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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
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Results for police technology
76 results foundAuthor: Lum, Cynthia Title: License Plate Recognition Technology (LPR): Impact Evaluation and Community Assessment Summary: George Mason University’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy was tasked by SPAWAR and the National Institute of Justice to carry out three tasks to strengthen the evidence base of license plate recognition (LPR) technology. These tasks included (1) determining the extent of LPR use across the United States, (2) evaluating the deterrent effect of LPR on crime, and (3) providing an understanding of LPR’s potential impact on communities. Towards these goals, we conducted three studies for this project: (1) a random-sample survey of large and small law enforcement agencies across the U.S.; (2) a two-jurisdiction randomized controlled experiment evaluating the specific and general deterrent effects of LPR patrols on crime; and (3) a random-sample community experimental survey and legal assessment of the effects of LPR on citizen perceptions and beliefs about law enforcement’s use of LPR. The national survey included agencies across the United States. The locations used for the experimental studies were Alexandria City and Fairfax County, Virginia, two adjacent jurisdictions both located within the Washington DC Metropolitan area. The police agencies of each contributed their staff, expertise, and time to this project. Their collective experience and cooperation made this research project a success. The GMU Research Team discovered that LPR technology is rapidly diffusing into U.S. law enforcement. Over a third of large police agencies have already adopted LPR, and many are on their way to acquiring the technology. However, we also discovered this rapid adoption is occurring in a low-information environment; the evidence-base for the effectiveness and effects of LPR is weak. Indeed, only one other rigorous evaluation, conducted by colleagues at the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) has ever been conducted on LPR technology, and very few agencies have engaged in any type of assessment of this technology. Further, we discovered a relative dearth of empirical information about the realities of community concerns with LPR. Our randomized controlled experiment mirrored the findings from the PERF experiments in that the use of LPR in autotheft hot spots does not appear to result in a reduction of crime generally or autotheft specifically, during the period of time measured. This may be due to the intensity of the patrols during the experiment, which were limited by resources and shift constraints, or the base of data in which the LPR units accessed. However, the findings may also provide a true indication of the crime prevention effectiveness of LPR in crime hot spots, and therefore, more testing of different applications and broader uses of data are warranted. Finally, in our community assessment and legal analysis, we tested various perceptions and receptivity to uses of LPR by introducing a number of potential applications of the technology in searching for specific types of crime as well as collecting, storing, and sharing data. We discovered that concerns about LPR were not singular, but could vary depending upon the uses and connotations behind various uses. We suggest that exploring a continuum of LPR use may be a fruitful way for researchers to develop and test hypotheses about this and other police technologies. Details: Fairfax, VA: Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, George Mason University, 2010. 126p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 14, 2011 at: http://gemini.gmu.edu/cebcp/LPR_FINAL.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://gemini.gmu.edu/cebcp/LPR_FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 120768 Keywords: License Plate Recognition TechnologyPolice Technology |
Author: Treverton, Gregory F. Title: Moving Toward the Future of Policing Summary: Some police forces think that 20 years from now they will operate much as they do today, but advances in technology and operating concepts are driving significant changes in day-to-day police operations. This book explores potential visions of the future of policing, based on the drivers of jurisdiction, technology, and threat, and includes concrete steps for implementation. This analysis is based on a review of policing methods and theories from the 19th century to the present day. Recommendations include educating personnel and leaders to build internal support for change, transitioning to shared technical platforms, and leveraging winning technologies. Because criminals will also use new technology that becomes available, the key to the future of policing will not be the technology itself; it will be the ways in which police forces adapt the technology to their needs. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2011. 184p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 18, 2011 at: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2011/RAND_MG1102.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2011/RAND_MG1102.pdf Shelf Number: 123051 Keywords: Police AdministrationPolice ReformPolice TechnologyPolicing |
Author: Alabama Department of Public Safety Title: Final Technical Report for In-Car Video Project Summary: The ADPS purchased the equipment, including the ICV system, along with installation in the State trooper patrol vehicles assigned to the Quad Cities and Jacksonville Trooper Posts. The goals of the ICV program were to increase safety for citizens and officers, ensure officer integrity, and increase conviction rates by 10 percent for driving under the influence (DUI). The evaluation found that the project has been plagued with malfunctions of defective equipment. The original vendor company was sold, and although it initially appeared that the new owners would stand behind the product, this has not occurred. Currently, 30 (more than half) of the cameras are not functional; therefore, analysis of statistical data cannot produce valid results. Officer safety was expected to be improved through the monitoring capability of the ICV system when operating at peak efficiency; however, due to the unreliability of the equipment, there was no way to collect a sufficient amount of observational data regarding officer integrity and use for the targeted training. DUI conviction rates for 2007 were compared to 2008 in order to identify changes in DUI cases outcomes attributed to the use of ICVs. Both ICV Troops showed decreases in convictions for DUI, and not-guilty outcomes also decreased. These findings may be attributed to the general declining numbers of DUI citations as well as other programs that affected DUI case outcomes, such as pretrial diversion and the institution of the Zero-Tolerance Task Force, which has reduced the number of impaired drivers on the road. Details: Alabama: Alabama Department of Public Safety, 2011. 16p. pg.s Source: Internet Resource: Technical Report: Accessed December 7, 2011 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/233344.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/233344.pdf Shelf Number: 123501 Keywords: AlabamaDriving Under the InfluencePolice BehaviorPolice Technology |
Author: Soares, Rodrigo T. Title: Organization and Information in the Fight against Crime: An Evaluation of the Integration of Police Forces in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil Summary: This paper explores the experience of information sharing, coordination, and integration of actions of the Civil and Military Polices in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, in the context of the IGESP program. The IGESP is based on the introduction of information management systems and organizational changes akin to those associated with COMPSTAT. All the evidence presented points to a causal effect of the IGESP on crime. The most conservative estimates indicate a reduction of 24% in property crimes and 13% in personal crimes. There is also evidence that the IGESP is associated with improved police response, measured by apprehension of weapons and clearance rates. We present one of the first set of causal estimates – with a clear identification strategy – of the impact of COMPSTAT-like programs. The results suggest that the coordination and informational gains represented by the program may constitute a first-order factor in a successful policy for fighting crime. Details: Unpublished paper, 2010. 43p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 21, 2012 at: http://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp5270.html Year: 2010 Country: Brazil URL: http://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp5270.html Shelf Number: 124621 Keywords: CompstatCrime RatesPolice (Brazil)Police ReformPolice TechnologyPolicing |
Author: Aldridge, Chris D. Title: "Bait Vehicle" Technologies and Motor Vehicle Theft Along the Southwest Border Summary: In 2005, over 33% of all the vehicles reported stolen in the United States occurred in the four southwestern border states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, which all have very high vehicle theft rates in comparison to the national average. This report describes the utilization of “bait vehicles” and associated technologies in the context of motor vehicle theft along the southwest border of the U.S. More than 100 bait vehicles are estimated to be in use by individual agencies and auto theft task forces in the southwestern border states. The communications, tracking, mapping, and remote control technologies associated with bait vehicles provide law enforcement with an effective tool to obtain arrests in vehicle theft “hot spots.” Recorded audio and video from inside the vehicle expedite judicial proceedings as offenders rarely contest the evidence presented. At the same time, law enforcement is very interested in upgrading bait vehicle technology through the use of live streaming video for enhanced officer safety and improved situational awareness. Bait vehicle effectiveness could be enhanced by dynamic analysis of motor theft trends through exploitation of geospatial, timeline, and other analytical tools to better inform very near-term operational decisions, including the selection of particular vehicle types. This “information-led” capability would especially benefit from more precise and timely information on the location of vehicles stolen in the United States and found in Mexico. Introducing Automated License Plate Reading (ALPR) technology to collect information associated with stolen motor vehicles driven into Mexico could enhance bait vehicle effectiveness. Details: Livermore, CA: Sandia National Laboratories, 2007. 40p. Source: Sandia Report SAND2007-6010: Internet Resource: Accessed August 30, 2012 at http://prod.sandia.gov/techlib/access-control.cgi/2007/076010.pdf Year: 2007 Country: United States URL: http://prod.sandia.gov/techlib/access-control.cgi/2007/076010.pdf Shelf Number: 126177 Keywords: Automobile TheftBait VehicleMotor Vehicle TheftPolice TechnologyVehicle Theft |
Author: Ewing, Walter Title: Looking for a Quick Fix: The Rise and Fall of the Secure Border Initiative's High-Tech Solution to Unauthorized Immigration Summary: The Secure Border Initiative (SBI), launched by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2005, is a cautionary tale of the dangers inherent in seeking a technological quick fix to the problem of unauthorized immigration. SBI calls not only for fencing the U.S.-Mexico border in the literal sense, but constructing a “virtual fence” as well. Since physical fencing can be climbed over, broken through, or dug under, it is complemented in SBI by a system of cameras and sensors—known as “SBInet”—that will, in theory, alert the Border Patrol whenever an unauthorized border crossing occurs. However, SBI has not gone according to plan. Hundreds of miles in new fencing and vehicle barriers have been erected at the border at a cost of $2.4 billion, but there is no evidence this is enhancing border security or deterring unauthorized immigrants. And SBInet has been plagued by persistent technical problems, shoddy testing, and missed deadlines since the Boeing Corporation received over $1 billion worth of DHS contracts to develop it. Details: Washington, DC: Immigration Policy Center, The American Immigration Law Foundation, 2010. 9p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 7, 2012 at http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/docs/SBInet_-_Looking_for_a_Quick_Fix_041510.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/docs/SBInet_-_Looking_for_a_Quick_Fix_041510.pdf Shelf Number: 126586 Keywords: Border Control (Mexico, U.S.)Border Security (Mexico, U.S.)Illegal ImmigrantsPolice Technology |
Author: Gordon, John, IV Title: Keeping Law Enforcement Connected: Information Technology Needs from State and Local Agencies Summary: In an effort to assess criminal justice technology needs at the state and local levels, we conducted more than 25 individual and group interviews with criminal justice and law enforcement personnel to arrive at a better understanding of their technology priorities. We also examined the means by which these agencies commonly receive information on technology, including knowledge dissemination at the state and local levels from the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC). The technical report outlines who we interviewed, what their priorities are regarding information and geospatial technologies and analytic systems, and how they are currently learning about these technologies. It concludes with recommendations to better align investments with agencies’ needs and to improve dissemination of information about how to best employ technology. As is typical for interview and focus-group studies, the analysis in this report is intended to be exploratory, surfacing agencies’ needs rather than statistically analyzing their prevalence. Nonetheless, what we heard from the agencies was strongly consistent and more than sufficient to draw preliminary conclusions. Thus, the findings in this report will be of interest to the Department of Justice (DoJ), state and local law enforcement, and technology developers supporting law enforcement. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, Center on Quality Policing, 2012. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 10, 2012 at: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/technical_reports/2012/RAND_TR1165.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/technical_reports/2012/RAND_TR1165.pdf Shelf Number: 127193 Keywords: Information SharingLaw Enforcement (U.S.)Police AdministrationPolice Technology |
