Technology in policing - Research Paper Example

Technology in policing Introduction Trends in reported crimes indicate that criminals are developing high intellectual levels in their approach to crime. Criminals have also identified high tech crimes in response to previously developed law enforcement strategies. Law enforcement agencies and the courts have similarly responded by applying new technologies in their approaches to ensuring law and order. In this paper, I identify some of the high tech crimes being reported in the United States today, technologies that are implemented by the police department to control crime and the gap between the sophisticated criminal environment and the nature of training and equipments that are used to counteract the crimes.

High tech crimes being reported in the United States Improvements in technological applications, and effects of globalization that virtually connect individuals from different geographical locations and facilitate communication, have increased the level of sophistication in crimes within and across the United States’ boarders. One of the sophisticated crimes is international drug trafficking across the nation’s borders. The type of crime is believed to thrive under tight security measures at border checkpoints and regulatory measures that monitor transmission of money into and out of the nation, and criminals succeed in secretly making payments from the nation and sneaking in drugs.

An example is a drug syndicate that involved collaboration from five countries: “Pakistan, Thailand, Canada, California,” and the United states (Dammer and Albanese, 2010, p. 254). Transportation of the drug that also crossed Britain’s borders simulated transportation of playing balls and other sports equipments and payments was done within a day and through multiple brokers. The applied approach to money transmission is never referenced, a factor that complicates identification of involved parties to such crimes or even detection of the criminal activities through monitoring and investigating transaction records (Dammer and Albanese, 2010).

Cybercrime is another type of sophisticated crime in the United States. Its sophistication is identified by geographical freedom in perpetrators’ access to their victims, and the difficulty in detecting planned cybercrimes for preventive measures. Difficulties in locating and identifying the criminals due to ability to erase their internet-based activities also identify the level of sophistication of the type of crime. “Identity related crime” is another high tech crime that has been reported in the United States and other parts of the world (Unodc, 2013, p. 1). It involves retrieval of people’s identities such as “biometric and DNA profile” and illegal application of such information to access victims’ bank accounts or secured property.

The type of crime is also used in human trafficking (Unodc, 2013). Applied technologies by the police departments in dealing with the types of crime Law enforcement agencies have recognized the changing trend in crimes and have responded by implementing technologies for detecting, preventing, and discouraging the sophisticated crimes. Electronic reporting is one of the applied technologies that police departments use in controlling crime. The technology involves online transfer of information from crime scenes to offices for immediate scanning and allows for immediate tracing of criminals within a crime zones.

Police departments have similarly applied overhead surveys to monitor activities in given areas. Law enforcement agencies have similarly used social media to monitor communications for possible detection of planned criminal activities (South, 2013). Another reported technology for application in criminal investigation in the nation is Finware, software that can be planted on devices for surveillance (Perlroth, 2012). Gap between high tech crimes and law enforcement agencies’ training and facilities for dealing with the sophisticated crimes While criminals have wide access to technologies, facilities and financial resources for planning and implementing sophisticated criminal activities, law enforcement agencies lack such potentials to countering the crimes.

The United States criminal forensic department for example lacks required infrastructure and funding towards its duties. The department’s inability to afford even hired technicians also means that law enforcement agencies do not train professionals on such sophisticated crimes and scarcely rely on outsourced personnel (Pyrek, 2010). Personal opinion on the use of technology by courts and law enforcement agencies Application of technology, by the courts and law enforcement agencies, is therefore inferior to the technology that criminals apply in the currently sophisticated crimes.

This is because of legal and geographical limitations in applicability of some technologies as well as scarce resources for acquiring and using sophisticated technologies to investigate and present evidence in courts. The government should therefore increase its budget allocation to police departments for empowering the divisions. Similarly, laws should be reviewed to match the dynamic criminal environment (Pyrek, 2010). Conclusion Sophisticated crimes have emerged in the United States and are practiced within and across the country’s borders.

Examples include international high tech drug trafficking, cybercrimes, and identity related crimes. Even though police department have devised new technologies for controlling crimes, such technologies are inferior to the ones applied by criminals. The government should therefore empower the police to meet the criminals’ sophisticated level. References Dammer, H. and Albanese, J. (2010). Comparative criminal justice systems. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. Perlroth, N. (2012). Software meant to fight crime is used to spy on dissidents.

New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/31/technology/finspy-software-is-tracking-political-dissidents.html?_r=0. Pyrek, K. (2010). Forensic science under siege: The challenges of forensic laboratories and the medico-legal investigation system. Burlongton, MA: Academic Press. South. (2013). Criminals beware: Police go high-tech to fight crime. South University. Retrieved from: http://source.southuniversity.edu/hightech-crime-fighting-27127.aspx. Unodc. (2013). Emerging crimes.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes. Retrieved from: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/organized-crime/emerging-crimes.html.