
On July 14th, VACCINE held its first Technology Showcase at Purdue University. VACCINE was well represented with team members from Georgia Tech, Penn State, Purdue and the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. The audience comprised representatives from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, Western Australia Police Department, corporate sponsors, as well as the VACCINE Public Safety Consortium comprised of agencies from the police and emergency management sectors across Indiana. VACCINE’s growing Public Safety Consortium currently includes key officials from Tippecanoe County Sherriff’s Department, Lafayette Police Department, West Lafayette Police Department, Purdue Police Department, Tippecanoe County Emergency Management Department, and the Indiana Department of Public Safety.
After overview of the VACCINE Center of Excellence, each university provided a presentation on their respective technologies. The presentations were followed by hands-on demonstrations of VALET, CrimeViz, JigSaw, Rosetta Phone, Camera and Imaging Forensics, and Emergency Evacuation technologies.
The event was an overwhelming success and the enthusiasm for VACCINE’s research resonated throughout the day-long event. The West Lafayette Police Department has requested assistance in the analysis of a cold case homicide investigation and will send VACCINE their data for evaluation. The Lafayette Police Department intends to have VACCINE collaborate on local drug and gang activities. In addition, the Indianapolis Department of Public Safety and VACCINE intend to collaborate on a proposal to allow the Urban Area Security Initiative region to be a testbed for VACCINE technologies.