Preview

Technology and Law Enforcement

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
4494 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Technology and Law Enforcement
Main Topic: The Role of Information Technology in Crime Fighting
Creative Topic: Detecting, Debilitating and Decreasing Crime
Information Technology is an invaluable tool in the fight against crime. Little wonder technological advances are being utilized all over the world, Jamaica included, to combat the scourge of crime by deterring criminals as well as apprehending them after the act. Snow in his book posited that many leaders in law enforcement today see technology as the key to controlling crime and making our communities safer (9). Information Technology (IT) is defined, according to the Oxford Concise English Dictionary, as the study or use of systems, especially computers and telecommunications, for storing, retrieving, and sending information. Technology is integrated into our everyday lives in innumerable ways. It is almost impossible to go through a day without interfacing with a technological or computerized device. Technology has been of such significant benefit to our lives that it would be foolhardy of us to not explore its usefulness in combating crime - a societal problem of monstrous proportions. Crime is an offence against an individual or the state which is punishable by law. Information Technology can play a part in the fight through crime detection, applying measures in crime fighting, and implementing systems for sustained crime management.
Information Technology can be ably used in the detection of crime. Biometrics, product protection and closed-circuit television (CCTV) are among the elements that can be utilized.
Human beings can be uniquely recognized based upon one or more intrinsic physical traits. According to the Oxford Concise English Dictionary, Biometrics is the application of statistical analysis to biological data. However, the concern is with technologies that analyze human characteristics for automatically recognizing or verifying identity in a context where the biometrics is measurable. The biometric characteristics of



Cited: Carter, Gregg. Gun Control in the United States: A Reference Handbook. ABC-CLIO, 2006. Goold, Benjamin. CCTV and Policing: Public Area Surveillance and Police Practices in Britain. Cary: Oxford University Press, 2004. Hunt, V, A. Puglia and M. Puglia. RFID: A guide to Radio Frequency Identification. Hoboken: Wiley-Interscience, 2007. Jain, Anil. Handbook of Face Recognition. New York: Springer-Verlag New York, LLC, 2004. Kobilinsky, Liotti, Oeser-Sweat. DNA: Forensic and Legal Applications. Wiley, 2004. Kruegle, Herman. CCTV Surveillance. Burlington: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2005. Lichanska, Agnieszka. Fingerprint Analysis. 2008. 20 April 2009 <http://www.espionageinfo.com/Ep-Fo/Fingerprint-Analysis.html>. Pattavina, April. Information Technology and the Criminal Justice System. Sage Publications, Inc., 2005. Snow, Robert L. Technology and Law Enforcement: From Gumshoe to Gamma Rays. Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007. Vacca, John R. Computer Forensics: Computer Crime Scene Investigation. Hingham: Cengage Learning, 2005. Weisburd, David and Tom McEwen. Crime Mapping and Crime Prevention. Monsey: Criminal Justice Press, 1998. Williams, Robin and Paul Johnson. Genetic Policing: The Use of DNA in Criminal Investigations. Uffculme: Willan Publishing, 2008. Zhang, David. Automated Biometrics: Technologies and Systems. New York: Springer-Verlag New York, LLC, 2000.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Iscs 451 Assignment 6

    • 576 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The factors that have limited local law enforcement’s efforts against digital crime are lack of training, lack of diagnostic equipment, lack of management level recognition and support, and a lack of specialized personnel. First off, training is a paramount need for local law enforcement. Many of the officers appointed to computer crimes at the local level do not have the requisite knowledge to deal with these types of crimes. Some of these officers are even put into these roles when they don’t even want to. Also, the lack of training to patrol officers could lead to valuable evidence being inadvertently destroyed. Most local agencies lack the equipment necessary to conduct digital forensics. Many local experts have even been reported to have purchased their own equipment to do their job (Taylor, et. al., 2011). The lack of management support and recognition of computer crime analysis has led to the lack of funding for these local cyber units. With a lack of funding comes a lack of equipment, training, and the ability for personnel to specialize in digital forensics.…

    • 576 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Technology affects communication capabilities of specialized databases in the criminal justice system by different systems such as Live Scan, Automated Finger Identification System that is also known as AFIS database, and Mobile data terminal. All these systems were created over the recent years and were made with many modern technological features.…

    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    5. Applying Information: Explain how crime investigators use biometrics to determine who is and who is not the perpetrator of a crime.…

    • 259 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Recent and future trends have always and will always affect the criminal justice system. New trends in technology, law, terrorism, gender and diversity will always effect the functions of the criminal justice system. Technology in the 21st century is one of the legal issues that have caused controversy. New technology devices such as hand geometry biometrics and the use of retina and iris devices have the ability to gain information not only on people’s health but also their medical history as well. When it concerns the criminal justice system, many of these new technology devices are being used to detect drugs and concealed weapons that are sneaked into prison facilities. They help prevent illegal activities in the prison. In Australia, the correction system there uses the smart card technology which provides them with better security, efficiency and flexibility. The smart card allows assets to tracking inmates, staff monitoring, visitor tracking, and telemedicine (govtech.com). The smart card also controls the temperature and humidity in the prison facility, allowing for their comprehensive responsibilities to be managed. Due to overcrowding in correctional facilities since 1997, this technology is…

