Latest news with #DMU
Edmonton Journal
2 days ago
- Edmonton Journal
EPS pioneers biometrics to revolutionize at-risk detention
The EPS pilot project originated in 2023, and interest in its success has grown. Now Regina and Medicine Hat and a few agencies in Ontario have the system, and Lethbridge and Calgary are working on it. Staff Sgt. Mark Farnell gives a tour of the Detainee Management Unit (DMU), including the DMU body scanner (centre left), inside the Edmonton Police Service Northwest Division Station, in Friday May 30, 2025. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia Edmonton police have a new digital ally in keeping vulnerable detainees safe in the cell between arrest and bail, the first of its kind in Canada. Handcuffed and brought to the Detainee Management Unit at Edmonton Police Service's North Campus, detainees come with information — charges, wallet contents, drug paraphernalia, criminal record, complaints, reports, behaviour, appearance. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 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Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors But the detainee may be unwell in ways they're not even aware of themselves, and if they appear to be at risk, that's where in-cell biometric monitoring comes, with the help of a wireless medical vital-sign monitoring device comes in. 'These sensors enable us to monitor the detainee's heart rate, their breathing rate, and also for motion, and it's instantly and simultaneously monitored by our monitoring room, fed into a dashboard,' said Insp. Michael Dreilich. Just finished its pilot year, the innovative system of unobtrusive wall-mounted boxes was originally designed for use in senior care homes, but it seems uniquely suited to detention use and is installed in 10 of 51 cells at the DMU. The critical message is top of mind: No one dies. No one gets hurt. In the year the biometric sensors have been in place, EPS hasn't had any fatalities within cells, Dreilich said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Humans are humans, and things get missed,' he acknowledged. 'But some people with really acute health-care needs, with something like complex addiction issues or withdrawal issues, combined with other health issues that may be before using any kind of substances or alcohol, then it enables us to monitor at a more enhanced level to make sure they will be (OK) while they're in our custody.' A biometric monitor (grey box top left) and video camera is visible in a cell at the Detainee Management Unit inside the Edmonton Police Service Northwest Division Station, in Friday May 30, 2025. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia ALL ABOUT THE BAIL A hive of police activity supports EPS operations at the EPS North Campus perched just north of Anthony Henday Drive at 11025 133 Ave NW. Some 20 to 30 EPS staff may swell with a training class of 50. The Alberta Sheriffs have an office to assist with transports. There are 20 or so civilian staff in the building whose job is to gather disclosure material for the Crown. A 'bullpen' serves all the EPS detectives. The DMU processes thousands of detainees each year. Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Sometimes there's only a few in cells. Sometimes after a large-scale event, it's almost full. Community Peace Officer Chad Nykolaishyn monitors detainees, including biometric information, from the Detainee Management Unit Welfare Station at the Edmonton Police Service Northwest Division Station, in Friday May 30, 2025. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia Eyeballing entire the operation, there are 160 cameras feeding in to a large control room full of screens — which need to be monitored. But for detainees, the bail hearing rooms are the hub. Everyone who comes to the site is destined to go before a justice of the peace within 24 hours. At intake, detainees are searched multiple times. They may be scanned on what looks like a full-body medical device, and asked to sit on a chair scanner to search for weapons or drugs hidden in cavities. An advanced paramedic checks detainees out; if they need urgent medical attention, they're taken to hospital. They speak to duty counsel. Files to the Crown. Fingerprints for the record. Did they refuse a meal, use the phone? Noted. At the eventual bail hearing, video brings in a JP from the Edmonton law courts. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Crown prosecutor and duty counsel typically video in. Depending on the seriousness of the alleged crime and flight risk, they make bail or go directly to jail at the nearby Edmonton Remand Centre. Grant funding provides two civilians who can help connect detainees post-release with services like addiction, housing, medical. 'For us, the shortest time they're in custody is best,' Staff Sgt. Mark Farnell said as he escorted the Postmedia team around the quiet halls. And in between intake and bail, there's custody in cells. Biometric information is visible on a screen as Community Peace Officer Chad Nykolaishyn monitors detainees from the Detainee Management Unit Welfare Station at the Edmonton Police Service Northwest Division Station, in Friday May 30, 2025. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia ALARMED DASHBOARD GRID A larger control room monitors the entire facility's 160 cameras, but in the Detainee Welfare Station, a peace officer concentrates on the biometric sensor dashboard's flickering grid, watching the accompanying bank of live-feed video from 10 cells deemed higher risk. 'We move from dealing with someone's custodial matters to now concern about their welfare,' Farnell said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Among the 10, there are a few 'soft cells,' the flesh-toned 'padded' cell has a sort of spongy quality floor to ceiling, devoid of harsh edges — or even a toilet. 'If someone was self-harming, yeah, and then they could, we can move into this cell so if they sort of start maybe banging their heads or doing something else,' Farnell said. Red signifies a detainee's numbers have passed a safe threshold, triggering an alarm. 'If the sensor goes off, then the staff can alert the patrol people to go and check with the detainee to see what's happening, just to make sure they're OK,' he said. In August 2024, biometric monitoring saved the life of a female detainee in custody who had several complex health-care issues, Dreilich said. 'At the time she went into the cell, she was in stable condition. Her condition rapidly deteriorated so much that it triggered the control centre, and the advanced care paramedic was able to enter the cell and ultimately save that woman's life,' he said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Sgt. Angela Raw manages the Detainee Management Unit inside the Edmonton Police Service Northwest Division Station, in Friday May 30, 2025. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia The devices are $3,000 apiece per unit. And then there's licensing fees, about $3,500 per unit all in for the year. The monitoring is done by EPS and built into budget. 