¶ … advances in technology. The Internet has brought the idea of instantaneous global communication to a reality; smaller and smarter chips are now included in inexpensive Smart Phones, and our ability to understand and manipulate data has vastly increased. New technologies can certainly offer law enforcement a number of new tools that aid in their job. Essentially, these can be divided into different segments, all of which are useful during different situations:
Aviation Technology -- Helicopters and light planes have both improved and become more cost effective, although they are still more appropriate for larger urban areas. They are able to help with traffic issues, and with the addition of cameras and nigh vision, help track suspects or increase surveillance on large events or potential gang related activities. They are also able to be equipment with special weapons (SWAT), firefighting, and emergency medical equipment (Langton, 2009).
Biometrics -- Biometrics is a rapidly developing science that uses unique individual characteristics to identify individuals. Fingerprints are one example, but new technologies have moved into using facial features, voice, handwriting, signature and even the iris in the eye to help confirm the identity of individuals, identify suspects based on video and audio surveillance, and use biometrics in the field to improve safety, cost and misidentifications...
As technology improves, the type of body armor, strength, light-weight, and functional, also improves to the point where it can provide protection against a significant number of problems (Body Armor, 2012).
Communications Technology -- Communications involve all aspects of public safety; from first responder to multiple agency communication. The more that agencies are networked through communication, the more the likelihood of increased cooperation and efficiency. Not only do computer networks help with this aspects, improved and enhanced communications can get the right information where it needs to be much faster (Communications Technology, 2007)
Computer Forensics -- Computer forensics focuses on finding legal evidence in technological devices. The goal is to examine digital media in order to identify, preserve, recover and analyze material. Since so much information is now sent through email or Internet documents, technology has improved ways of tracking and using information through more complex programs (Noblett, M., et.al., 2000)
Crime Mapping -- Crime mapping uses a combination of geographic data with law enforcement data and also uses GIS (Graphic Information Systems) to map where crime occurs so response and prevention techniques can focus on…
