On Q Professional Investigations

Over the next few weeks more than 20 million college and university students will make their way back to campus for another year of study. While the vast majority of campuses are generally safe places, consider:

•In the first half of 2013, at least a dozen students were shot or killed in campus incidents across the U.S.
•According to FBI statistics, there were 92,965 crimes reported to college and university campus police in 2010. Most were property crimes, but there were also reports of murder, rape, aggravated assault and robberies.
•The U.S. Department of Justice reports that one in five women will be victims of an attempted or actual sexual assault during their college careers.

Statistics such as these understandably concern parents. Campus administrators and police share those concerns and most are taking reasonable precautions to protect students, faculty, staff and visitors. Since the passage of the federal Clery Act, we have a better way to compare campuses. The act requires all publicly funded colleges and universities to issue an annual report on campus crime. Those reports can be found on individual campus websites.

Campus security can be broken into four broad areas — policies and procedures; physical and environmental factors; technology; and, integration. The security process begins with an annual risk assessment, a systematic evaluation that may involve thousands of inspection points on a larger campus. It’s best conducted by an experienced outside expert who can bring a fresh eye to the review of those fundamentals that play a vital role in securing a campus. And remember, creating a safe and secure college or university campus requires buy-in from the entire population, beginning with top administrators.

Policies and procedures

What can go wrong on a college or university campus is limited only by imagination. The federal government now identifies many different scenarios that might trigger a campus lockdown.

During a major emergency, count on all segments of the campus population becoming involved. Staff, faculty and even students may play a role in communications, traffic control and monitoring muster stations. This is where detailed playbooks provide the policies and procedures for handling events ranging from minor events to full-blown campus-wide emergencies. Once the playbooks are written, it’s important to hold regular drills to make sure everyone understands their role in various scenarios.

Most campuses are part of a much larger community, so it’s vital to maintain close contacts with local law enforcement and other first responders. These authorities need to know who to contact at the campus during an emergency and they can respond more quickly and effectively if they have updated campus maps and building blueprints.

Physical and Environmental Factors

In creating a security plan, a campus’ unique size, topography, climate and other physical and environmental factors will come into play. The risk assessment will identify these factors.

Dark or remote campus areas can be improved by proper lighting, a low-tech, yet critical component of a good security plan. A risk assessor will walk the campus looking for those spaces that pose security dangers or even liability risks if not properly lit. Bright lighting should extend to parking lots, walkways, recreation sites and other isolated areas.

Most risk assessors will include a section on crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), another low-tech approach to security. Trees and other vegetation should be thinned and cut back so they don’t block views into buildings, nor provide a place for criminals to hide and/or conceal weapons.

Technology

Access control systems are a key element of a well-planned campus security program. An access system can remotely lock and unlock main entries at appropriate times. When not in use, all buildings should remain locked. Open, unstaffed buildings provide a tempting target for thieves and other criminals looking for a place to conduct business.

Cardkey-controlled entries should also be required for all dormitories as these systems offer a number of advantages. Lost or stolen cards can be immediately deactivated and a new card issued within minutes, eliminating the expense and time of rekeying locks. Administrators should select a smartcard system that will give students not only dorm access, but also entry into laboratories, recreation centers, offices and other buildings. These cards can be programmed to allow access only on specified days and times. Access systems also maintain an audit trail that can be valuable in investigating a crime.

Visitor management systems are another important layer of security for campus buildings, especially dormitories. Many visitor management efforts begin with a video intercom. These systems allow campus personnel to remain safely behind a locked door while still being able to see and communicate with visitors. Video intercoms are useful for remotely granting access to vendors and contractors needing entry into dorms, cafeterias, loading docks, storage buildings and other campus facilities.

A web-based visitor management system uses campus- or government-issued photo IDs to check visitors entering critical areas. The cards are swiped through a reader connected to federal and state criminal and sex offender databases. Once the visitor is cleared, the system takes the visitor’s photo and prints a self-expiring, adhesive badge that can be worn throughout the stay. The systems also make it easy to program a local watch list that could include disgruntled individuals such as fired employees or suspended/expelled students.

