1-2 Module One Practice Activity: Technological Tools and Police Goals
Harold Somerville
Southern New Hampshire University
CJ-305-H7169 Technology in Criminal Justice 21EW2
Frank A. Mancini, DCJ
October 31,2021
. Select a classification of law enforcement technology from the following list and
describe the technical innovations of that classification.
The classification of law enforcement technology that I have chosen to focus on is patrol.
The main focus of technology in patrol is to protect public safety. It has been observed and
recorded that "historically, law enforcement has always been on the forefront of using
technology to improve public safety. It was New Jersey police officers who implemented the first
successful two-way radio in 1933. Since then, police radios have become standard throughout
the country. In 1948, departments introduced radar detectors to capture vehicle speed, and
dispatching appeared in law enforcement agencies in the 1960s. These technologies over the
years continue to evolve and improve. As the years came and went, so did plenty of other
technologies, from in-car laptops and body armor to new and improved technology like
smartphones and body-worn cameras. To put it simply, technology and policing go hand and
hand. This modernization of technology is beneficial to law enforcement as well as the citizens
they serve. As further technology inevitably develops, police have the opportunity to leverage it
for the greater good in their departments and communities" (New technology in law
enforcement, 2020).
Identify a specific tool that belongs in that classification and describe what it is and
how it works.
Currently "across the country, police departments are increasingly using body-worn
cameras to better monitor what officers are doing out in the field with the hope that they will
reduce the prevalence of misconduct and improve fairness in policing" (Corley, 2021). In the
recent outcries of young African American males fearing for their lives it has been stated that
"body-worn cameras are a useful part of the response but not a solution by themselves. Body-
worn cameras are not going to solve the problem of the enormous gap we see in police using
excessive force in the U.S. against Black versus White Americans. It is the hope that body-worn
cameras shall shed some light regarding dishonest patrol officers" (Corley, 2021).
Identify which of the following seven police goals your tool best supports and why.
The tool I selected will best support the goal created to reduce fear and enhance
personal security. Police body cameras are used to provide "visual and audio evidence that can
independently verify events" (Procon.org, 2021). For instance, "in Texas, a police officer was
fired, charged with murder, and sentenced to a $10,000 fine and 15 years in prison after body-
worn camera footage contradicted his initial statement in the April 2017 shooting of an unarmed
youth" (Procon.org, 2021). The body-worn camera will not protect individuals but it can be used
to keep police officers honest as well as capturing actual events and conversions between police
and potential offenders. The hope will be that senseless