Microsoft has developed a small computer tool that police can use to easily pull forensic data from computers used in crimes.

The device is called COFEE ( Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor ) and it is a USB “thumb drive” that has been tested by a small group of law-enforcement agencies since June 2007.

COFEE contains 150 software commands that cut the time required to gather computer evidence. Computer forensics is becoming more important in both real-world crime, as well as cybercrime. The tool can also break passwords; analyze a PC’s internet activity and other computer activities.

COFEE also eliminates the need to seize an entire computer, which typically involves disconnecting it from a network, turning off the power and possibly losing electronic data in the process. The portable device allows investigators to can scan PC’s for evidence on site.

More than 2,000 police officers and investigators around the world are using the tool, which Microsoft is providing for free.

Lisa Johnson, head of the Special Assault Unit in the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said, “So many of our crimes today, just as our lives, involve the Internet and other digital evidence,” further noting that “A suspect’s online activities can corroborate a crime or dispel an alibi.”

Source: nwsource.com

Last Wednesday the FBI made a public request for new laws that would give federal police increased powers to monitor “illegal activity” on the internet.

The request from FBI Director Robert Mueller came during a House of Representatives Judiciary Committee hearing. It seems to go beyond the current plan to monitor traffic on federal-government networks.

Mueller suggested that the FBI should have widespread oversight to monitor and conduct surveillance of private-sector networks too.

Mueller said the surveillance should include all Internet traffic, including .mil, .gov and .com website domains.

It is unclear whether “illegal activity” would be limited to dealing with internet crimes like denial-of-service attacks, spam, phishing and botnets, or would also include the monitoring of other illegal activities, like online gambling, the distribution of pornographic images or selling prescription drugs without a license.

Source: News.com

The US federal government will start collecting DNA samples from anyone arrested by a federal law enforcement agency. The DNA samples will be collected with a cheek swab.

Congress has also granted federal law enforcement agencies the power to collect DNA samples from foreigners who are detained for any reason, even if they have not been charged with a crime.

The new policy is a departure from the current practice that limits DNA collection to convicted felons.

Justice Department spokesman ErikAblin said the new DNA collection is subject to the same privacy laws that are applied to current DNA sampling. None of of the DNA samples will be used for identifying genetic traits or diseases.

Congress has given the Justice Department the authority to expand its DNA collection through two laws passed in 2005 and 2006.

There are dozens of federal law enforcement agencies. Estimates put the total number of federal arrests at about 140,000 per year.

Federal officials estimate the new collecting policy will add DNA samples from an additional 1.2 million people to the database each year.

Supporters of the expanded collection say that DNA sampling could get violent criminals behind bars and stop them from committing additional crimes.

A 2005 Chicago study found that 53 murders and rapes could have been stopped if a DNA sample had been collected upon arrest.

The American Civil Liberties Union believes that the new law will allow the government to collect and store DNA samples of people who are not guilty of any crime.

However, if a person is arrested but not convicted of any crime, they can request that the Justice Department destroy the sample and remove their information from the DNA database.

Source: Yahoo.com

According to a Reuters report, the Miami police department could be the first to use a new spy-in-the-sky technology to monitor people and fight crime.

The new spy technology is the creation of Honeywell International and uses a pilotless flying drone that can hover, “stare” at and video record people using infrared sensors.

The Miami spy drone is expected to start test-monitoring areas of the Florida Everglades in the near future, but first it must be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Once approved, the spy drone will likely be used in the city of Miami for full-fledged crime fighting activities.

Miami Police spokesman Juan Villalba said “Our intentions are to use it only in tactical situations as an extra set of eyes.”

The wingless Honeywell spy drone fits inside a backpack and can takeoff and land vertically. It is ideally suited for use by SWAT teams in hostage situations.

The US military has successfully used similar manless spy drones in Iraq and Afghanistan and law enforcement officials have been interested in using the same technology to fight crime in US urban areas.

The CIA admits that it developed a dragonfly-sized spy drone known as the “Insectohopter” for laser-guided spy activities as far back as the 1970s.

The use of these drones in US cities raises numerous safety and privacy concerns.

“You don’t want one of these coming down on grandma’s windshield when she’s on her way to the grocery store,” said Doug Davis, program manager for the FAA’s unmanned aerial systems.

Privacy advocates say rules and laws need to be created to protect civil liberties during surveillance operations.

Source: Reuters

Here is an interesting news clip, featuring an interview with RateMyCop.com founder Gino Sesto and police officer Kevin Martin from Fox News.

