Technology and non-lethal weapons in modern police operations

Police Operations

The Police have the most dangerous, though the most rewarding, job in the world. They risk their lives to protect the weak and maintain public order. Because of the many hazards they face, many officers die in the line of duty. A police officer must be well-trained and well-equipped in order to protect herself while protecting the public. Thesis: Technology is allowing the police more effective non-lethal weapons for restraining offenders, although firearms are still essential. More importantly, communications technology such as infrared and thermal imaging promise to improve protection and surveillance.

Dangers of policing

There are a number of dangers encountered during policing. The first and most conspicuous type of danger comes from criminal offenders or potential offenders. Such individuals might attempt to harm the intervening officer or deceive him/her. Typically, this danger comes in the form of unarmed violence, e.g. shoving, kicking, and punching. In particularly critical altercations, criminal offenders may make use of make-shift weapons, such as clubs, baseball bats, and bricks.

Even more disturbing is the increasing use of firearms among criminal offenders. The Constitutional right to bear arms has always made U.S. citizens a well-armed society. However, most of the firearms used by officers are no owned by licensed users and are often possessesed illegally. Normally restricted to organized or professional criminals, firearms are now coming into the possession of younger, less mature, and less professional criminals. In these hands, which are often panic-stricken and irrational, firearms become even more dangerous to police officers.

Technology used in policing

Perhaps the most ubiquitous technology in Police use is Radar speed-detection technology. Originally developed for military reconnaissance during the Cold War, radar was adapted by domestic law enforcement for the war on dangerous drivers. (157-8). Radar often makes use of infra-red or radio technology and is considered very accurate, though is not always judged to be 100% reliable in court. (158).

Thermal imaging is a very valuable imaging technique for seeing in the dark as well as seeing past obstacles and other obfuscations. The image produced is somewhat similar to an x-ray, with certain physical features discernible because of the color scheme. In thermal imaging, the camera detects radiation, essentially heat. Objects possessing a lot of heat, such as warm-blooded human beings, are distinguished from their much colder surroundings, such as an enclosure or a forest.

Issues of Homeland Security and law enforcement relationships

Homeland Security is a term that has come to encompass all threats, internal and external, to the United States or its citizens. Being a nation-wide issue, is within the purview of the federal government. Thus, law enforcement authority would rest with the federal executive (e.g. I.C.E., F.B.I., U.S. Marshalls). However, some states have challenged such broad, deep authority. The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides that "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." (U.S. Constitution, Tenth Amendment) This is interpreted to mean that the states have implied powers in addition to the powers explicitly enumerated to them in the Constitution. (Gardbaum 1996, 1252)

Certain states are not happy with the federal government's progress on crime problems such as drug trafficking or illegal immigrants. Some of these states wish to claim some of the implied powers back from the federal government in order to play a more active role in solving local crime problems. As a result, law enforcement relationships between the states and the Federal government and are set to undergo some tinkering.

Arizona is one of the most recent states to step into a traditionally federal law enforcement issue, illegal immigration. As one of the main frontlines in the immigration battle, it is understandable that Arizona is taking the first step in solving the nation's immigration problems. Arizona had an estimated 460,000 illegal immigrants in April 2010, a fivefold increase since 1990. (Broder, 2007). Federal progress has been slow in solving the illegal immigration problem, the effects of which are only significant in border countries such as Arizona and Texas. It is possible that the federal government does not want to expend the political capital necessary to solve the controversial issue of illegal immigration. If this is truly the case, then Arizona would indeed be forced to solve its illegal immigration problem on its own

Conclusion: The Future of Policing

Policing in the future will be less dangerous, more efficient, and more transparent. However, this does not mean that policing will become any less easier. In the never-ending game of cat-and-mouse between criminals and the police, criminals will continue to react and adjust to new police methods and techniques.