The High-Tech Future of Crime Fighting

The sophisticated technology used for artificial intelligence (AI), automation, big data, and extended or virtual reality is emerging as the cornerstone of 21^st century crimefighting.

But the new powers provided by high tech also need vigilance, warns Bernard Marr is an essay for Forbes Magazine.

“These technologies give police officers and intelligence agencies unprecedented powers to crack down on criminal activity as they attempt to keep us safe,” writes Marr, who describes himself as a social influencer and “futurist.”

“They also help to tackle the new forms of crime that are emerging as criminals become ever-more inventive in their own use of technology and data.”

As the pandemic and widespread anti-police sentiment makes it harder to hire new police officers, more agencies are depending on technologies like drones, license plate readers, body cameras and gunshot detection system to make up for shortfalls in staffing, reports The Washington Post.

But that also has generated concerns about privacy.

“Tech can be a great tool for law enforcement to use,” Sgt. James Smallwood, Nashville-based treasurer of the national Fraternal Order of Police, told The Post.

“But “as with anything else, we have to balance the line of privacy and meeting the expectation to promote public safety.”

Smart Device Data

 In-home and outside-of-home devices are becoming more and more popular for American families. Internet devices, like Alexa smart speakers and personal assistants, as well as Amazon Ring, have been known to help law enforcement officers and detectives searching for evidence.

Marr notes that in the past, data from Alexa smart speakers have been used by a U.S. court to assist in a double murder case, and Ring Doorbells

In 2019, The Crime Report noted that over 225 law enforcement agencies were engaged in partnerships with Ring, and citizens could offer up their footage of incidents. With that, law enforcement has to tread lightly regarding personal privacy as the lines between surveillance and commercial endorsements become blurred, advocates at Gizmodo have detailed.

 Beyond a predominantly civilian network of smart doorbells and household surveillance systems, law enforcement are routinely turning to a network of ShotSpotter devices that consist of microphones, giving officers “real-time alerts” about potentially developing situations.

 See Also: Chicago’s ShotSpotter Misses Gunfire, Manipulates Police Behavior: Report, 2021

 Robotics and ‘Digital Twins’

 Robotic devices are being used more frequently for law enforcement departments when officers could potentially be in dangerous situations. Most recently, Robot dogs are being introduced in criminal cases when someone’s life could be at stake, WTSP reports.

“Digital Twins” are also becoming more and more popular, Marr explains, noting that a digital town is a computer model of “any real-world object, system, or process.

As a real-world example of the power of digital twin, Marr notes how “In Guangdong, China, the provisional police department has worked with city authorities to create a real-time map of the city, showing where incidents are happening, as well as mapping public interactions, calls, use of police resources, and suspected or potential threats.”

 Moreover, Marr details that “Computer vision has several significant use cases in policing,” most notably as it’s currently being used for automatic license plate recognition — and more recently, facial recognition.

 Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)

 Marr discusses how VR and AR have “a lot of exciting potential” like a system Oklahoma officers use called Apex Officer, which is being used to help train officers on how to respond to mental health calls.

Other systems use 360 video walls that surround the trainee, making them feel like they’re actually immersed in a variety of situations that are meant to train de-escalation tactics — like VirTra V-300.

The technology is not limited to U.S. policing.

Marr writes that law enforcement agents in China have been piloting AR glasses that can identify suspects wanted for questioning. The startup, Xloong Technology, has been under fire from the west regarding privacy concerns, so Barr notes that it’s  unlikely that we will be seeing the technology soon.

 See Also: Police Offered Virtual Reality ‘Empathy Training’, 2019

 Bernard Marr is a best-selling author of 20 books, an expert in the fields of business and technology, with a passion for understanding and using technology for the food of humanity and the future. Marr is also a regular columnist for Forbes.

 You can access the full detailed list published b y Forbes here.