants are limited to any national nonprofit organization (including a tribal nonprofit organization) that provides reentry programming training and technical assistance, and has special expertise and national-level experience in effective practices in offender reentry programming and research application.

Applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application. All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on April 19, 2012.

Source:

Video Camera Networks Link Real-Time Partners in Crime-Solving

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Jonathan Lewin, Chicago’s managing deputy director of public safety, believes that video cameras help officers protect citizens—and he has numbers to back up his claim. The Chicago Police Department says that Operation Virtual Shield, the city’s network of public and private surveillance cameras, has led to more than 5,500 camera-related arrests since 2006. Chicago, like a growing number of other cities, has dramatically extended its crime camera network by forging agreements with businesses and other private organizations. Perhaps half of the video feeds available to Chicago police now come from private cameras that can be accessed by law enforcement personnel, although the city won’t release an exact breakdown.

Source:

National Justice Information Sharing (JIS) Initiative FY 2012 Competitive Grant Announcement

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), is pleased to announce that it is seeking applications for BJA’s National Justice Information Sharing (JIS) Initiative. This program furthers the Department’s mission by contributing to the development of policies and technology to support key national initiatives and facilitate direct services to criminal justice practitioners.

Eligible applicants are national, regional, state, or local public and private entities, including for-profit (commercial) and nonprofit organizations (including tribal nonprofit or for-profit organizations), faith-based and community organizations, institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher education), federally recognized Indian tribal governments as determined by the Secretary of the Interior, and units of local government that support initiatives to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system. For-profit organizations must agree to forgo any profit or management fee.

Applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application. All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on April 19, 2012.

Source:

Campus Crime Prevention Webinar

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 11:59:29 GMT

The National Crime Prevention Council, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), is hosting a campus crime prevention webinar on February 11, 2010. This webinar will discuss the importance of risk assessments and the role of campus officials in responding to events and maintaining security.

Public Safety Broadband Network Wins in Tax Cut Deal

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The battle to establish an interoperable, nationwide broadband network for public safety appears to be over. Congress passed legislation that reallocates the 700 MHz “D Block” section of the airwaves for the network and supplies $7 billion in federal grant money to kick-start the project. For more than a decade, public safety advocates had been seeking federal approval for a high-speed wireless system that connects police and firefighters across multiple jurisdictions.

Source:

Cloud Commission Advises State and Local Governments to Evaluate, Collaborate

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

For state and local government agencies, cloud computing is no longer a choice—it has become an “imperative” the public sector must carry out, according to new recommendations released recently by an advisory commission. To help educate lawmakers and help IT decision-makers move in the right direction, the TechAmerica Foundation’s State and Local Government Cloud Commission released its new report, The Cloud Imperative: Better Collaboration, Better Service, Better Cost to advise government agencies on how to evaluate, procure, and implement cloud services. TechAmerica also unveiled a new Web site that will function as a hub for learning and interacting with others about cloud technologies.

Source:

Pentagon Expects to Soon Clear Apple, Android Devices

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:00:00 GMT

Teri Takai, the Defense Department's chief information officer, promised that the department would quickly adopt commercial mobile tablet computers. According to a top Defense Information Systems Agency official, the agency expects to release security guidelines by August that will cover their use for a range of missions. Mark Orndorff, program executive officer for mission assurance and network operations at DISA, stated that the guidelines will cover both Google's Android operating system and Apple's iOS, which powers the iPhone and iPad. The guidelines will mitigate many of the security concerns that have precluded the devices' widespread use on Defense networks, although restrictions could prevail in some sensitive mission areas.

Source:

FBI Declares Cloud Vendors Must Meet CJIS Security Rules

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The FBI reaffirmed its rule that all cloud products sold to U.S. law enforcement agencies must comply with the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) security requirements. While the nation's top law enforcement agency concedes that some vendors may have a tough time meeting those requirements, it insisted that there would be no compromising on security. "The FBI remains committed to using technology in its information sharing processes, but not at the sacrifice of the security of the information with which it has been entrusted," Stephen Fischer Jr., a spokesman for the FBI's CJIS division said in an e-mail to Computerworld.

Source:

Computerworld

View Sessions From NIJ Predictive Policing Symposiums

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) held two predictive policing symposiums in which researchers, practitioners, and law enforcement leaders developed and discussed the use of predictive policing and its impact on crime and justice. Sessions from the First and Second Predictive Policing Symposiums are now available for viewing.

