Roll Call. Numerous emerging technologies help police fight crime

Law enforcement plays a crucial role in helping keep communities safe and secure. Policing technology has aided law enforcement agencies for decades with innovations such as GPS tracking systems, body cameras and thermal imaging. But some of the newer technologies emerging are making a big difference in law enforcement’s ability to effectively conduct investigations and swiftly catch offenders.

• Tablets, laptops, smartphones and mobile tools. These days, it is common for law enforcement officers to have laptops or tablets in their squad cars. Almost every law enforcement agency in the U.S. uses this technology. These computers come loaded with records management systems, license plate reading systems and other devices that I will discuss shortly.

• Global positioning systems are used for law enforcement dispatch and play a significant role in other aspects of law enforcement. For example, stolen property, iPhones and vehicles can be tracked as part of law enforcement’s efforts to recover stolen property or track potential offenders. Law enforcement command personnel also use GPS to track patrol vehicles and send them to incidents based on their location.

• Computer-aided dispatch software is used in most police dispatch centers for both police and fire. Until recently, some police agencies still were using what was referred to as punch cards, written notes and call logging. Dispatching software can combine crucial functions such as servicing mobile data terminals, integrating with other police and fire agencies and preventing police radio systems from becoming overloaded with nonessential radio traffic.

• Records management systems have, first and foremost, eliminated the need for traditional paper filing of documents. Moving all documents electronically allows information and data to be easily stored and secured.

• Mobile fingerprint readers, which are small, portable devices that provide an accurate reading within minutes and reduce the burden of police officers having to bring somebody into the station to positively identify them.

• Body cameras and dash cameras have been in almost all police cars for years. I strongly supported squad car and body cameras from the beginning. I believe most police officers do as well. The technology allows them to document incidents by capturing video and audio. Body and dash cameras are widely accepted for use in court proceedings and prosecutions of criminal offenders.

• Drones and robots. Many law enforcement agencies are using drones. Robotics are just beginning to play a key role in policing. No, we are not replacing police officers with robotic police officers. We are using the technology. Examples would be assisting with chasing suspects, providing lighting at crime scenes, crime scene investigation, evidence collection, search and rescue and many others.

• Pre-crime technology. Law enforcement is using pre-crime technology, which also is called predictive policing. Predictive policing is a modern technology that takes data from disparate sources, analyzes it and uses results to anticipate, prevent and respond more effectively to future crime.

• Facial recognition software, without a doubt, is one of the more controversial emerging police technologies. Facial recognition software can scan the street publicly, immediately begin analyzing faces and find a match within that crowd. Facial recognition software is used at airports, sports events and large festivals throughout the U.S.

• Biometrics. Fire departments widely use thermal imaging and it is increasingly being used by police officers. Thermal imaging can be used to track suspects, look for missing children and conduct search and rescue. Police agencies widely use automated license plate readers. Many concert venues, malls and communities point these camera devices on public roadways to track license information. They also are used to track stolen vehicles, run vehicle registrations and surveil known criminal locations as long as they are pointed publicly. License plate reader technology has helped law enforcement solve numerous violent criminal acts that never would have been solved without the technology.

• Contact detection systems, commonly called shot spotters, are used mostly in major metropolitan areas. The shot spotters send gunshot sounds to a dispatch center. The dispatch center does a GPS search, locates where the gunshot is coming from and immediately sends police vehicles to that location. It has had success in most metropolitan areas.

• GPS tracking systems in which a dart will shoot from a police car, lodge onto the back of an offender’s car and track the car so police do not have to continue a high-speed pursuit.

This is not a comprehensive list as hundreds of modern technology advancements are used in law enforcement. These are some common ones used almost every day across the U.S. I am in complete agreement that any facial recognition software and license plate data reading information can be used only in public ways. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled them legal as long as they take public data from public roadways and other public locations.

If you ask any police chief, the tool that has had the most significant impact on law enforcement over the past five years would be the license plate readers. This technology has been an advancement in law enforcement and has solved numerous violent crimes, helped recover missing people and tracked violent offenders, which would not have been possible in the past. Some crimes would have gone unsolved forever without using license plate reader systems.