Mass notification systems provide students, faculty, staff and visitors with vital information and instructions to follow during an emergency. A campus should employ both web-based communication tools and external “big voice” systems. A web-based system allows administrators to send notifications to thousands of people in minutes via the registered recipient’s landline, mobile phone, PDA/text-based device and e-mail account. A system can even remind students of counseling or health services appointments, fee due dates and other campus activities.

Outdoor systems are capable of covering a campus with only a few speakers, each capable of being clearly understood up to a quarter-mile away. By providing information when it’s most needed, both systems can help save lives and preserve property.

Another important tool is video surveillance, which gives campus police valuable real-time data to lessen the impact of or resolve criminal acts. Clear, noticeable signage stating an area is under surveillance also can help cameras act as a significant deterrent to many criminals.

Cameras should be placed at entries to all dorms, classrooms, office buildings, labs, gyms, stadiums, libraries, student unions, parking lots, and remote campus areas. When mounted on portable trailers, cameras can be moved to where they are needed for special events such as sporting events, concerts or other attractions that can draw thousands of people from surrounding communities.

Today’s digital and networked systems provide for remote viewing of live and recorded video allowing authorized administrators to check on the campus from other locations. Officers in the field can view real-time video on smartphones and tablets. Local first responders can also share that same data helping them to better prepare for a potentially dangerous situation.

Integration

By placing all the previously mentioned disparate technology systems on the campus network it’s possible to integrate them for a more efficient and effective security response. For example, an access control reader can trigger an alarm that starts the nearest camera to begin streaming live video of the site to campus police. Floor plans or maps of the location can accompany the real-time feed to give dispatchers important details to correctly handle a situation.

Many campuses already employ electronic campus credential solutions that allow a student’s access card to also be used to check out library books, buy supplies from the bookstore, access parking facilities, attend cultural or sporting events, use a copier or purchase vended products or food from on- or off-campus sites, so students no longer have to carry cash or multiple debit/credit cards. An access control solution that is integrated with the campus “one card” solution can help to eliminate the data and timing gaps created when multiple systems and credentials are used for differing purposes, thereby creating a safer, more convenient campus.

It’s now even possible, and advisable, to integrate security with building management systems. For example, if the fire alarm system detects a fire, the building automation system signals the heating, air conditioning and ventilating system to stop delivering fresh air to the area and pressurizes the path of egress, clearing it of smoke. The access control system will unlock doors along the route and train surveillance cameras on the fire to provide first responders with a live feed.

There are a couple of other security steps that have proven effective on college and university campuses as well. Easily recognizable emergency contact stations, placed at regular intervals across campus, provide an immediate visual and video connection to campus police. A police escort should be available to any student to help them safely navigate the campus day or night.

Creating a secure college and university campus is all about planning and preparedness, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all process. Starting with a risk assessment, the security team needs to create the policies and procedures that fit that campus. When it comes to security, there are no guarantees of total success, but by adhering to these proven best practices, it’s possible to tremendously improve a campus’ safety and security profile.

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Like any other industry, it is hard to say what the future holds for video security. Global political developments, economic crises and similar events are influencing factors that can play a key role. Of course, it is possible to draw some conclusions from current developments.

Network without boundaries

You don’t have to be a fortune teller to assume that more and more applications will run over the network in the future. This also applies to video security as the trend toward digital solutions continues to be strong. Users are set to profit from the flexibility, higher image quality and new options digital technology has to offer. It is possible to combine and control many applications over the network in a large system. However, the network then becomes a bottleneck because more and more applications are running over the same network. If you take into account the trend toward higher image qualities in video systems, you then have very large amounts of data that require a well-dimensioned network for rapid data transfer. This should not be reason to refrain from increasing image quality, or modernizing and extending the network. A sound, cost-efficient balance between feasibility, technical concepts and actual requirements will be the best solution in the future. In terms of image quality, I anticipate five- to 10-megapixel resolution will be the standard of the future.

More mobile, more flexible

The mobility trend is likely to continue to increase. Customer and integrator requirements of the future are likely to include the ability to directly control cameras and access camera data, set up the complete system remotely and import updates or make other changes in the system configuration. Providers have to react. However, in doing so, they cannot afford to lose sight of a key factor: User friendliness. One solution is a special app that allows complete video management or the setup of complete systems via mobile end devices, without any restrictions in the data transfer rate or image quality. This requires new codices and streaming methods, as well as a certain degree of product intelligence.

