Links to selected items concerning government operations posted on the Internet during the week ending July 26, 2024

Accela Acquires Permit Tech Company OpenCounter from Euna  OpenCounter, known for its permitting and licensing portals, was one of the original six companies to form the company now called Euna Solutions. Now, OpenCounter will join a fellow permitting-focused company in Accela. READ MORE

Ada County, Idaho, Takes Dispatch Offline Amid Cyber Concerns  The Ada County Sheriff’s Office spotted “unusual activity” and “proactively” deactivated computer-aided dispatch. Officials are working with third-party cybersecurity and data forensics consultants to investigate. READ MORE

Amazon Names New Cohort of Government, Tech Cloud Leaders  The move comes as the e-commerce giant’s Amazon Web Services continues to gain more footing in the public sector. Meanwhile, gov tech accelerator CivStart provides an update of its own work promoting innovation. READ MORE

Apple and Nashville Seek Out the Future of 911 Tech  The looming release of iOS 18 promises to bring improvements to emergency call handling and dispatching. Nashville, meanwhile, has begun using a new 911 call platform designed to make life more efficient for emergency call takers. READ MORE

 

Are Miami’s Active Shooter Drills Making Schools Safer?  Some experts believe that active shooter drills that aim to simulate a real-life situation can often traumatize participants. But the chief of the Miami-Dade Schools police says they’re helpful for officers to learn.  READ MORE

Attracting and Empowering Today's Top Talent  Staff shortages, heavy workloads, and outdated technology hinder teams, leading to poor service. Frustrated workers leave, forcing governments to train new hires in a tough job market lacking essential job perks. DOWNLOAD

Box Office Boon or Taxpayer Boondoggle? The Payoff of State Film Tax Credits  Audits in a number of states have found that tax incentive programs for film and TV end up as money losers. Although some states are considering capping their programs, more are expanding theirs.  READ MORE

Calif. Earmarks $10.4M for Key Step in Payroll Modernization  The money, allocated by a budget trailer bill, will enable the California State Payroll System Project to hire a system integrator. The initiative, underway since 2016, will replace a significant piece of legacy. READ MORE

California Law Would Safeguard Public Against AI Risks The proposed bill is the Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act. It would regulate “development and deployment of advanced AI models,” in part by creating a new regulator, the Frontier Model Division. READ MORE

Cameras With AI Shoot for Early Fire Detection in Hawaii  The Hawaiian Electric Co. has begun installing high-resolution video cameras with artificial intelligence technology, to spot ignitions early in areas near its equipment that have elevated fire risk. READ MORE

Can Human-Centered Design Help Rebuild Trust in Government?  States are investing in ways to incorporate the end user's experience into digital services, looking at how people truly use platforms and how to improve them. Some say it’s what government should have been doing all along. READ MORE

Chattanooga Makes Technologist Jerele Neeld Permanent CIO  The Tennessee city has affirmed Jerele Neeld as chief information officer, roughly four months after he became its interim CIO. Neeld joined Chattanooga in January after a career in the private sector. READ MORE 

Cloud Procurement: Myths and Opportunities With the expiration of emergency procurement provisions, many agencies have returned to traditional procedures after a period of unprecedented flexibility and rapid delivery of cloud-based services. But government IT leaders may have more latitude to take advantage of cloud-based solutions than they realize. This thought leadership paper debunks common misconceptions about cloud procurement and outlines strategies for simplifying procurement processes. DOWNLOAD

Cops and the Perils of ‘De-escalation’ Talk instead of fight: It’s a crucial tool for police officers confronting people in crisis. But too often when it isn’t working, a reluctance to use non-lethal force leads to a shooting. What’s needed are better training and a cultural shift. READ MORE 

Customer Experience and Accessibility Collide  From principles of human-centered design to adhering to web accessibility best practices, the new issue of Government Technology explores what it takes to make online government truly work for all residents. READ MORE

Cybersecurity Update Causes Worldwide Microsoft Outages  A flawed update for cybersecurity software from the company CrowdStrike caused many Windows machines to crash. Around the globe, hospitals, airlines, 911 services, banks and others reported disruptions. READ MORE

Dallas Auto Thefts Coming Down After Record-Breaking 2023  Texas ranked 10th in the nation for auto thefts per capita last year and Dallas had the fifth-highest number of car thefts among U.S. cities. But early data from this year reports that thefts are down by about 7.25 percent so far. READ MORE

Dallas Ransomware Attack Exposed Info for 200,000 People  More than 200,000 people nationwide had their Social Security numbers, medical information, health insurance details and other data exposed during a Dallas County ransomware attack last fall. READ MORE

