response 11

2.) As a police administrator, how would you best make decisions about which technology to purchase & how to implement it in a rational and safe manner?

I would really want to do extensive research on these items and look into statistics regarding the technology I would suggest to the police departments. Perhaps meetings could be held together where the departments can come and learn about them. This would give police officers knowledge about the item they may be equipped with, and also be aware of the risks they pose if handled incorrectly. I would also really like to hear about what police departments want their officers to be equipped with, because some departments may not all want the same thing. Ultimately, I would want this process to be interactive, and I would want all sides to involved in the process, along with education, I think that is the most important thing is making sure the officers are informed about what they are using.

Can the adoption of new technologies lead to a situation in which the police are all-powerful?

I think idea that technology could lead to more danger and power with police is opposite. I think the whole idea of advancing technologies for policing is to make things safer and more effective for everyone involved. In the past, when police did not have technologies for forensics and multi-level investigating a lot of crimes would go unsolved. Not only does technology make police more effective and efficient, it is all a lot safer now. Non lethal methods of incapacitation have become more prevalent and have made it so police can detain a violent assailant without causing major injury to them or themselves. Other developments like facial recognition, and valuable uses of the internet help police solve crimes quickly and correctly. All this does it make is easier and safer for the police to enforce the law. This could backfire only if police commission technologies that make them a dangerous threat to peoples safety. So if a tool is created that makes it more dangerous to enforce the law then that can be bad. However, I don’t think new technologies will get picked up and used by police unless they are proven to be safe and effective for everybody.