Imagine a time where citizens are uniformly recorded, videotaped and audio monitored in private and social interactions? Even imagine further, where a specialized police department, apprehends criminals based on foreknowledge of predictive human behavior? Is this “art imitates life or is the “minority report ideal” our current reality?
In our everyday walk we see CCTV cameras in various strategic locations in our workplace and our communities. These cameras are collecting mass amounts of data along with satellite imagery to culminate information from various sources to tell a story about our daily activities and even details of our private lives. This data is reportedly being collected to ensure our safety and security as citizens.
There is a growing sector that believes that the government should not collect or share law enforcement information with the public and another group that believes public information still requires individual privacy protections.
I contend that there is a balance to be struck and hopefully one we will strike soon.
For generations, Law Enforcement (LE) organizations have been close lipped about information collected and documented from incidents and cases investigated by law enforcement officials in our local communities and jurisdictions.
However we have reached a high point of concern regarding when and what should or can be captured or shared for the good of the public and the good of the LE sector. Both parties seek truth and integrity as the foundational core of any monitoring, surveillance and investigative protocols.
This discussion fosters a similar question in terms of aligning police data access and the goal of ensuring public safety. One that was addressed by the Task Force on 21st Century Policing published in May of 2015.
“How can technology improve community and police relations? “
One approach is to leverage new technologies to improve police data accuracy; this will ensure fair, open and accurate reporting. This information and smart technology solutions will surely provide improvements in LE relations and trust within our communities.
As a technologist and Law Enforcement professional, my research and analysis of the emerging technology trends embraces the right-now innovative game changers for improving law enforcement data collection and retention which will improve trust and camaraderie with LE and the members of our communities.
Check out the following technologies and imagine how they can change the way LE professionals and community members relate and interact based upon 360degree data transparency.
1. Wearable Video Cameras -BodyCams
The current trend of equipping officers with video and audio recording has solicited mixed emotions from many LE professionals.
The new wearable video cameras have features like video remote streaming GPS tagging and discreet form factors. Imagine the impacts of community members and LE officials wearing body cams all stored and soon will be managed through the cloud.
2. Bots. Software applications that run automated tasks are called “bots.” 2017 brings a host of creative bots that will supercharge our productivity, keep us company, and help us track what others are doing in our professional and personal lives. Utilizing machine learning techniques will enable Bots to do meaningful duties in the LE arena.
3. Algorithmic personality detection. Some technologies will allow assessments of your personality — via your history, education and behaviors, the photos you post to social media, and more — in order to determine how risky your behavior might be? Some proposed personality algorithms are being created to predict your future behavior and actions. (Some analysts say that if you look at two people with the same professional and personal circumstances, the one with a lower college G.P.A. may be more likely to commit a crime.) Algorithms will harness personal data in order to assess a person’s predicted behavior.
4. Predictive Policing Software and Analytics
Predictive policing software is able to connect data about times, locations and types of crimes in geographic locations to provide an insight to investigators. Analytical techniques are used to identify potential crime, solve past crimes and identify potential offenders and victims. Some products offer an integrated, end-to-end solution with features that can help officers and LE agencies review, analyze and store video and data to solve crimes and improve situational awareness
Predicative analytics enables the gathering and even predictability of where and when crime may occur. It is called predictive crime recidivism.
This data can be run through an algorithm to produce a percentage for the possibility of a robbery or homicide that may occur in a specific block radius. All of the data can be shared in the cloud.
5. UAVs aka Drones for Monitoring and Surveillance
Drones can provide an unobtrusive way to monitor communities and can be used to locate wanted subjects, or reconstruct crime scenes or motor vehicle crash scenes. They can respond to natural or manmade disasters where we need a quick aerial analysis of what’s going on.
6. Drone lanes. In 2015, two drones inadvertently prevented firefighters from putting out a rapidly spreading California wildfire, which crossed over onto a freeway and destroyed a dozen vehicles. Currently, the FAA does not allow drones to fly near the airspace of airports — but while there are no-fly zones, there aren’t no-fly circumstances. It is anticipated that the sky will be divided in to traffic lanes and require policing technologies to monitor traffic. One suggestion is to provide hobbyist pilots access to operate UMVs in the 200 and below space, while governments, businesses and commercial pilots will have exclusive access to the 200–400 feet zone overhead.
The future is now- tech-novation is driving much needed improvements in police data reporting and operational transparency. We have entered into a time where information is everything and everywhere. In the world of LE and community relations, there is no exception. We must brace ourselves for the debate and balancing act between individual privacy and public transparency. The debate is a robust one, either way the technology pace will force LE’s and the Communities hands to come together and stabilize how the collection of data/ information and to determine how to properly use these data assets to protect our Communities and Citizens.
Tarrazzia Martin
Executive Director
USNIA