The flexibility of the system is crucial. It has to be flexible in terms of expansion capabilities with new cameras as well as in terms of sustainability. It must be possible to add new functions to old models using updates. Flexibility will mean even more in the future as development efforts move toward the idea of a platform rather than an individual product. In a nutshell, it means that the customer does not have to define unchangeable camera features when choosing a camera. Instead, the user can select the sensor modules from a kind of construction kit. This way, systems can be quickly adapted to new requirements or technical changes.

This creates enormous advantages for systems integrators. On the one hand, it puts them in a position to generate updates and added value for customers without incurring major additional costs. On the other, they can implement future customer requirements into appropriate solutions with lower storage capacity.

What will generate added value?

Future video system requirements are sure to include video analysis, which is set to become more popular. Analytics such as heat maps or counting lines will deliver additional information in many areas. Providers with integrated added value features can score points where users want to pay as little as possible or demand these services in the overall package without additional costs.

Where will data be stored?

Will data be stored within the camera itself, in the cloud or via a DVR? One thing is certain: An increasing amount of data will be stored inside the camera in the not too distant future. It will be stored in HDTV resolution and for up to several weeks. Data storage in the cloud is also set to increase. The advantages are plain to see. DVRs are no longer necessary for data storage and users can look at video from anywhere using Internet-enabled devices. Hosted video is likely to be a growth market, particularly for smaller companies and private individuals. Does this development mark the end of DVR and on-site data storage? Not quite. Large companies in particular will either want to store sensitive data inside the camera on a permanent basis or in the supposedly less secure global data cloud.

Buy or lease?

It will be interesting to see whether users will have to purchase video systems outright, if leasing will be an option or if other remuneration models will come into play. It is likely that we will see a mix based on user requirements. These customized offerings will open up other market segments that did without video surveillance in the past due to the costs involved. Cost-effective leasing models, probably in connection with hosted video, are sure to make video security an attractive option for private users in the future. Where it goes from here heavily depends on manufacturer offerings and prices.

Where will growth come from?

Today, most video security systems are in operation in retail stores. With innovative improvements to network cameras and their range of applications, this technology will be interesting for many other industries and markets. I expect high growth rates in a number of different areas, including public security. Looking at current developments and ongoing discussions, it is safe to assume that video is set to become standard in public areas, airports, train stations and other places where large numbers of people are present. In terms of image quality for video surveillance in public spaces, it is likely that we will see legislation in place by 2020 that will ensure minimum image resolution standards. A minimum resolution of one megapixel would be appropriate in order to guarantee that the images can be used to prosecute offenders. Other growth industries include transportation, healthcare and education. Private users are also increasingly seen as customers.

The most important sales regions

Europe and the U.S. will remain the core markets for video systems. The markets are already saturated, however, the technological conversion from analog to digital systems by 2020 will continue to bring high turnover. India and China with their huge population base and high growth rates will be the key drivers in the Asian market. A high level of demand for digital video systems can also be expected in regions with strong broadband infrastructure growth. Fiber optics is a keyword here. I think research firm RNCOS’ prediction of annual growth of 14 percent through 2017 is absolutely realistic.

Who benefits?

It’s impossible to say, however, it is clear that users will definitely benefit from the technical innovations and new options, be it higher image quality, mobile solutions or other analysis options. From a manufacturer’s point-of-view, one thing is certain: Customer requirements are key. Surveillance solution providers must orient themselves toward customer requirements and not the other way around. Success in the market requires providers to face a number of challenges that need to be taken into account in the company’s corporate strategy. They have to deliver technological solutions that can fulfill current and future requirements, making it necessary to continuously reinvent the company. This requires a balance between the synergies and uniqueness of the products. Manufacturers need a portfolio that has an attractive mix of “bestsellers” for the majority of applications and innovative “high-end” solutions that will gradually develop into bestsellers. At the same time, it is important to strike the right balance between price and product features. Corporate success requires technological developments as well as continuous growth, both in terms of market shares and an international presence. To this end, it is crucial to retain control over all of the key processes and new structures that come hand-in-hand with growth. This is the means to an end: The goal is to be competitive in the future.

