NCJ Number
155082
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 62 Issue: 4 Dated: (April 1995) Pages: 14,16,19,20,25-26,28-29
Date Published
1995
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article concerns the need for law enforcement to bring the academic, scientific and corporate communities as well as the public into a partnership to apply new and better technology to the tasks of preventing and solving crime.
Abstract
It is important for police executives to get a fresh perspective on the significance of technological change to police work, and for professionals in the scientific and corporate communities to reach a deeper understanding of the demands on local law enforcement and how new technology can help meet those demands. The critical question is: Where does law enforcement concentrate technological resources to most effectively combat drug abuse and violent crime? There are some obstacles to making this decision. The difference between the pace of technological innovation and the pace at which law enforcement acquires and applies new technology. Law enforcement officials must decide not only what to buy but, equally important, when to buy. Budget constraints. Many police budget decisions are influenced by other agencies outside law enforcement. The growing disparity between research and development needs and budgets in the public sector. The competition among products and manufacturers has often led to confusing claims and promises from a growing array of vendors, Finally, resistance to change within police organizations. Several new technologies and techniques will assist law enforcement in combating crime and drug abuse: (1) a more interactive dialogue with the public; (2) new, non-intrusive forms of detection; (3) application of knowledge-based imaging technology to problems such as firearms identification; (4) a much broader information path for community policing; and (5) a stronger, more open and consistent dialogue between the high-tech industry and the law enforcement community. There is an insert showing Battelle Technology Management Group's Forecast of Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2005.