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W5D2
Body-worn cameras are a fairly new piece of technological equipment that is being used by officers. A body camera is a camera that is worn by the officer, usually attached to the shoulder or chest, that captures video and audio during a call. This new technology is helping law enforcement agencies by recording valuable audio and video that can be later used to battle false allegations from the public, “One of the great advantages of body cameras is they will help protect you against false complaints by members of the public who don't like what you did.” (POLICE Magazine, 2011). The information obtained from these body cameras can be used as “...persuasive evidence against your suspect when he or she is facing a judge and jury.” (POLICE Magazine, 2011).
One of the two new technologies I think that law enforcement should adopt is biometrics. Biometrics that “..are technologies that scan human body characteristics, such as facial and voice patterns, fingerprints, eye irises and retinas, and hand measurements, to verify someone's identity.” (Peak, 2012). A biometric system is a great way to keep track of offenders as well as track suspects, “...biometric and biographical information can be compared against watch lists of terrorists, criminals, and immigration violators.” (Peak, 2012). The biometric system has proven itself useful by allowing for a list of various offenders to be apprehended, “Federal penitentiary escapees, convicted rapists, drug traffickers, and others have also been nabbed at the borders using biometrics” (Peak, 2012).
The second technology is wireless video networking system, this particular technology has been implemented in Oklahoma city. The system allows officers in different locations to “...watch each other's back from anywhere in their area and receive real-time video either in the field or in the office.”(Peak, 2012). This would be useful for all officers because any call could be seen in real time or any situation that got out of hand would be monitored from the very beginning with the immediate response from the commanding officer if needed, “when an event occurs, commanding officers take control of the cameras in the area and provide the video to officers at the scene.” (Peak, 2012). This would be helpful for the officer is something were to happen and he was unable to call for backup because his commanding officer would be watching and able to call in help. It would also prevent false complaints against the officers.
Resources:
Peak, K. (2012). Policing America: Challenges and best practices (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education
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