Technology In Law Enforcement

Although law enforcement officers have been keeping us safe for many generations, I feel like I am better protected today than I may have been in the past. Today’s technology, policing styles, and treatment of women lead me to this conclusion.

Perhaps the biggest contributor to feeling safer today than in the past is the advancement in technology that today’s police departments have available to them. There is crime mapping technology, in which analysts “map where crime occurs, combine the resulting visual display with other geographic data (such as location of schools, parks and industrial complexes), analyze and investigate the causes of crime, and develop responses.” (OJP) This can help police departments determine where the higher-crime areas might be, and assign patrols based on that information. Other advances include thermal imaging, which can help locate a missing child or track a fugitive, and GPS technology, which lessens the need for high-speed pursuits when tracking a fleeing suspect.

Another reason that I feel safer today is the

Body armor is an example of this. The “ballistic-resistant body armor can protect against a significant number of types of handgun and rifle ammunition, and stab-resistant body armor can help protect against knives and other sharp weapons.” (OJP) This keeps the officers safer when responding to any number of calls where weapons may be involved. Other new technologies include robotic cameras, which allow police to see into areas that may be too dangerous to enter, and GPS tracking darts, which can be affixed to a suspect’s vehicle during a police pursuit. The data from this tracking dart then allows officers to end a high-speed chase and follow the suspect electronically, eliminating potential dangers to both the pursuing officers and