Technology has come a long way.
Technology began with something simple such as the wheel and has evolved to computers and systems that fit In the palms of our hands. As technology evolves, the technology police agencies use to assist them must evolve as well.Technology in the twenty first century is not defined by what it is or does, but more by how it is used (Foster, 2005). Political policing is police forces consisting of men who have been appointed for limited terms by politicians [ (Foster, 2005) Political policing relies on communication with the neighborhood. The people living in the neighborhood may be able to provide officers with Information and keep them Informed on what has been happening or may be happening. Political policing has its advantages: it also has its downfalls.
With the advent of technological advancements, come changes. One of the changes that come with advancements is a change in policing. Professional policing came around when technology was introduced. As officers now have police cruisers they no longer walk a beat.
Since people cannot Just go outside to seek their regular officer, they need to contact dispatch. With professional policing, It Is about production. Taking as many service calls as possible and closing them as quickly as possible. Just taking care of the immediate problem, does not take care of the root.
Covering a cut with a bandit may not stop it from bleeding. The vast majority of local police officers work for an organization that practices some type of community policing [ (Foster, 2005) l. Community policing is a philosophy that remotes and supports organization strategies to address that causes and reduce the fear of crime and social disorder [ (Foster, 2005)]. Looking at trends and reports of the past to predict or forecast where you may be needed.
Community-oriented policing looks more at the community of the problem [ (Foster, 2005) l.Sophisticated electronic information systems are having a major effect on case investigations: helping the detective cull a quantity of data efficiently and effectively; providing clues and identifying potential suspects; making it possible to prepare reports quickly and assemble evidence for presentation in court [ (Sodbuster & Ward, 2010) The radio has made a large Impact on the police community. Prior to the telephone and the radio, the telegraph was the main form of communication. Telegraphs were one- way forms of communication. They only allowed a person to send a limited amount of information.
Technological advancement has made it easier for agencies to communicate with their personnel in a quick and efficient manner. Being able to communicate with dispatch from your vehicle or even Just from your person in a quick and efficient manner can allow the officer to keep their attention where It Is ye on their suspect. A moment of distraction can make the difference between a manageable situation and a dangerous situation. While officers are always able to call dispatch for information they seek, many times it is possible to safely obtain the information themselves.
Police cruisers come equipped with computers that give officers access to databases. These databases can contain information ranging from mug shots, rap sheets, to warrants. Being able to access the information needed at the push of a button, can help officers keep the public safe. If an offender is wanted or murder in one Jurisdiction, and is caught speeding in another Jurisdiction, the officer can discover that his current offender is wanted for a more serious crime. This information gives the officer the Intel he/she needs to detain the offender and thus keeping them from committing more crime.
Police cruisers themselves have given agencies one of the biggest changes. With the police cruiser officers are able to get from one point to another with a quick response. Prior to the police cruiser officers would have to respond to a service call by foot, or by horse. While a horse may have en quicker than by foot, they do have their disadvantages. Horses will tire after a while and can only hold one person for the most part.
A police cruiser can keep going as long as they have gasoline and they are able to carry more than one officer to the location needed.Computer-aided dispatch (CAD) is software applications and hardware that assist in the management of dispatching calls for service (Foster, 2005). A fully integrated CAD allows officers access to various databases such as NCSC or AVIS. Being able to enter a person's information in the system and pull up other asses that involve the same person can help limit the amounts of reports that are thus created. Typographical errors occur as you may type or enter information, the more you have to enter information into various databases or locations, the higher the chances that an error will occur.Having a fully-integrated system will not only save time from having to enter information several times, it will also help assist with loss of information.
The more agencies that have a fully-integrated CAD system, the less likely that offenders or information will get lost or slip through the cracks. Global consisting system (GAPS) is used in various ways in criminal Justice. More commonly it is placed in a vehicle and can be used to track the vehicle if it is reported stolen. GAPS can also be used to track police vehicles.Being able to locate the vehicle you are looking for can help officers make strategic decisions.
They may show that the vehicle is located in a garage that is suspected to be a chop shop. Having this information, officers can be prepared for resistance and even enter the building with a non-lethal use of force devices or a chemical agent such as tear gas. GAPS can also help with constructing what may have happened, and the steps and locations that the vehicle was in. For instance, if an officer is missing, the GAPS information may tell you where the vehicle is currently located.But once the vehicle is recovered, you may be able to pull the information from the vehicle and see that the vehicle was located at a different location for quite some time.
This previous location may give investigators evidence of what may have happened to the missing officer. Proper training of criminal Justice professionals is a large part of keeping the streets safe. Nothing can ever replace experience. With experience comes skill.
The more you practice something the better you should become.With the technological advancements now plausible solution to providing the required training may be the use of interactive computer simulation systems that allow trainers to recreate diverse situations in a safe, realistic environment (Morality, 2005). Simulation programs can help officers' complete firearm training and experience "real world situations". Learning to shoot against a stationary object is completely different when you later have to use what you learned with a moving target.
Simulation programs are there to allow the user to experience what would happen with true reactions.There is nothing like experience. Remote control information system (IRIS) is a highly compact communications system that provides videoed, two-way communications, and vital signs monitoring, and has a GAPS feature (Foster, 2005). The radio has had a large impact on the criminal Justice community and has been a constant presence since its introduction.
The radio allowed for fast and efficient communication between dispatch and the officers in the field. An IRIS system can only improve the communication between he officers in the field and the dispatch or command center.Many times officers are faced with dangerous or sensitive situations. During many of those situations, it can be difficult, impossible, or even dangerous to reach for a radio and ask for assistance. Being able to have someone keeping a watchful eye on them and able to send backup or even Just witness the situations can be immensely helpful. An officer who may be facing a dangerous situation may not be able to call for backup right away, the sooner an officer is able to receive assistance, the sooner they may be able to effuse the situation.
NIX is working on a project to mount passive millimeter wave (MAW) imaging technology on a police vehicle for field use [ (Foster, 2005) This technology can greatly assist officers working in the field. As they patrol, they may drive past a vehicle whose registered owner has a warrant out for their arrest. This technology would enable an officer driving down the street to know that a particular driver is wanted or if a vehicle has been stolen. This would greatly increase the likelihood of removing a dangerous person off the streets.
It is not always possible to know all the ember alerts that have been issued.This technology would alert an officer who may be unaware of a particular amber alert that includes that vehicle. With facial recognition technology (FRR), a digital photograph of an individual's face is used to take measurements between nodal points, which are locations on every human face [ (Foster, 2005) While you may be able to alter your appearance or become a master of disguise, the measurements between nodal points will stay the same. Without having plastic surgery to alter your appearance, your measurements will always give you away.There are cameras everywhere you go; in shopping malls, on street corners, and even in people's homes.
It is extremely difficult to completely avoid all cameras you may encounter on a daily basis. Being able to use the measurements gathered from a picture or video taken of an offender during the commission of a crime and using that image to search through databases such as booking photos, can help officers cut down their search time. Technology is always changing and evolving. And with change comes questions.
Whenever something new arrives people often are wary of it.They question its need and what it will affect. Technology is not something we need to fear, but something we use it or not. Police technology is a tool that we need to embrace and help push us into the future.