Author: Cohen, Irwin M. Title: A Report on the Utility of the Automated Licence Plate Recognition System in British Columbia Summary: With the high rate of auto theft in British Columbia and the general risk to the public from unlicenced, prohibited, or uninsured drivers, the RCMP, other municipal police forces, and the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia continue to develop and test a myriad of strategies to keep citizens safe. One such strategy is the deployment of Automated Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology. Over the last decade, British Columbia has had the reputation of being a world leader in auto thefts per capita. In 2003, 40,000 cars and trucks were stolen in British Columbia, with 30,000 of these stolen from within the Greater Vancouver Regional District (Schuurman, 2007). More specifically, until very recently, the city of Surrey, British Columbia, was known as the auto theft capital of the world (Schuurman, 2007). In 2005 alone, the city of Surrey experienced nearly 6,500 auto thefts (Schuurman, 2007). As part of a more general response to auto theft, in 2006, IMPACT (Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team) began to examine the utility and feasibility of ALPR. The current study will discuss the results of the initial phase of the testing of this technology and its effectiveness in assisting police to respond to auto theft and other auto-related offences. ALPR technology uses illumination to highlight a licence plate, allowing a camera to take a photograph of the car’s licence plate. The plate image is then scanned by image-processing software which extracts the necessary data and compares the data against any number of police databases (Gordon and Wolf, 2007). ALPR software is a form of Optical Character Recognition which scans images and recognizes the characters present (Gordon and Wolf, 2007). Theoretically, ALPR can scan up to 3,600 plates per hour, either from a moving or stationary platform (Pughe, 2006). The technology can work in all lighting and weather conditions. ALPR was originally designed for use with parking lot security to regulate, for example, entry to the location or to record time of entry (Gordon and Wolf, 2007). However, current technology allows the licence plate to be compared with information stored on a variety of databases, such as stolen car hotlists or prohibited driver databases. While currently in use in British Columbia to identify stolen vehicles and unlicenced, uninsured, and/or prohibited drivers, ALPR can also assist the police to identify persons of interest associated with other criminal activity. According to a recent article (Canada NewsWire, 2007), auto theft is associated with a wide range of criminal activity, including the offences of break and enter, armed robbery, and drug-related offences. In other words, offenders steal cars for use in the commission of additional offences. For example, drug offenders may steal from within cars, but may also steal the car to raise money to purchase drugs (Schuurman, 2007). Those engaged in break and enters may steal cars to transport the stolen property. Given this, ALPR may have the benefit of assisting the police to uncover other crimes in the course of investigating prohibited, unlicenced, or uninsured drivers. As such, ALPR has the capacity to deter criminal activity, assist in locating offenders, and recover stolen property. The ability of ALPR to assist in these critical police functions is based on research suggesting that those who consistently violate traffic regulations often have a criminal history (Rose, 2000). For example, Chenery, Henshaw, and Pease (1999) found that one-third of people who illegally parked in disabled parking spots had a previous criminal record, nearly half (49 per cent) had a history of traffic violations, and one-fifth (21 per cent) were of immediate police interest or were known or suspected of having involvement with other criminal activities (18 per cent). In this study, registered keepers of vehicles who were of immediate interest to the police, who had a criminal record, whose vehicle had a history of traffic violations, whose vehicle had been used in the past for criminal activity, or who had a current vehicle illegality were all significantly more likely to be parked illegally than legally (Chenery, Henshaw, & Pease, 1999). This research suggests that ALPR can assist police beyond catching traffic violators by providing an additional tool to identify those individuals who are wanted by the police. The literature on ALPR is, to date, fairly limited. Although the technology has been used in various countries across the world, very little research on its utility has been conducted. The following sections will review the history of use of ALPR, discuss the current research project, and consider the known benefits and limitations of the technology. Details: Vancouver, BC: University College of the Fraser Valley, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 2007. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 18, 2013 at: http://www.ufv.ca/media/assets/ccjr/publications/ALPR.pdf Year: 2007 Country: Canada URL: http://www.ufv.ca/media/assets/ccjr/publications/ALPR.pdf Shelf Number: 129454 Keywords: Automated License Plate Recognition SystemsAutomobile Theft (Canada)Motor Vehicle TheftPolice Technology |
Author: Kopak, Albert M. Title: Innovations in Information Sharing: An Overview of an Initiative at Sarasota County Florida Sheriff’s Office Summary: Advancements in computer technology have benefitted police with a wealth of information, but they are often still ineffective in their practices because much of this information goes unused. The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is on the forefront of the information sharing movement among law enforcement agencies with their adaptation of Microsoft SharePoint®. This application gives the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office an innovative way to provide actionable information to strategically guide their law enforcement activities. This overview details how the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has collaborated with surrounding law enforcement and legal agencies to enhance the entire region’s police practices. Details: International Police Executive Symposium, 2013. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper no. 48: Accessed August 8, 2013 at: http://www.ipes.info/WPS/WPS_No_48.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.ipes.info/WPS/WPS_No_48.pdf Shelf Number: 129603 Keywords: CollaborationInformation Systems (U.S.)Information TechnologyPolice Technology |
Author: Gierlack, Keith Title: License Plate Readers for Law Enforcement: Opportunities and Obstacles Summary: Since the use of license plate reader (LPR) technology is relatively new in the United States, opportunities and obstacles in its use in law enforcement are still under exploration. As the technology spreads, however, law-enforcement agencies, particularly those considering investing in an LPR system and other organizations focused on the information technology needs of law enforcement, may find the material in this report helpful. It provides an in-depth examination of the range of ways in which license plate scanners are used; the benefits and limits of LPR systems; and emerging practices for system operation. The RAND Corporation's research approach, exploratory interviews with law-enforcement personnel, sought to gather information not just from police officers but also from the diverse people responsible for installing, maintaining, and operating the systems. This method allowed RAND to thoroughly characterize and examine license plate scanner issues to add to the knowledge base. The interviews explored salient issues concerning system implementation, funding, case uses, field procedures, technology issues, data retention policies, and privacy concerns. RAND believes these findings overall will add value to the discussion on this technology's utility. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2014. 124p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 7, 2014 at: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR400/RR467/RAND_RR467.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR400/RR467/RAND_RR467.pdf Shelf Number: 132623 Keywords: Automatic Number Plate Recognition (U.S.)License Place Recognition SystemPolice SurveillancePolice TechnologyPrivacy |
Author: Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) Title: "How Are Innovations in Technology Transforming Policing?" Summary: One of the biggest and most important challenges facing police chiefs-and a challenge that they cannot delegate to subordinates-is the need to sort through the variety of new policing technologies that have come on the scene in recent years. Technology can make policing more efficient- always a key consideration, but especially during times of budget cuts. But technology costs time and money to acquire and deploy, and there are many different technologies to choose from. Are license plate readers effective in preventing or solving auto thefts and other crimes? Or do surveillance cameras give you more bang for the buck? Should technology dollars be spent beefing up computer systems that support Compstat and predictive analytics? What about using social media to develop collaborations with businesses and community groups to fight crime? And what are the civil rights implications of these new policing technologies? It is clear that these types of questions will become even more important in coming years, as technology continues to advance and diversify. Thus, the role of technology in policing was a perfect topic for the "Critical Issues in Policing" series produced by PERF. This report, the 19th in the Critical Issues series, summarizes what we found when we brought together more than 100 police chiefs and other leaders in the field for an Executive Session in Washington last April (see Appendix for a list of participants). Details: Washington, DC: PERF, 2012. 60p. Source: Internet Resource: Critical Issues in Policing Series: Accessed July 17, 2014 at: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Critical_Issues_Series/how%20are%20innovations%20in%20technology%20transforming%20policing%202012.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Critical_Issues_Series/how%20are%20innovations%20in%20technology%20transforming%20policing%202012.pdf Shelf Number: 130804 Keywords: Police TechnologyPolicing |
Author: Ramirez, Eugene P. Title: A Report on Body Worn Cameras Summary: Technology is changing the role of law enforcement on a daily basis. The latest technology is having a profound impact on policies and procedures, on weapons systems, and even on how officers perform their daily duties. Yet, even with the latest technology available, the actions and tactics of law enforcement are constantly being criticized by the media and members of the public. Oftentimes juries return large verdicts against law enforcement agencies. However, a new law enforcement tool may actually reduce exposure to litigation and unwarranted citizens' complaints. A new paradigm for law enforcement should be one of accountability and transparency. One current way to assist law enforcement in being more accountable is by requiring officers to use a Body Worn Camera ("Body Cam" or "BWC"). The implementation of Body Cams is currently causing a worldwide debate across groups such as the Police Foundation, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Police Executive Research Forum and the American Civil Liberties Union. This one aspect of law enforcement is poised to have huge ramifications for how law enforcement interacts with its citizenry. Both law enforcement and local communities stand to benefit from the deployment of BWCs. There is no doubt that policies dealing with BWCs will become living and breathing documents that will evolve as the boundaries of this new technology are pushed. News media are replete with stories, almost on a daily basis, regarding law enforcement agencies across the world that now require an officer to use a BWC. Once again, California leads the way in deploying this new technology to help combat crime and reduce the exposure to litigation. Law enforcement agencies around the world are now delving into using BWCs. The decision to implement the use of body cams is merely an extension of the use of dash-mounted video cameras and audio recorders, both of which have been in use for years. The use of BWCs will prove to be of great value to those agencies who deploy the new technology. However, the decision to deploy BWCs is not without controversy. In the expectation that many agencies will determine that the deployment of BWCs is the right thing to do, this article will review suggested policy language, citing to both a recent PERF Conference and a recently released ACLU study on the use of BWCs. Details: Los Angeles: Manning & Kass, Ellrod, Ramirez, Trester LLP, 2014. 23p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 9, 2014 at: http://www.parsac.org/parsac-www/pdf/Bulletins/14-005_Report_BODY_WORN_CAMERAS.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.parsac.org/parsac-www/pdf/Bulletins/14-005_Report_BODY_WORN_CAMERAS.pdf Shelf Number: 133179 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasCamera TechnologyLaw Enforcement TechnologyPolice TechnologyPolice Use of Force |
Author: White, Michael D. Title: Police Officer Body-Worn Cameras: Assessing the Evidence Summary: Body-worn cameras represent the latest technological innovation for law enforcement. The perceived benefits of these cameras are far-ranging and touch on core elements of the police mission, including enhanced police legitimacy, reduced use of force, and fewer citizen complaints. Criticism of the technology centers on equally important issues, such as violations of citizen and officer privacy, and on enormous investments in terms of cost and resources. Unfortunately, there have been few balanced discussions of body-worn cameras and even fewer empirical studies of the technology in the field. As such, Police Officer Body-Worn Cameras: Assessing the Evidence provides a thorough review of the merits and drawbacks regarding the technology and assesses the available empirical evidence on each of those claims. Overall, this publication articulates the key questions surrounding the technology and provides a framework for informed decision-making regarding adoption and empirical evaluation of body-worn cameras. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, OJP Diagnostic Center, 2014. 60p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 9, 2014 at: https://ojpdiagnosticcenter.org/sites/default/files/spotlight/download/Police%20Officer%20Body-Worn%20Cameras.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://ojpdiagnosticcenter.org/sites/default/files/spotlight/download/Police%20Officer%20Body-Worn%20Cameras.pdf Shelf Number: 133180 Keywords: Body-Worn Cameras Camera Technology Law Enforcement Technology Police BehaviorPolice LegitimacyPolice Technology Police Use of Force |
