Technology In Law Enforcement
Ever since the beginning of mankind, there have been those who pursue a more felonious lifestyle. Those who seek to obtain something from nothing, not by the sweat of their own brow, but by the labor and hard work of others. People who scheme, lie, cheat, steal, and even kill to take what does not belong to them. If left alone, the actions of these individuals and the results reaped would spread across the world like a deadly cancer with no hope of a cure or relieving treatment. Fortunately, such a force of opposition exists in the world today. The police have and will continue to combat those who intend to unrightfully and criminally take from or hurt others. Police signify safety, peace, and order and without
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their crime deterring presence, criminals would run rampant in the streets. Law enforcement officers are some the smartest, kindest, and resourceful people in the world, however, even law enforcement officers require tools and technology to successfully do their jobs. The signature uniform accessory for all cops is the police belt full of all types of equipment and technology essential to the job. In the beginning, technology in law enforcement was quite simple and practical but over time, technology has changed into more advanced and effective equipment utilized to combat and deter crime. When contemplating technology, three questions come to mind. What was technology like early on in policing, what forms of technology law enforcement officers are currently using today, and what forms of technology will be coming out in the future? What single form of technology or equipment signifies and gives the police officer power and authority while also providing a sense of safety and security? What places the ability to grant life or take it in the hands of a highly trained officer? The instrument described by the previous question is the handgun carried by all police officers. The first guns were crude forms of the guns that are in use by law enforcement today. To fully appreciate the guns that officers have today, one must look at the past to see the innovations that have occurred over time by great inventors like Samuel Colt. “He developed a handgun design with a rotating cylinder with multiple chambers, each of which could contain a charge of powder topped by the bullet, loaded from the front of the cylinder. The rear of the cylinder was closed, with a nipple for a percussion cap installed at the back of each chamber. When the hammer is cocked, a fresh chamber roatates into alignment with the rear of the barrel, and when the trigger is pulled the hammer drops, firing the load in that chamber. This is the basis of the mechanical system still used in all revolvers today.” (Supica) This single invention was a humongous advance in technology at that time. Before this invention by Samuel Colt, an officer would have to reload his gun after each discharge of the weapon, which on average took around twenty seconds, turning it into a race to see who could reload faster, the police officer or the criminal (Colt). Colt designed this revolutionary revolver during an apprenticeship voyage to India, while he was still a young boy (Colt). Interestingly enough, after the Colt revolver was patented in 1835, the sales were horrible (Colt). The lack of sales could partly be attributed to defects that the revolvers experienced during the beginning of their manufacturing, but more likely, the lack of sales were the result of their not being a demand for his guns (Colt). People were content with their single fire riffles and did not want to try something new, however, that was not the end for Colt’s revolver. A jump in sells of the revolver can be linked to the American Mexican War, which started in 1846, and refinements made to the manufacturing process leading to a safer and better-manufactured revolver in 1848 (Colt). Since the 1840’s the use of the multi-firing gun has continued to grow and today it fills a vital role in law enforcement. Effective communication is essential to any endeavor whether it be news broadcasting or creating and running a business.
Law enforcement is no exception to this universal rule. In the beginning of law enforcement, communications between different police stations and even between officers in the same station were terrible. The only way to communicate with someone was by seeing them in person or sending a message by courier. Without effective communication between patrol officers, detectives, and police precincts, law enforcement was greatly hindered. All of this changed with the invention of the telegraph. Even though, Samuel Morse is believed to have been the inventor of the telegraph by many, that is false (pbs.gov). Morse is closely associated with the telegraph because he made outstanding developments and improvements to the apparatus and concept (Morse). For example, the original telegraph was very bulky and inefficient using twenty-six wires to transmit a message (Morse). Samuel Morse was able to reduce the twenty-six wires to one and still accomplish the same result and he also created a system to communicate long and complex messages in a simple and covert way to allow discretion when communicating over telegraph (Morse). Telegraph lines were quickly spread throughout the United States allowing for there to be greater communication between police stations all around the country. This increase in communication led to greater unity and as a result produced a …show more content…
stringer force that was better and continues to grow better at deterring crime. Shortly after the telegraph began to be used by the police, the telephone replaced it due to its simplicity and ability to better communicate. Some would say that the telegraph was minuscule or not that important to law enforcement because it was only utilized for such a brief time, however, the concept of the telephone was built off of the science and discovery reaped from the creation of the telegraph. Thus, it can be said that the telegraph led to the invention of the telephone, which is still in use today and will continue to be used by the police in the future. A key part of crime deterrence is the presence of a police officer. In some small areas, a police officer can simply walk around and make his presence know, while in others, a form of transportation is required. A man known as Karl Benz solved this problem. Benz is credited with making the first practical car whose basis on which cars still operate today. He is credited with the invention of the