NCJ Number
189300
Journal
Sheriff Volume: 53 Issue: 4 Dated: July-August 2001 Pages: 28-29,50
Date Published
July 2001
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article discusses how law enforcement and other public safety agencies use night-vision technology.
Abstract
While day shifts are certainly not without danger, night duty often presents additional dangers for field personnel. According to Federal Bureau of Investigation statistics, from 1988 to 1998, 62 percent of the incidents that resulted in an officer's death occurred at night. Technology today enables officers to see clearly at night or into an unlit room during the day. Night vision technology -- image intensification, thermal imaging, and infrared used in tandem with image intensification -- is designed for use in various non-optimal lighting conditions. Thermal imaging, designed for detection rather than identification, senses thermal radiation and creates a thermal picture. Image intensification collects available light and intensifies it thousands of times to create an image with a greenish tint. Police officers, EMT's, firefighters, and search and rescue teams use night vision equipment for fugitive recovery operations, disaster response, high-risk warrant service, jail perimeter security, and searches for lost persons.