An app designed to help drivers avoid traffic proved helpful during a recent deadly flood. Traffic data from Waze helped government officials and first responders in Louisiana during Baton Rouge’s flooding in August. Esri announced a partnership with Waze and local governments on Oct. 12 to encourage more states and cities to use roadway data for similar projects.
One in two American adults is in a law enforcement facial recognition database, which has the potential to disproportionately affect people of color, according to a report released by the Center for Privacy and Technology at the Georgetown University law school. A coalition of 52 civil liberties groups wrote a letter to the Justice Department, expressing their concern that facial recognition systems disproportionately affect communities of color.
The Barnacle, a parking enforcement tool launched this summer, is latching onto cars with multiple parking violations in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Allentown, Pa.
PredPol uses data analytics on crime types, crime location, and crime date and time to tell police when and where to patrol, which is twice as accurate as maps that only plot past crimes, according to the company.
The Miami-Dade County Police Department is spending at least $2.6 million to deploy ShotSpotter, a technology that detects the sound of gunshots through sensors, after an unsuccessful pilot trial in 2013.
North Carolina legislators seek to limit the public’s access to police video recordings. A law effective Oct. 1 excludes police body and dashboard cameras from the public record. The law allows only people involved in the case to review it–at police discretion. For those not involved in the case, including media, protesters, and activist groups, viewing the footage will require a court order.
Boston’s Office of Emergency Management upgraded the city’s emergency notification system, AlertBoston, based on citizen feedback.
As support for marijuana legalization grows across the country, police departments are looking for new ways to detect if drivers are under the influence of the drug.
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will mobilize 911 emergency services at the insistence of the Federal Communications Commission
As policing methods come increasingly under fire by the public, cities across the country are looking to digital methods to improve outcomes and bolster public trust. By 2030, the typical North American city will rely heavily on Artificial Intelligence technologies for public safety and security, according to a recent report from Stanford University.