Author: Police Foundation Title: Self-awareness to being watched and socially-desirable behavior: A field experiment on the effect of body-worn cameras on police use-of-force Summary: The Rodney King story is a potent reminder about the enormous power that police officers have and how it can sometimes be abused. That was the case of an African-American who was repeatedly beaten by Los Angeles police officers, and was arguably the impetus for the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The King incident signifies just how disproportionate use-of-force could shutter the reputation of the police and lead into social cataclysm. Importantly, there are still somewhat similar cases taking place1, despite efforts to stop such behavior through better training and prosecution of rogue officers. Are these incidents unavoidable? A voluminous body of research across various disciplines has shown that when humans become self-conscious about being watched, they often alter their conduct. Accumulated evidence further suggests that individuals who are aware that they being-observed often embrace submissive or commonly-accepted behavior, particularly when the observer is a rule-enforcing entity. What is less known, however, is what happens when the observer is not a "real person", and whether being videotaped can have an effect on aggression and violence. For instance, would the Rodney King incident be avoided had the officers known that they are being videotaped? Would frequency of police use of force be reduced if all interactions between officers and members of the public were under known electronic surveillance? We have tested whether police body-worn cameras would lead to socially-desirable behavior of the officers who wear them. Individualized HD cameras were "installed" on the officers' uniforms, and systematically-recorded every police-public interaction. We randomly-assigned a year's worth of police shifts into experimental and control shifts within a large randomized-controlled-field-experiment conducted with the Rialto-Police-Department (California). We investigated the extent to which cameras effect human behavior and, specifically, reduce the use of police force. Broadly, we have put to test the implication of self-awareness to being observed on compliance and deterrence theory in real-life settings, and explored the results in the wider context of theory and practice. Details: Washington, DC: Police Foundation, 2013. 14p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 15, 2014 at: http://www.policefoundation.org/sites/g/files/g798246/f/201303/The%20Effect%20of%20Body-Worn%20Cameras%20on%20Police%20Use-of-Force.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.policefoundation.org/sites/g/files/g798246/f/201303/The%20Effect%20of%20Body-Worn%20Cameras%20on%20Police%20Use-of-Force.pdf Shelf Number: 133308 Keywords: Body-Worn Cameras Camera Technology Law Enforcement Technology Police AccountabilityPolice Technology Police Use of Force |
Author: ODS Consulting Title: Flexible Research Contract: Evaluation in the Community Safety Unit. Body Worn Video Projects in Paisley and Aberdeen: Self Evaluation Summary: 1.1 Body worn video (BWV) camera systems are now used by a significant number of police forces and warden services across the UK. In 2010 they were being used in more than 40 police force areas. The systems are hands free and provide video and audio recording which are time and date stamped. They make it possible to record offences and to capture evidence. 1.2 In Renfrewshire, body worn video cameras were trialled (using just three head mounted cameras) in 2006/07. A larger scale approach (using 38 cameras) was introduced in June 2009 and is still in operation. This programme was reviewed by Strathclyde Police after the first eight months of operation (June 2009-January 2010).1 1.3 In Aberdeen, a pilot programme using body worn videos started in June 2010. This was reviewed after three months of operation.2 Since the review, the programme has been extended. 1.4 Those involved in the two areas (Strathclyde Police; Renfrewshire Council Environmental Warden Service; and Grampian Police) sought support to assist them to scope and evaluate the business benefits of using body worn video cameras. 1.5 They applied to the Scottish Government‟s Community Safety Unit for evaluation support from their Evaluation Support Framework Contract. The application was successful and the Community Safety Unit appointed ODS Consulting to provide an agreed modest level of evaluation support. 1.6 The evaluation work was overseen by a Project Board, made up of senior staff from Strathclyde Police, Grampian Police and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. A Project Team, including operational staff from each of these organisations and from Renfrewshire Council, led in the evidence gathering to support the evaluation. 1.7 The evaluation draws together information from the previous reviews which have been undertaken; information produced in Scottish Government reports; fresh information gathered in each area; and information from the Criminal Justice Board‟s Management Information System. Details: Glasgow: ODS Consulting, 2011. 21p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 15, 2015 at: http://www.bwvsg.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/BWV-Scottish-Report.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.bwvsg.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/BWV-Scottish-Report.pdf Shelf Number: 134405 Keywords: Body-Worn Cameras (Scotland)Camera Technology Law Enforcement Technology Police Technology Police Use of Force Video Cameras |
Author: Roy, Allyson Title: On-Officer Video Cameras: Examining the Effects of Police Department Policy and Assignment on Camera Use and Activation Summary: On-officer video camera (OVC) technology in the field of policing is developing at a rapid pace. Large agencies are beginning to adopt the technology on a limited basis, and a number of cities across the United States have required their police departments to adopt the technology for all first responders. Researchers have just begun to examine its effects on citizen complaints, officers' attitudes, and street-level behavior. To date, however, there is no research examining how departmental policy and assignment of officers to a camera program affect officer behavior and opinions of the cameras. Policy and assignment have the potential to impact how officers react to the technology and can affect their interactions with citizens on a daily basis. This study measures camera activations by line officers in the Mesa Police Department during police-citizen encounters over a ten-month period. Data from 1,675 police-citizen contacts involving camera officers were subject to analysis. Net of controls (i.e., the nature of the crime incident, how it was initiated, officer shift, assignment, presence of bystanders and backup, and other situational factors), the bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine how departmental policy (mandatory versus discretionary activation policy) and officer assignment (voluntary versus mandatory assignment) affected willingness to activate the cameras, as well as officer and citizen behavior during field contacts. Details: Phoenix, AZ: Arizona State University, 2014. 51p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed January 15, 2015 at: http://urbanaillinois.us/sites/default/files/attachments/officer-video-cameras-roy.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://urbanaillinois.us/sites/default/files/attachments/officer-video-cameras-roy.pdf Shelf Number: 134406 Keywords: Body-Worn Cameras Camera Technology Law Enforcement Technology Police TechnologyVideo Cameras |
Author: Haines, Alina Title: The role of automatic number plate recognition surveillance within policing and public reassurance Summary: This Thesis examines the role that Automatic Number Plate Recognition surveillance plays within policing and public reassurance. The thesis is improvement orientated, exploring how ANPR could become a more effective policing tool and highlights implications for future policies and practice. The first two chapters set the context for the research, explaining what ANPR is, its place within criminology and gaps in research addressed in the Thesis. The literature review calls for a better understanding of ANPR's potential and role as an investigative tool and an examination of the public's views about ANPR surveillance. In the third chapter, reference is made to available methods used to address such objectives. Chapters Four, Five and Six present the results emerging from the empirical work in this Thesis. Chapter Four is concerned with police perceptions regarding current ANPR practice. The thesis highlights the complexity of translating policy into practice in the current political and economic climate, where objectives and priorities dictated by the government are constantly shifting. Continuing its improvement orientation, Chapter Five covers public perceptions about ANPR and outlines ways to address the balance between privacy and security without endangering both. The potential impact of ANPR on crime and ways to measure it is the topic of Chapter Six, which argues that establishing a causal link between ANPR and crime is not a straightforward process. The concluding chapter talks about the implications of the study and any interesting future avenues for research. The emerging findings from this research sit uncomfortably with the opinions and predictions of both supporters and opponents of ANPR alike and shed light not only on the management and use of ANPR by the police in Britain, but also on many of the ethical issues raised by the emergence of new surveillance technologies. Details: Huddersfield, UK: University of Huddersfield, 2009. 335p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed January 29, 2015 at: http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/8760/1/FinalThesis.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/8760/1/FinalThesis.pdf Shelf Number: 134488 Keywords: Automatic Number Plate Recognition (U.K.)Police TechnologySurveillance |
Author: Miller, Lindsay Title: Implementing a Body-Worn Camera Program: Recommendations and Lessons Learned Summary: Over the past decade, advances in the technologies used by law enforcement agencies have been accelerating at an extremely rapid pace. Many police executives are making decisions about whether to acquire technologies that did not exist when they began their careers - technologies like automated license plate readers, gunshot detection systems, facial recognition software, predictive analytics systems, communications systems that bring data to officers' laptops or handheld devices, GPS applications, and social media to investigate crimes and communicate with the public. For many police executives, the biggest challenge is not deciding whether to adopt one particular technology but rather finding the right mix of technologies for a given jurisdiction based on its crime problems, funding levels, and other factors. Finding the best mix of technologies, however, must begin with a thorough understanding of each type of technology. Police leaders who have deployed body-worn cameras1 say there are many benefits associated with the devices. They note that body-worn cameras are useful for documenting evidence; officer training; preventing and resolving complaints brought by members of the public; and strengthening police transparency, performance, and accountability. In addition, given that police now operate in a world in which anyone with a cell phone camera can record video footage of a police encounter, body-worn cameras help police departments ensure events are also captured from an officer's perspective. Scott Greenwood of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said at the September 2013 conference: The average interaction between an officer and a citizen in an urban area is already recorded in multiple ways. The citizen may record it on his phone. If there is some conflict happening, one or more witnesses may record it. Often there are fixed security cameras nearby that capture the interaction. So the thing that makes the most sense-if you really want accountability both for your officers and for the people they interact with - is to also have video from the officer's perspective. The use of body-worn cameras also raises important questions about privacy and trust. What are the privacy issues associated with recording victims of crime? How can officers maintain positive community relationships if they are ordered to record almost every type of interaction with the public? Will members of the public find it off-putting to be told by an officer, "I am recording this encounter," particularly if the encounter is a casual one? Do body-worn cameras also undermine the trust between officers and their superiors within the police department? In addition to these overarching issues, police leaders must also consider many practical policy issues, including the significant financial costs of deploying cameras and storing recorded data, training requirements, and rules and systems that must be adopted to ensure that body-worn camera video cannot be accessed for improper reasons. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2014. 92p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 11, 2015 at: http://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/resources/472014912134715246869.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/resources/472014912134715246869.pdf Shelf Number: 134908 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasLaw Enforcement Technology (U.S.)Police AccountabilityPolice BehaviorPolice TechnologyPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsVideo Technology |
Author: Mateescu, Alexandra Title: Police Body-Worn Cameras Summary: Police Body-Worn Cameras breaks down what's known - and not known - about the promises, perils, and potential best practices around police body-worn cameras. Both law enforcement and civil rights advocates are excited by the potential of body-worn cameras to improve community policing and safety, but there is no empirical research to conclusively suggest that these will reduce the deaths of black male civilians in encounters with police. There are some documented milder benefits evident from small pilot studies, such as more polite interactions between police and civilians when both parties are aware they are being recorded, and decreased fraudulent complaints made against officers. Many uncertainties about best practices of body-worn camera adoption and use remain, including when the cameras should record, what should be stored and retained, who should have access to the footage, and what policies should determine the release of footage to the public. As pilot and permanent body-worn camera programs are implemented, it is important to ask questions about how they can be best used to achieve their touted goals. How will the implementation of these programs be assessed for their efficacy in achieving accountability goals? What are the best policies to have in place to support those goals? Details: New York: Data & Society Research Institute, 2015. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper: Accessed March 12, 2015 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2569481 Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2569481 Shelf Number: 134919 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasLaw Enforcement Technology (U.S.) Police Accountability Police Behavior Police Technology Police-Citizen Interactions Police-Community Relations SurveillanceVideo Technology |
Author: Ellis, Tom Title: Body-Worn Video: Evaluation of the Introduction of Personal Issue Body Worn Video Cameras (Operation Hyperion) on the Isle of Wight: Final Report to Hampshire Constabulary Summary: This study evaluated the impact of issuing all police officers on the Isle of Wight with Body Worn Video (BWV) cameras on 1 July 2013. It is based mainly on a series of measures in the year prior to camera issue compared to the same measures in the year after issue. These measures included data on changes in: public opinion; occurrences and crime; criminal justice processes (domestic assault) and complaints against police. In addition, there was also survey of IoW officers' views on BWV cameras and observational fieldwork. Isle of Wight public opinion on police BWV cameras - The Isle of Wight (IoW) public's trust in police to record all appropriate incidents with cameras is very high - 58% were aware of cameras after personal issue which was significantly higher than 26% in the period immediately before - Only 11% of residents in the "before" period had seen a police officer using BWV cameras which significantly increased to 29% in the "after" period - There was an overwhelmingly positive (84-96%) public attitude toward police use of cameras in: - gathering evidence - identifying criminals - increasing convictions - improving training - improving disciplinary procedures - Before personal issue, IoW public was less convinced cameras would reduce: complaints against the police; assaults on police; and crime and ASB. All ratings significantly improved after the roll out of personal issue BWV cameras - There was a significant rise (to 82%) in IoW public belief that all uniformed officers should use cameras. Isle of Wight Police Officers' views on BWV camera use - Officers' views on BWV cameras, where comparable, largely coincided with those of IoW public - IoW officers had significantly lower confidence than the public in cameras reducing assaults on police, but significantly higher confidence in them reducing complaints against them - Frontline officers were significantly more positive than non-frontline (mainly investigative) officers in valuing the deployment of personal issue BWV cameras on the IoW - The vast majority of officers agreed that all PCSOs should wear BWVs when on duty. Details: Portsmouth, UK: University of Portsmouth, Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, 2015. 75p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 6, 2015 at: http://www.bwvsg.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Ellis-Evaluation-Worn-Cameras.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.bwvsg.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Ellis-Evaluation-Worn-Cameras.pdf Shelf Number: 135526 Keywords: AssaultsBody-Worn Cameras (U.K.)Complaints Against PoliceDisorderly ConductPolice TechnologyPublic OpinionSurveillanceVideo Cameras |
Author: Bruce, David Title: A 'Third Umpire' for Policing in South Africa: Applying Body Cameras in the Western Cape Summary: Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are rapidly changing the way governments, public agencies and people interact. With the advent and spread of technologies - especially wireless connectivity and wearables - new forms of communication and information exchange are possible. In best case scenarios, these can expand the range of options and opportunities for civic engagement across political, economic and social dimensions. Not surprisingly, technological innovations are having a profound effect on the form and content of policing. But what are the possibilities for the use of these new technologies for improving law enforcement in the global South? A new initiative led by the Brazil-based Igarape Institute is testing this question. It involves police and civil society groups in Brazil and South Africa and is exploring how new technologies can improve the oversight and accountability of police. The initiative is called "smart policing". Details: Rio de Janeiro: Igarape Institute, 2015. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Strategic Paper 14: Accessed May 20, 2015 at: http://www.apcof.org/files/694_smart_policing%20_in%20_south%20africa.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Brazil URL: http://www.apcof.org/files/694_smart_policing%20_in%20_south%20africa.pdf Shelf Number: 135718 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasPolicePolice AccountabilityPolice CommunicationPolice Policies and PracticesPolice Technology |
Author: Weisburd, David Title: The Dallas AVL Experiment: Evaluating the Use of Automated Vehicle Locator Technologies in Policing Summary: Law enforcement agencies lack specific information describing where police officers patrol when not responding to calls for service. Instead they have snapshots of events that are handled by police such as the locations of crime reports, arrests, traffic citations, and pedestrian stops. While computerized crime mapping has enabled "smart policing" and police have become more scientific in the ways in which they respond to crime (Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2010; Robinson, 2011), police agencies still have little ability to assess the effectiveness of their deployment strategies in relationship to their goals. Our study sought to examine these two key gaps in the advancement of recent police innovations. If the police have knowledge about where patrol resources are concentrated in a police agency, can police Commanders more successfully manage broad patrol resources? Within the context of a Compstat model, can they ensure that crime hot spots gain increased levels of patrol? Finally, if such knowledge were available to the police will that help them to prevent crime? We think that the answers to these questions are key to the advancement of policing. Our study is the first we know of to test these questions directly. Since the early 1990s, hot spots policing has emerged as an important policing strategy. Sherman and Weisburd (1995) coined the term and argued that the police should not water down the dosage of police patrol across entire beats, but should focus it upon the specific places where crime was concentrated. While police scholars now agree widely that preventive patrol over larger areas is not effective (Weisburd & Eck, 2004; Bayley, 1994), the introduction of automated vehicle locator (AVL) technology allowed us to see whether provision of detailed information on actual patrol dosage to police managers would allow for more effective allocation of patrol in beats and following this significant reductions in crime. We were also able to examine these questions for crime hot spots identified during Compstat meetings. We used a blocked randomized experimental design to examine these questions. First, we used trajectory analysis to identify four groups of beats with similar crime trajectories. Each of the beats within a trajectory group was randomly allocated to treatment or control. Commanders received information on the measured deployment levels (the amount of hours of vehicle presence as measured by an Automated Vehicle Locator (AVL) system) received by the treatment beats but not the control beats. In addition, they received AVL measured deployment information about Compstat hot spots (those identified for specific deployment strategies) in the treatment areas but not in the control areas. At the beat level, access to AVL measured deployment information led Commanders to request significantly higher amounts of patrol presence but did not result in an increase in actual patrol levels. At the hot spot level, it is important to note that our unit of analysis is no longer the same as our randomization unit. Thus, we interpret these results with caution. At the hot spot level, AVL does not lead Commanders to request higher levels of patrol, but it did lead to higher actual levels of patrol at those places. Also, in contrast to the beat level findings, we find treatment hot spots have about a 20 percent relative "decline" in crime. The Dallas (Texas) AVL Experiment provides important information to improve our understanding of how AVL technologies can be used to maximize patrol in police agencies. Our data suggest that, at least in cities like Dallas with large geographies, AVL information will not aid patrol allocations in large geographic areas because patrol coverage in beats is largely a function of cross district dispatch rather than Commander-specified deployment. However, it is effective in achieving higher levels of patrol in hot spots and significant reductions in crime. Additional studies are needed in other cities and focusing on hot spot areas to better understand the potential value in using AVL for deployment. Details: Washington, DC: Police Foundation, 2015. 127p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 29, 2015 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/248958.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/248958.pdf Shelf Number: 136256 Keywords: Automated Vehicle LocatorCrime Hot SpotsPolice DeploymentPolice PatrolPolice Technology |
Author: Katz, Charles M. Title: Phoenix, Arizona, Smart Policing Initiative: Evaluating the Impact of Police Officer Body-Worn Cameras Summary: A number of highly publicized deaths of citizens at the hands of the police have sparked a national debate over police accountability 0 with body-worn cameras (BWCs) at the center of the debate. BWCs enjoy support from many law enforcement agencies, citizen advocacy groups, civil rights organizations, politicians, and the federal government. Though there has been wide-ranging speculation over the potential impact and consequences of BWCs, few rigorous examinations of the technology have been conducted, and many questions remain unanswered. The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), through the Smart Policing Initiative (SPI), funded the Phoenix Police Department to purchase, deploy, and evaluate police body-worn cameras. In the study, the Phoenix SPI team deployed 56 BWCs to officers in one of the two Maryvale Precinct squad areas. All officers assigned to the target area were issued BWCs, and officers in the adjacent squad area served as a comparison group. Cameras were deployed in the field in April 2013, and the study period covered approximately 30 months (15 months pre-deployment; 15 months post-deployment). The evaluation of BWCs, led by the research partners at Arizona State University, focused on six critical areas: (1) officer camera activation compliance, (2) officer perceptions of the wearability and utility of body-worn cameras, (3) impact on officers' job performance, (4) impact on public compliance and cooperation, (5) impact on officer accountability, and (6) impact on domestic violence case processing and outcomes. The study found the following: (1) Officer compliance with the activation of BWCs was generally low (under 30 percent), varying by call type (between 6 percent and 48 percent). (2) Police perceptions of BWCs changed notably over time, as officers reported increased comfort and ease as well as greater recognition of the benefits of the technology. (3) BWCs appeared to increase arrest activity. (4) BWCs did not seem to change citizen behavior, based on resisting-arrest charges. (5) BWCs appeared to significantly reduce complaints against officers (23 percent drop) when compared with officers in the other squad area (10 percent increase). (6) Finally, BWCs improved the processing of domestic violence incidents, as cases with video were more likely to be charged and successfully prosecuted, although BWCs did result in longer case processing times. The Phoenix SPI study produced a number of important lessons learned. The decision to deploy BWCs represents an enormous investment in resources and manpower. It is important for police managers to be strategic, deliberate, and collaborative in planning their BWC program. Coordination with the Prosecutor's Office is absolutely critical. Training, policy development, and transparency with line officers also are essential for a successful BWC program. The perceived benefits of BWCs hinge on their use and proper operation in accordance with departmental policy. That is, the benefits of BWCs can be realized only if officers appropriately activate the cameras during police-citizen encounters. Line officers should become educated Line officers should become educated consumers regarding BWCs, and both line officers and police managers should be realistic about the potential impact of the technology on police operations, encounters with citizens, and community perceptions of police legitimacy. Details: Arlington, VA: CNA Analysis & Solutions, 2015. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 5, 2015 at: http://www.smartpolicinginitiative.com/sites/all/files/Phoenix%20SPI%20Spotlight%20FINAL.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.smartpolicinginitiative.com/sites/all/files/Phoenix%20SPI%20Spotlight%20FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 136946 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasComplaints Against the PolicePolice AccountabilityPolice LegitimacyPolice TechnologyPolice-Citizens Encounters |
Author: Lopez, James R. Title: Body Cameras and CBP: Promoting Security, Transparency and Accountability at out Nation's Borders Summary: Body Cameras and CBP: Promoting Security, Transparency and Accountability at our Nation's Borders debuts in advance of an expected CBP announcement on the feasibility and implementation of body cameras. The report examines the benefits of requiring body-worn cameras for all CBP agents and officers, as well as the privacy concerns for the public and for the agency related to implementing body cameras. After conducting a feasibility study in early 2015, CBP has been slow to move forward with implementation of body-worn cameras. For an agency in which more than 2,000 incidents of misconduct were reported over a seven-year period, implementation of body-worn cameras across CBP would be a significant step toward repairing the agency's image. Details: Washington, DC: National Immigration Forum, 2015. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 16, 2015 at: http://immigrationforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Body-Cameras-and-CBP-Report-11062015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://immigrationforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Body-Cameras-and-CBP-Report-11062015.pdf Shelf Number: 137768 Keywords: Body-Worn Cameras Border GuardsBorder SecurityPolice Accountability Police Policies and Practices Police Technology |
