Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Learning Objectives

13-1:  Evaluate the cost and benefits of technology in policing.

13-2:  Summarize the variety of ways that computers have affected policing.

13-3:  Identify and describe the issues surrounding the increased use of video cameras by police and the private security industry.

13-4:  Describe on the bases of the many constitutional issues now confronting judicial and legislative bodies presented by the growth of surveillance technologies.

13-5:  Explain how crime mapping is used in crime analysis and crime prevention.

13-6:  Describe the four main biological identifiers and how they are used in investigations.

13-7:  List the main tools officers use for speed detection.

13-8:  Discuss the effects of technology on police armor and weaponry, both lethal and nonlethal, and identify any legal issues associated with the use of these various technologies.

Video Link 1
Can technology and training strengthen community policing after Ferguson?
This PBS video discusses President Obama's pledge to invest millions of dollars into body cameras for police officers.

1. Why has President Obama pledged to invest into body cameras?
2. What are the goals of body cameras?
3. How might body cameras affect police-community relations and police accountability?

Video Link 2
New crime mapping system in Greensboro
This local news report discusses how crime mapping technology assists police and community members understand geographic patterns of crime.

1. What is crime mapping?
2. How can crime mapping assist residents and police officers?

Video Link 3
Anderson Police Trade Batons for Nunchucks as Nonlethal Weapon of Choice
This video discusses how a local police department is changing its non-lethal weapon of choice.

1. Why are non-lethal weapons critical for police departments?
2. Why is this agency changing its non-lethal weapon of choice?

Audio Link 1
After SCOTUS DNA Ruling, What Changes for Police?
This NPR report discusses the implications of a Supreme Court ruling that says police departments can collect DNA samples and create DNA databases.

1. What are debates surrounding the collection of DNA samples and databases?