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A Palestinian security researcher gained unauthorized access, last week, to Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) page to prove the legitimacy of his bug report, after the social network giant’s security team ignored his previous reports on the vulnerability.

On Facebook, users are not permitted to share or post anything on the profile pages of people that are not on one’s friends list. But, the security expert, who goes by the name of Khalil Shreateh, discovered a bug that allowed an intruder to post on anyone’s Facebook “Wall,” even without being that person’s “Friend” on the social networking site.

In an initial bug report to Facebook, Shreateh tried to demonstrate the vulnerability by sharing a link on the wall of Sarah Goodin, who is a college friend of the Facebook founder. A member of the Facebook’s online security team, who was not on Goodin’s friends list, clicked on Shreateh’s link but could not view his post as Goodin’s wall was set to be visible to her friends only.

Shreateh sent another bug report, explaining that anyone inspecting the vulnerability on Goodin’s wall needed to be her friend, or would have to use administrative access to view the post. However, the Facebook security official responded to Shreateh saying what he had pointed out was not a bug.

However, Shreateh, convinced of the bug he had discovered and to prove the legitimacy of his discovery, decided to take it to the next level by posting on Zuckerberg’s own profile page.

On Thursday, a note from Shreateh was visible on Zuckerberg’s timeline, saying: “Sorry for breaking your privacy to your wall,” it read, “i no other choice to make after all the reports I sent to Facebook team.”

As Shreateh expected, this generated a reaction from Facebook, leading the company to fix the flaw.

According to Facebook’s whitehat exploit disclosure program, Shreateh could qualify for a reward of at least $500 as the discoverer of a bug on the site. But, Shreateh might be disqualified from receiving the bug bounty, Facebook said.

According to Facebook’s bug disclosure policy, a security researcher should use test accounts, rather than real accounts of Facebook users, to work on the site’s vulnerabilities and bug reports. Shreateh, according to the company, violated this rule by accessing Goodin’s and Zuckerberg’s profiles.

“We are unfortunately not able to pay you for this vulnerability because your actions violated our Terms of Service. We do hope, however, that you continue to work with us to find vulnerabilities in the site,” TechCrunch quoted Facebook as saying.

Facebook said also that Shreateh’s bug report did not have enough technical information to convince its in-house security experts. In addition, the company receives hundreds of bug reports on a daily basis, it added, making it difficult for the company’s security team to separate the genuine reports from the fake ones.

However, Matt Jones, one of Facebook’s engineers on the security team, admitted in an online forum, Hacker News, that the social network did not follow up with Shreateh properly. “We should have pushed back asking for more details here,” he wrote.

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A longtime employee for the city of Buffalo, New York was sentenced to 30 months in jail today for stealing more than $200,000—all in quarters—from the city’s parking meters over a period of eight years.

James Bagarozzo, who had been employed by the city for more than three decades, became a parking meter mechanic in 2003—but instead of repairing the meters, he and an accomplice rigged more than 75 of them so he could steal quarters. Over time, his small-change crime added up.

“When he went to work,” said Special Agent Rob Gross, who investigated the case out of our Buffalo Division, “half of his day was spent stealing from the city.” After Bagarozzo and fellow city employee Lawrence Charles were arrested in December 2011, investigators found some $47,000 in cash and quarters in Bagarozzo’s home, including $40,000 hidden in his bedroom ceiling.

As a parking meter mechanic, Bagarozzo was supposed to service and repair the city’s 1,200 mechanical machines, but he didn’t have access to their coin canisters and was not authorized to collect money. Instead, he rigged the meters so that deposited quarters never dropped into the coin canisters. Then he retrieved the money for himself.

Beginning in 2003 and continuing until the time of his arrest years later, the 57-year-old stole thousands upon thousands of quarters, using bags in his car or his deep-pocketed work pants to transfer the loot to his home, where he rolled the change in coin wrappers and exchanged it for cash at the bank.

“The bank never suspected,” Gross said, “because Bagarozzo told the tellers he had a friend with a vending machine business. He developed such a good relationship with the bank tellers,” Gross explained, “that they eventually gave him boxes to use that held exactly $500 worth of quarters. He went to the bank several times a week with a $500 box of quarters and got cash in return.”

