This might seem like a scene from the movies, but in reality it is one of many new technologies under development for use in corrections by emergency response teams. Participants at the annual Mock Prison Riot in West Virginia last week had an opportunity to test out the usefulness and capabilities of several technologies including Clarifying Technology's video robot and got a whole new vision of what the future may hold for tactical teams in corrections.

"Twenty years ago people thought computers were a crazy idea. It's only the limits of the imagination that [influence technology for corrections]," said Diane Quinn, Corrections Technology Agent with the Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization, one of the sponsors of the Mock Riot.

These days not only are robots being developed for corrections use, but surveillance technologies, infra-red light devices, metal detection instruments and voice translators are also coming on the market for use in tactical operations.

The creators of these technologies hope that corrections personnel will visualize their use in a practical way and that their technologies appeal to the tactical goal of reducing harm to staff and inmates.

Technology for the Field

According to Mark Salaga, Director of Custody Operations for the New Jersey Department of Corrections, a successful and useful technology in corrections is one that serves as a force multiplier and can reduce the force needed in any given situation.

"A successful technology is something that you apply rather than overwhelm a person with physical force," he said.

With new technologies such as fiber optic surveillance equipment or hands free radio communications on the market, teams know that their effectiveness and safety can be improved.
 
But the one hindrance for most corrections agencies is the budget.

Without dollars to spend, agencies cannot bring these technologies into their facilities.

"No one has a ton of extra money lying around. You have to weigh the cost against the need. You have to say, How violent is your system? How prone to hostage situations is your system? How prone to violence is your system? before you spend $100,000 on something," Salaga said.

Mike Connor, Director of Sales and Marketing for Clarifying Technologies - the creator of the video robot - said he and his partner envisioned their technology being used in hostage situations by tactical teams and hope someday it will be.

"It could be used delivering a cell phone to a hostage taker. If a hostage taker is on a third floor, you can't just bust into a room. You have to get things to the hostage taker. That was previously thought [to be] inaccessible. Now you are not putting anyone in harm's way," he said.

Tim Reilly, Executive Officer of the Emergency Services Unit for the New York City Department of Corrections, said that many ERT members wish they could get their hands on the technologies they see and use at such trainings as the Mock Riot.

"Just about everything we could put into use, the problem is the money. You have to prioritize what you are going to use. The first priority is ballistic equipment and vests," said Reilly. "A lot of this is a substantial investment - then two years later it is outdated, like computers."

For a team like the 120-member tactical team of the New York Department of Corrections, purchasing stab-resistant vests weighs higher on the expenditure scale than a new metal detector, even if the device could be used immediately by the team.

But it is this type of technology that is likely to make it in the front door when an agency does have the funds to spend, according to Quinn.

Everyone is looking at prevention right now. More and more inmates are hiding things. In corrections, items getting in is a big issue," said Quinn. "Corrections has to put their money on things they can put into everyday use."

With this in mind, the technologists at the annual Mock Prison Riot tried to make an impression on those emergency response teams participating and teach them about how their technologies can make their jobs easier and safer. Their ultimate goal is to get those new devices on the inside of prison walls.

The Technologies: A Sampling

Voice Translator

Like many technologies for law enforcement and corrections, IWT's voice translator was first developed with a focus on the military. In fact, the hands-free device, which translates English into other languages, is currently being used by forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now in its fourth generation, the translator was tested by tactical teams at the Mock Riot in a scenario where Arabic-speaking inmates had barricaded themselves into a part of the prison recreation yard after a fight. The tactical teams used the translator in combination with an acoustic device to amplify the team's message and directions for the inmates.

"You go to a lot of [facilities] and they have people coming in with many different languages. There's a high need for translators and in a tactical situation you don't have the time to grab a translator," said Tim McCune, President of IWT.

McCune said that the translator has garnered new interest in recent years, possibly as the teams and agencies begin to realize the importance of communication with inmates who speak many different languages.

Vibrating Metal Detector

Torfino Enterprises showcased two technologies at the Mock Riot including its vibrating metal detector, Metal Tech 1400.

According to Nick Torfino, Vice President of the company, the detector's silent vibration notification gives tactical teams an advantage over the person they are scanning. But that is not the only feature of the product.

This device detects metal on all sides and requires only one finger to operate. Torfino explains that crevices such as under the arms are one area that can be easily searched utilizing this feature.

In addition, the Metal Tech 1400 provides density discrimination of metal object, meaning that the higher the density of the metal, the further away the detector will vibrate.

"Distance is key and once an officer becomes familiar with metal objects, they can determine if it is a small or large object," he said.

