Government

New technologies help police ID crooks

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By YANJIE WANG
Capital News Service
LANSING — Be careful. If you have a criminal record, are pulled over by police and happen not to have a driver’s license, you might be identified in a minute through a mobile fingerprint device. And someday your body odor and voice may be near-immediate give-aways of your true identity. So called biometric technology, including fingerprint recognition, is not something new since it’s been used since the 1980s. But the 1-1/2-year old Biometrics and Identification Division of the State Police makes Michigan the first state to have a separate office working on criminal justice biometrics.

Education

State police, universities work to increase safety

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By SILU GUO
Capital News Service
LANSING – The State Police is working with several universities on research and training programs such as criminal identification technology, traffic safety and homicide investigation. For example, through one project, State Police would be able to match a suspect’s name, hometown and criminal history from its database to a sketch provided by a witness or even the position of a suspect’s tattoo. Anil Jain, a professor in Michigan State University’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering, said the recognition system is able to match fingerprints, images and videos from a low-quality camera, DNA and tattoos. “This has not been done before,” he said. “We would not able to design it without cooperating with the State Police.”
Jain said the State Police advises his team and provides records of physical characteristics for the database.

Nonprofits & Social Services

Questions remain about legal services for the poor

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By YANJIE WANG
Capital News Service
LANSING — Lawmakers have taken a step toward standardizing legal representation for low-income people accused of crimes. The proposal by Rep. Tom McMillin, R-Rochester, would establish an independent Michigan Indigent Defense Commission to issue minimum standards to ensure the constitutional rights of defendants who cannot afford to hire a lawyer. “We have to be more ensuring that there is a reasonable defense for the indigents,” McMillin said. According to a recent report by a state advisory commission, problems in the current system include a heavy workload for lawyers, lack of independence and lack of experience among those handling complex cases. Meanwhile, each county determines what level of service is adequate and how each county will fund it.