When criticism of public officials and law enforcement officials is silenced, what you effectively have is a police state.

Wired.com’s Threat Level blog has posted a piece about web hosting provider GoDaddy.com’s removal of a police-watchdog website called RateMyCop.com.

RateMyCop.com allows people to rate and post opinions on the uniformed police officers in their community. The controversial site is trying to restore service after GoDaddy.com stopped providing service to the site in light of criticism from law enforcement officials.

GoDaddy.com has given conflicting excuses for its decision to remove RateMyCop.com, which does not do much for the credibility of a major web hosting provider.

Rate My Cop founder Gino Sesto says he was given no advance notice from GoDaddy about the suspension of service.

Police departments were bothered by RateMyCop’s plans to watch police officers in January, when the Culver City, California, startup began issuing public information requests for lists of uniformed officers.

The website has been online since February 28th. It stores names and, in some cases, badge numbers on 140,000 cops in approximately 500 police departments, and allows users to post opinions about the police they’ve dealt with.

The site does not list information on undercover officers and does not list personal information on police officers like home phone numbers or residential addresses.

Officers can also use the site to respond to posted criticisms.

A GoDaddy spokeswoman stated that the company wouldn’t comment on the issue due to its privacy policy. Sesto is currently arranging web hosting with another company.

The site is currently live @ RateMyCop.com.

Source: Wired.com

Here is a YouTube.com video from CNN’s report on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s plans for a billion dollar expansion of their criminal records database to make it “bigger, better and faster”.

The FBI’s criminal records database currently contains 55 million records on terrorists, criminals and other people. The expanded criminal database will add people’s biometric information like iris patterns and facial recognition records - personal physical information that is being called “Next Generation Identification”.

Privacy experts worry that the criminal database is going from a criminal tracking and identification program to including large numbers or ordinary citizens.

You can watch the CNN report in the YouTube.com video clip below -

A growing number of people, business owners and police departments are using YouTube.com videos to fight crime and capture alleged criminals.

According to a recent NPR.org article, a cigar shop owner in Mesa, AZ recently uploaded a security camera video recording of two people that stole two Seiko watches from his store, in an effort to embarrass and catch the thieves. The shoplifter video was viewed over 30,000 times.

Eventually, local law enforcement caught the culprits, when the stolen watches were found at a pawn shop not far from the cigar store where they were stolen. Although it is unclear if the YouTube.com video played any role in the capture of the shoplifters, it highlights a new form of citizen crime fighting, using video sharing and social networking sites.

In another story, the Johnson City Police Department in Tennessee claims to have successfully used YouTube.com video clips to catch wanted criminals.

You can view one of the Johnson City Police Department wanted criminals videos below –

Crime videos are some of the most popular online video clips and routinely generate thousands of views, making them one more useful tool in catching criminals.

FOXNews.com is reporting on a bizarre FaceBook.com group that encourages police officers to post stories of their police car collisions that involve pedestrians.

The FaceBook.com POLCOL ( a term used by officers to refer to Police Collisions ) group has over 300 members and allows member officers the opportunity to share POLCOL stories in which a pedestrian has been hit and even upload photos of their damaged vehicles.

A The group stories and picture postings has prompted an internal investigation from London’s Met Commissioner, as a number of the posts allegedly involve British police officers.

You can view the FaceBook.com POLCOL group ( with a FaceBook account ) @ Yes I have had a POLCOL.

Source: FOXNews.com

Here is a bit of unusual law enforcement news. The Associated Press is reporting that hot pink Hello Kitty armbands will be used in Bangkok Thailand to punish police officers who break the law. The offending police officers will be required to wear Hello Kitty armbands around the office as a mark of shame and embarrassment.

From the article –

Thai police officers who break rules will be forced to wear hot pink armbands featuring “Hello Kitty,” the Japanese icon of cute, as a mark of shame, a senior officer said Monday.

Police officers caught littering, parking in a prohibited area, or arriving late — among other misdemeanors — will be forced to stay in the division office and wear the armband all day, said Police Col. Pongpat Chayaphan. The officers won’t wear the armband in public.

The striking armband features Hello Kitty sitting atop two hearts.

“Simple warnings no longer work. This new twist is expected to make them feel guilt and shame and prevent them from repeating the offense, no matter how minor,” said Pongpat, acting chief of the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok.

“(Hello) Kitty is a cute icon for young girls. It’s not something macho police officers want covering their biceps,” Pongpat said.

He said police caught breaking the law will be subject the same fines and penalties as any other members of the public.

Source: Bad Thai cops to endure Kitty shame