California law enforcement agencies are testing a new hand-held device used to book offenders on the spot. A six-month pilot program, presently being tested by the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's department, includes 10 devices which are capable of fingerprinting, photographing and retrieving criminal history information. This wireless technology reduces the booking process from over one hour to 15 minutes.


Some Minnesota prison inmates are taking part in a reading program aimed at increasing literacy, while fostering parenting skills. Inmates participate in all aspects of book production such as layout and design and then share the books with their children. This new reading project for both parents and children is a pilot program of Reading is Fundamental (RIF). Reading is Fundamental is an institute which donates books to inmates' children.

The El Cajon Community Development Corporation has partnered with the International Rescue Committee [IRC] to provide assistance to refugee-run businesses through a joint micro-enterprise program. A three-year U.S. Dept. of Agriculture grant will help IRC officials train participants how to create a sustainable business plan, instruct them on the techniques of finding capital, and provide mentoring services for those in the process of opening food stands. Local residents will also benefit from the range of ethnic food specialties now being offered by these new business owners.Organizers hope this program will become a model for other cities.


A new program gives Massachusetts' seniors an alternative to paying cash for their taxes. The Property Tax Work-Off program provides up to $675 in tax credits to eligible participants who perform 100 hours of community service over any three-month period. Town officials encourage seniors to match their unique skills, experience, and interests to the needs of different county departments. Although the program has yet to reach full capacity, officials estimate that the flexibility of the program, the monetary incentives, and the mutual benefits of community service will continue to attract more seniors.

Students at Salem High School in Salem, MA are learning to serve others through a unique service learning class, UNITY (Understanding National Integrity Through our Youth). UNITY students participate in many service learning initiatives including Project Citizenship, a program which allows class members to teach local grade school students about citizenship and helping others. Andrew Wulf, the UNITY teacher, explains that the course is useful because "...the students learn about what it's like to survive in the real world."

As California suburbs continue to expand into the wilderness, cougar attacks have increased in recent years. Some fear that the Los Angeles area could become like Bombay, India, where leopard attacks are common. Now state and local governments and environmental groups hope they have devised a solution to this problem. They are locating and improving "missing linkages," corridors that connect large wildlife areas. Wildlife experts hope these "missing linkages" will allow the cougars to migrate from one area to another without wandering into human habitats.

By the end of 2005, U.S. officials expect to introduce biometric passports containing a computer chip with the user's stored information. The innovative passport is designed to help prevent forgeries. While this is a breakthrough in design, the passport uses technology that worries privacy advocates. The passport transmits information using an antenna, and critics fear that identity thieves will be able to pick up the signal and obtain the passport information.

California's Export Readiness Training program intends to help small agribusinesses sell food and agricultural products in the international marketplace. Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Emerging Markets Program, the initiative is being implemented by the California Centers for International Trade Development (CITD). Apart from providing training on international trade practices, the program creates linkages with trade advisors and offers technical assistance to participants. It is intended as a limited-enrollment, highly focused initiative to help women and minority-owned businesses enter the global network of agricultural exporters.


The Boston Municipal Research Bureau has released a report making the case for a competitive bidding system for municipal jobs in Boston. This innovative service delivery system has been successful in Indianapolis, San Diego, and elsewhere. It allows private companies and public employees to bid for city government jobs including road maintenance, trash collection, tree trimming, and school lunch provision, among others. The system has a proven track record of improving service and reducing costs. In 1995, the City of Indianapolis won the Innovations in American Government Award for its "Competition and Costing" program.

In an effort to reduce sewer odor in the local High Point area of Greensboro, NC, city officials are adding new sewer lines, renovating sewage stations and introducing a new ready-made chemical treatment. While the old chemical treatment involved making the mixture from scratch, the new advanced ready-made one will expedite the cleaning process. Although not a cure, city officials say these long-term strategies will greatly reduce local sewer odor.

The San Antonio Police Department is leading the U.S. in the utilization of a new Internet-based language interpreter to assist deaf crime victims with communication. The new technology will allow victims to sit in front of a computer video camera and sign to an interpreter on the other end, who will then translate to the police. Police also plan to incorporate laptops in every patrol car in order to eliminate the need for victims to wait for interpreters at the scene.

Each year, the Innovations in American Government Awards Program offers $100,000 grants to five creative and effective government initiatives. To learn more about the Innovations Awards, please visit our website at www.innovationsaward.harvard.edu