 |
|
|
| Services to Specific Populations |
|
Oakland, California, will soon issue municipal identification cards that will also serve as debit cards in a first-of-its-kind initiative. The cards may be used by those who have difficulty obtaining a state-issued ID, such as the homeless and non-citizens, and will allow the cardholders to load money onto their cards and use them wherever debit cards are accepted. Officials also hope the cards will help to prevent unbanked persons from incurring high check-cashing fees or carrying large amounts of cash on their person. Other cities, such as San Francisco and Washington, D.C., also offer municipal identification cards, but neither includes the debit feature.
|
|
| Accountability |
|
A new website is devoted to preventing improper payments from the federal government. VerifyPayment.gov is the product of a joint effort between the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The site is designed to centralize payment recipient information, and authorized employees can look up recipient eligibility for payments before payments are made. The site also posts information about the amount of improper payments per agency that are being made, as well as a list of the highest number of errors resulting in improper payments. Veterans Affairs is piloting the tool.
|
|
| Courts and Legal Services |
|
The Connecticut judicial branch has taken the novel step of offering counseling services to jurors involved in a recent high-profile sexual assault and murder trial in that state. Although Connecticut will only provide these services initially for this group of jurors, the state joins Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas, as states that provide counseling to jurors who must scrutinize graphic evidence, listen to extremely disturbing testimony, and make life-altering decisions about the fate of defendants.
|
|
| Technology |
|
To help curb cases of mistaken identity, the New York City Police Department will now scan the irises of crime suspects during the booking procedure. Suspects will then be re-scanned before arraignments to ensure that their irises match. The new policy will prevent occurrences such as when, last year, an armed robbery suspect was released on his own recognizance after pretending to be a different prisoner accused of a small-time drug offense. The $500,000 program will be rolled out through the various boroughs over the coming months.
|
|
| Public Infrastructure |
|
According to transportation experts, roundabouts are a safer, environmentally friendlier, and less expensive alternative to traditional intersections. While the number of roundabouts is growing, some Americans are still wary of their proliferation. This is despite the fact that these traffic innovations, ubiquitous in Europe, greatly reduce right angle crashes and head-on collisions. They also limit emissions from frequent stopping and starting associated with intersections.
|
|
| Policing and Crime Prevention |
|
Some New York law enforcement officials with the rank of captain or higher are invited to attend “The Art of Perception,” a course at the Metropolitan Museum of Art designed to help enhance officer awareness of visual details and refresh their inquiry into crime scenes or crimes in progress. The course, which guides officers through both slides and galleries to hone their deductive observation skills, has assisted officers from the class as they have searched for evidence and apprehended pickpockets, handbag snatchers, and shoplifters. Besides the NYPD, other students of the course have included U.S. Secret Service agents, members of the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Guard.
|
|
| Violence and Abuse |
|
New police recruits at the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy in Midway in Florida are receiving instruction in the prevention of domestic violence—in their own homes—under a program believed to be the first of its kind in Florida. Following research that shows higher incidences of domestic violence among officers than the general public, the curriculum is aimed at educating the new recruits about the consequences and prevention of domestic violence at home, and ensuring that they understand how the stresses of their career can lead to domestic incidents.
|
|
| Owing the Government, Money for Nothing |
|
There is little question that many government agencies can and should do a better job of making sure that those who owe government money pay it, so that those of us who are following the rules don't have to make up the difference.
|
| The Future Can Wait |
|
We are all for innovation, but finding new and creative ways to kick the can down the road is not what we had in mind.
Newsletter produced by: Jessica Engelman, editor; Brendan St. Amant, researcher and writer.
|
|
|
Back To Top
|
NOTE: The highlights in this newsletter link to source articles from other websites, and may not be available after a certain length of time.
Please feel free to forward this message to colleagues.
You are receiving this newsletter because of preferences you selected as a registered user of the Government Innovators Netrwork®.
To unsubscribe, login to http://innovations.harvard.edu using your email address and password, then click "User profile" at the top right corner to change your preferences.
About the Ash Center
The Roy and Lila Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation advances excellence in governance and strengthens democratic institutions worldwide. Through its research, education, international programs, and government innovations awards, the Center fosters creative and effective problem solving and serves as a catalyst for addressing many of the most pressing needs of the world's citizens. The Ford Foundation is a founding donor of the Center. Additional information about the Ash Center is available at http://ash.harvard.edu.
|
