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Technological innovations play a vital role in the life of every person in today’s world. Still, their potential for improving such areas as policing can significantly enhance its efficiency and effectiveness as it shapes modern policing. Radio communication and appearance of 911 systems helped to streamline policing operations many years ago and were followed by the usage of the innovative technologies such as DNA testing and in-car camera systems.
When choosing particular technology it is critical to consider:
- Cost-effectiveness – will the purchase be justified? How frequent can the technology be used?
- Training – what training is needed to get to know how to utilize the technology in a right way?
- Service and Maintenance – how much funding will be needed for operating maintenance and service?
- Operational Needs – for what purposes is the technology created?
The answers to these questions will give an opportunity to define if the technology can bring benefit and improve policing or not (Schultz, 2008).
It is critical to understand how technologies can influence policing because they can change the structure of police agencies, their functions, and goals. For example, 911 systems, which were a part of IT innovation, streamlined police response to the crimes that are reported by civilians. They shaped police practices altering the way of operating that was previously used. However, some professionals underline the adverse effect of this technology, as police became reactive, and no significant improvement on arrests was noticed.
Technologies can bring a range of complexities to the everyday operations. In this way, new IT systems require more detailed documentation, which gives less time for interaction with citizens and proactive policing. Still, they also provide more information that can be used in the field. Criminal investigations record systems help officers to work with the particle information and to find everything related to it in a short period of time. For example, having only one’s surname, moniker or description, police can refer to the records system and get a list of suspects.
Computerization itself affects the structure of the police agencies. It increases expenditures, leads to the reduction of the police officers and larger share of workers who held technical positions. As a result, fewer officers can work on the street, which makes policing less effective. However, the crime analysis units tend to attract the representatives of the general public and enhance relations between the units (Koper, Lum, Willis, Woos, & Hibdon, 2010).
The usage of special crime lights gives an opportunity to work effectively in any places. With their help, officers can find evidence such as body fluids that would not be seen otherwise. In this way, technologies make the investigation of the crime scene streamlined and more thorough. They also allow to take advantage of fluorescence examination.
The in-car camera systems are effective for patrolling as they make it possible investigate traffic stops, arrests or internal affairs. They also can be used for training purposes. In-car cameras provide a detailed documentation of the events that happen during the working day of the police officer, which helps to reduce the number of issues such as biased treatment.
Photo enforcement systems reduced the number of accidents on the road, as the representatives of the general public realize that red light and speeding violations will not be ignored. As a result, this technology improves safety.
Graffiti cameras help police officers to investigate cases connected with the vandalizing of the property. They can even notify the police that such crime is happening at the moment. The technology is even more valuable as it can be used to deter and identify gang-related graffiti and monitor illegal dumping.
Thermal imaging devices help officers to find a criminal who is fleeing as well as a missing person if one is located within a particular but large territory. The process of searching is reduced greatly, which surely makes policing more effective and efficient. It allows the officers not to expose themselves when they are working in the dark, for example. Thermal imagining allows to look through various surfaces and scan parks, streets, buildings, etc. (Schultz, 2008).
Police have an opportunity to optimize technology if it is needed. “Computer hardware, software, and specialized applications like an RMS, geographic information systems (GIS), and crime analysis” tend to be extremely useful for policing as they can improve the effectiveness of operations and reduce crime rates (Koper et al., 2010). IT technologies give an opportunity to collect and analyze data in a more efficient way, which helps the officers to target people or issues connected with crimes. However, a positive influence of the technologies can be reduced if other organizational changes are not made. For example, adoption of Compstat that helps to investigate crimes.
It should be admitted that in some cases technology cannot be decently controlled. As a result, its unintended and intended influences may be adverse and can worsen policing. That is why it is critical to consider the way, in which personnel can utilize technology that was meant for the improvement efficiently. With the help of different devices, police officers have an opportunity to streamline their work and use the knowledge that was not approachable before.
References
Koper, C., Lum, C., Willis, J., Woos, D., & Hibdon, J. (2010). Realizing the potential of technology in policing. Web.
Schultz, P. (2008). The future is here: Technology in police departments. Web.
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