first car because his car was the first car that functioned like the cars driven today. His car was practical and derived power from an internal combustion engine, an engine that runs off the explosive power of gasoline (Benz). As with many other inventors, Benz piggybacked of the inventions of many other inventors to create his own. Karl Benz created the first car in 1886 and law enforcement began using it uniformly in 1930 (Benz). This invention dramatically changed policing. Police officers could now travel longer distances quicker and arrive at the scene of a crime legions faster than they could before. Police patrol cars are vital to the job today and work as a form of mobile office for the officer. There is a large array of technologies and technology infused equipment used by law enforcement officers today. For example, there is the police belt with all of the equipment it holds including: taser, gun, handcuffs, chemical spray, flashlight and much more. In precinct houses and police cars there are computers that give officers access to a vast database of information. A specific technology currently being used by law enforcement, that has had a profound effect on the ability to verify identity and prove culpability, is the live scan finger print device. The definition of a fingerprint, according to the Literary Reference Center, is “an impression of the underside of the end of a finger or thumb, used for identification because the arrangement of ridges in any fingerprint is thought to be unique and permanent with each person” (fingerprint). The simple uniqueness of every fingerprint makes it an excellent way of differentiating between persons who are believed to have been present at a crime scene or actually have committed the crime. The live scan finger printer takes full advantage of the fingerprints distinctive qualities and allows for the police officer to obtain a positive identification of a person in minutes. A process that once took months to complete has been filed down to minutes, drastically speeding up the identification process. Without this technology, law enforcement would be extremely hindered and delayed, making it an invaluable addition to police work. The future of technology for law enforcement looks very promising.
New technology can help solve many problems that are associated with the police and civilians. On the civilian side, many say that police sometimes use excessive force, “violence in excess of what is typically permitted according to training protocols and the law” (Ross). New technology like body cams can help hold officers accountable for their actions. On the law enforcement side, there is the complaint that they are not protected well enough. New technology like the smart belt, a belt outfitted with advanced sensory technology that communicates directly with the command staff at the police station, will help keep them safe and back them up in
court. Without technology, law enforcement would be at an extreme disadvantage when trying to deter crime. Contrary to its beginning, law enforcement no relies heavily on technology that functions properly and assists them in completing their job safely and efficiently. As the world keeps growing and advancing, law enforcement will have to develop new technologies to help deter crime and enlist those who are able to effectively utilize the tools and resources available to them. Technological advances are constantly being made, the trick is for the officer to find a way to integrate these developments into the successful fulfillment of his job.
Police officers with their body cameras: a history and back ground paper to answer the question if should all police officers wear body cameras, it is important to first look at the history and back ground of the topic. According to article of Journal of quantitative criminology, writers Ariel, Farrar, Sutherland, Body cameras have been given a new eye opener to people about the excessive use of force against their community members. Arial, Farrar, and Sutherland in the article state “The effect of police body warn cameras on use of force and citizens’ complaints against the police: A randomize controlled trial” describe their observation as:
Police Body Cameras Due to devastating events that have occurred between policemen and civilians, law enforcements find it liable for police officers to be fitted with body cameras. In doing so it is thought to bring an increase in trust in the community, reduce brutality and crime, as well as elucidate good cops still around. I feel body cameras will bring more awareness to police departments when it comes to the honesty in their staff’s actions when they are unsupervised. They can be used as hard evidence in courtrooms, to help make the correct judgment on the situation in question.
American policing originated from early English law and is profoundly influenced by its history. Early law enforcement in England took on two forms of policing, one of which heavily influenced modern policing and it is known as the watch (Potter, 2013). The watch consisted, at first, of volunteers which had to patrol the streets for any kind of disorder including crime and fire. After men attempted to get out of volunteering by paying others, it became a paid professional position (Walker & Katz, 2012). The three eras of policing in America are shaped by these early ideas and practices of law enforcement. Throughout time, sufficient improvements and advancements have been made from the political era to the professional era and finally the community era which attempts to eliminate corruption, hire qualified officers and create an overall effective law enforcement system.
There have been lots of modern technologies introduced in the United States of America to assist law enforcement agencies with crime prevention. But the use of body-worn cameras by police personnel brings about many unanswered questions and debate. Rising questions about the use of body cam are from concern citizens and law enforcement personnel. In this present day America, the use body cameras by all law enforcement personnel and agencies are one of the controversial topics being discussed on a daily base. Body worn cameras were adopted due to the alleged police brutality cases: for instance, the case of Michael Brown, an African-American who was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, on August 2014, Eric Garner died as a result of being put in a chokehold by a New York police officer, and John Crawford, shot and killed by a police officer at a Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio.