The scam might have continued indefinitely if not for the appointment of a new parking commissioner, who noticed a significant difference in revenue between the city’s mechanical meters and newer electronic machines. In September 2010, the city’s Division of Parking Enforcement began an investigation that expanded to include the Buffalo Police Department, and eventually the local authorities asked the FBI for assistance.

Bagarozzo and Charles—who is scheduled to be sentenced in two weeks—were caught on video committing the thefts on a daily basis. “Unless you were really paying attention,” Gross said, “it looked like they were fixing the meters. In reality, they were stealing from them.”

In September 2012, Bagarozzo pled guilty to theft from programs receiving federal funds and agreed to pay restitution of $210,000. According to the U.S. attorney who prosecuted the case, Bagarozzo used the meter money to pay for personal and family expenses.

“This case is a classic example of how public corruption strikes at the heart of government’s ability to serve its people,” said Richard Frankel, acting special agent in charge of our Buffalo Division. “We are gratified to see justice served in this case,” he said, adding that “the FBI remains vigilant against all forms of public corruption.”

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It’s been headline news this week that smartphones outsold feature phones for the first time. Huzzah!

My first thought was, “They still sell non-smartphones?” My second thought was “Why do we even still call it a ‘phone’?” I mean, a PC is basically an evolution of a calculator, but we don’t get excited about whether or not PCs outsell calculators, and we don’t call PCs “supercalculators.”

If you think about it, making and receiving voice calls is one of the more minor functions of a smartphone. Sure, the devices we use today evolved from a basic mobile phone, and they’ve gotten “smarter” with new features and capabilities and a seemingly endless array of apps. But the term “smartphone” is a bit of a misnomer that doesn’t accurately describe what the device is.

It’s a personal communication and entertainment device (PCED). It’s a mobile pocket computer (MPC). It’s a personal digital assistant (PDA)—much more so than the devices that originally claimed that title. It’s an invaluable tool that enables business professionals to stay connected and be productive from virtually anywhere and at any time.

The “phone” part of “smartphone” doesn’t even scratch the surface of what the device is capable of. Here are five things a typical smartphone is used for more frequently than making or receiving voice calls:

1. Email

One of the greatest things about a smartphone is that it’s capable of accessing and downloading email over either a Wi-Fi network or a cellular data connection. That means that your email is available in your pocket 24/7.

2. Texting/Instant Messaging

Texting or instant messaging is a nice middle-ground between email and voice calls. It’s an immediate form of communication, and it’s often way more convenient and courteous than a voice call.

3. Web Surfing

This point started out being called “research.” Whether you need to keep up with breaking news in your industry, or you want to see how your investments or doing, the smartphone lets you surf the Web in the palm of your hand. You can compare features or research better prices while out shopping, book travel arrangements, or look up whether a narwhal is mythical creature or a real thing (Hint: it’s a real animal and it should have totally been called a “sea unicorn” or a “unicorn whale”).

4. GPS

Maps, and turn-by-turn directions are one of the most valuable functions of a smartphone. Whether you’re driving in your car or hoofing it, your smartphone can help you get from Point A to Point B as efficiently as possible.

5. Camera

One of the most common uses for a smartphone is as a camera or video camera. Just look at the phenomenal success of Instagram, Flickr, and Vine. The iPhone is the most-used camera in the world. It’s not that the smartphone is a better camera than a DSLR, or even a traditional point-and-shoot—in fact most pale in comparison. It’s simply a matter of convenience because most people have their smartphone with them everywhere they go, and don’t carry a camera around unless they know they need to.

As a matter of fact, the “smartphone” has done just as much to make standalone GPS units and point-and-shoot cameras obsolete as it has for standalone mobile phones, so we could just as easily call it a “smartgps” or a “smartcamera.” Actually, when it comes to Samsung, I guess the “smartcamera” is sort of a real thing thanks to the Galaxy Camera.

So, have fun using your PCED, or getting work done while on the go from your MPC. I was trying to stay focused on functions with some intrinsic value for business users, so I didn’t even cover the fact that you can watch Netflix, read a book, or play Angry Birds as well. Oh, and don’t forget it can also make phone calls if you’re into that sort of thing.

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The Chicago Police Department uses more than 30 different classifications for crime. For ease of understanding, these pages focus on three major categories of crime in Chicago: violent crime (such as homicide), property crime (such as theft) and quality-of-life crime (such as prostitution).