    • 1714 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Biometrics technologies are becoming a revolutionary role in which we identify individuals, and protect personal and national assets. This automated process of verifying a human being based on physiological or behavioral characteristics. Biometrics is increasingly being taken into consideration in solutions to improve our Homeland Security, effectively securing the United States national borders, law enforcement, corporate offices, and congressional offices. As well as, incorporating biometrics in an effort to prevent identity when using travel document, visas and other financial transactions.…

    • 537 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There is a massive disagreement in the present day concerning the biometric identification technology which is used to boost the security through travel. The research inside these technologies has been used to extend ways in how the individuals identify faces for detection and develop the similar strategy in a replicated mechanical system that will scan faces and conclude their likeness with those in a database.…

    • 990 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    This paper will explain how technology affects the communication capabilities of specialized databases in the criminal justice system. It will provide the definition, history of these specialized databases and provide the comparison of three different specialized databases, which are: Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), Facial Recognition, and Iris Scan. Included in this paper will be the Biometrics that has occurred throughout the years. Then there will the positive and negative effects of the new technologies on communication within the criminal justice system. Finally, I will discuss which new specialized techniques that I might use and why.…

    • 1728 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Computers, Technology and Criminal Justice Information Systems, Kaplan University Unit 6 Project. Professor Erik Bernoldt What is crime analysis anyway? Crime analysis is a systematic process of collecting, categorizing, analyzing, and disseminating timely, accurate, and useful information that describes crime pattern, crime trends, and potential suspects. Computers, Technology and Criminal Justice Information Systems Professor Erik Bernholdt Unit 6- Technology and Crime Analysis By: Sierra Spangenberg What is crime analysis anyway?…

    • 745 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Critical Issues

    • 1166 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In the 1900s when policing was created they had to face many issues to make sure that they handle lowering crime rates. The police departments would find ways on how to prevent and solve crimes with the use of technology. Only in recent years have many agencies found the use of information technologies significantly helpful. Some examples of these technology uses include fingerprinting databases, computerized crime mapping, and records management systems doing everything from inventorying property and cataloging evidence to calculating solvability factors. I will provide some detailed examples as well as my own opinion of each category of how technology is used in policing and how technology enhances from police organizations ability to function; Examples of less than lethal weapons and how less than lethal weapons affect policing; and examples of the dangers faced by police and how police organizations address these dangers.…

    • 1166 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    • Examine the evolution of technology in the past and its effect on policing styles and public relations.…

    • 360 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Aviation technology has come along to help law enforcement tremendously. Sometimes we turn on the evening news to see a high speed chase in progress or and armed suspect on the run. As we are watching the live news reports we see helicopters…

    • 1358 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Fingerprint Identification

    • 4430 Words
    • 18 Pages

    In order to protect users of computer systems and to secure network-based transactions, demand is increasing for improved user authentication procedures to establish the identity of an actual user and to bar access to a terminal to anyone who is unauthorized. Personal identification using biometrics, i.e., a person’s physical or behavioral characteristics has come to attract increased attention as a possible solution to this issue and one that might offer reliable systems at a reasonable cost. While traditionally this technology has been available only with such expensive, high-end systems as those used in law enforcement and other government applications, today many personal–level applications have also become possible thanks to the advancements in pattern recognition technology.…

    • 4430 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ever since there has been crime there has been Crime Scene Investigations (CSI). Throughout the 1900’s and continuing into current day, technological advancements in CSI have been taken for granted. In the past, law enforcement (LE) agencies and investigators were not capable of having regular access to the tremendous amount of information that can be found and analyzed from a crime scene. Present days CSIs typical “tools of the trade” range from flat out boring every day devices to the technologically astonishing, but overall they have all greatly impacted how evidence is collected, documented, and evaluated.…

    • 2019 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    As years pass by, the development of technology have created opportunities for the effectiveness and efficiency of a computer-based system and the improvement of existing ones. In a developing country, the agencies or any of their organizations have to adopt to the new challenges of the environment they are in. As society is increasing in number and advancing in technology, law enforcement agencies have to move with the trend or they will be unable to meet the demands of society.…

    • 2307 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    as the science and technology that deals with measuring and statistically analyzing biological data. It is used to uniquely identify individuals by their physical characteristics or personal behavior traits. According to Whitman, “Biometric access control is based on the use of some measurable human characteristic or trait to authenticate the identity of a proposed systems user and it relies on recognition”. With regards to information technology, “biometrics usually refers to technologies for measuring and analyzing human body characteristics especially for authentication purposes”. (TechTarget). Biometric verification therefore refers to the various ways a person can be distinctively identified by means of assessing…

    • 944 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays