Winter 2014   

In This Issue
End of Windows XP
New VA2 Update

Visit our website

MetroAlert wants
your patch!
MetroAlert would be
proud to display your department's patch
at our office. If you would like to put your patch on display, please send it to:

MetroAlert
435 Devon Park Drive
Bldg 500, Suite 510
Wayne, PA 19087


Welcome new users!
Among departments that have recently installed Visual Alert:    

Archbald Borough PD

Bridgeville Parking Authority

Cass Township PD

Conyngham Borough PD

Dickson City PD

Jackson Township PD

South Toms River (NJ) PD

Sykesville Borough PD

 

Contact Us
metalert@metroalert.com

Toll free: 
800-658-5716
Local:
610-296-7450

435 Devon Park Drive, Bldg 500, Suite 510,
Wayne PA 19087 

Google Map

Internet Explorer 11 causing issues
in sending crash reports to PennDOT

MetroAlert was recently made aware of issues in sending crash reports to PennDOT. These issues were tracked to Microsoft's Internet Explorer 11. (Problem notification - https://connect.microsoft.com/IE/feedback/details/808279/ftpopenfile-and-internetwritefile-broken-changed-in-ie11.) At this time, Microsoft has not issued a hotfix for the problem. Modifying Visual Alert code will not resolve the issue. Our official workaround is this: Uninstall Internet Explorer 11, which rolls you back to the previously installed version of Internet Explorer. See step-by-step instructions below. This will enable you to send crash reports without any issue. Look for Microsoft to provide an update soon that will allow anyone requiring this functionality to use Internet Explorer 11. Until then, use a prior workable version.

 

How to check which version of Internet Explorer you are running:

  1. Open Internet Explorer
  2. Click on Tools (or the Gear Symbol)
  3. Click on "About Internet Explorer"

Instructions for rolling back Internet Explorer:

  1. Open the Control Panel
  2. Click on "Programs and Features" (may be called "Add/Remove Programs" if you are using an older version of Windows)
  3. Click on "View Installed Updates" in the left pane
  4. Right-click on "Windows Internet Explorer 11"
  5. Select "Uninstall"
  6. Restart your computer when prompted

When the computer reboots, it should be running the previous version of Internet Explorer. If you do not feel comfortable doing this procedure, please contact your IT provider.

 


Get current with Windows before
April 8 to avoid risk exposure 

 

Are you still running the Windows XP operating system? After April 8, 2014, Microsoft will no longer provide new security updates, non-security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support options or online technical content updates.

 

Running Windows XP SP3 in your environment after the end-of-support date can expose your department to potential risks, such as:

  • Security & Compliance Risks: 
    Unsupported and unpatched environments pose security risks. This may result in an officially recognized control failure by an internal or external audit body, leading to suspension of certifications, and/or public notification of an organization's inability to maintain its systems and customer information.
  • Lack of Independent Software Vendor (ISV) & Hardware Manufacturers Support:
    An industry report from Gartner Research said "many independent software vendors (ISVs) are unlikely to support new versions of applications on Windows XP." Gartner Research further noted that back in 2012, most PC hardware manufacturers stopped supporting Windows XP on the majority of their new PC models.

Get current with Windows.

This option has upside well beyond keeping your operating system supported. The current operating system offers more flexibility, empowering employees to be more productive. It also increases operational efficiency through improved PC security and management. Plus, it enables your organization to take advantage of the latest technology trends, such as virtualization and the cloud. 

 

For more information, please click on the link below:

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/enterprise/endofsupport.aspx 

 

Visual Alert Version 2
Update 2.17.0 available now 

 
Version 2.17.0 is available for download. To download the update and the instructions for performing the update,

click here. Below are highlights of the modifications made in this Release. For a complete list of modifications, please visit the HELP Menu in your Visual Alert Version 2 software.

 

Two new accident reporting features

  • VA2 and EZ Street Draw Accident Diagramming Software. MetroAlert and A-T Solutions are proud to announce their partnership using MetroAlert's RMS and the EZ Street Draw Accident Diagramming Software used when entering PennDOT Crash Reports. If a department already has EZ Street Draw installed, then nothing else has to be done. VA2 will open the EZ Street Draw Accident Diagramming Software and the officer can directly go and create the crash diagram. The diagram will be saved to MetroAlert's Multimedia folder as a Crash Diagram and will be submitted to the state along with the crash report.For details, please email support@metroalert.com or call 800-658-5716 option 3.
          
  • VA2 and CARFAX solution. MetroAlert has announced a partnership with CARFAX to provide an integrated accident reporting solution for law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Customers using Visual Alert 2 will save time because accident reports entered into the RMS are then transmitted to CARFAX via the Internet. For details, please email support@metroalert.com or call 800-658-5716 option 3.  
Version1Visual Alert Version 1
Update 1.16.739 available now

Version 1.16.739 is available for download. To download the update and the instructions for performing the update, click here. 
Police Movie Picksmovie

2 Guns
Starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg           

At first glance, 2 Guns may seem wise-crackingly familiar as a police buddy movie. But it has loads of star power with Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, and that takes it to another level. The two actors, of course, are no strangers to police films, with Washington winning an Oscar for Training Day, Wahlberg nominated for The Departed, and combined credits that include such favorites as Fallen, Inside Man and Broken City. In 2 Guns, they play undercover agents trying to infiltrate a drug cartel, and at the same time trying to entrap each other. Washington plays a DEA agent and Wahlberg a naval intelligence officer and each character is unaware of the other's alliances. This provides a neat plot twist, and builds a tension of distrust that gives the action real edge. And there is plenty of action. Based on the comic books of Steven Grant, 2 Guns is graphic and loud, with many shootouts and explosions and a tolerance for violence that earned the movie a deserved R rating. The plot involves a plan to fleece the cartel of $4 million, but it soon ranges wildly beyond that, involving $50 million belonging to the CIA, betrayal on top of betrayal and corruption at every turn. All the while, though, Washington and Wahlberg look like they're having a hell of a good time, and their unlikely chemistry makes 2 Guns a fun and satisfying success.  
 
bookPolice Book Pick

The October List

By Jeffery Deaver         

 

Reading Jeffery Deaver's The October List is like working a Columbo police case. You start at the end, and then work your way back to learn what exactly happened - and why. For some in law enforcement, that may seem a little too much like work, but for readers looking for something different, The October List is both a challenge and a reward. It begins with a woman named Gabriela waiting with a friend for news of her kidnapped 6-year-old daughter. "At last, the door opens. But it's not the negotiators. It's not the FBI. It's the kidnapper. And he has a gun." As Deaver takes you backward through the case, it turns out there actually is a mysterious "October List," and Gabriela has been given an ultimatum to find it within 30 hours or never see her daughter again. Needless to say, there are many twists and turns in this backward-is-forward tale, and even though you're in on the game, you will be led to make false conclusions and get thrown off track. Deaver is incredibly good (devious?) at this, and while everything he reveals at any point is true, he always leaves you grasping for another piece of the puzzle. The pieces do eventually come together, and readers who resist the temptation to turn to the end early will get their just reward.

Police Hero Pick
Those who go above and beyond ... 


On any day in law enforcement, the routine can turn heroic in an instant. Take the case of Police Officer Scott Krissinger, who was patrolling Sunset Boulevard in Cape May, New Jersey, one recent night and came upon a truck stalled on the side of the road, flames and smoke pouring out from under the hood. He had "a million things going through my head," he told NBC40 TV, but he didn't hesitate. He sprinted to the truck and ripped open the driver's door, getting blown back by the heat and smoke. Then he lunged inside and got hold of the driver, a 61-year-old man who had lost consciousness in the cab. But as shown in footage from his dashboard camera, Krissinger wasn't done. After pulling driver Gerald Ferrill to safety, he ran back to the passenger's side and yanked that door open to make sure no one was still inside. "He didn't hesitate," Cape May Police Captain Rob Sheehan said later. "He's a hero in every sense of the word." Though Krissinger admitted he "couldn't see anything" each time he went into the smoke, he was reluctant to call himself a hero. "I think any of the officers at the Cape May Police Department would've done the same thing," said Krissinger, who has seven years on the force. "I think there are heroes every day. I just happened to be caught on camera doing it."

(Sources: Huffington Post, CBS News, NBC 40)

perpPolice Perp Pick

When they make our job easy ...    

 

It's true punks sometimes get what they deserve. But they usually don't get brought down for bad fashion choices. In Brooklyn not long ago, New York police were left smiling after 21-year-old Joel Donaldson got caught with his pants down. Or rather, he was caught BECAUSE his pants were down. Donaldson's undoing began in the middle of the afternoon when he got the bright idea to punch a woman in the face and steal her cell phone near the Brooklyn Criminal Court. It was a classic punch-and-run until Donaldson started to make his getaway. Almost immediately his droopy jeans started to slip down and he couldn't get up to speed. With his victim calling for help, "he was zigzagging all over the place, but he couldn't run because his pants was falling down," witness Arlene Williams said. "This cop saw it, and he went right after him.'' Donaldson's pants were around his ankles when he was caught by the officer, who made the apprehension by snagging the droopy drawers to trip him. Not surprisingly, Donaldson was charged with robbery. No word on his crimes against fashion.

 

(Source: New York Post)
perpPolice Photo Pick

When it is worth 1,000 words ... 
Rough neighborhood...
(Source: www.ClumsyCrooks.com)  
800-658-5716   news@metroalert.com   www.MetroAlert.com
Email newsletter management by Hollister Creative