Source:

NIJ

Melodee Hanes Named OJJDP Acting Administrator

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

On January 18, 2012, Assistant Attorney General Laurie O. Robinson announced that Melodee Hanes has been designated as the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP's) Principal Deputy Administrator. Ms. Hanes previously served as OJJDP's Acting Deputy Administrator for Policy and replaces Jeff Slowikowski, who served as Acting Administrator for nearly 3 years. Mr. Slowikowski will become OJJDP's Acting Deputy Administrator for Policy.

Source:

DOJOJP

Federal Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra to Step Down

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The first-ever U.S. chief technology officer, Aneesh Chopra, is leaving the government in early February, White House officials announced. "As the federal government's first chief technology officer, Aneesh Chopra did groundbreaking work to bring our government into the 21st century," President Obama said in a statement. Chopra served as the White House's ambassador to the commercial technology sector, working to stimulate entrepreneurialism in areas such as health information technology, green IT, and nanotechnology. He also collaborated with first-ever federal chief information officer Vivek Kundra, who departed last summer, on IT initiatives aimed at transforming government operations through proven, private sector innovations—such as mobile apps and prize contests.

Source:

Apply Now for Free Technical Assistance To Build Your CBA Capacity!

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

With funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Cost-Benefit Knowledge Bank for Criminal Justice (CBKB) is offering free technical assistance to help jurisdictions build their capacity to use cost-benefit analysis (CBA) in criminal justice policymaking and planning. CBKB will provide technical assistance to four jurisdictions over a 12-month period. Each team will receive up to three on-site visits along with ongoing support via online trainings, phone calls, and customized materials, and one to two multisite meetings to foster peer-to-peer learning across sites. Eligible applicants under this initiative are limited to local governments (i.e., cities and counties) and federally recognized Indian tribes (as determined by the Secretary of the Interior) that have a demonstrated commitment to developing CBA capacity.

The deadline for submission is February 23, 2012.

For more details and to apply, download and review the application instructions at http://cbkb.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2012-01_CBKB_CBA_TA-application.pdf.

Note: This application is for technical assistance only. No direct funding will be provided to sites that are selected to receive technical assistance.

Source:

CBKB

Capitals in the Clouds: Recommendations for Mitigating Risks NASCIO Releases Third in a Series on Cloud Computing

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

State and local governments are sharing IT resources through the creative use of cloud computing, according to “Capitals in the Clouds Part III — Recommendations for Mitigating Risks: Jurisdictional, Contracting and Service Levels,” an issue brief released by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO). This report is available for download on NASCIO’s website at www.nascio.org/publications.

Source:

NASCIO

GSA Course Aims to Train Government Social Media Leaders

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Every federal agency could benefit from engaging more on social media, but different agencies ought to engage in different ways, said Gadi Ben-Yehuda, who will be teaching a 12-week government-sponsored course beginning in February. Ben-Yehuda's course on social media in government will be the most in-depth yet offered by the General Services Administration's (GSA) Web Manager University.

Source:

National Institute of Justice

2012 National Institute of Justice Technology Institute for Law Enforcement

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Registration is open! Apply by Friday, March 2, 2012, to attend the next NIJ National, State, Major Cities, and Counties Technology Institute for Law Enforcement. NIJ holds technology institutes for law enforcement officers to learn about and discuss technology initiatives and issues affecting the law enforcement community. During the five-day institute, attendees receive and exchange information about existing and developing technologies, problem-solving relating to technology implementation, and technology lessons learned. The National Law Enforcement Institute focuses on the needs of agencies with 50 or more sworn officers. The deadline for submitting an application is Friday, March 2, 2012. Applications not received by COB Friday, March 2, 2012, will not be considered. To apply, please select registration link: Registration Form.

Source:

Tennessee Strives to be a Next-Gen 911 Leader

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Tennessee officially broke ground on a next-generation 911 network a few months ago, beginning work on a project that had been in the planning stages for years. Next-gen 911 networks expands upon traditional land line contact with law enforcement to provide an IP network for enhanced service, a technology that officials say will improve public safety. Tennessee officials believe the state is one of the first to begin the implementation phases for a statewide next-gen 911 network. Officials project the network will be complete in 2013.

