Nov 06
What do you get when you outfit a Caterpillar forklift with a gigantic telescopic arm, remote controls, and the ability to bully both vehicles and houses smaller than itself? The LAPD’s ultimate bomb disposal tool: BATCAT.
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Oct 28
It sounds like something straight out of Batman or James Bond’s arsenal, but police officers in St. Petersburg, Florida are testing a vehicle-based cannon that fires GPS tracking devices at cars. The idea is that instead of continuing a dangerous high-speed pursuit, they’d just tag a vehicle they’re chasing and then track its location from a safe distance.
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Oct 11
They come bearing satellite TV. Brazil’s Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais, or BOPE, is an elite force of military police who often specialize in urban operations in Rio’s slums—or favelas. As the World Cup and the Olympics approach, BOPE forces are appearing more and more often. And their techniques are evolving.
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Sep 28
Microsoft outlines 66,539 account requests from law enforcement during first half of 2013
Posted in: Today's Chili
We’ve covered various transparency reports before, but now the whole notion takes on a different feel in our post-PRISM world. Microsoft’s latest report details that it received 37,196 requests from law enforcement agencies between this January and June, which impacted 66,539 of its accounts. Seventy-seven percent of those requests were for data like a user’s name, IP history and billing address, and with 21 percent of requests, no data was disclosed at all. However, in 2.19 percent of queries by law enforcement, Redmond disclosed “at least some” customer content. What does that mean? Well, the company’s definition includes the subject or body of an email, photos stored in SkyDrive and address book info. According to the document, the info was all obtained via lawful warrants and court orders.
While National Security Letters also fall under the guise of law enforcement requests — which primarily come from the FBI in order to obtain records such as phone numbers and email addresses — Microsoft is only allowed to publish these statistics on an annual basis. Hence, they’re absent this time around, and will be published in the company’s next Law Enforcement Requests Report. To see just how deep the rabbit hole goes, do check out the source. We suggest putting on a pot of coffee, though — it’s not a quick read.
Filed under: Internet, Microsoft
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Microsoft
Sep 21
NYPD has a message for you iPhone and iPad folks pic.twitter.com/cxzHLpgh60
— Jim Rosenberg (@jimrosenberg) September 21, 2013
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Aug 19
Ok Glass, you can hear the cop now. Take a picture of that license plate. Try: Ok Glass. Record a video of this five alarm fire. Or even: Ok Glass. Search: gunshot wound treatment. It doesn’t take much imagination to realize that Google Glass could be a valuable tool for first responders. And now, the first app has popped up that could make it a reality.
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Aug 19
Google Glass Gets An App To Power The Cyber Cops And Futuristic Firefighters Of Tomorrow
Posted in: Today's Chili
Google Glass has lots of potential applications beyond just making it easier for people to check out their Twitter feed without taking their phones out of their pockets. Mutualink is demoing one such app today at APCO, a conference for public safety communications, with its Glass App for police, firefighters and first responders.
The app would allow public safety officers and officials to communicate in real-time via streaming video from the scene, as well as to receive and view key documents, including things like building schematics, medical records of victims, live feeds of security cameras in the area and more. It’s the ultimate on-demand intel platform for agents working in the field, and a way to stay in contact with HQ and other organizations even when radio systems won’t talk to each other.
Of course, there could be privacy concerns with such an app. Recently, news came out that NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other officials in the U.S. oppose the idea of police body cameras, suggesting they’d be open to all kinds of dangerous interpretation. Mutualink says its solution emphasizes agency control of media and recording on glass, so privacy would be in the hands of the cops and other officials using them and should be protected.
A tactical heads-up display being used by safety officers is a natural fit for Glass, and as the enforcement agents would be using the head-mounted computer as part of their uniform, they wouldn’t have to worry about looking like idiots, so this could be a place where Google actually finds some long-term adoption. Mutualink is also already a service provider used by NATO Special Operations Forces, homeland security, police and fire departments, so it has the relationships in place to make this happen.
It’s not Robocop, but it’s a step closer. Worst downside I could see is a risk for information overload, and this will probably require a lot of training before it sees field use, but it’s at least worth exploring whether or not this could help really save lives.
Aug 13
Earlier today, students at California State University, Long Beach were asked to evacuate and/or take shelter after reports that there was an "armed gunman" on campus. People were told to, "lock and blockade doors, close blinds, silence cell phones and remain calm." Scary. Luckily, there wasn’t a shooter though. It was just a guy carrying his Samsung Galaxy Phone.
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Jul 31
Wondering what West Virginia and Britain have in common? This. After hearing that a bill in WV would outlaw Google Glass for motorists in the state, a new report from Stuff suggests that the United Kingdom is considering something comparable. A Department for Transport spokesperson was quoted as saying the following:
“We are aware of the impending rollout of Google Glass and are in discussion with the Police to ensure that individuals do not use this technology while driving. It is important that drivers give their full attention to the road when they are behind the wheel and do not behave in a way that stops them from observing what is happening on the road.”
He went on to affirm that a range of penalties already exist in order to punish drivers who aren’t “paying proper attention to the road,” and while a law has yet to be passed targetting Glass specifically, it certainly sounds as if that type of modification is on the table. Silver lining? North Korea has yet to issue a similarly depressing condemnation of the headset.
Filed under: Transportation, Wearables, Google
Via: Cult of Android
Source: Stuff
Jul 19
Police on patrol live and breathe situational awareness. Even in the safety of their patrol cars, cops can’t let their guards down. Now, a new feature developed by Ford and InterMotive Inc. lets officers know when pedestrians are approaching from behind — and puts the vehicle in lockdown. This car will cover your six.
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