Law Enforcement Magazine.com

Prioria Robotics welcomed representatives from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office to view a demonstration of the Maveric® unmanned aircraft system (UAS) on Monday morning. Maveric is a small UAS with impressive features such as bendable wings, onboard processing, image stabilization and target tracking. It is considered a next-generation UAS because of its unparalleled abilities, rugged composition and modular payload structure.
“We are proud to be able to present the Maveric to local law enforcement,” said Derek Lyons, vice president of sales and marketing for Prioria. “With the FAA Reauthorization bill allowing UAV access for first responders, the Maveric can be that extra set of eyes in the sky, offering a perfect tool for law enforcement.”
Two of Maveric’s six available payloads were demonstrated to officers: the thermal infrared and the digital gimbaled cameras. The thermal IR camera payload detects heat signatures in objects, especially useful when searching for cars or people. The digital gimbaled camera is a 10 megapixel camera that provides 360 degrees of steerable coverage and allows for continuous zoom.
“The digital gimbaled camera is advantageous because it allows you to zoom in to a high level of detail on an object of interest,” said Lyons.
Prioria was formed in 2003 with a focus on embedded systems designed to perform sophisticated surveillance and security tasks. With Maveric’s debut in 2008, Prioria has continued to build upon the company’s original focus with Maveric’s success as a next-generation UAS.

During January 2012, the United States Supreme Court issued a ruling which required law enforcement personnel to obtain a search warrant prior to installing a GPS unit or similar tracking device on a vehicle.  In this case (U.S. v. Jones) the court held that “the Government’s attachment of a GPS device to a vehicle, and its use of that device to monitor the vehicle’s movements, constitutes a search under the Fourth Amendment.” As such, any use of a GPS tracker without first having a judge issue a search warrant violates the constitutional rights of the driver and by extension, the rights of any passengers in the vehicle as well.

Previous case law such as Arizona v. Gant, which limited the scope of a vehicle search incident to arrest of the driver and Miranda v. Arizona, requiring all suspects to be advised of their right to remain silent and the right to counsel prior to questioning, have impacted the manner in which law enforcement operates. The decision in Jones will also affect the investigative process, perhaps most significantly in the counter-drug arena since these cases tend to utilize GPS units and tracking devices at a greater frequency that other types of investigations.

Although a search warrant authorizing the legal installation of a GPS device on a vehicle is now required per Jones, there are exceptions to this ruling, just as there are exceptions under Gant and Miranda.  Perhaps the most common exception to Jones, would be consent.  Consent to install a GPS unit on a vehicle can be given by the owner, non-owner or any other individual who demonstrates joint access or control of the vehicle.  Under the consent exception, reasonable suspicion or probable cause of criminal activity is not necessary.

Another common exception under Jones involves vehicles entering the U.S. at a port of entry along the international border. Federal agents, not state or local officials, are allowed to install a tracking device on a vehicle that just entered the U.S. from another country (Canada or Mexico) and can monitor the vehicle for 48 hours without a search warrant or reasonable suspicion. The United States Department of Justice stated that the 48 hour time frame is not based on any constitutional precedent but believes it is defensible under the Fourth Amendment. However, if monitoring of the GPS exceeds 48 hours it is suggested that case agents obtain a search warrant.

There is also a public safety exception to Jones.  If law enforcement officials can articulate a serious and imminent threat to life or the general public, and that the tracking of a vehicle is essential to guard against that threat, then it is not necessary to have a search warrant for the installation of a tracking device. Only reasonable suspicion, and not probable cause, is required under this exception.

In addition to the exceptions listed above, exigent circumstances may exist which obviate the need for a search warrant. For example, imminent destruction or loss of evidence, the imminent flight of a suspect, or a threat to the safety of officers or to a member of the public, all meet the criteria for this exception. However, probable cause and not mere suspicion must be present under the exigent circumstance exception.

There are also exceptions to the search warrant requirement for GPS devices installed on airplanes, rental cars, commercial vehicles and even for tracking vehicles abroad. These exceptions are less common than those previously mentioned but it is important to know that exceptions exist for most situations that law enforcement officials may encounter. Therefore, it is essential that investigators who anticipate using a tracking device first familiarize themselves with the exact requirements for each type of conveyance in which a GPS unit might be installed.

Because operational concerns and the specifics of each investigation will vary significantly from case to case, you should contact your respective Departmental Counsel, Deputy District Attorney or AUSA in your particular jurisdiction for additional guidance.

–Rob Von Kaenel

A prison officer, who has survived one of the most outrageous attacks on prison staff in the UK, is now recommending cut and slash resistant tops to help protect his colleagues.

Craig Wylde, who was brutally assaulted at Frankland High Security Prison on 13th March 2010, strongly believes that the severity of his injury would have been significantly reduced if he would have been issued with cut and slash resistant t-shirts.