Source:

Emergency Management

USA.gov, Data.gov Take Flight to the Cloud

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The General Services Administration has begun the process of moving its public Web presence to a unified cloud, according to a press release from CGI Federal, which won the $21 million five-year contract for the transition. Among the cloud-bound sites is GSA's signature Web site USA.gov, a catchall for information about government citizen services that sees about 2 million unique visitors each month, CGI said. The transition also will include Data.gov, a repository for government-built datasets for researchers and developers of Web and mobile applications, CGI said.

Source:

U.S. Mayors Form Technology and Innovation Task Force

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) appears to be making technology one of its priorities with the creation of a new task force. Part of the task force’s mission will be to show how technology can foster innovation and transparency in local government. The committee will define mayoral priorities and will advise Congress and the Barack Obama administration.

Source:

Louisville, Kentucky, Integrates Alerts Into New Crime Map

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Louisville, Kentucky, residents now have access to crime alerts in a newly revamped online crime mapping tool. The Louisville Metro Police Department, located in Jefferson County, launched a new online crime mapping tool. Users can enter their home address into a QuickFind tool to receive crime updates based on which of the county’s eight police divisions they live in. Each division is further divided into different “beats”—or different sections of a division—so citizens can receive more granular crime alerts for where they live.

Source:

Supreme Court: Planting GPS Tracker On a Car is "Search," Requires Warrant

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:00:00 GMT

A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that installing a Global Positioning System tracking device on a suspect’s car constitutes a search and requires a warrant, applying an 18th century guarantee against unreasonable searches to a 21st century technology. “The government’s attachment of the GPS device to the vehicle, and its use of that device to monitor the vehicle’s movements, constitutes a search under the Fourth Amendment,” the court ruled in a decision released Jan. 23.

Source:

Apply for the Innovations in American Government Award

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The Innovations Award, administered by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School, is the premier public-sector award in the nation. The award is given annually to programs that serve as examples of creative and effective government at its best. All units of government—federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial—from all policy areas are eligible to apply for recognition. The top winner receives a $100,000 grant to support replication and dissemination activities. Top finalists will also receive monetary grants. The application deadline is March 1, 2012. [Online Application] [Nominate Organization for Award]

Source:

Harvard

Eastern Regional NIEM Technical Training—February 2012

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The Integrated Justice Information Systems (IJIS) Institute, through grant funding provided by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), is hosting an Eastern Regional National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) Technical Training Course on February 28–March 1, 2012, in Ashburn, Virginia. This three-day technical course is intended for information exchange developers and implementers and is designed to guide students through NIEM in a structured process. [Additional Course Information] [Register Online]

Source:

U.S. Department of Justice

Assistant Attorney General Laurie Robinson Announces Departure from Office of Justice Programs

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Laurie Robinson, announced recently that she would be leaving her position at the end of February. Assistant Attorney General Robinson was confirmed by the Senate in November, 2009. She previously served for nearly seven years as assistant attorney general for OJP during the 1990s, making her the longest-serving head in the agency's 44-year history. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mary Lou Leary will serve as acting assistant attorney general following Robinson's departure.

Source:

First Amendment Recommendations for State and Local Law Enforcement

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

To assist state and local law enforcement agencies in understanding their role when responding to a First Amendment-Protected event, the Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative recently published the Recommendations for First Amendment-Protected Events for State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies resource guide and The Role of State and Local Law Enforcement at First Amendment Events Reference Card. These two products are designed to provide in-depth recommendations for agencies to utilize as they prepare for and respond to these types of events. As officers respond to First Amendment-protected events, integral in their response is the protection of privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties; as such, both resources emphasize the key role officers have in upholding these protections, while fulfilling their public safety mission.

Source:

GLOBAL

Promoting the Broader Use of GIS by Law Enforcement

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The latest issue of the Geography and Public Safety newsletter focuses on promoting the broader use of GIS by law enforcement. The newsletter, which is a joint effort by the National Institute of Justice and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, highlights ways in which community policing, problem solving, community outreach, and partnerships can be enhanced by GIS. While mapping for the purpose of "putting cops on the dots" remains a core focus of GIS in law enforcement, more needs to be said about the versatility of GIS and how it can be deployed to improve effectiveness and efficiencies across all law enforcement functions.