Author: Blitz, Marc Jonathan Title: Police Body-Worn Cameras: Evidentiary Benefits and Privacy Threats Summary: In this Issue Brief, Professor Blitz examines the costs and benefits of body-worn cameras programs. Acknowledging that cameras will not serve as a panacea, Professor Blitz outlines policies that police departments should adopt to ensure the maximum effectiveness of such programs. As Blitz observes, even though such footage is flawed, it is better than accounts given by eyewitnesses long after the event occurred. Blitz admits that such cameras can "transform ephemeral and forgettable moments into permanent and easily shared records" of the parts of our lives we may be "least comfortable sharing with others." To address these privacy concerns, Blitz examines model rules that place greater restrictions on police use of cameras in private homes and prevent the viewing or dissemination of body camera footage except in limited circumstances. Ultimately, Professor Blitz concludes that body-worn cameras can be an important tool in efforts to combat police abuse, if used in accordance with clear guidelines proposed. Details: Washington, DC: American Constitution Society, 2015. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Issue Brief: Accessed December 1, 2015 at: https://www.acslaw.org/sites/default/files/Blitz_-_On-Body_Cameras_-_Issue_Brief.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://www.acslaw.org/sites/default/files/Blitz_-_On-Body_Cameras_-_Issue_Brief.pdf Shelf Number: 137375 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasLaw Enforcement Technology Police AccountabilityPolice Behavior Police SurveillancePolice Technology Police-Citizen Interactions Police-Community Relations Video Technology |
Author: Grossmith, Lynne Title: Police, Camera, Evidence: London's cluster randomised controlled trial of Body Worn Video Summary: Overall the findings suggest there are potential benefits of Body Worn Video (BWV), although those related to criminal justice outcomes were not fully realised during the timescales of the trial and need the support of criminal justice partners to be achieved. - BWV can reduce the number of allegations against officers, particularly of oppressive behaviour. Complaints related to interactions with the public also reduced and, although it did not reach statistical significance, the trend in overall complaints was consistent with these findings. - There was no overall impact of BWV on the number or type of stop and searches conducted. In addition, there were no differences in officers - self-reported behaviour relating to how they conducted stops. - No effect was found on the proportion of arrests for violent crime. When an arrest had occurred, there was a slightly lower proportion of charges by officers in a BWV team. - There was no evidence that BWV changed the way police officers dealt with victims or suspects. - The Public Attitude Survey found, in general, London residents are supportive of BWV, with their opinions of the technology positively associated with their views of how 'procedurally just' the police are, and their confidence in the MPS. - Officers reported a range of innovative uses of BWV, including professional development; use of intelligence; and sharing information with partners and the public. Details: London: College of Policing Limited and the Mayor's Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC), 2015. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 1, 2015 at: http://whatworks.college.police.uk/Research/Documents/Police_Camera_Evidence.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://whatworks.college.police.uk/Research/Documents/Police_Camera_Evidence.pdf Shelf Number: 137399 Keywords: Body-Worn Cameras (U.K.) Complaints Against Police Disorderly Conduct Police LegitimacyPolice Technology Public Opinion Surveillance Video Cameras |
Author: Katz, Walter W. Title: Body-Worn Cameras: Policy Recommendations and Review of LASD's Pilot Program Summary: Portable video recording technology has radically altered urban law enforcement in recent years. Unfortunately, cash-strapped police agencies have been slow to incorporate this technology fully and now face community pressure to do so rapidly. In the face of strong public concern over police use of force, the time has come to overcome technological, political, and budgetary hurdles and incorporate fixed video, car mounted video and body-worn cameras into all urban police departments. The use of these tools will enhance accountability, public confidence in police officers and public understanding of policing. This report provides information regarding the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's pilot program to test and evaluate body-worn camera systems and makes recommendations for the Department as it implements them. Regardless of policy decisions, video evidence is shaping law enforcement and police agencies must use it to full advantage to help provide the quality policing that the public deserves. In September 2014, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (hereinafter, LASD or the Department) initiated a volunteer pilot program to test body-worn camera systems (BWCS or body-camera) under patrol conditions at four stations across Los Angeles County. A body-worn camera is a small device that records video and sound. The camera is mounted on the officer's uniform and records deputy interactions with the public and can gather video evidence at crime scenes. The chief goals of the LASD's pilot program were "to accurately address allegations of misconduct and increase the public's trust." In addition, the LASD hoped that video and audio recordings would "prove beneficial in criminal proceedings, administrative investigations, service complaints and civil liability claims." The Department's pilot program ran from September 2014 through April 2015, tested four brands and five models of body-worn camera systems and deployed 96 cameras. In order to provide guidance for the volunteer deputies regarding when to employ the body cameras and on which subjects or events, the Department developed a set of guidelines covering camera activation and deactivation, expectations of privacy, operating procedures, when Department members are allowed to view recordings and retention of footage. Over the course of the program's eight-month run, the Department obtained detailed feedback from the participants, through both electronic questionnaires and focus groups that were held at each of the four stations and attended by OIG representatives. In addition to monitoring the pilot program, the OIG reviewed body-camera policies and reports from other jurisdictions as well as policy recommendations on the subject by nationally recognized law enforcement research organizations and leading advocacy organizations. The OIG then assimilated this information with trends that emerged from the LASD pilot program participants' feedback. Details: Los Angeles: Office of Inspector General, County of Los Angeles, 2015. 70p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 1, 2015 at: https://oig.lacounty.gov/Portals/OIG/Reports/Body-Worn%20Cameras_OIG%20Report.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://oig.lacounty.gov/Portals/OIG/Reports/Body-Worn%20Cameras_OIG%20Report.pdf Shelf Number: 137412 Keywords: Body-Worn Cameras Complaints Against Police Disorderly Conduct Police LegitimacyPolice Technology Public Opinion Surveillance Video Cameras |
Author: New York City Department of Investigation Title: Body-Worn Cameras in NYC: An Assessment of NYPD's Pilot Program and Recommendations to Promote Accountability Summary: In September 2014, New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner William Bratton announced the launch of a small-scale pilot program to test the use of body-worn cameras (BWCs) by New York City police officers (Volunteer BWC Pilot Program). In mid- December 2014, the Volunteer BWC Pilot Program began with 54 BWCs deployed to patrol officers across the City. BWCs are mobile cameras worn by police officers that can capture audio and video recordings of encounters between police and members of the public. BWC technology has drawn national attention for its potential to improve policing while promoting transparency and accountability in law enforcement. Police departments using BWCs have reported positive changes in the conduct of both citizens and officers, as well as speedier resolutions to police misconduct complaints and litigation. As a result, BWC programs continue to spread rapidly across the country, and numerous organizations and advocacy groups have published reports and issued their own model BWC policies. However, with the potential benefits of BWCs come certain costs and concerns, including risks to the privacy and safety of both officers and the public. As NYPD ventures into the new, evolving, and high-profile world of BWCs, it will need to ensure that the policies and procedures governing BWC use are fair, practical, legal, and transparent. To this end, the New York of the Inspector General for the NYPD (OIG-NYPD) has conducted a detailed review of NYPD's Volunteer BWC Pilot Program in order to assess how certain key topics are addressed and to identify areas not adequately covered by the policy. Specifically, OIG-NYPD focused on five topics at the forefront of the discussion surrounding BWCs: - Officer discretion regarding when to record - Notifications to citizens by officers when a BWC is activated - Safeguards to ensure officer compliance with BWC policy - Access to footage by officers and the public - Retention and purging of BWC footage These issues are critical components of any BWC policy and have stirred the greatest controversy among police executives, oversight agencies, officers, and the unions that represent them. In order to better understand the Volunteer BWC Pilot Program in both theory and practice, OIG-NYPD conducted several meetings with the NYPD team that created, launched, and is overseeing the Volunteer BWC Pilot Program. Separately, OIG-NYPD interviewed multiple police officers who are participating in the program and wearing BWCs on patrol. As BWCs impact various groups, OIG-NYPD also consulted with entities that deal directly with NYPD - such as the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association (PBA), Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), representatives from each of the City's five District Attorney's Offices and community advocates. Lastly, OIG-NYPD's evaluation of the Volunteer BWC Pilot Program included a comparative examination of NYPD's Operations Order 48 "Pilot Program - Use of Body-Worn Cameras" (Op Order 48) against the BWC policies of other police departments across the country and the policy recommendations of numerous independent studies. Through this work, OIG-NYPD was able to conduct a thorough and unique assessment of Op Order 48, specifically tailored to New York City's distinct policing environment. Based on the information gathered, OIG-NYPD developed 23 recommendations for improving the use of BWCs as NYPD transitions from its current pilot program to a more expansive long-term BWC program. Several of these recommendations - based on interviews with police officials and prosecutors, as well as the experiences of police departments nationwide - involve the safety of officers and witnesses as well as the integrity of the prosecution process. Details: New York: Department of Investigation, Office of the Inspector General, 2015. 71p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 1, 2015 at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/oignypd/assets/downloads/pdf/nypd-body-camera-report.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.nyc.gov/html/oignypd/assets/downloads/pdf/nypd-body-camera-report.pdf Shelf Number: 137413 Keywords: Body-Worn Cameras Law Enforcement Technology Police Accountability Police Behavior Police Surveillance Police Technology Police-Citizen Interactions Police-Community Relations Video Technology |
Author: Levi, Michael Title: The Implications of Economic Cybercrime for Policing Summary: London, as one of the world's leading financial centres, had a daily turnover in the foreign exchange market of L2,626 billion in April 2013 - all dependent on a highly interconnected electronic infrastructure and supporting technology. Yet this same technology that underpins and enables these global transactions also opens up businesses and individuals to new risks, in particular relating to cybercrime. The introduction of sophisticated technology has brought about a step-change in the way economic crime is committed - enabling frauds to be perpetrated at scale, at great speed, and at a distance, with no physical contact necessary between criminal and victim. It can be much harder to identify the individuals initiating crime, and often the location will be outside UK jurisdiction. These factors have resulted in a sharp escalation of such activities in recent years, bringing new challenges for policing and industry in preventing and tackling such crime. The City of London Police is the National Policing Lead for Economic Crime, and is playing a key role in proactively addressing these challenges including developing a national strategy. One major challenge has been coordinating information about criminal activity where this can be geographically widely dispersed. In addition to investigating some of the most serious frauds in the country, the City of London Police hosts the national reporting database - Action Fraud. This current research piece undertakes new analysis of data held by Action Fraud and its partner unit, the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) also hosted by the City of London Police. It finds that between October and December 2014 alone there were 106,681 reported fraud cases, a third of which related to banking and credit industry frauds. The median amount lost to fraudsters across all fraud types ranged from L112 lost through misuse of contracts in the telecom industry, to 38,974 lost from pension fraud. However the annual 250,000 crime reports received present only a limited view of several million crimes that are taking place within the UK annually to the cost of some $30billion. Under-reporting presents a challenge both in terms of research and policy responses. City of London Police initiatives to reduce fraud include training both the private and public sector in specialist skills through their Economic Crime Academy, piloting a focused victim care unit in London - the Economic Crime Victim Care Unit - and working closely with law enforcement across the UK to share information and co-ordinate action. Most importantly they include the formation of new national police fraud and cyber strategies focused on prevention at a national and local level. This research report highlights the necessity of working in partnership, both around primary prevention and building in security protection, and working with other agencies to disrupt criminal activities and pursue and prosecute offenders. Details: London: City of London Corporation, 2015. 96p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 8, 2016 at: https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/business/economic-research-and-information/research-publications/Documents/Research-2015/Economic-Cybercrime-FullReport.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/business/economic-research-and-information/research-publications/Documents/Research-2015/Economic-Cybercrime-FullReport.pdf Shelf Number: 137785 Keywords: Computer CrimesComputer FraudCybercrimesEconomic CrimesFinancial CrimesInternet CrimesPolice Technology |