View the Crime in your Community

WASHINGTON — Little more than a year ago, Jesse L. Jackson Jr. was a popular young Democratic congressman pushing to increase the federal minimum wage, an issue that fit his reputation as an advocate for the less fortunate, especially those in his Chicago-area district.

But on Wednesday, the former congressman was a felon standing in a federal courtroom in Washington to receive his sentence.

Mr. Jackson, 48, received 30 months in prison for spending $750,000 from his campaign on personal items. His wife, Sandi, 49, was sentenced to 12 months in prison for omitting $580,000 in income from the couple’s tax returns while they lived lavishly.

“The inescapable fact is that you and Sandra Jackson used campaign funds to sustain a lifestyle that you cannot afford,” Judge Amy Berman Jackson said before announcing Mr. Jackson’s penalty.

The judge granted a request from the couple, who have two children, ages 9 and 13, that they be allowed to serve their sentences one at a time. Mr. Jackson will report to prison on or after Nov. 1. When he is released, Ms. Jackson will have 30 days to surrender.

“I am the example for the whole Congress, and I understand that,” Mr. Jackson told the judge. “I didn’t separate my personal life from my political activity, and I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

Mr. Jackson wept as he stood before the packed courtroom in United States District Court. He apologized to his parents, who sat in the front row next to his siblings, and said he accepted responsibility.

“I still believe in the power of forgiveness,” Mr. Jackson said to reporters after the sentencing. “I believe in the power of redemption. Today I manned up and tried to accept responsibility for the error of my ways, and I still believe in the resurrection.”

The sentencing had been postponed from June 28 to accommodate the court’s schedule. During the breaks on Wednesday, relatives exchanged hugs, kisses and words of support with the Jacksons and their parents, but an air of grief quickly descended when the court was in session.

Prosecutors had recommended a sentence of 46 to 57 months for Mr. Jackson, who pleaded guilty in February to one count of felony fraud, while his lawyers had requested 18 months. Mr. Jackson was also sentenced to three years of supervised release, and he is not eligible for parole. But his sentence could be reduced by several months for good behavior or if he receives treatment for his bipolar disorder. He also must pay back the campaign money to the government.

A lawyer for Mr. Jackson, Reid Weingarten, described him as a “good man” whose illness sometimes clouded his judgment. But Judge Jackson said that “manic episodes” could not explain the more than 3,000 times that the Jacksons used campaign money to make personal purchases, including $15,000 in kitchen appliances and a $43,000 Rolex.

“There may be gray areas in campaign finance,” she said. “This case did not come near to those areas.”

Prosecutors had sought 18 months in prison for Ms. Jackson, a former Chicago alderman. Ms. Jackson, who pleaded guilty to one felony count of filing false tax returns, must also pay $22,000 in restitution and is subject to one year of supervised release.

A lawyer for Ms. Jackson, Dan Webb, sought to portray his client as a doting mother whose absence would cause deep psychological damage in the children. He had requested a sentence of probation with community service.

In rejecting that request, Judge Jackson said to Ms. Jackson: “The court did not put your children in this position. The government did not put your children in this position.”

The sentencing marked a precipitous downfall for Mr. Jackson.

With the help of his father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Mr. Jackson was elected to Congress in 1995 from a district that includes part of the South Side of Chicago. He became one of the most prominent young black politicians in the country, working on issues related to health care and education for the poor.

But his reputation was damaged in recent years after reports surfaced that he had had an extramarital affair with a woman from Washington. An Office of Congressional Ethics investigation that was released in 2011 concluded that there was probable cause to believe that Mr. Jackson broke House rules when he was seeking the Senate seat that Barack Obama vacated after the 2008 election, but he was never charged, and he denied any wrongdoing.

Last summer, Mr. Jackson took a medical leave from Congress and was later treated for bipolar disorder. Two weeks after being re-elected for a ninth time in November, he resigned, citing his health and the federal investigation into his use of campaign money.

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A 28-year-old Florida man fatally shot his estranged wife and their 5-year-old daughter this morning in his wife’s Little Village home before turning the gun on himself, authorities and relatives said.

The gunman, who according to records lives in Miami, was critically injured but survived.