Another aspect of the device is its vibration signature. In addition to detecting on all sides, the probe end can be pointed toward an object, which sets a maximum detection point and helps to visually articulate the orientation and shape of an object.

Infra-red Flashlight

Torfino's infra-red flashlight, Ice Light, was also present at the Mock Riot and was tested by tactical teams there.

The hand-held Ice Light has 15 light-omitting diodes in the night vision spectrum. When wearing night vision goggles, team members can see an illuminated area where the Ice Light is deployed.

The light can also be set in flash mode, which can help teams determine who their members are if the light is carried in a back pack, for example. But the light can also illuminate a room for a team before they even enter.

According to Torfino, in a scenario at the Mock Riot a year ago, tactical teams were able to use the Ice Light to illuminate a room simply by throwing the lights inside.

Because the light's power button has to be held on for 10 seconds to turn the light on, team members can throw several into a room, knowing that they will not accidentally be shut off on impact.

"The light emits light on four sides, no matter where they fall. They allowed officers to see other team members and produced shadows on the wall so they could see people hiding [in the room]," said Torfino. "All [the inmates] heard was the click when they hit the floor."

Robot and Microphone Array

Clarifying Technologies showed Mock Riot participants this year its wall-climbing robot, which uses a patented impeller to create negative pressure underneath the device and allows it to defy gravity.

The 7 inch x 10 inch robot has two sets of wheels that are independently driven and have a special rubber tread that helps to pull it up a wall, according to Connor.

Mounted on the robot is a color camera that is attached to the end of a boom. The robot can be driven so that it can hover in one place, employ the boom and pan the camera to look into a window or over a wall. Connor said the robot, which was originally developed under a government grant, is still undergoing some adjustments to its drive train and camera.

Another technology on display by the company was a microphone array that can pick up and amplify sounds from several hundred feet away.

According to Connor, the microphones can be configured in any arrangement and can be concealed easily. The 24 microphones spaced three inches apart are wired to a small processing board and are battery operated.

"You create an audio pick-up pattern that is perpendicular to the microphones and then point the beam toward the target. In a real quiet parking lot we picked up intelligible conversations 150 feet away," he said.

Connor suggested that tactical teams could also use the array in a yard disturbance or a visitation room where the microphones could be mounted on the wall. In a disturbance the array could be pointed down from a wall toward the area where inmates have gathered to determine what is being said before a team moves in.

Connor said the microphones will also pick up the different noises in a loud disturbance and therefore the device may require audio processing to produce a clear conversation for analysis.

Under Vehicle Surveillance

Tactical teams at the Mock Riot had several chances to test under vehicle surveillance devices including one by Zistos Corporation.

According to Zistos President Bob Levine, the surveillance system is unique in that it comes in a kit with interchangeable parts that teams can use as they need them.

"Our philosophy is based upon the fact that these guys are responding and they don't know what they need until they are on scene. They assess the scene and pull out what they need. Our stuff is flexible," said Levine.

The kit has one display unit with different camera technologies that attach to it including one piece that allows teams to look under doors or under cars and another with thermal imaging capabilities.

According to Levine, corrections agencies that use the device have been able to detect contraband in places that they could never access before.

Because it is submersible, the camera can see inside toilets, as well as see on top of window ledges and inside vents.

The system can also be used in tactical situations such as those practiced at the Mock Riot.

Levine said in one scenario at the Mock Riot last year, a tactical team flooded a cellblock with a tear gas-like substance and then used the camera attachment on a 14-foot pole to gain intelligence about where the inmates were located inside the block.

"One of the critical things in these situations is intelligence," Levine said. "They knew where the inmates were and could come up with a strategy based on where they were going to find the people."

Levine said that the device has been used in both military and tactical applications and has evolved based on feedback from those in the field, including the teams at the Mock Riot.

It is just this kind of input and communication between teams and technologists that officials at OLETC want to foster to increase the kinds of technologies that are available to corrections.

"A lot of people who never thought about [corrections] as a market have realized that what law enforcement uses, corrections uses. It's officer safety no matter where you are at," said Quinn of OLETC. 

For corrections officers, they get a chance to directly impact the development of a product that they may use inside their prison or jail in the future and make it fit their needs.

"Technology only enhances manpower. There will always be people. What technology does is make them able to do their job more effectively an efficiently," Quinn said.

Resources:

OLETC - www.oletc.org

IWT - http://www.i-w-t.com/

Clarifying Technologies - www.clarifyingtech.com

Zistos Corporation - http://www.zistos.com/

Torfino Enterprises - http://www.torfino.com/