Using Video Analytics and Sensor Fusion in Law Enforcement

• NCJ Number: 252788
• Author(s): John S. Hollywood; Michael J.D. Vermeer; Dulani Woods; Sean A. Goodison; Brian A. Jackson
• Date Published: 2018
• Length: 35 pages
• Publication Series: NIJ Identifying the Highest Priority Criminal Justice Needs
• Grant Number(s): 2013-MU-CX-K003
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description

Annotation

This website summarizes and provides free online access to the full report on a research project that examined issues in the public-safety applications for video analytics and sensor fusion (VA/SF).

Abstract

The issues addressed in the research are the core public safety applications for VA/SF; the tasks needed to implement these applications; the security, privacy, and civil rights protections needed; and the nature of technology, policy, and educational needs for innovation that should have priority. The overall conclusion of the study is that VA/SF are promising technologies for improving public safety. VA/SF can detect crimes in progress and facilitate investigating crimes and various incidents. It can also support law enforcement by monitoring officer performance and protecting officers' health and safety. On the other hand, the risks of VA/SF technologies are significant, requiring protections for the public that relate to security, privacy, and civil rights. Finally, although VA/SF technologies are promising for increasing public safety, they have yet to reach their full potential. Report recommendations are as follows: 1) Use of VA/SF should be passive, not active; 2) Implementing VA/SF technologies should give high priority to improving capabilities for reliably detecting baseline entities, activities, and events, followed by an adoption of more sophisticated capabilities over time; 3) Purposes and uses of VA/SF should be clearly defined, consistent with applicable law and policy; and 4) Implementation should begin with basic model policy development and education, and over time include studying the use of technology to implement policy and legal compliance. The website also provides online access to a related product entitled, "Priority Criminal Justice Needs Initiative."