Technological Game: How Information Technology is Transforming Police Practice

• NCJ Number: 188850
• Journal: Criminal Justice: The International Journal of Policy and Practice Volume: 1 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2001 Pages: 139-159
• Author(s): Janet B. L. Chan
• Date Published: May 2001
• Length: 21 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This article describes an Australian case study examining the impact of information technology on police practice.

Abstract

Results of this survey were based on 506 respondents who were in selected training programs and police stations and representative according to rank, duty, and location. Results show that technological change has altered important aspects of the field of policing. The officers’ assessment of the impact of information technology on their own work was generally positive. The majority of respondents indicated that information technology has allowed them to work more effectively, made their work easier, and helped them cope with the amount of information police needed to do their work properly. They also rated positively the impact on workplace relations and communication, agreeing that the technology has led to improved information sharing between workers and improved communication between workers. Technical expertise has become a much-valued form of cultural capital with the majority agreeing that information technology has led to increased computer literacy among police and enhanced the professional status of police. However, the issue of police spending more time in front of computers and less time on the streets was often raised. Also, the respondents were ambivalent about whether information technology has limited the amount of discretion police have, with general duties officers more likely to think that the technology has limited their discretion compared with detectives. A substantial number of survey respondents, especially detectives, thought the information technology has required police to follow unnecessary steps to get things done. There was also a general feeling that with the advent of information technology came additional reporting and accountability requirements. Although the cultural dominance of law-enforcement policing style and resentment towards the demands of management and external agencies remains, there is evidence that information technology is gradually changing the deeply embedded assumptions of police practice. 4 notes, 34 references.