Policing and Technology:
Major Problems and Issues
Edgar Marcelo
December 13, 2014
Technology plays a big part in our society today. From computers to cell phones and other devices, technology is involved in almost every facet of our lives. Law enforcement agencies, not only in the United States, but all over the world have adapted new gadgets and forms of technology to assist in their everyday law enforcement activities. The problem with using too much technology is that it might interfere with the daily duties of a police officer, as far as interacting with the public or using physical force. Will law enforcement depend entirely on technology and lose its touch with the community? There are many discrepancies and concerns that stem from technology within law enforcement. Lack of Community Policing: Militarization of Police
Throughout the years police have begun to use military style weapons and gadgets to respond to riots and crowd control. The average police officer’s uniform which consists of a badge, a firearm and a blue uniform has transformed into a “military style uniform”. Police officer’s combat gear includes a gas mask, tear gas , flash bang grenades and many more weapons and gadgets used mainly overseas during war. Recent protests in Missouri over the death of Mike Brown have resulted in police responding with such tactical gear, diminishing the relationship police officers have with the community. Josh Levs, who is a reporter for CNN stated,
Computerized communication within law enforcement has and will continue to improve law enforcement as the technology is implemented and utilized within these agencies. The utilization of such devices as mobile data terminals (MDT’s) has given the average patrol officer access to enormous amounts of information. Even in 1979, Computer and technology were said to “have the potential to aid in criminal justice activities through the rapid communication of accurate and complete information, and perhaps a more rational approach to decision-making” (Colton, 1979. P.19). Now in 2014, the computers and
Technology used in policing enhances law enforcement organizations’ ability to function because it has improved police databases, reports, tracking, and forensics (DOJ, 2004). In addition, a less-lethal weapon is designed to disable, capture, or immobilize a suspect without killing them. However, occasionally deaths do happen as a result of less-lethal weapons which include kinetic energy, electrical, acoustic, and chemical weapons. Furthermore, violence, disease, and infected evidence are dangers that law enforcement officers face today.
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.
Law enforcement agencies throughout the country look for ways to reduce response times in addressing citizens’ concerns and calls for service. In efforts to meet the demands of citizens wanting officers to respond to their being victimized, agencies are looking for alternative ways to prioritize calls needed for police to make the location requested by the citizen. The additional time that officers spend answering minor calls for service (alarms not monitored, thefts, burglary, barking dog etc.) the reduction of time police have accessible for pro-active problem solving. Although, the greater parts of dispatched calls have nothing to do with reportable wrongdoings, which demonstrate an over-dependence on the police, however responding to calls establishes a relationship between the citizen and officer. In addressing ways to minimize police response to minor calls, departments are using advance information technology to enhance ways citizens can report crime without the presence of an officer. Above all, people use online services to shop, pay bills and do their banking. Online reporting has made it easier for citizens to report crime faster, reducing time waiting for police to manually take the report. Additionally, citizens assessing the computerized systems create a service number which can be given to their insurance company.
Without having a criminal justice system there would be no order. Being in the law enforcement field, if it's being a police officer, probation officer, or even a correctional officer it is essential that everyone communicates with everyone. By colloaborating with each other it ensures that everyone is on the same page when it comes to things. Working together this way helps to create the same justice that we have for our victims but in our communities as well. In order for the criminal justice system to function effectively all three components of the criminal justice system is an essential part.
