ABSTRACT

Technological innovation has been the hallmark of law enforcement since the first organized police forces in London. Whether it is weaponry, transport, protective wear, or information use to support strategic police initiatives, experimenting with new technological innovations has been a key feature of the evolution—and reform—of policing. Certainly there have been missteps and technologies that did not fulfill expectations in a law enforcement context, but it can be argued that a majority of these technological innovations have come to be viewed as essential policing tools, used daily by officers. It is difficult to envision modern police departments without cars, radio communication, access to criminal record data, support by dedicated crime analysis units with predictive analytics, and most recently, access to CCTV with gunshot location technology, body cameras, and police car video. The question that we need to consider is this: Have these new technological innovations actually improved police performance?