For exampleElizabeth L. Angeli, Department of Psychology, State University.
This research was supported in part by a grant from the Sample Grant
Program.
Angeli, Department of English, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 55555
Technologies are growing at an exponential rate. This rapid rate of growth has influenced every facet of our lives. This rapid change also has a deep impact on the law enforcement crime fighting methodologies, techniques and actions.
In the following, some technologies are covered which aid in combating crimes.
Forensic Lights
The forensic lights help crime detectives to find hairs, body fluids, figure prints and other clues on crime scenes. These specially designed lights can emit lights at different wavelengths (Matrix Group International, 2014).
One great drawback of these forensic lights is that they are typically quite bulky and inconvenient to carry around. This is an evolving technology, and further miniaturization is expected as this technology advances.
Photo Enforcement Systems
The photo enforcement systems are used to capture pictures of over speeding and traffic signal violating individuals’ cars and number plates.
The Photo Enforcement Systems has a very huge drawback in harsh weather. The visibility gets obscure in bad weather. Many countries have foggyweather. It can knock the visibility down to zero. In these situations, Photo enforcement system can become a complete failure.
Robotic Cameras
Robotic Cameras are extremely important and useful tools for law enforcement. There are certain crime situations in which a crime fighter is unable to see or aim at a criminal without exposing himself to risk. In such a situation, a robotic camera is thrown in and the criminal’s position and location is determined.Proper action can be taken to hunt down the criminal. The life of crime fighters can be protected very effectively on the crime scene.
Unfortunately, these robotic cameras cannot have access to all the places as humans (criminals) for example they cannot leap over a wall. So these devices still have limitations. They are prone to powerful explosives and electromagnetic shocks. Their batteries have limited charge capacities. If a siege at the crime scene is prolonged these robotic cameras become useless.
Thermal devices
Thermal devices are gadgets that can seek and pick heat signals from animal bodies. These devicesproduce the image of a human or animal body or any heat emitting source.In short one can see heat through thermal devices. It can detect fleeing fugitives at night. It can sense a thief entering in a dark vicinity and turn on an alarm.
Thermal devices can pick infrared radiations from animals like cats, dogs. This means that false alarms may be triggered by a passing animal like a dog or a cat. These devices can be unreliable in rural areas where animals are in abundance and the criminals can use these animals as a shield against the involvement of crime fighters. Thermal devices usually need a clear line of sight to work properly. These restrictions make them very redundant in their practical value.
Predictive policing Software
Predictive policing software is used for analysis, data mining and other computing techniques to avert crimes before they happen at the crime scenes. In the utilization of this technique, the crime sensitive regions of a city is divided into square units of area and police is made active in those regions of the city. These decisions are based on previous data collection. The collected data isfed in the computer systems and the predictive policing software bring out suggestions. These suggestions are then interpreted to enforce those areas of the city that are more prone to attack by criminals(Mitchell, 2014).
One of the big disadvantages of predictive policing software is that it would hinder police and public connections. The police administration may go on focusing on smaller areas to fight crimes.
Future Law Enforcement Technologies
There are several emerging technologies that are in the progression of development and will be available to future law enforcement agencies to fight crime. The top 3 of these technologies are ranked as follows.
(1)Nanotechnology (in bullet proof vests)
Nanotechnology is the future of all sciences related with matter and material sciences. During the past few years, ground breaking research is being carried out with numerous breakthroughs.
As an example one area of research in nanotechnology suggests that the bullet proof vests and clothing can be indefinitely enhanced to resist bullets and gun shots. The wearable material fiber will be incorporated with nanotechnology. This will become a very big instrument to save valuable lives of crime fighters in the future (Unknown, 2014).
(2)Cloaking and dagger
An extremely impressive and futuristic technology is known as Cloaking and dagger. It can virtually make snipers and entry teams invisible by hiding them behind holograms. It can actively counter criminals without their knowledge in a vicinity with even in thehighest threat levels. This technology is at its infancy but it has a very promising future to fight crime (Unknown, 2014).
(3)Exoskeleton suit
Exoskeleton suit is a wearable tech which can increase physical productive efficiency of an individual to many folds. One superb application is to fight crime. This suite can sense the location of the target. It also senses the intended direction of the wearer’s movement. It facilitates the motion of the wearer in that direction. It can also eradicate any deficiency in the physical ability of the person who wears it(Unknown, 2014).
The drawback of the exoskeleton suit is that sooner or later this technology will become public and if the criminals are also wearing this suit it will not fill the gap between the police officer’s pursuit and the criminal fleeing the crime scene.
Comparison Chart of the Futuristic technologies
Report. The best of the three technologies come out to be Nanotechnology. It is followed by Cloaking and Dagger. At the last is Exoskeleton suit. Nanotechnology by far is the most promising technology.
The Cloak and dagger technology is impressive, but it has weaknesses. It is predicted by many visionaries like Raymond Kerzewiel that when Nanotechnology will be combined with Information technology and genetics in the future, it will create new revolutions. This revolution in criminology will be so great that it will eradicate crime to a great extreme.
References
Matrix Group International, V. 2. H. (2014). Police chief magazine - view article. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?article_id=1527&fuseaction=display&issue_id=62008 [Accessed: 7 Feb 2014].
Weiss, T. (2014). Cool cop tech: 5 new technologies helping police fight crime. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9224053/Cool_cop_tech_5_new_technologies_helping_police_fight_crime [Accessed: 7 Feb 2014].
Unknown. (2014). [online] Retrieved from: http://listverse.com/2011/08/09/top-10-future-law-enforcement-technologies/ [Accessed: 7 Feb 2014].
Mitchell, R. (2014). Predictive policing gets personal. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9243385/Predictive_policing_gets_personal [Accessed: 7 Feb 2014].
Web.gravesham.gov.uk. (2014). Gravesham - issue - items at meetings - presentation of the new 'predpol' (predictive policing)software tool by chief inspector painter. [online] Retrieved from: http://web.gravesham.gov.uk/democracy/ieIssueDetails.aspx?IId=12200&Opt=3 [Accessed: 7 Feb 2014].
