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Center for Advanced Public Safety

The Center for Advanced Public Safety (CAPS) is an applied research center focused on the integration of technology into real-world problems that impact public safety and well-being. CAPS develops new technology for police officers, emergency medical units, and for government business units that support criminal justice, transportation, human services, vehicle tax registration, and collection and a host of related services.   With the provision of cutting edge technology that impacts lives in so many different ways, we engage in engineering and applied social/behavioral science research made possible by technology-produced substrate data.  To support this applied research, we also maintain a strong basic research stream in data analytics and the computing technology needed to support big data in society.

In The News: Fourth of July holiday brings higher risk of fatal wrecks

July 3, 2019 - Tuscaloosa News - Center for Advanced Public Safety

Alabama averages more fatal crashes during the days surrounding Independence Day than the rest of the year, according to an analysis of state traffic records by researchers at the University of Alabama. Read more

Sources: Tuscaloosa News, Fox 6 (Birmingham), WAFF 48 (Huntsville), The Tuscaloosa News, Yellowhammer, Alabama Daily News, Alabama News Center

In The News: The Alabama Forfeiture Accountability System created – will collect and report data on state civil asset forfeitures

June 7, 2019 - Opelika Observer - Center for Advanced Public Safety

A bill passed last week by the Alabama Legislature to require law enforcement to report and track the seizures of property connected to drug dealing or other crimes should help reassure the public that law enforcement is using the tool of civil asset forfeiture in a responsible manner, said the… Read more

Sources: Opelika Observer

In The News: ALABAMA STUDY SHOWS IMPORTANCE OF BUCKLING UP

May 22, 2019 - WVUA (Tuscaloosa) - Center for Advanced Public Safety

There were 743 people who were killed in car crashes in Alabama in 2018 and 366 of them were not wearing seat belts. The University of Alabama Center for Advanced Public Safety conducted a study on the importance of buckling up and found that the probability of dying in a… Read more

Sources: WVUA (Tuscaloosa), Phys.org, Fox 6 (Birmingham), WAFF 48 (Huntsville), NBC 13 (Birmingham), Alabama News Center , WVUA (Tuscaloosa), NBC 13 (Birmingham), WERC-FM (Birmingham), Fox 6 (Birmingham), Rome Sentinel (New York)

In The News: Tropical storm to category 5: Hurricane Michael shows storms can strengthen with deadly speed

May 20, 2019 - Florida Today - Center for Advanced Public Safety

Warning: All four of the deadly Category 5 hurricanes to ever strike the continental U.S. were merely tropical storms three days from landfall, swirling offshore at sea … Laura Myers is a senior research scientist at the University of Alabama’s Center for Advanced Public Safety. Though Michael intensified rapidly, she… Read more

Sources: Florida Today

In The News: Problems with enforcing the law when it comes to drivers passing stopped school buses

May 1, 2019 - ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) - Center for Advanced Public Safety

But the University of Alabama’ s Center for Advanced Public Safety says only 1,064 citations were issued for illegal passes of stopped school buses in all of 2018. According to school transportation officials, most Alabama school buses don’t have exterior cameras to catch automobile drivers passing illegally. When the bus… Read more

Sources: ABC 33/40 (Birmingham)

In The News: Why maps still matter: Working out a big severe weather worry

April 20, 2019 - Al.com - Center for Advanced Public Safety

Veteran Alabama TV meteorologist James Spann touched on a topic — and a nerve — during severe weather coverage over the weekend in Alabama … One of the people taking an in-depth look at the problem — and everyone agrees it’s a problem — is Dr. Laura Myers, the director… Read more

Sources: Al.com