Source:

COPS

State Department Fields Twitter Questions

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

After her daily press briefing recently, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland took questions from a new audience--several hundred Tweeters spread across a dozen or more nations. The State solicited questions under the #AskState hash tag as part of its 21st Century Statecraft month and is accepting them in English and nine other languages. Nuland plans to answer five questions after her press briefings every Friday.

Source:

Biometric Standard Expanded To Include DNA, Footprints

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

An update to the way biometric data is shared by law enforcement includes geo-positioning information about where samples were collected. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has added the identification of DNA, footmarks, and specific fingerprint information to its biometric data standard, with more enhancements slated for the future. The organization--which oversees technology standards for the federal government--published a significantly revised biometric standard last month that expands the amount of information that can be used across the world to identify victims of crimes or solve the crimes themselves, it said.

Source:

Information Week

California Creates Justice Unit for E-Crimes

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The California Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it has created a new unit of attorneys and investigators that will work on crimes that involve the use of technology. The department’s eCrime Unit will work across jurisdictional lines to investigate and prosecute cybercrime, identity theft, computer theft, online child pornography, intellectual property theft, and other similar crimes.

Source:

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) “If You See Something, Say Something” Public Awareness Campaign is Going Bilingual

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) “If you see something, say something” public awareness campaign is going bilingual. Print, radio, and television ads for the effort, launched last year to encourage Americans to report suspicious activities or packages to law enforcement personnel, will begin airing in Spanish in some of the nation’s largest Hispanic communities, DHS said recently. Ads reminding people “Si ve algo, diga algo” (the Spanish translation for “If you see something, say something”) will be distributed to Spanish-language TV and radio stations in California, Colorado, New York, Arizona, New Mexico, Florida, Texas, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Source:

Washington Post

Protecting Privacy and Civil Liberties on the Internet and Beyond

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Recently, the President took a big step forward toward protecting Americans’ privacy and civil liberties with the nomination of three highly respected individuals to serve on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB). The PCLOB is a new independent board established by Congress to advise and oversee executive branch activities with civil liberties implications, including intelligence and law enforcement practices, and to assist the President and Federal agencies in making sure that the implementation of laws, regulations, and policies related to counterterrorism appropriately consider citizens’ privacy and civil liberties.

Source:

The White House

Pennsylvania Counties Hatch 911 Tech Sharing Plan

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Emergency management agencies are taking a regional approach to public safety in western Pennsylvania, as 10 counties plan to use a shared next-generation 911 system by early 2013. Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties will be linked on a network with access to the same 911 technology, giving each of the counties in the conglomerate the ability to accept emergency text and video messages.

Source:

Emergency Management

Fact Sheet: Blueprint for a Secure Cyber Future

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

The United States is facing a continued and growing cyber threat, which has the potential to jeopardize our national security, public safety, and economic competitiveness. This threat makes securing cyberspace one of the most important missions facing the homeland security community today. The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) 2010 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) established the safeguarding and securing of cyberspace as a critical mission of DHS, with the goals to create a safe, secure, and resilient cyber environment and promote cybersecurity knowledge and innovation. The Blueprint for a Secure Cyber Future proposes a path forward to achieve these goals.

Source:

$3 Million NSF Grant for Research Into Assured Data Provenance

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 08:00:00 GMT

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), University of Texas at Dallas (UTDallas), and Purdue University announce a 5-year, $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for new cyber security research. Under the direction of principal investigator Ravi Sandhu, executive director of the UTSA Institute for Cyber Security and professor of computer science, the researchers will study assured data provenance, the discipline of computer science concerned with the integrity and privacy of data sources, contents, and successive transformations.

Source:

homelandsecuritynewswire

IT Project Reviews Have Saved $4 billion Since 2010, According to CIO

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Federal agencies have saved nearly $4 billion in the past year through TechStat reviews that resulted in scaling back or canceling information technology projects that are over budget or delayed, officials said recently. The TechStat model, aimed at weeding out underperforming contracts, was launched by former federal chief information officer Vivek Kundra in 2010. Kundra credited those reviews--essentially adapt-or-perish presentations by project managers of red-flag projects in front of agency IT leaders and Kundra himself--with saving the government $3 billion.