'We've had these in place for just over a year now, and we are looking at expanding it within this year. We'll see if the budget will allow it,' Dreilich said. The hidden savings are the statistics below the surface of the detention iceberg. What costs the system avoids — overdoses averted, lawsuits never pursued, funerals never held, administrative leave unneeded because nothing tragically slipped by employees — remains to be calculated. The EPS pilot project originated in 2023, and interest in its success has grown. Now Regina and Medicine Hat and a few agencies in Ontario have the system, and Lethbridge and Calgary are working on it, Dreilich said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Within the detention world, we try and share as much as we can, because our problems are the same, just on different scales, from small RCMP detachments to big agencies,' he said. A BRIEF HISTORY OF DEATH IN CUSTODY According to StatCan, 2021 was the deadliest year to date in Canada for in-custody deaths, with 169 deaths. According to Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) investigation statistics, in the past 10 years the agency investigated 58 deaths in custody, including medical distress during arrest and death while at home surrounded by police, around the province, factoring in a handful of investigations conducted in other provinces. The numbers ranged from a high of 13 deaths in 2013 to a low of 1 in 2018, and last year, 2024, was the second most deadly year for deaths in custody, with 9 deaths. In-cell deaths in Edmonton detention included the March 16, 2020 overdose death of a 38-year-old male detainee. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It was determined he had consumed fentanyl smuggled in by another detainee. ASIRT determined little could have been done to avert the death of a woman who died of a stroke suffered in an Edmonton police cell. The 55-year-old died hours after her arrest at the Belvedere LRT station on Aug. 6, 2017. ASIRT said she appeared to be fine to officers monitoring cells below the Edmonton Police Service headquarters, but on Aug. 7, an officer heard laboured breathing coming from the cell shared with other women, and found her in medical distress. She died in hospital from an acute hemorrhagic stroke. An autopsy found the stroke was not related to physical trauma, and that an underlying disease affected her blood's ability to clot, and found low levels of methamphetamine and diazepam in her system. — With files from Jonny Wakefield Cult of Hockey Cult of Hockey Sports Cult of Hockey Sports
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Des Moines University forms faculty development academy with alumni gift
Des Moines University is creating a faculty development academy with the donation from a DMU graduate and his wife. Shown here, Des Moines University students celebrated Match Day on March 21, 2025, when they learned where they'll serve medical residencies. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences is utilizing donor dollars to expand the knowledge and skills of faculty with a new development initiative. The private medical university announced Wednesday the launch of the Dr. Robert and Brenda Good Faculty Development Academy, a campus-wide initiative to 'advance excellence in teaching, educational research and leadership among its faculty members,' according to a news release. 'This is a bold, forward-looking initiative designed to support faculty throughout their professional growth,' said DMU Assistant Vice President for Academic Innovation and Enhancement Nehad El-Sawi in the release. 'From peer-led consultations to faculty workshops on cutting-edge topics like artificial intelligence and enhanced preceptor development, the academy fosters a collaborative ecosystem for academic excellence.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX According to the release, the initiative will focus on six areas relating to faculty training and development, including improving onboarding, offering continuous professional development, encouraging educational research, furthering collaboration across campus and bettering teaching skills. El-Sawi said in the release this initiative will help the college invest in the future of health care by investing in its own faculty. A gift from 1977 DMU graduate Robert Good and his wife, Brenda, is funding the program, the release stated. DMU Director of Marketing and Communications Denise Lamphier said in an email the university is not providing the gift amount at the request of the donors. The Goods said in the release DMU needs to give the students who will eventually be caring for Iowans and others the best start they can, and a way to do that is to ensure faculty have the best training and skills to pass onto their classes. 'Their generosity will ripple through future generations and help prepare the health care heroes our world so urgently needs, including rural physicians, groundbreaking researchers and compassionate therapists,' said DMU President Angela Walker Franklin in the release. 'This is more than a gift. It's a promise of hope and innovation. The entire DMU community is grateful to the Goods for believing in our mission and investing in its future.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
De Montfort University to cut jobs as financial pressure mounts
Leicester's De Montfort University (DMU) is looking to make redundancies after admitting its current spending is greater than its university has made 94 positions at risk, with 80 roles set to be cut. Bosses say a fall in student numbers, little movement in tuition fee levels and the increase in employer National Insurance payments mean they needed to cut spending by £22m this year - and £5m is still to be found. A spokesman for the university told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): "Like almost every university in the country, DMU is dealing with unprecedented financial challenges." 'Severe challenges' "We have acted early and responsibly to ensure DMU remains financially stable, able to continue its vital role as a critical driver of economic growth, productivity and opportunity," the spokesperson added."We are one of Leicester's largest employers and contribute hundreds of millions of pounds to the regional economy annually. "But the immediate challenges the sector faces are severe and fast-growing."In an effort to save money, the university set up a voluntary severance scheme last year, halted some projects and limited operational spending to "essential items only" but it has not closed the gap. Jobs under threat include 63 senior lecturer roles, 17 associate professor jobs, 11 lecturer roles, one research assistant job, one senior research fellow position and one reader, according to documents seen by the leaders have acknowledged part of the financial gap is due to the cost of setting up new campuses in Dubai and London, but have said the two campuses were needed to reduce reliance on undergraduate tuition fees and diversify an email to staff, vice chancellor Katie Normington said: "I can only reiterate how sorry I am that we are having to weather the national higher education storm like this and regret the impact it is having."
