Homeland security technology bolsters Gasparilla safety | Florida Statesman

Homeland security technology bolsters Gasparilla safety

TBO.com Monday 24th January, 2011

TAMPA - Cpl. Doug Pasley stared at his digital map of the city and clicked on city hall, schools and other targets considered "critical infrastructure." All of Tampa's ongoing calls for law enforcement service were mapped on his computer screen, allowing him to determine trends and find hot spots where crime was occurring or likely to occur. Though the information primarily is used for homeland security, law enforcement will enlist it to plan and protect along the route of the annual Gasparilla parade Saturday. "It's really helping us keep the pulse on the parade, on those crowds," Pasley said. A U.S. Department of Justice grant brought the technology, known as Risk Analysis Center, to police in 2003. In past years, data was generated on computers but the technology still required phys...

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