Use of Technology in Police Departments

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Technology over the years has improved in the criminal justice system. Ever since the 1960s criminal justice systems have used technology to advance and gain a better knowledge of the different issues and encounters officers may face. Technology is used to improve the day-to-day operations, decrease operation cost and increase strategic planning and tactical approaches.
Technology has opened new encounters and opportunities for the criminal justice system. There are so many new practices of criminal activity, such as computer crimes. There are different types of computer crimes that many people become victims of every day. Computer crime is any crime that involves a computer and a network. The computer may have been used in the commission of a crime, or it may be the target ("Computer Crime: Chapter 2: What Are the Crimes?", n.d.). Crimes such as data diddling, pump and dump, social engineering and spoofing are computer crimes. Even though these crimes are difficult by privacy issues, the new technology has made investigations and prosecutions well organized and effective. Though views are different on the pros and cons of specific technological changes in the criminal justice system, there is an agreement the system has changed affectedly ("Effects of Technology in Criminal Justice | eHow", n.d.).
As we may see on television, it may seem as if officers are always out in the field chasing down the criminals but there is more to their jobs than just that. Officer’s jobs also include plenty of documentation. They have to fill out reports about the arrests and the actions that lead up to the arrest. In the past officer used paper and ink pen or even a typewriter to fill out their reports. Now with all the new technology they are ab...

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Library | How the FBI Investigates Computer Crime. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/abstracts/news-at-sei/security1q01.cfm
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