Source:

Service to Americas Medal

National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) Team Receives Award

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 08:00:00 GMT

National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) Program Manager Charles Heurich of the National Institute of Justice and the NamUs team were awarded the 2011 Justice and Law Enforcement Medal for the creation of namus.gov. This medal, which is part of the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals program, recognizes a federal employee for a significant contribution to the nation in activities related to justice and law enforcement. NamUs is a clearinghouse for missing persons and unidentified decedent records. NamUs is a free online system that can be searched by medical examiners, coroners, law enforcement officials, and the general public to solve these cases. The two NamUs databases (unidentified human remains and missing persons) are fully searchable.

Source:

Federal CIO Outlines Shared Services Strategy

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Agencies must create a plan to move at least two agency-specific information technology services to shared interagency platforms by the end of 2012, according to the draft version of federal Chief Information Officer Steven VanRoekel's shared services strategy released recently. The draft strategy also requires agency IT leaders to create plans for how and where they can convert to shared services during the next year and directs them to shift "the 'default setting' for IT investment decisions from the development of new components to the utilization of existing resources."

Source:

Mexico Says Police in Americas Sharing More Information

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Mexico's federal police commissioner says that information sharing between police forces in the Americas has increased by 55 percent during the past year. Police Commissioner Facundo Rosas says the growing exchange of data is a sign of increasing police cooperation and mutual assistance in the battle against drug cartels.

Source:

Associated Press

DOD Aims To Improve Information Sharing

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:00:00 GMT

The Department of Defense (DOD) aims to streamline how its millions of personnel and thousands of IT systems share information by standardizing data sharing through the use of the semantic Web. The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), which provides IT services to the DOD, is seeking ideas for how to improve what it calls "enterprise information visibility," which refers to how easily data can be shared, analyzed, and reported across the myriad systems the DOD employs.

Source:

Information Week

36th Annual IACP LEIM Training Conference & Exposition

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Designed by practitioners, for practitioners, the LEIM Section of IACP has hosted law enforcement chief executives, commanders, operational practitioners, technical developers, and industry representatives since 1977. The conference is designed to share leading practices and lessons learned in the innovative application of technology to improve officer and public safety, to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of operations, and to build enterprise-wide information sharing capabilities. In addition to plenary sessions and concurrent panel presentations, the LEIM Conference includes a Technology Exposition Hall, which features Industry Leading Technology Solution Providers. The 2012 LEIM Conference is being hosted in Indianapolis, Indiana, on May 21–23, 2012.

Source:

IACP

IJIS Institute 2012 Winter Industry Briefing

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Bureau of Justice Assistance partner, IJIS Institute, presents an authoritative update on the justice, public safety, and homeland security information sharing and IT market at its semi-annual Industry Briefing. Join us on January 18–20, 2012, for the Winter Industry Briefing in Washington, DC. This briefing will provide a detailed look at information sharing and national initiatives that impact our nation’s safety and security. It will include multiple breakout sessions for technical staff and executives. And it will provide extensive networking opportunities with industry and government attendees.

Source:

How Social Media Is Changing Law Enforcement

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 08:00:00 GMT

This report is based on the activities of the Digital Communities program, a network of public- and private-sector IT professionals who are working to improve local governments’ delivery of public service through the use of digital technology. The program — a partnership between Government Technology and e.Republic’s Center for Digital Government — consists of task forces that meet online and in person to exchange information on important issues local government IT professionals face.

Source:

Department of Homeland Security

Canadian Law Enforcement Data Exchange Forum

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:00:00 GMT

In partnership with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, Public Safety Canada, and the Centre for Security Sciences, CATAAlliance is pleased to host a Canadian Law Enforcement Data Exchange Forum on the implementation of the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) following CITIG's Fifth Canadian Public Safety Interoperability Forum.

Source:

CATAAlliance

An Introduction to Training and Technical Assistance

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 08:00:00 GMT

The Bureau of Justice Assistance’s National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC) invites you to participate in December’s Webinar on training and technical assistance, as part of our Second Tuesdays at 2 Webinar series. This Webinar will provide an overview to the types of training and technical assistance available from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Attendees will learn about the available training and technical assistance opportunities, learn how to request assistance, and will be provided an introduction to a select group of BJA service providers. This Webinar will be presented by Helen Connelly, Director of BJA’s NTTAC.

                             Date: Tuesday, December 13, 2011
                             Time: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. EST
                             Cost: Free
                             Space is limited!