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,
According to the Oxford Dictionary, law is a “system of rules which a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of its members and which it may enforce by the imposition of penalties” (1). In order for this system of rules to be enforced, there needs to be a set group of people whose job it is to maintain public order, and that is where the police are instituted. Over the years, however, there is a raising concern for the treatment of individuals by this police force. Trust for police officers is at an all time low, while crime is on the rise. In order for the police system to counter this and to improve upon themselves, incorporating new technologies will increase community relations along with helping to assist
The license plate reader, LPR is a mobile plate hunter that comprises of a camera(s) placed on the outside of a squad car that is then connected to a computer database inside the squad car. The plate hunter has the capacity to recognize the character on a number plate and rapidly relay the information to the database computer that would verify of the owner or the automobile has any record or if the vehicle has been reported stolen/missing. This ability is even possible when the squad car is moving at 75 mph and can check up to 3, 000 number plates within an hour. Any offending incidence is brought to the attention of the officers by a siren or alarm the computer makes; stolen or revoked license. (Hanlon 2007)
Do you remember when our policemen had to ride around on horses to get from place to place? Most probably have heard about it, but think to themselves ‘all I have ever known as police cars and motorcycles’. For over a century the world has been making advances with technology in all areas of life, and the field of criminal justice has not been an exception to this technological advances. These advances in technology has taken the criminal justice field a long way from riding a horse bareback to driving armored cars. These advances along with many others have almost completely changed how things are handled in all aspects of the law.
Line-level law enforcement officers, investigators supervisors, and police executives are more educated and sophisticated with technology in their arsenal to enhance job performance. Despite having better education, training, equipment, access to specialized resources, and information, law enforcement agencies struggle with sharing power with their workforce. The result of this failure to modernize leaves law enforcement officers going through the motions and working at less than maximum efficiency.
In order to install a stable baseline for law enforcement agencies in this field, the U.S. DOJ (Department of Justice) should establish national standards for the research and development of new technology including auditory, visual, and biometric data, “less than lethal” technology, and the development of segregated radio spectrum such as FirstNet. These standards should also address compatibility, interoperability, and implementation needs both within local law enforcement agencies and across agencies and jurisdictions and should maintain civil and human rights protections. Law enforcement implementation of technology should be designed considering local needs and aligned with these national standards. Finally, law enforcement agencies should adopt model policies and best practices for technology-based community engagement that increases community trust and
In my final research paper, I will provide information on how technology has changed policing. I will go in depth on early policing technology and work my way up to present day police technology. I will explain the significance of each type of technology and how that has affected policing. Technology is affecting this world every day, and will continue to advance as life goes on. This means that police must have their technology up to date so they can compete with those who break the law. Back then a police office would just need his radio to communicate to other officers and the dispatcher, but now police need all kinds of technology and I will give great detail on what technologies they use now a days to help enforce the law on today’s society. I will then talk about how radios, cars, guns, and other technologies that police need to do their job and how it affects policing back then and now in present day. I will also give examples on how police officers use these technologies in a good way and also in a bad way. Social Media and the internet is something that I will also talk about since these are always improving and how police use social media or the internet for their own interest. The last thing that I will talk about is what technologies are for the future in policing and how it can make an impact on society.
The criminal justice field is an ever evolving field. As today’s technology changes so does the way the criminal justice field interacts with that technology. As our society changes the technology that we use will also be altered to fit the situation. The barriers that come along can affect how the criminal justice field interprets what to do next. The basis of the criminal justice system is to protect and serve the community as a whole. Keeping up with the changes in society is a vital part of our
Information and communication technology has brought numerous admirations to law enforcement. A variety of things such as reconstruction of crimes scenes, and the sharing of evidence between agencies has altered the way police do business. New technology that is improving consists of crime mapping, computer-assisted training, geographic profiling, compstat, etc. Each of these provide several advantages to law enforcement their for improving the work they are doing. As new technology is created law enforcements officer are improving in their work because information and communication technology is making their jobs easier. Things that officer were once not able to do they can now do within minutes even seconds. An example would be crime mapping;
In this current generation, technology is steadily becoming a major asset to our future in a wide range of areas, and has been embedded in our lives currently to the point of being close to a necessity. In Criminal Justice, the use of technology has proven to be of tremendous help in many areas of the field. The incorporation of the computer systems in criminal justice tremendously has improved the general communication between agencies as the new methods of transferring information among departments. In addition, it has become much more resourceful and efficient in that it is much simpler to acquire the data at a more rapid rate, hence, speeding up the time it takes to prevent or solve crimes. The intent of this paper is to deliver an