Dallas Will Combine Departments to Save $1.3M  The merger will combine departments that oversee zoning and permitting, the 311, non-emergency line, real estate deals and workforce challenges. At least one office is eliminating 5 positions. READ MORE

Enhancing Government Services with Payment Innovations  In this fast-paced digital era, the expectations of constituents are evolving at an unprecedented rate. However, attempting to constantly keep up with shifting experiential standards is a costly, time-consuming, and nearly impossible task for billers. Maintaining a positive customer experience is key to keeping call volumes down, customer satisfaction scores high, and ensuring constituents are willing to make desired actions like signing up for paperless billing and AutoPay. DOWNLOAD

EV Chargers Gaining Ground at California Curbs, Apartments  GreenWealth Energy and Voltpost will expand low-speed, dwell charging at multifamily housing locations and curbside, to make electric vehicles a more workable solution for renters and people with lower incomes. READ MORE

Exploring Next-Gen Citizen Services — ICYMI  Granicus CEO Mark Hynes outlines the role of technology in modernizing government services and discusses strategies for enhancing citizen engagement and participation. READ MORE

Farmers See Benefits of AI in Agriculture, but Urge Caution  Advocates say that artificial intelligence has the potential to streamline agriculture tasks and help make farming greener. But there are still concerns about wasting time sorting through data and protection of privacy. READ MORE

 

FBI Revamps Criminal Justice Data Security Policy  Revisions to the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Security Policy affect all entities who have access to that data, including education departments, police, vendors and more. READ MORE

First Course Served, N.J., Partners to Broaden AI Training  The state announced the release earlier this month of a course on using generative artificial intelligence, for public-sector staffers in New Jersey and elsewhere. More coursework is coming later this summer. READ MORE

Florida Drivers Enjoy Faster, Better Identity Verification Modern identity technology strengthens fraud protection for the state’s online motor vehicle portal and saves residents a projected 157,000 hours of friction annually. READ MORE

Getting Connected: How Wide Is the Digital Divide?  Buoyed by unprecedented federal funding as well as a widely accepted understanding that Internet is a fundamental part of modern life, states and cities confront the remaining obstacles to getting everyone online. READ MORE

Henderson, Nev., Taps Russell Nelson as Acting Director of IT  The city’s former Director of IT Alyssa Rodriguez has been appointed chief infrastructure officer/assistant city manager. Russell Nelson, now acting director of IT, had been Henderson’s deputy CIO for more than a decade. READ MORE

Homeless Camp Cleanups Aren’t a Permanent Solution  A study by Rand Corp. found that homeless encampment cleanups across Los Angeles saw immediate reductions but within a month or two, the numbers went back to the former level. READ MORE

How Contact Centers Can Innovate Without Disruption  Contact centers are essential to creating a satisfying customer experience (CX) for government agencies and their constituents. In this Government Technology Q&A, Jerry Dotson, vice president of public sector, Avaya Government Solutions, explains how the right CX platform lets government organizations implement new contact center technologies easily and efficiently. READ MORE

How to Navigate IT Challenges in Government   The public sector faces some unique challenges when it comes to IT management. Here’s what government IT organizations are doing to tackle problems and deliver a great user experience. READ MORE

If AI Puts Everyone Out of Work, Is UBI the Solution?  The company behind ChatGPT funded a three-year research program on the impacts of universal basic income. It found that the extra income allowed participants to be more selective about career choices and have more time for leisure.   READ MORE

Illinois Has Already Had 100 Tornadoes, Double Annual Average  On Monday, July 15, Chicago issued 16 tornado warnings, the most sent on a single day since 2004. In an average year, the state only experiences 50 tornadoes annually. But as the air becomes more humid, tornadoes will become more common. READ MORE 

Inside Minnesota’s Dollar-Driven Cyber Defense Tool  Minnesota’s new cybersecurity tool translates cyber risk into dollars and cents, empowering agencies to make data-driven decisions that protect critical assets and optimize security spending. READ MORE

Like Election Systems, Voter Registration Must Be Cyber Secure  Panelists in a recent webinar discussed how bad actors might want to tamper with voter registration databases — and how election offices around the country have been working to stay resilient against threats. READ MORE

Los Angeles Courthouses Close for Ransomware Recovery  The Superior Court of Los Angeles County was hit by ransomware Friday, disrupting “many critical systems.” The courthouses remained closed Monday as the jurisdiction worked to recover from the cyber attack. READ MORE

 

Maryland Is on Track to Process Nearly 50 Years of Rape Kits  A new law extends the state’s sexual assault evidence protections to cover DNA samples. But getting justice in hundreds of cold cases will require more than just testing, survivors say. READ MORE

 

Massachusetts Doles Out $7M for Cybersecurity  The Municipal Local Cybersecurity Grant Program is doling out nearly $7 million to cities and towns, regional school districts, and other local governments within the state. READ MORE

