The New Orleans Police Department plans to install automatic license plate readers throughout the city. Police consider the investment in the new technology, used elsewhere in Louisiana, as a “down payment” on public safety. The cameras will allow police to mine a large database of license plate images and identify and track suspects.
The Center for Digital Government announced the 2016 Digital Cities Survey winners. The annual survey, now in its 15th year, honors cities that use tech to improve citizen services, enhance transparency, and encourage citizen engagement.
Taser International, a maker of stun guns and body cameras, met with police officials last week at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in San Diego regarding a drone armed with a stun gun.
Seven weeks ago the Peoria (Ill.) Police Department and Peoria County Sheriff’s Office began testing the new Integrated Ballistics Identification Systems to help solve crime. The Federally funded IBIS equipment examines the unique characteristics of shell casings and compares the casings to others stored in the national database.
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.
The City of Philadelphia’s Parks and Recreation Department dispatched two employees six months ago to hike the city’s 223 miles of public parks and photograph the trails with a Google Trekker device.
The city of Atlanta is one of 60 partners joining the Department of Energy’s Better Communities Alliance and is committed to delivering energy efficient and sustainable solutions.
U.S. cities with higher populations are more likely to rank smart city initiatives as a high or medium priority, according to a survey recently released by the International City/County Management Association and the Smart Cities Council.
