Abstract – Technology has affected all aspects of everyday life and has changed vastly over time. This can even be said with law enforcement. Technology can be used to intercept phone calls, protect officers, and provide surveillance to help find criminals. This can be a good thing, to an extent. But when will all this security and protection of privacy become too much, where instead of protecting innocent people, their lives and rights are violated. This paper will talk about the history in technology in law enforcement, examples of technology that are seen as high privacy risks, how it may affect people’s privacy and security rights, and when that may become too much.
Index Terms - body cameras, drone use, privacy, stingray towers, technology in law enforcement
INTRODUCTION
Technology, in all aspects, is created to help make people’s lives better and more efficient and is not usually meant to harm innocent bystanders. But sometimes, when used for their intended purpose, it can inadvertently violate uninvolved targets’ rights putting their personal information, privacy, and security at risk. When people rely on technology too much, it might do more harm than good.
EVOLUTION OF TECHNOLOGY IN LAW ENFORCEMENT
The evolution of police technology is typically divided into 3 major eras: the Political Era (1800’s – early 1900’s), the Professional Model (1920’s – 1980’s), and the Community Policing Era (1980’s – current) [1]. Each era represents an advancement in technology [1].
The familiarity of such cases is evidence to believe that one case or even many cases of the same caliber did not prompt the decision to fund police body cameras alone but a more influential reason can explain the decision for body cameras. A state of field assessment conducted by the police reform revealed that various forms of technology is being adapted or developed for law enforcement purposes, and there are many specific technologies, both current and emerging, that can benefit law enforcement. The theory that can best explain new emerging technologies that has power to influence political decisions can best be explained by the new media
The increasing power and functionality of technology has increasingly invaded privacy and complicated security. Technology has made it possible for the government to
The license plate reader, LPR is a mobile plate hunter that comprises of a camera(s) placed on the outside of a squad car that is then connected to a computer database inside the squad car. The plate hunter has the capacity to recognize the character on a number plate and rapidly relay the information to the database computer that would verify of the owner or the automobile has any record or if the vehicle has been reported stolen/missing. This ability is even possible when the squad car is moving at 75 mph and can check up to 3, 000 number plates within an hour. Any offending incidence is brought to the attention of the officers by a siren or alarm the computer makes; stolen or revoked license. (Hanlon 2007)
Technology has become more accessible to the point it has become easier for government to watch everyone's move. In this generation technology takes over everyone's daily life, where people wakes up and the first thing is look at is the phone. A phone there are many things on it, like text, pictures and videos. Phones can do many things, but there is a possibility where the government can tap into a phone and look through it. The government can watch everyone’s: text, history, private info, and pictures. Government has no right to looking through people’s personal info because it violates Fourth amendment, Blackmail, and Creates fear.
From the night watch in Boston, to the present day policing, law enforcement has behind in the world of technology. As time rolled through the political era, professional era, and community-oriented era, police patrols would use the rapidly advancing technology in their favor. "Those were desperate times for policemen in a hostile country with unpaved streets and uneven sidewalks, sometimes miles from the police station, with little prospects of assistance in case of need.... It took nerve to be a policeman in those days," this was reported by Chief Francis O 'Neill of the Chicago Police Department in 1903. With only having a printing press and a multiple-shot revolver over a hundred years ago, the advancement in technology today has helped improve the policing methods in patrol quite significantly. However, technology would eventually out-run the police.
The different eras in American policing are significant for several reasons. The Evolution of policing was essential in constructing a well operating police department. Each era in the evolution of policing overlaps with each other. However, understanding what occurred in each era is important, in order to comprehend the adjustments that were made. The economic, political, and technology developments assisted police agencies movement from one era to the next.
Without having a criminal justice system there would be no order. Being in the law enforcement field, if it's being a police officer, probation officer, or even a correctional officer it is essential that everyone communicates with everyone. By colloaborating with each other it ensures that everyone is on the same page when it comes to things. Working together this way helps to create the same justice that we have for our victims but in our communities as well. In order for the criminal justice system to function effectively all three components of the criminal justice system is an essential part.
Policing has come a long way since the London Metropolitan Police. In the mid-1800 's policing was more about crime prevention and use of force was a rare last ditch effort to gain compliance from a suspect ( White p. 69-69 ) New technologies have changed policing from an informal neighborhood watch to a sophisticated organization.
During this era citizens felt safer and had a better relationship with the police but as time went on and technology got better the relationship that was developed between police officers and citizens changed dramatically. By the mid-1900s new technology had a significant influence on policing, two-way radio, patrol cars and the telephones, revolutionized policing. “Police: History-Policing Twentieth Century America^ C” the Reform Era( n.d.)
Since the beginning of police work in America, the system has changed from disorganized chaos into a well structured and rather complex network of communication, response efforts, and detection of lawless behavior. From the creation of the town watch to the transformation of the first police force in the colonies to the lawlessness of the old west and the efforts to revive efficient police work, America has been ever advancing its protection of those who live in the White House, the suburbs, the slums, and even those struggling on the streets. The History of Policing in America is not derived from one origin of time but rather taking the highest qualities of protection from within itself and countries of both friend and foe.
Government surveillance in the past was not a big threat due to the limitations on technology; however, in the current day, it has become an immense power for the government. Taylor, author of a book on Electronic Surveillance supports, "A generation ago, when records were tucked away on paper in manila folders, there was some assurance that such information wouldn 't be spread everywhere. Now, however, our life stories are available at the push of a button" (Taylor 111). With more and more Americans logging into social media cites and using text-messaging devices, the more providers of metadata the government has. In her journal “The Virtuous Spy: Privacy as an Ethical Limit”, Anita L. Allen, an expert on privacy law, writes, “Contemporary technologies of data collection make secret, privacy invading surveillance easy and nearly irresistible. For every technology of confidential personal communication…there are one or more counter-technologies of eavesdropping” (Allen 1). Being in the middle of the Digital Age, we have to be much more careful of the kinds of information we put in our digital devices.
The field of police work is constantly being forced to develop and improve its protocols, procedures, and practices in an effort to keep pace with the ever-changing society in which it operates and criminal behavior it seeks to eradicate. While the history of policing has been marked by substantial changes throughout time, the work of modern-day police officers and officials demonstrate some of the most substantial adaptations to its surrounding environment that the field has ever seen. In order to understand where the future of policing is heading, it is important to first understand these current trends that are affecting the current landscape of the profession. By
The introduction and evolution of technology into the law enforcement profession is nothing new. As with any profession, the ushering in of new, more efficient and effective ways to complete a job is continually being sought after. The continued updates and modernization of society have trickled into every aspect of modern living, and age old professions are not exempt. Law enforcement as a community needs to remain at the fore front of these advancements. To sit idly by as the world of technology evolves around it would be a detriment to the wellbeing of society and to criminal justice system. These constantly evolving advancements however now come with a new set of challenges to the law enforcement community. The requirement to look
Technological advances will continue to change the ways in which police agencies combat crime. It’s critical that these technologies are implemented correctly. New equipment, no matter how effective will be useless, unless the operators completely understand the function, application, and procedures of the technology.
The use of technology in the policing domain has been rapidly adopted over the past few years. However, it should be noted that the process of adopting and effectively using technology in law enforcement, begun more than 50 years ago. For instance, it become apparent in the 1950’s that computer would enable easier storage and retrieval of large amounts of data. More recently, advancement in technology has incorporated more sophisticated ways of transmitting and analyzing information, therefore aiding the law enforcement process (Button, Sharples & Harper, 2007). The police have found various aspect of technology useful; predominantly, computer crime mapping has been widely adopted and consequently received a lot of attention