Author: Edmonton Police Service Title: Body Worn Video: Considering the Evidence Summary: The Edmonton Police Service has completed a comprehensive three-year study to assess the effectiveness of body worn video (BWV) for use by its officers, and as a result of the research findings, will proceed with a graduated deployment of cameras to specialized police units at this time. The EPS BWV pilot project ran from October 2011 to December 2014, with operational field testing through a variety of environments from October 2012 to July 2014. This project was partially funded through the Canadian Police Research Centre and continued under the Canadian Safety and Security Program, which is a federal program led by Defence Research and Development Canada's Centre for Security Science, in partnership with Public Safety Canada. From the outset, privacy has been a major consideration of the EPS BWV project. The EPS research team consulted with the Alberta Privacy Commissioner who provided valuable insight and recommendations. Respective of this input, the EPS created policies and procedures for the BWV pilot project that aligned with the BWV guidance document issued by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. As part of the BWV testing, the EPS issued 56 industry-standard cameras to officers in: Downtown Division and Beats; West Edmonton Mall and Whyte Avenue Beats; the Impaired Driving Countermeasures Unit; and with the Disaster and Emergency Operations Unit for a training exercise with Fire Rescue and EMS. While the body worn video project reviewed technical performance, legal considerations, and usefulness in everyday policing and investigations, it also surveyed the public and police officers on their opinion. Based on the pilot project findings, the EPS has decided to proceed with a graduated deployment of a body worn video program over the next two to five years. Cameras will be used by officers who are involved in high-risk interactions with the public, where the officers are on the scene of a crime being committed, and the evidence captured on video is of the greatest value in providing information to the courts. Examples include: the Specialized Traffic Apprehension Team (STAT) that intercept high-risk vehicles; the Impaired Driving Countermeasures Unit for Checkstop operations; Tactical Team entries where weapons may be involved; and the Public Order Unit when responding to riots. The graduated roll-out of BWV will require training of officers, revising instructional materials, modifying police uniforms to carry cameras, as well as submitting a service package for funding, sourcing newer BWV cameras, and utilizing a new digital asset management system. Details: Edmonton, Alberta: Edmonton Police Service, 2015. 241p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 8, 2016 at: http://www.bwvsg.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Edmonton-Police-BWV-Final-Report.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Canada URL: http://www.bwvsg.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Edmonton-Police-BWV-Final-Report.pdf Shelf Number: 137812 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasLaw Enforcement Technology (U.S.) Police Accountability Police Behavior Police Technology Police-Citizen Interactions Police-Community Relations Surveillance Video Technology |
Author: Hurley, Greg Title: Body-Worn Cameras and the Courts Summary: In response to the August 9, 2014 shooting death of Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, a citizen petition was posted on the White House website, petitions.whitehouse.gov. It asked people to sign if they supported a law requiring all state, county, and local police to wear body-worn cameras, or BWCs. Within a few weeks, the petition collected 150,000 signatures. The response to this petition received national mainstream media attention. Roy L. Austin, Jr., deputy assistant to the president for the Office of Urban Affairs, Justice and Opportunity in the Domestic Policy Council, responded to the petition on behalf of the administration. He noted that research suggested that BWCs can have significant benefits to the community, which can include: - evidence that both officers and civilians acted in a more positive manner when they were aware that a camera was present; - new opportunities for effective training of law enforcement officers presented by the use of cameras; and - useful evidence of interactions was often captured on video. However, he also stated that the cost of this technology cannot be ignored, and there are some significant unanswered questions that need to be addressed, such as: - What is the most effective type of camera (vehicle, body, weapon) - and if body, where is it best placed (lapel, ear, belt)? - What are the privacy implications of having officers record interactions with the public? - When should cameras be turned on? - Does every officer on a force need a camera? - How long should video data be maintained and who should have access to it? - What is the impact on community relationships? On December 2, 2014, Shaun Donovan, the director of the White House's Office of Management and Budget, announced that a proposed, three-year $263 million Community Policing Initiative would include an investment package that would increase the use of BWCs. This was a significant statement from the Obama Administration and demonstrated the administration's view that BWCs could be a useful tool in providing greater officer accountability and promoting more trust in law enforcement by the general public. On September 21, 2015, the Department of Justice announced over $23 million in federal funding to support a BWC pilot program, which will support 73 local and tribal law enforcement agencies in 32 states. In their press release, they noted that this was done as a "part of President Obama's commitment to building trust and transparency between law enforcement and the communities they serve." This development is not surprising as the Obama Administration had previously indicated a willingness to deploy BWC technology. It is reasonable to assume that the cumulative effect of public support for officers using BWCs, and the federal government's willingness to provide funding for a significant pilot program, suggests that BWCs will become an increasingly common piece of law enforcement equipment. In fact, the author is of the opinion that within the next five to ten years, the vast majority of law enforcement officers nationally will be equipped with and required to wear and use BWCs. Details: Williamsburg, VA: National Center for State Courts, 2016. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 22, 2016 at: http://ncsc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/criminal/id/268 Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://ncsc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/criminal/id/268 Shelf Number: 137938 Keywords: Body-Worn Cameras Law Enforcement Technology (U.S.) Police Accountability Police Behavior Police Technology Police-Citizen Interactions Police-Community Relations Surveillance Video Technology |
Author: Minnesota. Office of the Legislative Auditor. Program Evaluation Division Title: Law Enforcement's Use of State Databases Summary: We examined law enforcement's use of the Minnesota driver's license database and the Comprehensive Incident-Based Reporting System. We found that inadequate controls and insufficient training have contributed to misuse of these databases. We recommend, among other things, that the Department of Public Safety: (1) take steps to increase awareness of the permissible uses of these databases; (2) strengthen access controls; and (3) consider increasing resources for monitoring use of driver's license data. We also recommend that chief law enforcement officers consider increasing proactive reviews of their employees' use of driver's license data. Details: St. Paul: Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor, 2013. 87p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 8, 2016 at: http://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/ped/pedrep/ledatabase.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/ped/pedrep/ledatabase.pdf Shelf Number: 138133 Keywords: Drivers LicensePolice TechnologyPolice Training |
Author: Mitchell, Nicholas E. Title: 2015 Annual Report Summary: The OIM is charged with monitoring the disciplinary systems in the Denver Police and Denver Sheriff Departments ("DPD" and "DSD," respectively), making policy recommendations to those departments, and conducting outreach to communities throughout Denver. The OIM is led by Independent Monitor Nicholas E. Mitchell, and advised by a seven member Citizen Oversight Board. The 2015 Annual Report includes information about complaints received, closed and monitored by the OIM in 2015. It also includes the OIM's assessment of several recent changes to DPD's policies, practices or training, including its policies on body worn cameras, shooting into moving vehicles, early intervention, and racial profiling. "The DPD made significant strides in 2015 by revising important policies to bring them in line with national best practices," said Independent Monitor Mitchell. The 2015 Annual Report also presents two subjects about which the OIM believes there are opportunities for improvement. Electronic databases, including the National Crime Information Center and the Colorado Crime Information Center ("NCIC/CCIC"), are important tools that DPD officers use every day solve crimes, apprehend fugitives, recover stolen property, and otherwise keep Denver's residents safe. By-and-large, DPD officers faithfully adhere to the requirement that the NCIC/CCIC databases must only be used for law enforcement purposes. Yet, when officers do misuse NCIC/CCIC for non law enforcement purposes, they are generally issued reprimands rather than stronger discipline. "These databases contain vast amounts of personal information about the American public, including community members in Denver," said Mr. Mitchell. "When they are misused, reprimands are not commensurate with the seriousness of that violation, and may not be strong enough to deter future abuse." The Annual Report recommends that the penalties for misuse of NCIC/CCIC should be strengthened within the disciplinary matrix that is maintained by the Executive Director of Safety. The Report also highlights the current gap in DPD policy and training on what kinds of force are permissible or effective to remove potential contraband from the mouth of an arrestee who is attempting to swallow it. The Report recommends that the DPD clarify its use of force policy, and specifically prohibit the use of strikes to remove potential contraband from the mouth of a person being placed under arrest. Details: Denver: Office of the Independent Monitor, 2016. 144p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 18, 2016 at: https://www.denvergov.org/content/dam/denvergov/Portals/374/documents/2015%20Annual%20Report%20Final.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.denvergov.org/content/dam/denvergov/Portals/374/documents/2015%20Annual%20Report%20Final.pdf Shelf Number: 138333 Keywords: Complaints Against PolicePolice AccountabilityPolice DisciplinePolice Policies and PracticesPolice TechnologyPolice Use of ForceSheriffs |
Author: Drover, Paul Title: Leading and Testing Body Worn Video in Wolverhampton Summary: Policing faces both a crisis in public confidence and the challenge of improving effectiveness in times of austerity. Body Worn Video (BWV) is seen internationally as having the potential to reduce public complaints, police use of force and potentially to improve criminal justice outcomes. However there are very few studies currently that explore the effects of BWV. Further replication of the BWV trial in Rialto, California (Farrar, 2013) is required to develop our understanding of the effects. This research shall document a Police Leaders' implementation of a randomised control trial into the effects of BWV. The main objectives are to identify the challenges to implementing a trial and identify how they were overcome. The solutions to these challenges shall provide key lessons for future police leaders as they undertake research and implement change. This study shall break down the sections of the implementation process. It shall explore each issue from gaining support to run a trial through to the challenge of maintaining it. The main challenges encountered from devising the trial in March 2014, through to three months into random allocation in August 2014 shall be detailed. Addressing police resistance, tracking performance, working with technology and maintaining officer compliance will feature as key issues. This study found that gaining the support of police practitioners and police leaders requires both negotiation and direction. Once overcome the ability to maintain compliance with the experimental protocols of random assignment was key. A combination of nudge theory and direct accountability is required. The study identifies planning and a skilled support team as being crucial to overcoming the issues of trial implementation and management. A leader with strong communication skills who can adapt to feedback is central to overcoming the many issues encountered in the trial. Details: Cambridge, UK: Wolfson College, 2014. 100p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed June 29, 2016 at: http://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/alumni/theses/Paul%20Drover.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/alumni/theses/Paul%20Drover.pdf Shelf Number: 139538 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasPolice AccountabilityPolice LegitimacyPolice PerformancePolice TechnologySurveillance Video Cameras |
