Technology in Law Enforcement

Technology in Law Enforcement

Kendra Koester
Criminal Justice
1010-016

Technology in Law Enforcement

The rate that technology has changed within the recent years has been drastic; about 20
years ago the super computers that we hold in the palm of our hand were in a large room. The
processing power and speed have increased sufficiently with the downsizing of the actual
machine. As technology improves over time the population will get ahold of the new gadgets and
the government needs to be on top of the changes before the criminals can utilize them. How has
law enforcement changed their procedures over the years to keep up with the changing world?
What tools have been put into use in law enforcement?
Technology is transforming policing in fundamental aspects; new and emerging
technologies are made an increasing role in the everyday work of officers on the frontline. The
new technology is giving them the equipment to enforce and investigate; the tools have the
potential to make them better informed and more effective. Law enforcement is using computer
technology along with other technologies to expand their outreach and increase the amount of
work that they are able to do in the amount of time they are given. As the increasing power and
the costs of technology going down, the growth in mobile communication and expansion of
innovative applications available.

Law enforcement agencies are increasingly social networking technologies to facilitate

communication and information sharing with members of the public. In a recent survey of law
enforcement chief executives, the Center for Social Media reports that 81 percent of 728
respondents use social media, and two-thirds of the users use Facebook. Social media for a
variety of functions, mainly crime investigations; notifying the public of criminal problems or
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emergency situations; community outreach and community engagement; crime prevention
activities; and soliciting tips on crime. (Roberts)

The amount of smartphones with Internet connectivity is a new way for citizens to report
crime much quicker. The new abilities that enable citizens to capture photos and video of crime,
they are able to share it with the police and other public. The Next Generation 9-1-1 system is
being designed to enable emergency calls from any networked device and to incorporate useful
forms of information sharing including real-time text, images, video, and other data. Technology
is also enabling better communication between government agencies and the general public in
emergency situations. The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System program of the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, is being designed to enable local, state, and federal authorities
to provide emergency alerts and notification to the public through multiple types of
communication. (Roberts)

Technology, of course, is a double-edged sword: law enforcement agencies must manage

an increasingly complex amount of technologies while making sure that they keep effective
planning, procurement, and implementation. The technical challenge is further amplified as the
agency integrates diverse technologies across different platforms, builds a strong and secure
technical structure, provides initial and ongoing training, plans to keep technology upgraded, and
keeps around the clock technical support. (Roberts)

Technology in Law Enforcement

Organizational structure and management practices play a critical role in the technology
used for desktops of personnel throughout the agency, including sophisticated case management
systems, analysis and mapping applications. (Roberts)

Financial support for technology, which may initially have been purchased with federal
funding, also frequently represents a challenge when agencies find themselves responsible for
ongoing maintenance and support of sophisticated technologies. The financial burden facing law
enforcement agencies extends to hardware and software maintenance and support contracts,
migration to new versions of hardware and software, security enhancements to support mobile
information sharing, and replacement and repair costs associated with supporting the use of
technology in a dynamic operational environment. (Roberts)

The equipment that police officers have updated to has made their job easier. Police
patrol cars throughout the United States are among the most technologically sophisticated and
well-equipped vehicles on the road today. Configured with laptop computers or mobile digital
terminals/computers, in-car cameras, automated license plate readers, multiband radios, radar
devices, automated vehicle location, emergency lights, sirens, and much more, the cockpit of the
typical police car might appear to the uninitiated to be nearly as complicated as that of a jet
airplane and every bit as crowded. (The Chief of Police: Technology is Playing an Expanding
Role in Policing)

Technology in Law Enforcement

Increasingly officers are wearing or carrying a variety of new technologies, including a
smartphone, a less-lethal weapon, and perhaps a body-worn video camera, in addition to the
standard complement of a firearm, handcuffs, extra ammunition, a baton, a flashlight, and other
items. (Roberts)

The in-car camera system has become a valued tool to confirm and ensure a high degree
of officer professionalism. The ability to record video footage of events involving the public
from a patrol car perspective has proven invaluable in such matters as traffic stops, criminal
investigations and arrests, internal affairs, and training. These systems are constantly improving
and becoming more cost effective. The greatest value of the in-car camera system is that of a
silent witness: the film is able to speak for officers when officers cannot speak for themselves.
(Shultz)

Devices are available that produce images of radiated or reflected surface energy in the
thermal portion of the electromagnetic spectrum through the use of a nonintrusive electronic
device. These devices have numerous uses for the law enforcement community. They can locate
a fleeing fugitive or a missing child in a field in a matter of minutes instead of hours. Easy to use,
easy to store, and easy to maintain, these imagers can literally mean the difference between life
and death for a wandering senior citizen or a child in a snowstorm. (Shultz)

Less lethal technologies are now available in a vast array of options. There is no reason
why a modern law enforcement agency should not have several different types of less-lethal

Technology in Law Enforcement

operating systems, such as electro-muscular disruption technology, specialty impact munitions,
chemical agents, and projectile systems for chemical agents. (Shultz)

Technology now enables officers to check thousands of license plates per shift to determine if
vehicles are stolen, if registered owners are wanted, or if there are restraints on registered
owners drivers licenses. The automatic license plate recognition system is an integrated
camera-database technology. The system takes a picture of the car license plate and then
processes the numbers and letters using optical character recognition software against a known
database. Suspected hits are relayed to users either visually or verbally. This technology can be
mounted in patrol vehicles and used while moving. (Shultz)

Technology has empowered officers in the field by giving them the ability to initiate
queries of multiple justice-related databases. Officers are also increasingly able to access and
query an expanding array of databases that can greatly assist in determining the identity of the
person with whom they are dealing; that persons legal status; as well as historical information
regarding the address to which officers are dispatched and whether there are any warnings
regarding the location or its occupants. (Roberts)

In the end, technology is changing the way police departments operate, how grants
requests are formatted, and what is requested in the local operating budget. Technologies funded
today were not even common knowledge just a few years ago. It is essential for law enforcement
executives to stay current with ongoing technological developments. Todays executives need not

Technology in Law Enforcement

only to be cognizant of developing technology but also to have a working knowledge of what
this technology can do for their agencies. Executives must be skilled in acquiring technology
through a variety of funding sources.

Bibliography
Roberts, David J. The Police of Chief: The Professional Voice of Law Enforcement. February
2011. 17 November 2015.
Shultz, Paul D. The Police Chief: The Future is Here; Technology in Police Departments. 2008.
17 November 2015.
The Chief of Police: Technology is Playing an Expanding Role in Policing. 20 January 2011.
2015. 17 November 2015.