MULTI-AGENCY CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS FIRST RESPONDER TECHNOLOGIES

Department of Justice Showcases Through-the-Wall Imaging Technology

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs (OJP), in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Defense (DOD), is holding its 10th Annual Technologies for Critical Incident Preparedness Conference and Exposition October 29th – 31st in Chicago. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), OJP’s research and development component, is leading the effort for DOJ.

This unique three-day conference is expected to draw 1,200 attendees and 150 exhibits, and bring together key leaders and decision makers--offering responders, business and industry, academia, and federal, state, tribal and local stakeholders a unique forum to network, exchange ideas, and collaboratively address critical incident technology and preparedness needs and solutions. 

"Law enforcement and emergency responders recognize the importance of being on the forefront of understanding new and emerging technologies," said Jeffrey L. Sedgwick, Assistant Attorney General for OJP.  "This event provides us and our Federal partners the opportunity to reach the emergency responder community and bring to light the technology and training tools vital to their mission.”

NIJ will showcase “through-the-wall” imaging technologies as well as “ready-to-deploy” forensics laboratories.  “Through-the-wall” technologies are valuable in hostage situations as they allow for law enforcement to detect and track offenders through walls using radar, ultra-sound, or magnetic sensors.  “Ready-to-deploy” forensics laboratories can be easily transported for quick response to mass casualty disasters, and currently supplement jurisdictions that require greater crime lab capacity.

“Federal coordination on disaster response is crucial,” said David Hagy, Director of NIJ. “When an incident occurs, our agencies need to be on the same page to respond effectively.”

Additional information on the conference agenda and registration information is available at the conference website, www.ctc.org.

The Office of Justice Programs, headed by Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey L. Sedgwick, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP has five component bureaus: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the Office for Victims of Crime. Additionally, OJP has two program offices: the Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed strategy, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART). More information can be found at https://ojp.gov.

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