Author: Guerin, Paul Title: City of Albuquerque Police Department On Body Camera System Research Summary: This research study has several goals. First, to document the use of the OBCS, second, to provide information useful for informing the development of a policy regarding the use of the OBCS and third, to provide information that will inform a method to audit the developed policy and the use of the system by APD personnel. Currently it is not known how officers actually use the OBCS in the Albuquerque Police Department (APD). According to an APD special order authorized May 4, 2012, officers were required to use their OBCS during every citizen contact that is the result of a dispatched call for service, arrest warrant, search warrant, or traffic stop. On May 6, 2012 General Order 1-39 Use of Tape/Digital Recorders was made effective replacing an earlier version. This order includes the language in the Special Order and provides a list of incidents that must also be recorded. Another version of General Order 1-39 was made effective January 22, 2013 with some additional language including noting when officers should activate their cameras. It appears to also differentiate between dispatched and non-dispatched events and situations. Via our focus groups it appears many officers have interpreted the policy to include any citizen contact. The January 2013 general order appears to be modified by an October 2014 special order dealing with video evidence tagging procedures, which directed all officers to video if logged on a call where an arrest, criminal summons or non-traffic citation was issued. These four managing documents are found in the appendices of this report. Official information sources for this study included the OBCS information system, City of Albuquerque Human Resource information, Automated Reporting System (ARS) data, APD computer aided dispatch information (CAD), and focus groups with sworn APD staff. City of Albuquerque and APD staff collaborated in providing access to the necessary official information and provided technical information in matching and merging information from the data sources. Eleven focus groups with APD patrol officers, sergeants, and lieutenants were conducted, as well as three focus groups with Investigative Bureau detectives and one focus group with a mix of Investigative Bureau sergeants and several SWAT officers. APD staff was helpful in arranging these focus groups. APD has implemented an OBCS and similar camera programs are being implemented in law enforcement agencies around the country. This is a fairly new technology for law enforcement and best practices have not been established regarding the use of cameras, video storage and download protocols, privacy concerns, use of evidence, and officer training. Literature addressing these and other issues suggests police departments have much to consider before investing in and implementing an OBCS. This study involved two primary tasks. First, a review and analysis of APD video camera data, APD CAD data, and human resource data for APD officers was completed and second, focus groups of patrol officers, detectives, sergeants, and lieutenants from the APD Field Service Bureau (FSB), the Investigative Bureau (IB), and Special Services Bureau (SSB) were conducted. This report includes this introduction, a literature review of current practices in the field of on body camera systems, a study design and methodology section, the analysis and discussion of the data listed above, and a recommendations and conclusions section. Details: Albuquerque: University of New Mexico, Institute for Social Research, 2016. 92p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 29, 2016 at: https://www.cabq.gov/police/documents/obcs-report-draft-all-bureaus-master-final_v102022016.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.cabq.gov/police/documents/obcs-report-draft-all-bureaus-master-final_v102022016.pdf Shelf Number: 140073 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasCamera Technology Law Enforcement Technology Police AccountabilityPolice SurveillancePolice Technology Police Use of Force |
Author: Valdovinos, Maria Title: Community Policing & Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Guidelines to Enhance Community Trust Summary: There is no question that technology is rapidly changing the face of policing today. Most police forces now have computers in patrol cars and communicate with their officers via cell phone. They actively use new technologies to gather license plate data and pinpoint hot spots of crime. New DNA testing capabilities are reopening thousands of old cases, offering the chance to complete an investigation or, in some cases, reverse a wrongful conviction. A driving force among cutting-edge businesses is the search for "disruptive technologies" a product that will completely transform a market and potentially make former products obsolete. Technology has been a "disruptive" force for law enforcement in many ways. For example, the use of cellphone cameras and the explosive growth of body-worn cameras have irreversibly changed the nature of policing. Like these other technological breakthroughs, the development of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) has the potential to revolutionize policing. These systems are portable, relatively easy to learn and use, and are becoming increasingly affordable as more manufacturers enter the growing market. The agencies that have pioneered the use of this technology have discovered that a sUAS can increase operational efficiency and improve officer and community safety. They can, among other benefits, help find lost persons, protect police officers during searches for armed suspects, decrease time needed to process crime and accident scenes, and aid in disaster relief and recovery. But this is just the start. Developers have already produced prototype miniature unmanned systems that can be carried in a pocket. They are perfecting the ability of sUAS to fly through a building using their own GPS systems. They are increasing battery power to enable them to fly longer distances or hover in place for an hour or more. And we can only imagine that the use of this technology could one day be the “Airborne Partner” to every public safety officer regardless of their location or the situation they are confronted with. The potential for these systems has caused a number of policing agencies to take note. However, early adopters of this new technology have discovered a painful truth: Where law enforcement leaders see a wonderful new tool for controlling crime and increasing public safety, a portion of the public sees the potential for a massive invasion of privacy. In the public mind the type specimen of unmanned aircraft systems is the military drone, able to hover for days, spying indiscriminately and conducting missile strikes without warning. Furthermore, the regulatory environment in the past allowed hobbyists to buy and fly sUAS the same day, while law enforcement leaders faced a number of challenges to using this relatively new technology. Chief among those were restrictions placed on sUAS use by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). As a result, few police and sheriff’s departments completed the rigorous authorization process and received approval for use. However, in August 2016 the FAA completed an eight-year rulemaking process and established regulations to allow the use of sUAS in the National Airspace System (NAS). With the regulatory framework in place, the use of sUAS will undoubtedly grow at a much greater pace. In addition, numerous privacy advocates and concerned citizens, as well as state legislatures across the country, have strong and valid concerns regarding privacy and safety. For example, at least 17 states have placed some level of restriction on police use of sUAS, and many others have legislation under consideration. The concerns and questions are many, and the answers thus far, are few. The President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing (2015) notes that technology can indeed, be a double-edged sword for law enforcement. While it can provide immeasurable benefits, it can also cause police officers to spend less time interacting with citizens. The resulting alienation can cause communities to see law enforcement as an occupying force, completely divorced from the concerns of the public. To avoid this alienation, the task force recommended increased engagement with the community during the acquisition phase of any new technology. As task force co-chair and former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey noted: "Just having the conversation can increase trust and legitimacy and help departments make better decisions." Law enforcement agencies considering adopting a sUAS must consider ways to include and engage their community in the decision-making process. Beyond official restrictions, law enforcement agencies across the country have encountered strong public opposition when purchasing a sUAS. Protests over potential police surveillance of citizens have led some departments to shelve their sUAS before they ever used them. The public outcry has made it clear that if law enforcement is to benefit from sUAS use, they must involve the community in the process, being transparent on the benefits and risks and on the safeguards that will be put in place to protect public privacy and safety. Strong community relationships and communication can ensure that sUAS become community assets used to solve community problems. Understanding the challenges these public perceptions of sUAS bring, the Police Foundation, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), has developed this guidebook to help public safety agencies successfully assess the appropriateness of acquiring a sUAS in their jurisdiction, all the while ensuring public support, avoiding public-relations pitfalls, and enhancing community trust along the way. As this guidebook outlines, the acquisition of a sUAS provides police with another opportunity to increase outreach and engagement with their communities. The agencies that have succeeded in acquiring a sUAS for their departments have undertaken community-focused outreach such as meeting with skeptics, and have provided repeated public demonstrations of the capabilities of their sUAS. The recommendations laid out in this guidebook— maximizing transparency, engaging the community, and proactively developing privacyprotection protocols— have the potential to become a positive "disruptive" force in police practices: a force that transforms former practices. Following this successful formula could be the first step toward making community policing practices the watchword in the policing of the future Details: Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2016. 311p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 17, 2016 at: https://www.policefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/UAS-Report.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.policefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/UAS-Report.pdf Shelf Number: 144851 Keywords: Community PolicingDronesPolice Technology |
Author: Carter, Jeremy G. Title: Impact of Mobile Broadband Data Access on Police Operations: An Exploratory Case Study of One Medium-Sized Municipal Police Department Summary: As used in this study, “mobility” refers to “an inherent ability to move about,“ and “mobile computing” is a generic term that refers to the functional capabilities possible for end users as they complete tasks from various physical locations. “Broadband” refers to the relatively wide bandwidth characteristics of the wireless transmission medium and its corresponding ability to support multiple users and/or transport suitable quantities of data. “Mobile broadband” is used as a generic term to collectively refer to both terms in the context of the aggregate capabilities made possible through their use compared to other available mobile solutions and/or data. This study notes the lack of public-safety access to wireless broadband data, given resource limitations and a lack of independent evidence that would justify procurement of such technologies for police work. The current study’s deployment and assessment of this technology involved its use by the Brookline Police Department (BPD). Overall, the semi-structured interviews suggest that the wireless broadband technology was implemented with minimal difficulties and produced a number of perceived benefits for the BPD. The most direct benefit was the ease with which departmental technologies could be managed. Additional benefits were associated with increased access to timely information, increased information flow, and increased quality of reports. Structured interviews indicated that a few weeks of training sessions and ongoing informal bulletin and email disseminations were needed to overcome skepticism about the transition to wireless broadband. Most of the uniform personnel did not oppose the implementation nor did they perceive that the department was opposed to the transition. Details: Rome, NY: Engility Corporation, 2014. 185p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 2, 2016 at: https://scholarworks.iupui.edu/handle/1805/11434 Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://scholarworks.iupui.edu/handle/1805/11434 Shelf Number: 147864 Keywords: Police CommunicationsPolice EffectivenessPolice Technology |
Author: Taniguchi, Travis A. Title: The Mobilization of Crime Mapping and Intelligence Gathering Summary: Purpose: The last few years have seen tremendous growth in the law enforcement deployment of smartphones. The availability of high performance hardware and law enforcement relevant commercial off-the-shelf apps has driven significant interest in how this technology can be optimized for law enforcement use. This project had two goals. First, identify the mobile data needs of law enforcement officers and build custom apps to deliver, and capture, relevant information. Second, evaluate the effectiveness of smartphone and custom app deployment using rigorous experimental methodology. Research Subjects: Surveys and focus groups were conducted with sworn officers, civilians working in field positions, and civilian supervisorsin the Redlands Police Department (RPD), Redlands CA. Methods: The project was divided into four phases over a two-year period: Needs Assessment- The needs assessment phase was structured to determine the data and analytic tools needed by RPD field personnel. This phase determined the type of data and formats that could be developed to provide users with actionable information. Users were surveyed and focus groups were conducted. Software Development- The needs assessment was used to inform the app development process. The Omega Group was responsible for developing the NearMe and FI apps. Smoke & Mirrors Software developed the RPD Flyers app. All apps were developed specifically for this project. Software Implementation- Mobile app distribution was controlled by the RPD's mobile device management software, MobileIron. The MobileIron Enterprise App Storefront allowed for secure, authenticated, role-based access to the apps. Details: Washington, DC: Police Foundation, 2013. 258p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 16, 2016 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/248592.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 140496 Keywords: Cellphones Crime Analysis Crime Mapping Intelligence Gathering Police Equipment Police Intelligence Police TechnologySmartphones |
