The Public Safety Stakeholder

A little over three years ago the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) created the Local Law Enforcement Dashboard, a web-based clearinghouse of information on a criminal subject's history. It is accessible by cooperating local, state and federal law enforcement and consolidates more than 90 different existing databases into a single platform. Users can find all types of background information that exists on a person in a matter of minutes, rather than taking the time to search each separate database.

The Dashboard is an ever-evolving law enforcement tool for Maryland, making public safety efforts more efficient than ever before. The Information, Technology and Communications Division of DPSCS has been hard at work making improvements to Dashboard since it launched in 2008. Recent enhancements include facial recognition software and a new communication tool for the Division of Parole and Probation.

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believing in human capital

Correctional Education Teachers Receive Well-Deserved Recognition

Two Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation employees who work at Maryland prisons as educators have been honored for their dedication to their students.

Diane King, a teacher at Eastern Correctional Institution (ECI) in Westover, is WMDT's (Channel 47) Teacher Who Makes A Difference for January 2011. The station surprised her in class during February. ECI inmates nominated King for the honor, with more than 20 signing a nomination letter they sent to the station. In the letter, inmates said, "Without her, most men here would likely falter, but she keeps us going and gives us goals to shoot for and finally obtain."

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public safety works

Spring Tree Planting Will Bring DPSCS to One Million Goal
Tree plant machine

Spring is right around the corner, which means the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) will soon begin our final tree planting effort in our promise to utilize inmate labor to add one million trees to the Maryland landscape. Under the O'Malley Administration's Smart, Green and Growing initiative, DPSCS has been working with the Department of Natural Resources and State Highway Administration to arrange funding and locations that would improve our sustainability, while also allowing offenders the chance to give back to society and learn valuable work skills.

Crews began planting on Arbor Day in 2008 and through the end of fall 2010 had reached the half-way mark. The remaining 500,000 seedlings are slated for counties across Maryland starting in March.

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Dashboard Improvements Aid Law Enforcement continued

A facial recognition feature in Dashboard adds a totally new dimension of use for law enforcement. The system already consolidates photographs on an individual - whether for instance a mug shot from arrest, an intake photo when entering a state prison or their registry photo taken for the Sex Offender Registry - in one spot on Dashboard so law enforcement can easily see all images available.

The facial recognition feature now allows a user to upload a photo, which in turn will be matched against all photos in the database for possible similarities. For the first time Maryland law enforcement can systematically match suspect photos to a myriad of existing, identifiable images - leading to faster identification and subsequent action.

In an effort to connect law enforcement directly to the Division of Parole and Probation (DPP), a feature soon to be unveiled on Dashboard is a direct mail form that allows the user to quickly send a message to DPP Intel officers should the user have pertinent information about an offender they have just looked up. DPP's Intel Team members will ensure that the information is relayed to the supervising agent.

In addition, this feature can be used by law enforcement to ask questions about a DPP offender under supervision. It is just another way for law enforcement to communicate with DPP and enhance overall communication between public safety agencies.

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Correctional Education Teachers Receive Well-Deserved Recognition continued

King started teaching at ECI in 2007.

ECI's Diane King

Across the state at the Maryland Correctional Training Center (MCTC) , Kenneth Allen, a plumbing instructor, will rewrite a National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) textbook used by students across the nation. Allen, who has worked at MCTC since 1998, applied to rewrite the text after a recent audit of his class. "The auditor that came out was so impressed with the curriculum ... they suggested I apply to get involved in rewriting the books," Allen said.

Allen started teaching after having worked as a licensed plumber in the construction field. Teaching, "felt like more of a calling to me," he said.

He now teaches about 15 students at a time, in six-month intervals. Each inmate takes 600 hours of instruction and leaves the class with enough certification and skills for an entry-level job. "They realize that it's a very lucrative trade once they get into it. They realize their lives can be so much more than running from the law all the time. They pursue this," Allen said.

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