Miami: The Under-Appreciated Urban Success Story  Florida’s once crime-ridden metropolis has forged a new identity in the 21st century.  READ MORE

Omaha’s New $27M Juvenile Jail Might Never Open  A year after the controversial project’s completion, the Douglas County Youth Center remains empty. Even with that, there are more kids in custody than beds in the county’s controversial detention center.  READ MORE

Philly City Workers Return to Dirty Offices, Missing Desks  Under a new mandate, city workers returned to the office full time last week. However, about a dozen workers described the chaotic transition that included animal droppings, missing desks and ongoing construction. READ MORE

Prepare for Your Mission With Verizon Frontline Get the tools, technology and 5G you need to prepare for the mission ahead. LEARN MORE

 

Ransomware Remains a ‘Brutal’ Threat in 2024  Several recently released cyber industry reports show steady or growing ransomware numbers in 2024 so far, and impacts on business and government have never been greater. READ MORE

Red-State Cities and Suburbs Are Becoming More Diverse  The swing states of Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania are changing — and fast. READ MORE

San Diego’s Growth Plan Aims to Reverse Racial Segregation  If approved, the changes would be the first major amendments to the city’s general plan since 2008. Blueprint SD would change zoning across the city to reverse decades of racial and ethnic segregation. READ MORE

Self-Service, Automation Driving Public-Sector IT Innovation  Learn how the convergence of self-service and automation in public-sector IT enhances efficiency for government agencies — streamlining access to services, freeing up resources and fostering innovation.  LEARN MORE

Shouldn’t Officials Who Oversee Their Own Elections Be Able to Recuse Themselves?  Few states have laws and guidelines for such an apparent conflict of interest. A new report provides a framework for decision-making and legislation.  READ MORE

Small City, Big Potential: How One Ohio City Is Tackling AI  Grove City, Ohio, has taken a cautious, intentional approach to regulating artificial intelligence. An AI policy enacted late last year specifies implementation of AI-powered tools is approved on a case-by-case basis. READ MORE

South Pasadena, Calif., Police Take Entire Fleet Electric  The South Pasadena Police Department is now comprised of 20 Tesla vehicles, a transition that is nearly complete. As electrifying fleets rises in popularity, the force is among the first in the nation to go all electric. READ MORE

States Work to Make Digital Services Accessible for All  With a new requirement from the Department of Justice looming, state and local governments must make their digital services accessible for people with disabilities, but not all are starting from the same place. READ MORE

The Escalating Argument Over Historic Preservation The movement to protect historic buildings seemed unbeatable for decades, but it has spawned sophisticated, well-funded critics — and critics of the critics. Is it really “a good idea that has gone too far”? READ MORE

The Growing Role of the City-Level Chief Data Officer  Just a few years ago, only a handful of cities had chief data officers. Now that the position is more prevalent, experts take stock of what it takes to build an effective, data-driven local government. READ MORE

U.S. Set to Have More EV Chargers Than Gas Stations in 8 Years  At the current pace of development, the number of public electric vehicle chargers across the nation will outnumber gas stations in about eight years. Many even expect charger momentum to increase, shortening the predicted timeline. READ MORE

Using Scarce Dollars With Purpose  Budgeting sets the course for what government will and will not do. An initiative from the Government Finance Officers Association is designed to help long-term planning and foster public trust in a “new normal” of uncertainty.  READ MORE

What Is ‘Surveillance Pricing’ and Is It Causing Increased Prices?  Companies sometimes set “personalized” prices online based on a customer’s ability or willingness to pay, using algorithms and artificial intelligence to sort through data. The FTC is investigating how widespread it is. READ MORE

What the Far-Right Fuss over Voter Rolls Is Really About  Red states are leaving the long-established Electronic Registration Information Center for a new system launched by Alabama. It’s about voter suppression, not election integrity. READ MORE

What’s New in Digital Equity: Federal Grant Program Now Open  Plus, the FCC has launched a new mobile speed test app, HUD’s ConnectHomeUSA program has expanded to new communities, more states have seen their initial proposals for BEAD program funding accepted, and more. READ MORE

Why Might the Election Impact Lead Pipe Replacements?  An estimated 9 million water service lines that still carry drinking water to homes and businesses are made of lead throughout the country. Yet an October deadline and a November election could delay replacement. READ MORE

Will a Transparency Tool Diffuse Election Skepticism?  Ada County, Idaho, has launched a new tool that lets the public view ballot images and cast vote records, using it for the first time for local elections in May. Now, other counties might also adopt it. READ MORE

Winning Online Budget Books  From budget books to open data, see how local government teams around the country are making their voices, and impact, heard with these online publications.  SEE HOW