Thought leadership on information technology for public safety, justice, and homeland security.
Words matter. Concepts matter. We tend to create what we conceptualize. In this era of agentic AI and other innovations, it is important to define the concept of a CJIS and articulate the principles on which it should be built.
Continue ReadingIt is often the lead in articles or essays about the trajectory of criminology to cite the evidence of a paradigm shift in how the criminal justice enterprise responds to crime trends. However, one paradigm has totally outgrown its origins and is a candidate for dismantling rather than shifting.
Continue ReadingThe proliferation of video evidence from body-worn cameras, surveillance systems, and citizen smartphones is transforming how the criminal justice system investigates crimes, prosecutes offenders, and adjudicates cases.
Continue ReadingThe traditional perimeter-based security model is no longer adequate for protecting justice information systems in an era of cloud computing, mobile devices, and sophisticated cyber threats. Zero trust architecture offers a more robust approach.
Continue ReadingThe National Information Exchange Model has been a cornerstone of information sharing in the justice and public safety communities for nearly two decades. As we look to the future, NIEM must evolve to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing technology landscape.
Continue ReadingPredictive analytics tools are being deployed across the criminal justice system to forecast recidivism, identify crime hotspots, and guide resource allocation. These tools offer significant promise, but also raise serious concerns about fairness and accountability.
Continue ReadingCloud computing offers significant opportunities for public safety agencies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations. But realizing these opportunities requires careful attention to security, privacy, and governance.
Continue ReadingAfter two decades of effort to improve information sharing and interoperability in the justice and public safety communities, what have we learned? The lessons are both encouraging and sobering.
Continue ReadingThe digital age has created unprecedented challenges for privacy in the justice system. As agencies collect and share ever-larger volumes of data, the potential for privacy violations grows, and the need for robust privacy protections becomes more urgent.
Continue ReadingIn the late 1990's, the Office of Justice Programs in the U.S. Department of Justice conducted a series of focus groups of justice practitioners on the general topic of information technology and the needs of the field.
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