The New York City police department has added a modern touch to communications with the public, making information available for iPod users.

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Commissioner Ray Kelly said the podcasts will be changed each week, and possibly more frequently, and will likely include updates on major cases and appeals to the public for help in unsolved cases.

Podcasting is a way of publishing audio broadcasts via the Internet. Those without an iPod can listen to the service through their computer browser at the force's Web site at nyc.gov/html/nypd/home.

"It gives us the ability to get information out quickly in another medium," Kelly told Newsday.

The first podcast this week includes information on street closings during the U.N. General Assembly, interviews with a captain about identity theft and a report from an officer sent to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.