CPPSS Cut & Slash Resistant T Shirts

raig was left with a severed artery in his left arm after the incident, and is currently taking 30 tablets per day to cope with the physical and psychological pains. Craig has also been diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

He is now very keen to campaign for an improvement of the personal safety of fellow prison and correctional officers around the world, suggesting that cut and slash resistant tops are a real option to help reduce workplace violence related cut injuries within this sector.

UK based PPSS Group are the world’s leading manufacturer of such type protective clothing.

Their CEO Robert Kaiser, his very passionate team and many prison and correctional officers from a number of countries say it without question that such type of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) makes unquestionable operational sense and would not restrict the wearer’s movement or restrict him in his duties.

“There is no doubt in my mind, concealable cut and slash resistant t-shirts, comfortably worn underneath a prison officers shirt, and not aggressive looking at all, will help reduce the risk of workplace violence related injuries within prison facilities”, claims Robert Kaiser.

He continues by saying: “What has happened to Craig Wylde has now happened.  He knows only too well that we cannot turn back the time.  However, we both feel very strongly that something must be done, otherwise we will soon look at another fatality within this sector, which could be prevented by the issuing of the right type of PPE”.

Robert Kaiser’s recent blog on this subject, titled ‘Prison officer recommends cut resistant t-shirts after surviving outrageous attack’ also features a product test video and survey link, and without doubt will start many new discussions on this subject.

PPE in general is not about eliminating the risk of workplace violence related injuries. It is all about reducing the risk within an environment where a risk has been identified.

Robert Kaiser and Craig Wylde are now both highlighting the risks prison and correctional officers are facing every day they go to work. They seem to be determined to ensure that the request by these professionals to be issued with correct PPE will not be ignored and not forgotten.

Need For Stab Vests Identified Following Assault On Prison Officer

Prison officers in New Zealand are appalled with their Corrections Department for saying stab vests are available after another prison officer was attacked at Rimutaka Prison last week.

More than fifty prison officers have now contacted the Corrections Association in New Zealand, demanding stab vests or some sort of body armour, understanding that prisoners are volatile and unpredictable.

“I strongly believe we must understand better, and remind ourselves that we cannot change the aggressive behaviour of some prisoners” Robert Kaiser, CEO of UK based PPSS Group comments.

“There is simply no doubt that a prisoner consuming drugs, illegal substances or self made alcohol can become hostile and violent within a split of a second, regardless of the prison officers excellent communication skill and calm personality”.

“The ideas to create make shift weapons, e.g. sharpened table and bed frame legs, shanks made out of plastic, sharpened wood or pieces of mirror, and the idea of melting razor blades into tooth brushes and turning pens and pencils into weapon have not been developed out of 5 minutes of simple boredom.  These ideas have been developed following hours and hours of malicious thought processes, and even the very best prison officer can one day be on the receiving end of such thought process”.

A recent publication of the American Correctional Officer once claimed that 33.5% of all assaults in prisons and jails are committed by inmates against prison officers.

According to official statistics obtained by the Howard League for Penal Reform show that recorded assault incidents in prison in England and Wales have risen by 61 per cent between 2000 and 2009.

Based on this statistic prison officers at Hindley Young Offenders Institution, the largest child prison in Europe, are particularly affected with assaults on staff up by an astonishing 967 per cent.

We all will remember too well the outrageous attack on prison officers at the Frankland High Security Prison in March 2010, almost costing the lives of two prison officers, and have to accept the fact this is not a country specific problem, but rather a serious occupational hazard across all countries.

Robert Kaiser states: “The fact is that prison officers deal with some of the most dangerous, violent and unpredictable people in our society on a daily basis, and this is why I suggest they have the simple right to demand appropriate protection and the undivided attention and support from those charged with ensuring their welfare and personal safety”.

It is a rather interesting fact that a police officer who deals with dangerous criminal individuals for only a very few minutes every day is by law required to wear protective equipment… but the prison officer charged with supervising the same individual, potentially for a number of years, is not being issued with any type of protective clothing at all.

Robert Kaiser has been part of numerous discussions and consultancy meetings with prison and correctional facilities in several countries and fully understands all concerns: ”In every single of these meetings the ‘non-confrontational design’ question has always been the centre point of these sometimes very passionate discussions”.

“However, I always seem to come back to the same point, explaining that design and manufacturing capabilities have evolved so much over the past years. Concealable, thin and lightweight blunt trauma stab vests, extremely well suited for prison officers, are now available”.

It is without question, that covert stab vests and similar type of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) will reduce the risk of workplace violence related injuries, and should this fact not be at least be worth starting an open minded discussion on the personal safety of prison officers?

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PPSS Group is a UK based manufacturer of certified covert bullet proof vests, stab proof vests and the company behind Cut-Tex® PRO.  This groundbreaking fabric is one of the world’s strongest cut resistant fabrics and is now being used to manufacture cut resistant clothing for police, military, prisons and private security firms all over the world.