Modern technology is constantly opening up new ways for law enforcement to evolve and improve its practices. If you’re in charge of procuring equipment for your police department, there might be some excellent new ways to allocate some of your budget into tech innovations. Here are four options to consider.
LIDAR guns
The laser radar gun has been a staple of traffic enforcers for several years, providing officers on duty with a quick and effective instrument that can determine whether a vehicle has gone over the local speed limit. However, adverse weather conditions can affect radar performance, and some criminals may employ signal jamming techniques to avoid detection.
The latest LIDAR guns offer pinpoint precision and accurate measurements regardless of conditions and are immune to the disruption of traditional radio signals. Outfitting your traffic enforcement officers with these models will keep your area safe from reckless drivers.
Drones
When your team has to access dangerous areas, having an eye in the sky is an invaluable aid. Sometimes the scene of a crime or accident can still pose a risk to officers moving in. Chaotic situations, such as crowd management or hostage scenarios, also need to be carefully evaluated.
Deploying a few UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) will allow your team to gather vital information and assess the threat level from a safe point of view before deciding to deploy your personnel on the ground. The aerial intel can also guide your team through obstructions or at night with additional capabilities such as thermal imaging or 3D mapping.
Smart sensors
The Internet of Things (IoT) extends its numerous advantages to various aspects of police work. Smart sensors and connected devices allow your team to work more efficiently in many ways. New applications allow officers to quickly flag license plates and reference them with existing databases, log location data, stream real-time video feeds, and even detect and pinpoint gunfire within a minute for faster response.
One device you should consider for your team: smart wearables. Not only a popular choice for the modern fashion-and-fitness-conscious consumer, but these devices also allow you to keep track of metrics that indicate fitness and stress levels of your officers on duty. With so much on the line, keeping your team fit and rested goes a long way towards ensuring their best performance while on the job.
Community apps
It’s fair to note that advances in technology have also increased public concerns about excessive surveillance capabilities. Citizens’ privacy advocates want to ensure that law enforcement doesn’t infringe on civil liberties to do its job.
Community apps offer one way for your team to harness the potential of technology in law enforcement while working within public expectations – and even build up a bit of goodwill. By allowing and encouraging citizens to report minor crimes and suspicious activities, these apps expand the capabilities of the police force and foster a greater sense of responsibility among individual citizens. Consider having a developer build an app based on common violations in your area, which allows your officers to focus on reports with the greatest priority.
As innovations continue to unfold and become integrated into our daily lives, take note of how you could use them to better outfit your police force to do their jobs more safely and efficiently.
