Special Edition
 

'Lord & Taylor' video leads to identification of Boston Marathon bombing suspect
A source tells NewsCenter 5's Janet Wu that Boston authorities have identified a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings. Surveillance video taken by cameras at Lord & Taylor on Boylston Street helped identify a suspect placing a bomb in the area of the Boston Marathon finish line. (Source wcvb.com)

Boston Bombing Suspect Reportedly Identified, Thanks to Video Analysis from Lord & Taylor  Investigators believe they have identified a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, a source who has been briefed on the investigation told CNN’s John King. The possible breakthrough came from an analysis of video from a Lord and Taylor department store near the site of the second blast, and video from a Boston TV station helped as well, the official said. Authorities have a clear image of someone placing the kind of package authorities are looking for, including clear identification of the possible suspect’s face, the source told King. (Source fox40.com)

Boston Marathon investigation: FBI has identified suspect, conflicting reports over arrest  Authorities have identified a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, and conflicting reports emerged Wednesday afternoon over whether the suspect was in custody. The Associated Press and the Boston Globe reported the suspect had been arrested and was en route to the Moakley Federal Courthouse in South Boston. CBS, NBC News, and other outlets reported that no arrest has been made. CNN alsoreported no arrest has been made, backtracking from its earlier report that the suspect was in custody. (Source yahoo.com)

Domestic of Middle East group?  
If your experience and your expertise is Middle East terrorism, it has the hallmarks of al Qaeda or a Middle East group," former FBI Assistant Director Tom Fuentes told CNN. "If your experience is domestic groups and bombings that have occurred here, it has the hallmarks of a domestic terrorist like Eric Rudolph in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics bombings." (Source thewrap.com)

In Boston bombing, flood of digital evidence is a blessing and a curse 
"This is probably one of the most well photographed areas in the country," said Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis. The wealth of photographic and video evidence available is both a challenge and an opportunity. "We intend to go through every frame." Fredericks says there’s no standard in law enforcement to acquire video from the public in the wake of a tragedy such as yesterday’s marathon bombings. The analysis is not magic, Fredericks says. Three shifts of video forensics experts distributed the raw video evidence to analysts, who then put the evidence into a single interoperable format, and uploaded it into a central management system. From there, it was watched and coded — meaning that anyone perceived to commit a criminal act was profiled and then attached to a special code that would identify, for example, whether they were wearing a backpack or a hoodie, whether they were carrying anything with them, and any other physical attributes that could be identified. CNN describes the first potential suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing as "seen with a black backpack and sweatshirt" and "trying to get into a restricted area about five minutes before the first explosion." The purpose of this is to tag people so they can be identified later — to say, "hey, this is the same person" identified in previous videos, he says. The thing about profiling is that you’re not profiling an individual, you’re profiling a type," Fredericks says. In Boston, authorities are now combing video evidence for "anyone with a backpack." In other words, it’s not the video analyst’s role to worry about whether people are wrongly accused of involvement in the Boston marathon bombings; it’ll be up to law enforcement to get evidence before they start arresting people. (Source theverge.com)

Big data could uncover clue on marathon: Column 
Americans object to invasions of their privacy. But in this case, video could help. Big data, however, also has a positive side. By feeding thousands of cell phone, media and security camera video into massive computers capable of sorting faces, times and locations, will allow authorities to put together a comprehensive picture of the comings and goings on Boylston Street. Crunching an unimaginable amount of data through social network, facial recognition, geographical information systems and other analytical algorithms, will reveal who seems to be there for the race, for business, or possibly for evil intent. (Source usatoday.com)

Crowdsourcing - the new answer to what seems to be everything 
From Wal-Mart crowdsourcing for delivery drivers, to companies crowdsourcing for raising funds to start their business, the effort is taking the world by storm for everything. And now it is used to solve this year's most tragic event: The Boston Bombing.

Loss Prevention CCTV systems helping America solve crimes and help their cities 
During hurricane Sandy, NYPD used Saks Fifth Ave.'s flagship cctv system, that gives a virtual 360 degree panoramic view around their building with views across the river to New Jersey and up and down the streets surrounding the store. It gave them just a great vantage point to see anything and everything that was happening and respond accordingly. The nation's retailers are truly adding value to the country and this one with Lord and Taylor certainly proves that our industry is a special group of First Responders. Great Job Lord and Taylor Loss Prevention.

Our evolution can impact a nation 
And every step we make we can add value to the efforts of our law enforcement colleagues. From command centers helping during storms, to Kroger's ORC team helping Tactical units, to identifying criminals of such horrendous acts as in Boston. The one thing stands clear, as Marvin Ellison, EVP of Home Depot said at an NRF Loss Prevention conference a few years ago: the Asset Protection team truly led the way in the aftermath of Katrina, and now Lord and Taylor's team helps solve the nation's most horrendous terrorist act since 9-11. Our industry has the tools the people, and the leadership to make a difference.