About 12:15 a.m., a relative called police after hearing shots from the floor below her in a home in the 2800 block of South Kildare Avenue. When police entered the basement unit, they found three people shot.

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A new small unmanned aircraft system (UAS) boasts something no other has been able to do thus far: continuous flight for 9 hours and all on the clean energy of solar power.

AeroVironment‘s 13-pound Puma AE can be assembled and hand-launched in minutes and requires no infrastructure for launch or landing, making them attractive for frontline use where time and space can be too scarce for the requirements of full-scale drones.

And while it may be some time before the Pentagon is showing off solar-powered tanks, AeroVironment insists these types of solar technology advancements are indispensable for the military.

“This is a critical milestone with far-reaching implications for the many ways small UAS can benefit military, public safety and commercial customers,” said Roy Minson, senior vice president of the Monrovia, CA-based AeroVironment.

AeroVironment enlisted the help of Alta Devices for its proprietary, ultra-thin solar cells. Past attempts to attach solar power to small UAS were either too heavy or couldn’t produce enough power for long-range flights but, according to Minson, recent tests prove that the solar Puma AE technology ”can produce enough power, while adding negligible weight, so that endurance is no longer an issue for most customer missions.”

“Our integration of this cutting-edge technology dramatically increases Puma’s current flight endurance using a clean, renewable power source,” said Minson. “This development can give Puma AE customers significantly increased capabilities that approach those of the next class of UAS at a much lower acquisition and operating cost, and with much greater operational flexibility.”

Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration gave the Puma AE a “Restricted Category” certification, which permits commercial operators to fly the UAS in the regions of the Arctic. It was previously not permissible to operate drones in national airspace for commercial purposes.

“Aerial observation missions can now be safely accomplished in hazardous Arctic locations, which will reduce the risk of manned aviation in an efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly manner,” said Tim Conver, AeroVironment chairman and chief executive officer, at the time.

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Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. announced Monday that low-level, nonviolent drug offenders with no ties to gangs or large-scale drug organizations will no longer be charged with offenses that impose severe mandatory sentences.

The new Justice Department policy is part of a comprehensive prison reform package that Holder unveiled in a speech to the American Bar Association in San Francisco. He also introduced a policy to reduce sentences for elderly, nonviolent inmates and find alternatives to prison for nonviolent criminals.

Justice Department lawyers have worked for months on the proposals, which Holder wants to make the cornerstone of the rest of his tenure.

“We must face the reality that, as it stands, our system is, in too many ways, broken,” Holder said. “And with an outsized, unnecessarily large prison population, we need to ensure that incarceration is used to punish, to deter and to rehabilitate — not merely to warehouse and to forget.”

“A vicious cycle of poverty, criminality and incarceration traps too many Americans and weakens too many communities,” Holder said Monday. (Excerpts of his ­prepared remarks were provided Sunday to The Washington Post.) He added that “many aspects of our criminal justice system may actually exacerbate these problems rather than alleviate them.”

It is clear that “too many Americans go to too many prisons for far too long and for no truly good law enforcement reason,” Holder said. “We cannot simply prosecute or incarcerate our way to becoming a safer nation,” he added later in the speech.

Holder is calling for a change in Justice Department policies to reserve the most severe penalties for drug offenses for serious, high-level or violent drug traffickers. He has directed his 94 U.S. attorneys across the country to develop specific, locally tailored guidelines for determining when federal charges should be filed and when they should not.

He also said the Justice Department would work with the Department of Education and other allies “to confront the ‘school-to-prison pipeline’ and those zero-tolerance school discipline policies that do not promote safety,” but instead serve as gateways to the criminal justice system.

“A minor school disciplinary offense should put a student in the principal’s office and not a police precinct,” Holder said.

The attorney general can make some changes to drug policy on his own. He is giving new instructions to federal prosecutors on how they should write their criminal complaints when charging low-level drug offenders, to avoid triggering the mandatory minimum sentences. Under certain statutes, inflexible sentences for drug crimes are mandated regardless of the facts or conduct in the case, reducing the discretion of prosecutors, judges and juries.

Some of Holder’s other initiatives will require legislative change. Holder is urging passage of legislation with bipartisan support that is aimed at giving federal judges more discretion in applying mandatory minimum sentences to certain drug offenses.

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