Source:

BJANTTAC

9 Best Practices for Successful IT Projects

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 11:30:00 GMT

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) looks at some successful government projects and finds nine success stories others in or out of government could emulate. Most often, when the watchdogs at the GAO are called in to check out an agency, process, or project, they are looking for something that has gone wrong. This week, however, the group took a look at some government IT projects that have gone right and came up with some best practices other government agencies or in public corporations could emulate to achieve success in their own IT projects.

Source:

Networkworld

DHS Announces "If You See Something, Say Something™" Campaign Partnership with Major League Soccer

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 08:00:00 GMT

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a new partnership between the DHS “If You See Something, Say Something™” public awareness campaign and Major League Soccer (MLS)—highlighting the Department’s partnership with the sports industry to ensure the safety and security of the employees, players and fans.

Source:

Justice Information Sharing Practitioners (JISP) Network Webinar on Cloud Computing 101: An Essential Overview

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Join your justice colleagues and a panel of experts on Wednesday, November 30, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Eastern Time to explore a new technology that may radically change the way we invest in hardware and software: cloud computing. You have probably already heard about a number of cloud computing deployment strategies, but may still wonder exactly what “cloud computing” means, how it can benefit your agency, and how to best plan for its use. If so, you don’t want to miss this Webinar: register here at no cost. And, don’t forget to explore the other benefits of the free-to-join JISP Network! This project was supported by a grant awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
Source: NCJA

In Texas Border Town, Sharing IT Is a Way of Life

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:00:00 GMT

Two years ago, El Paso County and the city of El Paso entered into a shared services agreement that enables both governments to cost-effectively benefit from the latest technologies. City and county IT staff work very closely together, sharing expertise and infrastructure, said Peter Cooper, CTO for the city and county of El Paso. The city and county support a number of technologies aimed at making law enforcement more efficient and giving agencies rapid access to the information they need, including a shared fingerprinting system used by all area law enforcement agencies and a shared records management system.

Source:

Digital Communities

Reforming Government Websites with App Developers in Mind

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Among the most important developments in the relaunched FCC.gov Web site is its use of open source application programming interfaces (APIs), the Federal Communications Commission's new media specialist Gray Brooks said recently. FCC sponsored a competition earlier this year for app developers using its data to promote Internet openness. Proponents say moving to popular, open source Web architectures reduces the amount of time and money agencies spend keeping proprietary systems up to date.

Source:

Department of Homeland Security

Secretary Napolitano Announces "If You See Something, Say Something™" Campaign Partnership with the American Hotel and Lodging Association and LodgeNet

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced a new partnership between the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) “If You See Something, Say Something™” public awareness campaign and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and LodgeNet. The Department’s “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign partnership with the AH&LA and LodgeNet will feature a 15-second public service announcement (PSA) that will air on the "Welcome Channel" in hotel rooms across all 50 states. The PSA will be deployed into 5,462 hotels including the Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Starwood, Intercontinental, Best Western, Red Roof Inn, Radisson, and others, covering 1.2 million hotel rooms nationwide.

Source:

California Getting New Registry for Protective Orders

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 08:00:00 GMT

A new database of restraining orders and protective orders across California is keeping courts and law enforcement officials up to date on the histories of potentially dangerous individuals. Called the California Courts Protective Order Registry (CCPOR), the system stores electronic scans of the orders so that judicial and public safety personnel can view special conditions and notes that judges add to the documentation. Currently the CCPOR has been deployed to trial courts in 22 counties and three tribal courts in the Golden State, with plans to roll out access to the registry to all 58 counties in California by 2013.

Source:

U.S. DOJ’s Global Featured During Recent Information Sharing Hearing

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:00:00 GMT

On October 12, Senator Joseph Lieberman, Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, presided over a panel exploring “Ten Years After 9/11: A Status Report on Information Sharing.” During opening statements,* he noted: “…In my opinion, there is little question that our government now operates on a ‘need to share’ basis much more than it did ten years ago…[b]ut we must continue to build on that progress if we are to maintain our security, and that’s what we hope this hearing will help our Committee do and why we’re so grateful to have a truly excellent panel of witnesses before us.” Global Intelligence Working Group and Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council (CICC) Chairman Ronald Brooks was one of those selected experts; throughout his testimony,* Mr. Brooks underscored the critical value of Global and the CICC, and Global-supported efforts including fusion centers and the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative (NSI). (*See October 12 hearing homepage, linked above, for access to testimonies and statements.)

