Policing and Technology Technology has always had an impact on policing. Understanding the technology used in the political era, professional era, and community oriented era explains how technology influenced policing in the past and ultimately policing techniques used by police agencies today. Additionally, to fully comprehend the impact that technology has on policing, one must understand that impact that technology has on the world. Nearly any piece of technology that a Policeman has, a criminal can gain access to which has created a separate set of challenges for policing and patrolling.
Technological Impact on Policing Eras
Political Era Police technology in the Political Era was limited, however, the technology that was available …show more content…
During this time, Police moved away from walking patrols. Automobiles allowed for police to arrive to emergencies more quickly than in the Professional Era of Policing. Additionally, police agencies had several men in a single car so officers relied on other officers rather than the community when engaging a subject (Foster, 2013). With the continued improvement of communication capabilities, centralized dispatch locations were responsible for dispatching police. Finger prints collection and analysis began to mature as well. The professional era was the true formalized start to targeting criminal activity for crime prevention (Foster, …show more content…
Local men and women knew the police that patrolled around the town and would alert the police in the event that something happened (Foster, 2013). Policemen relied on the community to help them if they needed help as well. It is important to note that the technology and science available to the police was also available to the general population to include criminals (McQuade, 2006). Therefore, as the ability of police and law enforcement officials increased, the complexity of crime has also increased.
Professional Era Technology impacted policing and patrolling methods during the Professional Era through the transition to incident-driven policing. During this era, police began focusing on arrive as quickly as possible to calls as well as answering as many calls as possible (Foster, 2013). Towards the end of the Professional Era, 9-1-1 was established as the universal emergency telephone number. With the full integration of automobiles, policemen targeted crime control and began looking into the issues behind crime in order to prevent it. Science and technology at the time continued to improve. However, policing during this time continued to follow slightly behind technological and scientific
Technological Impact on Policing Eras
Political Era Police technology in the Political Era was limited, however, the technology that was available …show more content…
During this time, Police moved away from walking patrols. Automobiles allowed for police to arrive to emergencies more quickly than in the Professional Era of Policing. Additionally, police agencies had several men in a single car so officers relied on other officers rather than the community when engaging a subject (Foster, 2013). With the continued improvement of communication capabilities, centralized dispatch locations were responsible for dispatching police. Finger prints collection and analysis began to mature as well. The professional era was the true formalized start to targeting criminal activity for crime prevention (Foster, …show more content…
Local men and women knew the police that patrolled around the town and would alert the police in the event that something happened (Foster, 2013). Policemen relied on the community to help them if they needed help as well. It is important to note that the technology and science available to the police was also available to the general population to include criminals (McQuade, 2006). Therefore, as the ability of police and law enforcement officials increased, the complexity of crime has also increased.
Professional Era Technology impacted policing and patrolling methods during the Professional Era through the transition to incident-driven policing. During this era, police began focusing on arrive as quickly as possible to calls as well as answering as many calls as possible (Foster, 2013). Towards the end of the Professional Era, 9-1-1 was established as the universal emergency telephone number. With the full integration of automobiles, policemen targeted crime control and began looking into the issues behind crime in order to prevent it. Science and technology at the time continued to improve. However, policing during this time continued to follow slightly behind technological and scientific