Drone Vandalism Has Arrived
It appears we have now entered the era of “robotic graffiti”, which is a term I was not aware of until a few days ago when I read the term on Wired and The Next Web.
Wednesday morning, KATSU, a well-known graffiti artist and vandal, used a Phantom brand drone to paint on model Kendall Jenner’s face on one of New York City’s largest billboards.
Read MoreInfographic: Citizens and Police Connect With App
Citizens Are Using Apps To Connect With Police
The My Police Department App recently reached over 200 partner agencies! We have had increased inquiries from citizens and agencies over the past few months. As police and the public continue to connect with technology, there is a growing demand for information. We thought it might be time to view some stats and decided to have an infographic created with our My Police Department app stats. We thought it would be interesting to display our police app information in a visual format.
Read More2015 Police Innovation Conference
The 2015 Police Innovation Conference dates and location have been announced.
The 2015 Police Innovation Conference will be October 5th and 6th 2015 at the Microsoft New England Research and Development Center, or NERD as it is known locally. The NERD is located in Cambridge Massachusetts in the heart of East Coast technology.
There is also an open call for proposals this year. You can learn more at this link http://policeinnovationconference.com/call-for-proposals-speakers/
Read MoreApp crime tips from citizens lead to arrests
More police departments are getting crime tips from concerned citizens through smartphone apps, facebook, or their websites. We provide app and web forms for law enforcement agencies to receive these crime tips. Additionally we provide forms for feedback, questions, and commendations. The great thing about these forms are that they are secure and anonymous for the user.
While we don’t always hear about many tips that come in to departments we recently found two articles about citizens using police apps to send in crime tips. The first story is about our popular MyPD app which we have now partnered with over 200 agencies to provide to the public. The app provides everything an agency needs for a nominal cost. http://peabodypolice.org/app-tip-from-citizen-leads-to-heroin-arrest/
The second article is about the New Castle County Police Department app which is an app we created in 2013 for the agency. http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/crime/2014/10/08/crime-tip-app-leads-drug-arrest/16921703/
Read MorePolice Chief Magazine Article
Police Chief Magazine covers My Police Department App
The My Police Department app and WiredBlue were featured along with others in the August 2014 issue of Police Chief Magazine. As you might know we are in the process of giving the MyPD app a few design and additional features. The article briefly touches on a few of the things we are adding to the app. We are very close to releasing the new version and are proud that IACP Police Chief Magazine thought to cover our work.
Read MoreLive Oak Police Connecting With Citizens
Live Oak Police Connecting With Citizens
The City of Live Oak Texas Police have been partnering with us and providing the My Police Department app to their community. One great thing I have noticed about Live Oak is that they are really engaged with their community and good at promoting resources like their MyPD app to the public.
Here a local news channel covers their app and its use by the public. “We as a department felt we have to be more connected with the citizens” Sgt. Kent Iglesias
The department has a great relationship with the community and really understands how to promote their resources and connect with citizens. They have even won awards voted on by the public.
“In April 2010, the department received the Best of the Metrocom distinction from the readers of the Northeast Herald. This is a tribute to the department as no other law enforcement agency has received this award before. The award was made possible by the hard work and dedication of all police employees.” From City of Live Oak Website
The employees and Officers in Live Oak Texas are doing some wonderful things and really seem to care about their community.
By Peter Olson
Read MoreSupreme Court Will Rule If Police Can Search Cell Phone After Arrest
The Supreme Court announced today that they will review two appeals of criminal cases involving persons convicted of crimes based on evidence found on their cell phone after they had been arrested.
As of now each state has different (or no) rules about the cell phone search of arrested individual. For example I live in Massachusetts where police officers or detectives must obtain a search warrant to view the contents of an individuals phone. If you want to view the map of where you live or other states, you can check out this map from Forbes
In Florida this year the Florida State Supreme court ruled that police needed search warrants to explore the content of the phones. Appeals courts in Florida had ruled that warrants were not needed based on other US Supreme Court rulings, saying “The (U.S.) Supreme Court has clearly and repeatedly found that anything found on an arrestee or within an arrestees immediate control may be searched and inspected upon arrest,” the appeals court said. There’s no reason to except cell phones, the 1st DCA said.
But Justice Lewis, writing for Florida’s Supreme Court’s majority, said a cigarette pack containing drugs that was the focus of the Robinson case was very different from a modern smart phone.
“That case clearly did not involve the search of a modern electronic device and the extensive information and data held in a cell phone,” Lewis wrote. “When Robinson was decided, hand-held portable electronic devices in the form of cell phones containing information and data were not in common and broad use. Further, in recent years, the capabilities of these small electronic devices have expanded to the extent that most types are now interactive, computer-like devices,” Lewis continued. “Vast amounts of private, personal information can be stored and accessed in or through these small electronic devices
As GigaOm writer Jeff John Roberts pointed out “The cases also reflect how quickly phone technology is evolving, and its implications for privacy. In one case, the evidence at issue is a call log that a cop obtained from a simple flip phone. The other case involves photos and videos taken from a smartphone that were used to establish that the phone owner was a gang member; the cop in the case also found evidence that every entry in the contact list that started with “the letter K were proceeded by the letter “C,” which gang members use to signify “Crip Killer.”
I am sure many police chiefs and officers prefer to have the Supreme Court make this ruling and avoid future confusion. Since many states have yet to rule on cell phones warrants, and as technology continues to become more entwined with our personal lives, it seems as though this and other technology cases will continue to make their way to the country’s top court for clarification.
The cases are due before the court in April.
By Peter Olson
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