Source:

HSGAC

Analytics—Good Business For Public Safety

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Voice and data analytics have been a positive influence in private business for years. This technology has proven to be a productive tool for improving customer service; recognizing trends improving products, productivity, customer needs, and desires; and improving call handling by customer services representatives. Only recently has this technology been recognized as having potential (demonstrably proven in Chester County, Pennsylvania) in the Public Safety environment. The advent of Call Taker/Telecommunicator Certification mandates in many states, and in the future nationwide, has increased the value of voice and data analytics for training, coaching, evaluation, planning, and response.

Source:

911 Magazine

Gotcha! MIS Helps Police Catch 911 Prank Caller

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

A serial prankster may have thought his 911 calls about fake emergencies were amusing, but law enforcement officials in Morgan County, Alabama, had the last laugh, busting the caller and his accomplice thanks in part to the data gathering capabilities of a new communication system. Dispatchers at the Morgan County Emergency Management Communications District (MCEMCD) realized there were two prank calls in the same fire jurisdiction during the same shift. The suspect’s number was unavailable on caller ID, so instead officials ran detailed reports on the calls using a new management information system (MIS). The findings helped officials to pinpoint more than 50 calls from the same person over a six-week span.

Source:

From Vietnam to 9/11 Hitch Delved Into 'Key Issues of Our Time'

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

When Van Hitch graduated from college in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in physics, he expected to go on to graduate school, earn a doctorate and eventually become a professor. But the war in Vietnam changed that plan. Instead, he decided to apply to the Navy Officer Candidate School. He was selected and entered the Navy in 1969. Hitch’s decision to join the Navy proved to be pivotal. It put him on the road to a long career in IT, reaching a pinnacle at the Justice Department, where he served for nine years as one of the government’s most influential CIOs. Under Hitch’s leadership, the CIO team created the Law Enforcement Information Sharing Program and coined the term “One DOJ” to represent a new paradigm for data sharing by the department.

Source:

Information Sharing Environment

President Issues Executive Order for Responsible Information Sharing

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

President Obama recently signed an Executive Order (EO) that addresses structural reforms to the oversight of classified information. The EO supports, codifies, and accelerates ongoing work–work that includes bolstering detection capabilities, restricting removable media, and strengthening government-wide governance, coordination, and oversight. The EO formally establishes the Classified Information Sharing and Safeguarding Office (CISSO), integrated within the Office of the Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment.

Source:

At the Department of Homeland Security, a "True-Cloud" is Launched

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:30:00 GMT

Richard Spires says his goal is to move the ball forward a little every day—four balls, actually. Spires, CIO at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is leading the effort to make progress in four key areas of IT at DHS: IT infrastructure rationalization, improving the department’s ability to execute programs, developing an enterprise-wide view of IT operations to help reduce duplication and redundancies, and redressing the workforce balance between DHS’ IT employees and contractors.

Source:

Agencies See Advantages to Open Source Content Management Systems

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:00:00 GMT

Many people were terrified when the Commerce Department first considered moving to an open source content management system (CMS) for its main Web site, the agency's new media director said. Commerce.gov made the transition in mid-2010 to a CMS from Drupal--among the most popular open source communities worldwide. Many other federal sites have moved to Drupal during the past three years, including Energy.gov and Whitehouse.gov. Open source software was typically built for a specific purpose, but designers made its underlying code generally available as a public service. The White House, for instance, has published the code for many of its transparency initiatives.

Source:

Next-Generation 911 Technology Requires New Money and Policies

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

The Washington Office of Unified Communications fields 4,000 emergency calls a day, but not a single text message makes its way to 911 dispatchers. At least not yet. Emergency officials, government regulators, and lawmakers are seeking to change that by pushing forward with next-generation 911 technology, which could allow people to send text, photos, video, and other types of data in case of an emergency. The lawmakers are promoting their Next Generation 911 Advancement Act, which would allocate $250 million in competitive grants to help state and local governments transition to new 911 systems.

Source:

Mobile App Improving Officer Safety & Connectivity in the Wilderness

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 10:00:00 GMT

A new mobile application is helping U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) refuge officers identify potentially dangerous suspects and stay connected to colleagues while conducting investigations in remote locations. The app provides a secure connection to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database. Officers working in wilderness areas can now run a background check on a person and get near instantaneous results, giving officers peace of mind about who they are dealing with.

