Law-enforcement technologyNew technologies make police work more effective

Law enforcement officers across the country are adapting to new technologies which aim to improve efficiency and accuracy on the job. The average police car is now equipped with a laptop which provides access to national criminal databases, portable fingerprint scanners, Breathalyzer units, automatic license-plate-readers, and even printers that can print out a citation ticket. Law enforcement officers are also carrying more firepower, from high-caliber semi-automatic pistols and rifles to tasers.

“It’s like the difference in getting across the country on horseback like the pioneers did or flying in a jet from New York to California,” Tyler Izen, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents some 10,000 officers, said of the rapid-fire changes sweeping police departments across the country. “And it’s happened in the span of a career.”

NBC News reports that law enforcement officers are relying more on data carry out daily tasksmore effectively. Before leaving the station for patrol, many officers are provided with comprehensive real-time data on wanted suspects, crime hotspots, and trends. “They have specific directions on where to go and what and who to look for,” says Los Angeles Police Department Commander Andrew Smith. Communication methods — e-mail, chat, texting, and social media — have provided law enforcement officers more resources for evidence gathering.

The crimes officers are responding to have also evolved due to technology. The public exposure to personal data and the Internet has widened the criminal methods of street gangs, organized crime, and terror groups. Identify theft and credit card fraud are followed by sophisticated methods of committing traditional crimes like prostitution and sex trafficking via social media and Internet sites. Comprehensive and detailed data in the hands of law enforcement have allowed for the development of predictive policing, an approached based on the idea that data fueled software will predict crimes based on trends and statistics.

Technology and sophisticated data are also used to grade law enforcement officers. Police commanders are able to locate squad cars via satellite vehicle locators to measure response time, and the use of in-dash and on-body video cameras will record interactions between officers and suspects. These efforts at “officer accountability” by police departments have raised the concerns of privacy advocates who worry  about potential abuse. Equipment like on-body video cameras and records from license-plate-readers may be stored indefinitely in some states.

NBC News notes that while technology has equipped law enforcement officers with sophisticated resources, officers must not abandon old-fashioned practices like maintaining a personal connection and grade their interactions with the communities they serve. Geoff Alpert, a criminology professor at the University of South Carolina, warns that overreliance on technology could lead to the weakening of effective community policing. “We talk about community policing, but the point of it (is) that officers need to get out in the street and meet people, talk to people, where they know who you are and you know who they are,” Alpert said. “It’s the human touch. That’s how you get information. If you don’t know your community cop, you are going to have a tougher time calling them. (And) if cops don’t get information, (they) don’t solve crimes.”