Technology : The Contributions Of Technology In Law Enforcement

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

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.

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,

technology, and with the latest moral or ethical trends in society. However, these new trends and

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.

In this current period of time, police men and women have an even bigger target on their backs compared to times of the past. In the past year, we as students have had a very unique opportunity as criminal justice majors to see some interesting events unfold, such as the riots in Ferguson, Missouri, a number of allegedly wrongful deaths done by the police’s hands, to the riots in Baltimore. With all of this happening, I feel that the use of technology and militarization is beneficial to the men and women across America who serve as police officers. Along with this, not only is it more beneficial to police, but it could be more beneficial to civilians as well.

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,

Gadgets such as body-worn cameras, software used for facial recognition, forensics, and gunshot detection systems has made it easier for police departments to catch criminals. The more criminals that are off the streets the less crimes there will be. This technology helps law enforcement gather information of a person’s habits and their location to get in touch with them faster. In the article, Police Use New Technologies to Fight Crime, a police officer quoted, “The real value of all this technology is to empower the officer in the field. Now, data is pushed directly to their devices” (Avalos 2016). Not only is it beneficial and easier to catch a criminal, but it is the fastest way to getting to them. This technology has also been very useful to the City of Oakland and the City of San Jose because of their shortage of police officers. Technology on police cars has also been updated to make it easier to catch these criminals. Technology is also been a useful part in communication between police officers and catching the criminal. There are special software apps created to let the officer know information about the criminal. There have been less claims and less citizen complaints towards the police because of the body-worn cameras. Since technology each year is getting better and better the rate of crime will continue to stay low because it will be

One technological improvement in law enforcement that makes the job more effective/efficient is body cameras. These cameras capture events and interactions that take place between and among suspects, victims, and officers. According to page 513, body cameras can be used to resolve disputes and build trust with the community by preserving a record of critical events. This technology is used by the police for two purposes. One purpose is it used to increase police accountability. The second purpose is it has the potential to increase the effectiveness of the police response to crime. This technology can make the job more effective because now with these cameras there can at least be a little more evidence. Another thing is this technology may

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.

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 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

Law Enforcement and Technology Introduction Revolutionary progress in the field of information technology has ushered in numerous changes in the ways police officers and law enforcement agencies use to identify, trail and make cases against suspects. Throughout the last century, most of the technological advances in surveillance by law enforcement revolved around establishing and enhancing methods of communication: telephones, radio calls and other emergency communications. In this century, surveillance has become technological and is real time. The following are some of the latest surveillance technologies available to law enforcers.

Historically, technological innovation has served as the substance for intense changes in the organization of police work and has presented both opportunities and challenges to police and other criminal justice practitioners, according to Janet Chan, a social scientist who has studied how information technology affects the way police do their jobs.1 Noting that .information is the stock-in- trade of policing,. Chan has identified three general imperatives driving law enforcement’s evening investment in information technology. Using information technology in policing has add that more efficiency to the police department. Comparing the old-fashioned way of patrolling the streets to combat crime to then use them of using technology to predict the crime area and patrolling in advance deters crimes from happening. There are many advantages associated with using information technology in policing. Comparative analysis shows that using information technology (IT) to combat crime has save lot of resources and time in the police department. There are a number of other advantages that can be associated with the use of information technology in the police department.