Programs
Rural Law Enforcement Technology Center (RULETC)
The Rural Law Enforcement Technology Center (RULETC), a specialty center within the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) system, began operation in the fall of 2001. The RULETC, located in Hazard, Kentucky, works in partnership with the nation’s small and rural law enforcement and corrections agencies to upgrade their current resources by providing responsive technology assistance and information dissemination. The RULETC is located in a state-of-the-art facility and maintains an advisory council comprised of law enforcement officials from throughout the United States.
Currently, the RULETC administers three activities/projects:
- Outreach
- Capacity Building
- Surplus Property Program.
For more information on the RULETC, please contact Director Rod
Maggard at:
101 Bulldog Lane
Hazard, Kentucky 41701
Toll-free: 866-RURAL LE
Phone: 606-436-8848
Fax: 606-436-6758
E-mail: ruletc@aol.com
URL: www.justnet.org
Outreach
Information Dissemination/Technical Assistance
Since its inception, the RULETC has served as an information
clearinghouse for small and rural law enforcement and corrections
agencies. The RULETC disseminates various publications relating to
technology availability, performance, durability, reliability, safety,
ease of use, customization capabilities, and interoperability. Through
the RULETC national advisory council, technology is distributed to
determine usefulness. Furthermore, the RULETC’s staff works diligently
to attend conferences, trade fairs, and other meetings to gather
information about technologies that may assist their clients.
Additionally, the RULETC provides technical assistance to help agencies
determine the most appropriate and cost-effective technology to solve an
administrative or operational problem. By combining the NLECTC staff
expertise and drawing upon the many contacts that the RULETC has made,
practitioners are provided with an expedient, knowledgeable answer. Two
examples of the RULETC outreach initiatives include the (1) Mobile
Technology Demonstration Program, and the (2) Virtual Technology
Officer.
Mobile Technology Demonstration Program
For years, the National Institute of Justice and other organizations have conducted technology fairs for the public safety community where advanced technologies are demonstrated and current information is disseminated. These fairs have been overwhelmingly successful in serving practitioners at those events. Many of the nation’s public safety personnel, however, serve in small and rural communities with agencies that do not have adequate resources to allow officers to travel to these events. Beginning in Spring 2003, the RULETC enabled this technology and information to reach small and rural communities through the Mobile Technology Demonstration Program.
In conducting this program, the RULETC’s staff continues the NLECTC’s information dissemination/technical assistance mission by providing outreach at a grassroots level. The mobile system (housed in a 33 foot, triple axle trailer) is able to reach those agencies that do not have the resources to be represented at major trade conferences or technology fairs, but still encounter the same problems as their larger counterparts. Acting as honest brokers, the RULETC staff listens to the practitioners, and provides information on best practices or demonstrates technologies that are applicable to practitioner problems. Furthermore, referrals are made to other NLECTC centers that specialize in the agency’s problem areas. For more information on this program, contact Rod Maggard at 606-436-8848 or RULETC@aol.com.
Virtual Technology Officer
The RULETC has contracted with iLearning, Inc., to implement a Virtual Technology Officer site for a pilot period. The pilot project has created a website, branded to the RULETC, with content categories for home, learning center, and community, and allows for the delivery of live events on various topics of interest to the law enforcement community. The site can be accessed at http://gateway.ilearning.com/ruletc/.
For more information on this project, please contact Dr. Doug Dailey at 606-436-8848 or at Ruletc3@aol.com.
Capacity Building
One of the NLECTC System’s goals is to provide capacity building by demonstrating the latest technologies and techniques to address operational issues, such as crime and intelligence analysis, geographic information systems, explosives detection and disablement, inmate disturbances and riots, and computer crime investigation.
Since the grand opening of the RULETC facility in October 2002, the RULETC has hosted numerous events for various organizations. Additionally, the RULETC has hosted a variety of training courses for law enforcement officers. Agencies including, but not limited to, the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), National Center for Forensic Science, and Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training (DOCJT) have conducted capacity building at the RULETC.
Goals
- Disseminate distributed learning tools
- Leverage existing capacity building activities
- Sponsor/Conduct a series of forums on homeland defense for small and rural communities
- Offer capacity building program on drug detection technology
- Offer capacity building program on crime mapping and geographical profiling
- Sponsor RULETC Advisory Council members travel to Association of Chiefs of Police, the Corrections Technology Association, the National Sheriffs Association and other small and rural law enforcement conferences
- Offer capacity building program on methamphetamine lab identification, containment, processing and dismantling
- Offer capacity building program on electronic tools for criminal investigation
- Create a program to identify and evaluate software that would have an application for small and rural law enforcement agencies
- Offer capacity building programs using firearms training simulators.
Surplus Property Program
The 1033 Program (formerly the 1208 Program) permits the Secretary of Defense to transfer, without charge, excess U.S. Department of Defense personal property (supplies and equipment) to state and local law enforcement agencies. The 1033 Program has allowed law enforcement agencies to acquire vehicles (land, air, and sea), weapons, computer equipment, body armor, fingerprint equipment, night vision equipment, radios and televisions, first aid equipment, tents and sleeping bags, photographic equipment, and much more.
The RULETC, working with the NLECTC-Southeast, has acquired surplus property for numerous law enforcement and corrections agencies throughout the United States.
National Advisory Council
The RULETC will convene the national Rural Law Enforcement Advisory
Council (RAC) at least twice annually. The Council provides guidance in
the identification of rural law enforcement key national level issues
and considers agenda and action items for the upcoming year. The Council
will continue to play an active role in providing outreach between
agencies, commercial vendors, and Federal technology resources, and
serve as a policy board in identifying public safety technology needs,
program priorities and operational requirements of the public safety
community for Executive Board consideration.