India.com
28-04-2025
- India.com
Last railway station in India opens only twice a year, requires visa for access, it is located in...
Indian railway station (Pixabay) The history of Indian railways is replete with interesting facts and figures. India has toy trains that are in service atop the hills, trams that bring in old world charm, vistadome coaches for rejuvenating amid the scenic scapes of the railway tracks meandering around the ghast and bridges. There is one railway station in Indi that holds great historical significance and is dedicated to Indian martyrs as well. This Indian railway station is dubbed as one of the last stations in India. The peninsular country is surrounded by neighbours on three sides and hence we have international stations too. The last Indian railway station in focus here is the one located in Punjab bordering Pakistan. The name of the station is Hussainiwala railway station. About India's Last Railway Station in Punjab Hussainiwala Railway Station is located in Firozepur district in Punjab. The history dates back to the partition era. Beyond this station lies the India-Pakistan border. This station was once regarded as the gateway to the city of Lahore. The first ever train that ran the tracks passing the station was in 1885. Then, in an undivided India, the distance was covered from Ferozepur (Punjab) to Kasur (now in Pakistan). In the past, it had been a hub of military and trade activities. Operated Twice a Year Regular trains do not run on this route anymore. However, in the a bid to honour the history and the martyrs, special trains are run on two particular days in a year covering a distance of roughly 10 kms. Northern Railway runs a special DMU train on Shaheed Diwas (March 23) and Baisakhi (April 13). Reportedly, a fete is also arranged on March 23. Earlier, the route was extended but after rising tension between the two nations, the railway line culminates with the sign 'The End of Northern Railway.' Therefore, this makes Attari Shyam Singh Railway Station, commonly known as the Wagah Station, as the last station near Pakistan border that is operational. However, passengers need passport or visa to visit or else will be prosecuted under Foreigners (Amendment) Act, 2004.
Emirates 24/7
17-04-2025
- Health
- Emirates 24/7
Dubai Medical University: Empowering Women in Healthcare for Over 40 Years
Dubai Medical University (DMU) is the first educational institution in the United Arab Emirates specializing in medicine and pharmacy, with over 40 years of experience in higher education. Established with a pioneering vision, the university is dedicated to investing in women's education, empowering them, and strengthening their role in healthcare and medical sciences. Since its inception, DMU has been committed to delivering high-quality academic programs accredited internationally, in collaboration with prestigious global universities. Its focus on scientific excellence, practical training, and comprehensive healthcare education is supported by an advanced learning environment that fosters innovation and student success. Today, the university proudly hosts leading colleges in Medicine, Pharmacy, and Nursing. The recently accredited Bachelor of Nursing program marks a strategic milestone aligned with the UAE National Agenda, aiming to expand the pool of qualified healthcare professionals to meet the sector's growing needs and enhance the quality and sustainability of healthcare services. DMU offers modern academic programs with internationally aligned curricula, cutting-edge laboratories, and technologies, including AI and virtual reality simulation labs. With a distinguished and experienced faculty, DMU stands out as the academic destination of choice for ambitious female students seeking excellence in healthcare. In collaboration with the Nafis program, DMU offers 100% scholarships for UAE nationals in the Pharmacy and Nursing programs to support the development of national talent. Additionally, the university provides scholarships of up to 40% for students of all nationalities—making world-class medical education more accessible—while maintaining some of the most affordable tuition rates in the UAE. Prospective female students and their parents are warmly invited to visit the university campus from Monday to Friday, between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Visitors can explore academic programs, meet the faculty, tour the laboratories and facilities, and benefit from same-day registration. For inquiries and further information: 055 564 6463 | 04 212 0333 or visit Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.