Source:

Federal Bureau of Investigation to Launch Nationwide Facial Recognition Service

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by mid-January will activate a nationwide facial recognition service in select states that will allow local police to identify unknown subjects in photos. The federal government is embarking on a multiyear, $1 billion dollar overhaul of the FBI's existing fingerprint database to more quickly and accurately identify suspects, partly through applying other biometric markers, such as iris scans and voice recordings.

Source:

Paul Wormeli, IJIS Institute Executive Director Emeritus, Receives Prestigious Justice Award

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Longstanding U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Global contributor and advocate Paul Wormeli, IJIS Institute Executive Director Emeritus, was presented the Kelly Bacon award for “Outstanding Service to the Justice Information Technology Community” at the 2011 Annual Conference of National Association for Justice Information Systems (NAJIS). “…[N]o single individual…has done more to evangelize, educate and facilitate the sharing of justice information….” said Laura Radke, NAJIS President. The award recognizes individuals who, like Bacon (NAJIS’s first president), have made long, sustained contributions to NAJIS and its mission to foster overall improvement of justice information systems nationwide.

Source:

Partnership for Public Service

Making Smart Cuts: Lessons From the 1990s Budget Front

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

“We are going to be going through a period of difficult budget cuts.”--Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Jack Lew. This is the simple premise of the Partnership for Public Service latest research report--Making Smart Cuts: Lessons from the 1990s Budget Front--released in September. In an attempt to set the nation back on a path to fiscal health, budget cuts are sure to affect federal agencies and the people they serve and employ for years to come. You can watch the complete Making Smart Cuts release event, which features special remarks from OMB Director Jack Lew and a panel discussion with Todd Grams, Executive in Charge for the Office of Management and CFO at the Department of Veterans Affairs; Eileen Harrington, Executive Director of the Federal Trade Commission; and Ron Sanders, a former HR executive in the Intelligence Community, IRS and Department of Defense.

Source:

Global Success Story: JNET’s Use of the GRA

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

This edition of Global Highlights showcases the Pennsylvania Justice Network’s (JNET) implementation of the Global Reference Architecture (GRA) to enhance justice information sharing, including the real-world benefits gained (including interoperable, reusable business solutions, and direct cost savings).

Source:

Global Justice

How Knowledge Management Helps Keep the United States Attack Free

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 09:10:00 GMT

The attacks that brought down the World Trade Center 10 years ago also cracked the foundations of traditional information sharing in the government intelligence and law enforcement communities. Although the attack and its aftermath affected broad swaths of IT, it also helped transform one area of particular importance to the homeland security community—the collection of tools, technologies, and practices, known as knowledge management.

Source:

Georgia App Uses Geo-Location to Deliver Emergency-Related Information

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 08:00:00 GMT

To provide emergency-related information directly to the public, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency/Homeland Security (GEMA) and the state’s Department of Public Health launched an app, that not only provides a place for people to get updates, but also for them to store pertinent information. The app, called Ready Georgia, allows users to create a profile that includes information such as emergency contact phone numbers, an out-of-town meeting place, and work and school details.

Source:

Emergency Management

Social Media Brings New Capacities and Liabilities to Crises

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:00:00 GMT

Rapid-fire Tweets and smartphone photos can be a boon to emergency responders trying to see through the fog of an unfolding crisis, but they also can divert responders with misinformation and potentially create liability issues, experts say. Emergency responders whose information was once limited to phone calls coming into 911 can now monitor real-time posts about which streets were worst hit in a tornado and collect photos of an accident scene while they are still miles away. But that information is dispersed across Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and other social media sites and it is much more difficult to separate useful information from useless noise.

Source:

Department of Homeland Security

Secretary of Homeland Security travels to Houston for "If You See Something, Say Something™"

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano traveled to Houston, Texas, to announce a new partnership between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) "If You See Something, Say Something™" public awareness campaign and the city of Houston. Over the past year, DHS has collaborated closely with federal, state, local, and private sector partners, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), to expand the "If You See Something, Say Something™" campaign and the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative.
Source:

Tech Gets Personal

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 08:00:00 GMT

In March 2011, then-federal CIO Vivek Kundra spoke about a future where federal employees could forgo a work phone and laptop and fulfill all their job responsibilities using their personal technology. But while this might make life simpler for employees, the consumerization of IT is creating a lot more work for IT professionals, according to a new report.

Source: