How Does Technology Affect Community Policing

The advancement in aircraft, radio technology, body cameras, GPS, surveillance, and many other technologies can enhance the ways in which law enforcement can deliver police services in a more proactive manner throughout the community. Many problems could be solved by law enforcement employing new technology. Of course, therein lies the problem of money. Newer technology requires a larger budget to be provided to law enforcement agencies. I believe that spending money on new tech is a wise investment because there would be a rise in the effectiveness of law enforcement against crime. As overcrowding of prisons is alleviated through reclassification of some felonies to misdemeanors, violent, non-violent, repeat and first-time offenders will be released back into the public. We are seeing a rise in crime. As these offenders continue to be released, crime is and will continue to rise. Money saved by releasing these offenders can be used to reinforce law enforcement through further application of new

Technology today is a substantial part of policing. From the two way radios of the reforming era, and the use of video feeds in the patrol cars. The video recorded in today’s highly

From the night watch in Boston, to the present day policing, law enforcement has behind in the world of technology. As time rolled through the political era, professional era, and community-oriented era, police patrols would use the rapidly advancing technology in their favor. "Those were desperate times for policemen in a hostile country with unpaved streets and uneven sidewalks, sometimes miles from the police station, with little prospects of assistance in case of need.... It took nerve to be a policeman in those days," this was reported by Chief Francis O 'Neill of the Chicago Police Department in 1903. With only having a printing press and a multiple-shot revolver over a hundred years ago, the advancement in technology today has helped improve the policing methods in patrol quite significantly. However, technology would eventually out-run the police.

All together law enforcement has changed, but few see the drastic changes that have happened. Everyday, police and sheriffs are working to keep the people in their community safe. With improved technological advances and social changes, police and sheriffs are keeping a closer eye on things today. For example, improved weapons such as tasers have helped keep suspects safe, computers in police cruisers allow instant access of information of individuals. Other social changes, such as women allowed to join the police forces have helped law enforcement a lot with domestic violence cases because they are calmer then most men. No matter what happens police and the sheriffs will be there to protect and serve

Moving along, one of the biggest issues and trends facing law enforcement today and in the future is the use of technology. Today, police organizations have access to a wide range of technological tools, and they are continually advancing and improving. Some of these include records management systems, computer-aided dispatch, GPS technology, license plate readers, biometrics (facial recognition software, for example), crime mapping via geographical information systems, and less-than-lethal weapons (Tasers, beanbag rounds, tear gas,

The different eras in American policing are significant for several reasons. The Evolution of policing was essential in constructing a well operating police department. Each era in the evolution of policing overlaps with each other. However, understanding what occurred in each era is important, in order to comprehend the adjustments that were made. The economic, political, and technology developments assisted police agencies movement from one era to the next.

Police Departments are continuing to evolve to try to stay ahead if the criminal. Police technology is most influential changes relative to modern policing. Police agencies are using modern technology such as internet to convey information to the public, smart phones with the capacity to communicate with others from the field, and mobile computers to retrieve information, (Grant & Terry, 2012). Because police officers have mobile computers while in the field,

For example, “In the 1920s, led by Berkeley, California police chief, August Vollmer and O.W. Wilson, police began to professionalize, adopt new technologies, and place emphasis on training and professional qualifications of new hires” (“Criminal Justice”, para 32). Still, this process was very slow to develop and even non-existent in some areas. There was also a lack of respect between the police and the community, and agencies were led by highly autocratic leaders. However, in the mid 20th century, advancements in technology had a significant impact on policing. “The result of these new technologies was a complex and contradictory change in police-citizen contacts.

Although technology can help law enforcement officers find criminals, the police force struggles to keep pace with criminal networks. This new technology has allowed for new ways of committing crimes: such as cyber bullying, child

During this era citizens felt safer and had a better relationship with the police but as time went on and technology got better the relationship that was developed between police officers and citizens changed dramatically. By the mid-1900s new technology had a significant influence on policing, two-way radio, patrol cars and the telephones, revolutionized policing. “Police: History-Policing Twentieth Century America^ C” the Reform Era( n.d.)

Since the founding of the founding of the United States in 1776, American law enforcement has evolved significantly. As the US developed and changed, the criminal justice system changed and experienced different focuses in operation. Since the first public police organization was founded in 1844 to today with 90% of all American of municipalities with a population of 2,500 or more having their own police forces, the US policing complex has seen many changes (Eskridge 81). Urbanization and social change have greatly impacted policing. Starting in World War II the US populous has steadily shifted from rural to urban areas. In response to this change the percentage of police officers employed in urban areas rose from 68% in 1977 to 82% in 1982 (Eskridge 81). Not only has the locational focus changed for policing, but changes in professionalism and technology have also impacted how police departments operate. The number of law enforcement training academies has grown exceptionally and today nearly all police departments use computers compared to only one in 1964 (Eskridge 82). These dramatic changes that police departments have encountered not only represent the evolution of policing but also the evolution of the democratic state.

There should also be personnel evaluations in place that review and assess skills and behaviors related to these job descriptions. Performance, reward, and promotional procedures should support sound problem-solving activities, proactive policing, community collaboration, and citizen satisfaction with police services (Chapman & Scheider, 2012, p.8). Lastly, technology plays a central role in community policing by providing quality information that is easily accessible. With the use of technology, agencies are able to communicate externally with the public through the internet. Community policing encourages agencies to develop two-way communication systems that allow for online reports, reverse 911 and e-mail alerts, discussion forums, and feedback on interactive applications (e.g., surveys or maps), thereby creating ongoing dialogues and increasing transparency (Chapman & Scheider, 2012, p.9).

1. Compare and contrast the application of information technology (IT) to optimize police departments’ performance to reduce crime versus random patrols of the streets.

Computer technology in policing is helpful in the field because made communication easier for the field officer who are deployed. Computer-aided dispatch was very handy because it developed an easier way to take 911 emergency calls. Computer aided dispatch system also regularly maintains the status of each police officer and their location, so that they can dispatch officers to the nearest emergency scene. For example, Lindsay, Rachael, Thomas W. Jackson, and Louise Cooke author of "Adapted Technology Acceptance Model for Mobile Policing." States, “Technology is currently used to support policing in several ways, such as database systems to record crime details and geographic information systems to profile the characteristics of local policing

1. Compare and contrast the application of information technology (IT) to optimize police departments’ performance to reduce crime versus random patrols of the streets.