NIJ Journal Issue No. 238

• NCJ Number: 184425
• Journal: National Institute of Justice Journal Issue: 238 Dated: January 1999 Pages: 1-40
• Author(s): Tom McEwen; Lois Pilant; Christopher H. Asplen
• Date Published: January 1999
• Length: 42 pages
• Publication Series: NIJ Journal
• Grant Number(s): 95-IJ-CX-0083
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Issue Overview

Annotation

This issue of the National Institute of Justice Journal contains three articles on topics of interest to law enforcement professionals.

Abstract

The first article describes the National Institute of Justice’s program to enable police to participate as equals with researchers. Under Locally Initiated Research Partnerships, the partners share responsibility throughout the course of the project, jointly selecting a topic of interest to the police department and collaborating on the research design, its implementation, and interpretation of the study findings. An article on law enforcement technology describes a Texas program to reduce the time needed to document police procedures such as issuing tickets for DWI. The Texas Department of Public Safety has equipped patrol cars with the ALERT computer system. This system allows the officer to control all patrol car functions with a single device, videotapes all actions from four perspectives around the vehicle, and reduces to 2 hours paperwork that would customarily require 4 hours of the officer’s time. A third article describes the responsibility of the National Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence to ensure more effective use of DNA as a crime-fighting tool and foster its use throughout the criminal justice system. Figures, notes