The Council will continue to work closely with the RULETC in supporting
the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Center System (NLECTC), the
Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Advisory Council (LECTAC) and
its Technology Working Groups (TWGs). The JSC will participate in these
meetings and will work with RULETC to incorporate the RAC’s feedback
into the Center’s strategic planning.
Technical Working Groups
RULETC will sponsor Technical Working Groups focused on core competencies of the Center’s areas of expertise: Cyber Crime, Sensors and Surveillance, and Information Technology. These groups will provide operational requirements, not priorities and recommendations, technical direction and identify policies associated with specific programs that have broad significance affecting state and local agencies. These groups will be composed of persons within the public safety community, scientific research community and private industry. These groups will convene independently, and meet on an as needed basis to identify specific requirements and define policy issues relating to the use of emerging technologies. These groups will be aligned with RULETC’s technology-focused areas and will direct the evaluation of technologies for specific applications within the Center.
Support the Annual Technology Conference
To assist the NIJ/OS&T Annual Technology Conference efforts, the RULETC will provide the following services at the conference display booth to showcase the new technology RULETC:
- Materials – Develop and produce informational materials on RULETC to distribute at the Conference Workshop.
- Outreach Presentations – Both RULETC staff and JSC staff will give presentations on rural law enforcement technology topics and key issues.
- Project Presentations – Both RULETC staff and JSC staff will provide project presentations and/or demonstrations.
Publications and Dissemination of Materials
The RULETC staff will continue to enhance and expand the public safety community’s awareness of the RULETC, its programs and services by maintaining a high profile outreach program throughout the country. Each year, the RULETC has reached out to hundreds of law enforcement agencies throughout this country and even in other countries. RULETC and JSC will continue networking through established channels, identifying and establishing new partnerships and channels of contact, publication of articles and documents, public speaking at formal and informal meetings, actively participating with practitioners in mutual problem and identification and resolution. The RULETC and JSC propose to develop and update the following marketing materials:
- Updated brochures and compact discs (CDs) of the RULETC with information on upcoming activities and projects that will be undertaken in the next year.
- NIJ Publications – RULETC will contribute to various NIJ/OS&T publications throughout the year.
- Electronic Newsletters / Bulletins – The RULETC will pilot test an electronic newsletter highlighting ongoing projects and activities. This newsletter will be made available electronically on the RULETC web page and by list serves to RULETC constituents.
- Database – A Database of Rural Law Enforcement Agencies will continue to be developed and used for various list serves, mailings, and research activities.
- Staff from RULETC and JSC will continue to participate in Conferences and Technical Forums.
Technology Demonstrations
Outreach and project staff will continue to review scientific, engineering, and technical data. They will attend appropriate technology conferences in order to identify emerging technology solutions for public safety problem solving. Staff will continue to serve as a conduit for information from practitioners as to their needs for technology. RULETC and JSC staff will travel to small and rural law enforcement agencies throughout the United States to provide technology and capacity building demonstrations on the following technologies:
- Cyber Crime
- Sensors and Remote Surveillance
- Training Technologies for Small and Rural Law Enforcement
- Drug Detection
- Demonstration and Evaluation of Public Safety Technologies
- Information Sharing
- DNA Evidence Collection
- Critical Incident Planning for Schools
- Spanish for Law Enforcement
- Emergency Response to Terrorism for First Responders
- School Safety
- Interoperability
- Regional Command Operations
Content Development for JUSTNET
The RULETC will work closely with the NLECTC-National in continuing to provide the following information to the JUSTNET system and CAPTURENET implementation:
- Web site development
- Identify technical assistance focus areas
- Describe technical assistance program
Outreach Activities
During the next year, the RULETC and JSC will continue to provide a focused nationwide outreach and marketing program. The purpose of the outreach program is to:
- Continue to inform rural law enforcement of the RULETCs capabilities and proposed program areas and acquire a better understanding of the rural law enforcement stakeholder.
- Provide ongoing identification of rural law enforcement needs and expectations
- Provide ongoing identification of key rural law enforcement technology issues
- Continue to develop RULETC capabilities and solutions based upon rural law enforcement needs and expectations
- Continue to develop and maintain relationships of trust with rural law enforcement agencies.
The RULETC, through new and existing activities, will continue to expand the RULETC stakeholder network, identifying rural law enforcement needs and key issues. Additionally, the RULETC and JSC will continue to foster partnerships that have been made with national level law enforcement and corrections organizations such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the National Sheriffs Association (NSA), the National Center for Rural Law Enforcement (NCRLE), the American Correctional Association (ACA), American Jail Association (AJA) and the Corrections Technology Association (CTA) and other key organizations throughout the country. Finally, the RULETC will continue to initiate outreach activities at local conferences and meetings that are routinely attended by rural law enforcement personnel.
The RULETC will continue to expand the distribution of the NIJ Tech Beat
publication and other NIJ and NLECTC reports and publications.
In accomplishing the mission of the NLECTC, the RULETC will:
- Contribute to television, magazine, newspaper, and journal articles
- Present relevant technical papers within the proper forums
- Conduct briefings and presentations
- Participate in seminars and technology fairs
- Organize technology demonstrations to be distributed electronically
- Engage in projects that will assist small and rural law enforcement agencies
- Develop and distribute CD’s on various law enforcement and corrections topics.
- Support of Regional Community Technology Alliances and Partnerships
- Collaborate with other funded agencies (UNITE)
- Rural Agricultural Crime Unit (California)
- Colleges and Universities (Brigham Young)
- Sandia National Laboratories (DOE)
- Oak Ridge National Laboratories (DOE)
- High Impact Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA)
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF)
- The Center for Rural Development (Somerset, KY)
For more information on these programs, please contact Kevin Vermillion
at 606-436-8848 or at vermilk@yahoo.com
