Chapter 16- Technologies Now and for the Future

Developments in DNA The relatively recent innovation in DNA Technology is something called CODIS, or the combined DNA index system. This index contains DNA profiles that have been obtained from subjects convicted of homicides, sexual assaults, and other serious felonies and much like the fingerprint system, keeps getting better as more fingerprints are entered into the.

A New Criminal Justice Information System In March 2008 the FBI began a three phase initiative that will provide police agencies with a powerful investigative tool to search, link, analyze, and share criminal justice information. This new system is called N-DEx and will allow Nationwide connectivity to local, state, and Federal agencies that will allow them to detect relationships between people, places, things, and crime characteristics.

Less Than Lethal Weapons In may surprise you that approx. my 14,500 law enforcement and military agents now use these devices in more than 40 countries and more than 5580 deploy them to all of their patrol officers. Since the first taser was developed a number of years ago there have been continuous improvements in this device. Pepper spray is also utilized by an estimated 90% of police agencies. This spray inflames the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, and mouth causing a severe burning sensation for 20 minutes or less.

Robotics There have been recent advances in robots that have also been quite useful for law enforcement. These robots can be fitted with video capability, a camera, a taser, and even given the ability for two way communications. A major use for these devices are to assist in handling situations in which explosives are involved as it allows the controller to view these objects from a distance and in some cases the capabilities of the device can be used to destroy or disable bombs.

Compstat This is a relatively new technology driven crime management tool used in the problem-solving process and is a strategic control system designed for the collection and feedback of information on crime and related quality of life issues. Since the program was introduced by the New York City Police Department in 1994 it has been widely adopted. This program requires that all precincts generate weekly crime activity reports some law enforcement will be held accountable for achievement of several objectives.

Crime Mapping Crime mapping has been utilized in one form or another for a number of years, however it has gotten much better and more accurate because now it is done by computers which can save time and increased accuracy. These maps of crimes can be overlaid with maps or layers of cause of the data, such as unemployment rates in the high areas of crime, locations of abandoned houses, population density, reports of drug activity, or geographical features that might be contributing factors.

Crime Scenes Three dimensional computer aided drafting software is one such technology, by using this software the user can create scenes that can be viewed from any angle. There has also been new software developed called forensic animation. This software helps experts to determine what probably occur. The department of energy is also testing a laptop computer equipped with digital video and still cameras, laser range Finders, and a global positioning system.

Gang Intelligence Systems A new tool to help law enforcement deal with the gang problem is gang intelligence systems. These types of systems collect information in a database and allowed officers to enter key pieces of data such as name of gangs and individual members, weapons, vehicles, suspected associates, an instant dates.

Coming Attractions AR combines the real and virtual, displaying information in real time. These systems consist of a wearable computer, a head mounted display, tracking and sensing devices along with advanced software and virtual three dimensional applications. Another technology is unmanned aerial vehicles, and if you have been paying close attention over last few years these unmanned aerial vehicles have come leaps and bounds over earlier models which were only used for surveillance purposes.

Court Technologies One of the major goals for the court system in United States is to go paper on demand, a term used by court administrators and judges to denote an environment in which the routine use of paper no longer exist in general. There are many uses for technology in the courtroom and without a doubt some of these technologies would provide for better presentation of information in the courtroom and permits options not otherwise possible.

Emerging Court Technologies The electronic file- through electronic case filing courts can realize dramatic increases in efficiency and reductions in cost. Digital recording- this technology looks to provide savings by replacing court stenographers with a digital audio or video recording equipment. Conducting hearings by video conferencing- video conferencing tools have improved dramatically in both cost and quality over the last few years.

Real Time Court Reporting Computer aided transcription, real time translation, and videotext integration have enhance the functioning of the judicial system. Court reporters can now offer real-time court reporting by allowing the reporter to publish live testimony to a laptop and then connect the attorneys laptops to the court reporting network.

Corrections With the ever growing prison population there is a need for correctional officers to develop tactics and equipment to handle outbreaks of violence within the prison system. Although full scale riots or rare other potentially violent situations, such as an inmate refusing to leave their cells or a fight between two inmates, can occur almost daily. 

Offender Management This technology can be used to educate prisoners, treat prisoners who are addicted to drugs or are sex offenders, and provide vocational training. There are also automated systems that control access gates and doors, individual cell doors, and the climate in sales and other areas of the prison. Computers are also utilized to conduct investigations, supervise offenders in the community, and train correctional personnel.

Automated Direct Supervision in Jails Direct supervision jails are springing up around the country, without the typical jail cells was still bars. Some of these facilities are replacing the bars with bar coded wristbands and state of the art computerized information management systems. Some of the technology that may be found in these kinds of facilities are live scan fingerprinting, and automated fingerprint identification system, digitized mug shots, and computerized inmate and record management.

Virtual Visits to Hospitals and Courtrooms Prison and jail inmates make frequent visits to hospitals and courtrooms, which can create public safety concerns. Just by using video conferencing technology the state of Ohio was able to eliminate up to 40,000 inmate trips to and from medical facilities.

Biometrics In 2008 the FBI awarded a 10 year contract to significantly expand the amounts and kinds of biometric data that it receives in an effort to build the world’s largest computer database of people’s physical characteristics.