The researcher hypothesizes that the use of body-cameras on police officers would reduce the instances of gainful communication between civilians and law enforcement. The null-hypothesis is that the use of body-cameras on police officers will have no effect on gainful communication between civilian and law enforcement. In determining the implications of how body-cameras effects civilian behavior, the research will include a sampling survey of criminal justice students and information gathered from journal documents related to research on police body-cameras.
Police officers should be required to wear body cameras because it will build a trust between law enforcement and the community, it will decrease the amount of complaints against police officers, and lastly it will decrease the amount of police abuse of authority. In addition, an officer is also more likely to behave in a more appropriate manner that follows standard operating procedures when encountering a civilian. “A 2013 report by the Department of Justice found that officers and civilians acted in a more positive manner when they were aware that a camera was present” (Griggs, Brandon). Critics claim that the use of body cameras is invasive of the officers and civilians privacy.
Law enforcement officers make an oath to serve and protect, and they are expected to uphold this oath to the best of their ability, but recently there has been an increase in the number of civilian deaths at the hands of law enforcement. Since the rise in this alarming trend, public distrust of law enforcement officials is at an all-time high. This has caused the public to demand the use of body worn cameras be made mandatory. Some people argue that imposing this new technology can cause unintended problems such as, violating privacy laws or interfering with how police interact with the public. However, these concerns can be easily solved once more policies are created to guideline usage. High profile
The main purpose of the police is to protection, and force should only be use to promote the safety of the community. The police have been charged with the one of the greatest responsibility in the world, and that is with safeguarding the domestic well being of the public. My father was a New York police officer for 20 years, and I know firsthand that this job is not an easy one. The polic...
Thesis: By implementing Body cameras there will be more effective ways to monitor police activity the ability to protect civilians and law officials will greatly increase. Today I would like to share more with everyone the huge issue police brutality plays in our society and hopefully by the end of my speech you will want police officers to wear mandatory body cameras as well.
In the United States a person cannot go through their day without being under some form of surveillance. The US has been on edge lately with law enforcement, due to crimes that have occurred over the years especially with those of minority race. The American Civil Liberties Union, commonly known as the ACLU, strives to defend and preserve the rights and liberties that are granted under the constitution. The ACLU has been crafting their vision for how the criminal justice system should handle police integrity. The ACLU advocates cameras for all uniformed officers, while many other criminologist believe that they are not the long term solution to the issue. Advocates believe that body cameras can protect the people from law enforcement. Advocates
Recent advancements in technology have had a huge impact on the current criminal justice system. These new developments have made it easier for those in the field to track down criminals and help provide better evidence to support their cases. Things such as fingerprint databases, DNA testing, GPS tracking, and many other things have made it easier for prosecutors or defendants to prove their cases in court. This is very beneficial because with this new wave of technology officials are now able to provide more reliable and credible evidence in court. This current upsurge of technology will help benefit a lot people in the field. People such as law enforcement, falsely accused criminals, prosecutors, defendants, judges, the list just goes on and on. Technology has been has had a major impact on the criminal justice system, it is now been made easier to track down and catch criminals and made it so that the evidence provided at court is more reliable and credible.
In our times, the police have become the criminals. Some police are using their power to do bad things, and society has come to fear police. The law enforcement system needs change. The courts have failed the police, and the police have turn to other means of justice. We must stop the corruption in the police force.
We are living in an age of technological growth. The speed and creativity of this growth is unprecedented and can be seen almost everywhere you look. One of the most prevalent changes that technology has created is the way that we work. Furthermore, it hasn’t just helped with the work of people like computer programmers or data analyzers; no, it has impacted almost every job in some way. One career that isn’t usually thought to have too much to with technology is policing. But actually, just in the last couple of years major breakthroughs have been made that can make it easier for police officers to keep us safe. Brand new data systems have been developed and officers now have more ways to communicate with each other than ever before. And new surveillance technologies have made policing safer for us, and for all the
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.
Today, technology has affected our global surroundings in a number of ways. Technology has created a more advanced society and economy. We use technology in every aspect of life today. New innovations and technology helps create a safer atmosphere and reduces the rate of crime. Technology is the usage and knowledge of techniques or is systems of these things. Usage of technology in the criminal justice system is not new but more apparent today. Technology in criminal justice will continue to challenge us to think about how we turn information into knowledge. Due to new technology, criminal investigations are able to maintain and improve their processes. Forensic science, DNA, other and future technology has all had a tremendous impact on criminal investigation and its process.