Arkansas' Crime Labs, Live Via the Web
Little by little, Internet access is changing the way Americans live and work. In Arkansas, for instance, technology is helping speed up the criminal-justice system.
According to the Fayetteville-area Morning News, crime-lab technicians will soon be able to testify in court via remote video link. Thanks to an investment by the state in fiber lines and other equipment, these technicians will be able to spend their time examining evidence, not driving to distant courts or waiting to be called to the stand.
Circuit courts in six counties will be able to take advantage of this technological breakthrough. Attorneys in court will be able to question technicians directly, in real time, both during trial and in pre-trial conferences.
The video link is an expansion of a pilot program launched in Washington County, where a 2002 drug case was the first trial in the state to utilize live video testimony.
It's another example of the ever-expanding possibilities of high-speed Internet service, one that directly improves crime-lab technicians' ability to do their jobs. Investing in Internet access is already showing tangible benefits for communities.
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