Author: Bates, Adam Title: Stingray: A New Frontier in Police Surveillance Summary: Police agencies around the United States are using a powerful surveillance tool to mimic cell phone signals to tap into the cellular phones of unsuspecting citizens, track the physical locations of those phones, and perhaps even intercept the content of their communications. The device is known as a stingray, and it is being used in at least 23 states and the District of Columbia. Originally designed for use on the foreign battlefields of the War on Terror, "cell-site simulator" devices have found a home in the arsenals of dozens of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. In addition, police agencies have gone to incredible lengths to keep information about stingray use from defense attorneys, judges, and the public. Through the use of extensive nondisclosure agreements, the federal government prevents state and local law enforcement from disclosing even the most elementary details of stingray capability and use. That information embargo even applies to criminal trials, and allows the federal government to order evidence withheld or entire cases dropped to protect the secrecy of the surveillance device. The controversy around police stingray surveillance challenges our antiquated Fourth Amendment jurisprudence, undermines our cherished principles of federalism and separation of powers, exposes a lack of accountability and transparency among our law enforcement agencies, and raises serious questions about the security of our individual rights as the government"s technological capability rapidly advances. Details: Washington, DC: Cato Institute, 2016. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Policy Analysis No. 809: Accessed February 7, 2017: Accessed February 7, 2017 at: https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa-809-revised.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa-809-revised.pdf Shelf Number: 146016 Keywords: Police AccountabilityPolice SurveillancePolice Technology |
Author: Feeney, Matthew Title: Surveillance Takes Wing: Privacy in the Age of Police Drones Summary: Unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly referred to as "drones," are being used in a range of industries, including conservation, journalism, archeaology, and policing. (In this paper I will use the word "drone" to apply to unmanned aerial vehicles, excluding unmanned aquatic vehicles and terrestrial robots.) Law enforcement drones have clear benefits: allowing police to more easily find missing persons, suspects, and accident victims, for example. They also allow police to investigate dangerous situations such as bomb threats and toxic spills. Yet without strict controls on their use, drones could present a very serious threat to citizens' privacy. Regrettably, while the Supreme Court has tackled privacy issues amid the emergence of new technologies, the Court's rulings on aerial surveillance are not well suited for today, now that police are using drones. Fortunately, lawmakers at the state and federal levels can implement policies that allow police to take advantage of drones while protecting privacy. These policies should not only address familiar issues associated with searches, such as warrant requirements, but also relatively new concerns involving weaponization, biometric software, and surveillance technology. Such controls and regulations will allow police to do their job and prevent drones from being used as tools for secretive and needlessly intrusive surveillance Details: Washington, DC: Cato Institute, 2016. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Policy Analysis No. 807: Accessed February 7, 2017 at: https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa807_1.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa807_1.pdf Shelf Number: 146014 Keywords: Criminal InvestigationsDronesPolice SurveillancePolice TechnologyPrivacy |
Author: Police Foundation Title: A Review of the Baltimore Police Department's Use of Persistent Surveillance Summary: The U.S. has seen an increase in violent crime in many of its largest cities. So too, has it risen in Baltimore, MD where homicides rose 63% between 2014 and 2015. 1 Like their counterparts in other cities, Baltimore Police Department (BPD) leaders are intent on addressing violent crime and have struggled to find sufficient resources to do so. An innovative, experimental strategy they employed was "persistent surveillance." This is the use of aerial photographic systems that cover large areas over extended periods of time. In Baltimore, this took the form of a small plane outfitted with a series of cameras that flew 98 times, at an altitude of about 8,000 feet, for a total of 314 hours between January and August 2016. The program – named the "Baltimore Community Support Program" (BCSP) – is not currently operational pending an organizational determination of its effectiveness. It was intended to compliment BP'’s existing, and widely known "CitiWatch" land-based public surveillance camera program. At the same time the BPD was trying to control the rise in violent crime community tensions, which were exacerbated by the in-custody death of Freddie Gray on April 12, 2015. After Mr. Gray's death, community protests regarding police tactics ensued. In addition to the peaceful protests rioting by non-protestors took place. Similar protests occurred in other cities across the nation, fueling the debate about police use of force and legitimacy. Tensions in Baltimore were strained further, when, on August 10, 2016, the Department of Justice released the results of its civil rights investigation of the BPD. Soon after, Bloomberg News published a story of an experimental airborne persistent surveillance program being tested in Baltimore (the BCSP) aimed at reducing violent crime. That article, and subsequent media reports, highlighted the perceived secretiveness of the surveillance operation, further challenging delicate police-community relationships. BPD officials contend that the BCSP was never intended to be secretive. Consistently, they view it as an extension of, and compliment to, its CitiWatch program. In its limited review of the BCSP the Police Foundation found no evidence to contradict the BPD's position. It is more likely that the BPD’s perceived lack of candor was simply the result of bureaucratic misunderstanding relative to the clarity of the connection to the CitiWatch program and of what had been disclosed, and to whom and when it had been disclosed. While confusion and a lack of clarity contributed to the initial public perception that it was a secret program there appears to be a change in public opinion about it. Non-scientific polls by both the Baltimore Business Journal and the Baltimore Sun in mid-2016 indicated that a majority (82%) of the respondents were “comfortable” with the BCSP “as long as it’s keeping people safe” (Business Journal)6 and (79%)7 said that the BPD should not have disclosed the existence of the program if it put at-risk (Sun). A lack of programmatic data precludes a rigorous evaluation, or thorough analysis, of this program or its cost-effectiveness. However, from its limited review, the Police Foundation has concluded that persistent surveillance has the potential for increasing the clearance of crimes and reducing the cost of criminal investigations. Anecdotal information from BPD officers who have used BCSP data to investigate crimes reported that the BCSP was a helpful crime-fighting tool that saved them considerable investigative time. Furthermore, this is suggestive that trust and confidence in the police could also be elevated through this type of program – as along as adequate public understanding and support is present before the technology is employed. The Police Foundation concludes that persistent surveillance holds potential for helping solve crime and highly recommends that a rigorous evaluation of persistent surveillance be conducted before American policing employs it on a wide scale basis. Issues related to operational and cost effectiveness, organizational alignment, transparency, accountability public support and privacy should be examined. At a minimum, a guidebook should be developed to assist other departments if they choose to further explore or implement this technology. Details: Washington, DC: Police Foundation, 2017. 55p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 15, 2017 at: https://www.policefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/PF-Review-of-BCSP-Final.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.policefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/PF-Review-of-BCSP-Final.pdf Shelf Number: 141039 Keywords: Cameras Police Accountability Police Legitimacy Police TechnologyPrivacy Video Surveillance |
Author: Muggah, Robert Title: Filling the Accountability Gap: Principles and practices for implementing body cameras for law enforcement Summary: New technologies are revolutionizing the way governments provide services, including law enforcement. Around the world, police departments are investing in predictive analytics, digital forensics, data mining systems and crime mapping platforms to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their work. They are also experimenting with mobile technologies to strengthen communication and outreach. One such device - on-officer recording systems, or body-worn cameras (BWC) - is catching on. Police are experimenting with "cop cams" in dozens of cities across North America and Western Europe while sparking debate and some controversy in the process. There are also small-scale pilots using open source and mobile phone-operated BWCs in Latin America and South Africa. There is growing awareness of their effectiveness. The introduction of BWCs has the potential to transform policing. If implemented with appropriate checks and balances, BWCs can potentially improve oversight over police officers and strengthen their accountability to citizens. Many civil liberties groups are already advocating for cameras due to their ability to check the abuse of power by police while also helping to protect them (and citizens) against false accusations. What is more, cumulative data harvested by such devices can improve the targeting of crime prevention efforts as well as overall law enforcement performance. With safeguards in place, citizens, too, will benefit from these technologies since the use of cameras changes the nature of police-civilian interaction, most often for the better Of course, there are also risks associated with cop cams. This is particularly the case if broader policy and institutional questions related to the deployment of the technology are not adequately thought through. On the one hand, if deployed inappropriately and without proper oversight, body cameras can violate citizens' rights to privacy.4 Body cameras used without restrictions are tantamount to pervasive surveillance. They can be used invasively since police routinely enter citizens' homes and often encounter individuals in extreme situations. On the other, the use of body cameras without adequate consideration of how such tools will be implemented can lead to cost overruns (especially in relation to storing and redacting data) and, ultimately, the rejection of the tool itself. Guidance on the best practices of cop cams is urgently needed. Note too that the other end of the spectrum - complete officer discretion over when to activate a camera - has been shown to increase, not decrease, both officer use of force and assaults on police. This Strategic Note sets out some of the opportunities and challenges associated BWCs. It builds on several years of experience of the IgarapeInstitute in testing body cameras in Brazil and South Africa, as well as consultations with dozens of specialists in law enforcement and civil liberties communities. It focuses especially on key political and institutional questions regarding the management of these new tools. The first section highlights the emergence of new technologies in law enforcement and, in particular, the rise of cop cams. Section two underlines some of the controversies - both operational and ethical - associated with these technologies. The third section presents a shortlist of emerging principles for institutionalizing cop cams, as well as practices that flow from them. The note is not exhaustive; it is a first pass over a complex and rapidly-evolving public policy area. Details: Rio de Janeiro, Brasil: Igarapé Institute, 2016. 23p. Source: Internet Resource: Strategic Note 23: Accessed February 28, 2017 at: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/AE-24_Filling-the-accountability-gap-body-worn-cameras-14-11.pdf Year: 2016 Country: International URL: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/AE-24_Filling-the-accountability-gap-body-worn-cameras-14-11.pdf Shelf Number: 145580 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasPolice AccountabilityPolice CamerasPolice SurveillancePolice TechnologyPolice-Citizen Interaction |
Author: Denyer-Willis, Graham Title: Smarter Policing: Tracking the Influence of New Information Technology in Rio de Janeiro Summary: Technological advancements are changing the architecture of police-society relations around the world. New modes of oversight, whether applied by public security entities or citizens, are dramatically transforming the way policing is conducted. This is especially the case in digitally connected cities in the North and South. Surprisingly little is known, however, about how technology can be used to drive reform in police institutions including in Rio de Janeiro, where the relationships between police and residents are characterized by mistrust. A key objective of the Smart Policing project, a partnership of the Igarapé Institute and the Policia Militar do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (PMERJ), is to explore ways to enhance police accountability through technology. The following Strategic Note considers how the recently installed pacification police units (Unidades de Policia Pacificadora or UPP) are using technology to recapture urban territory from drug trafficking groups while simultaneously expanding trust and reciprocity with citizens. It examines how technological innovations at the street level, including mobile phone applications, can potentially strengthen the integrity of police work and the social contract. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Igarapé Institute, 2013. 15p. Source: Internet Resource: Strategic Note 10: Accessed March 4, 2017 at: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Smarter_Policing_ing.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Brazil URL: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Smarter_Policing_ing.pdf Shelf Number: 141323 Keywords: Drug TraffickingInformation TechnologyMobile PhonesPolice AccountabilityPolice EffectivenessPolice Technology |
Author: Kim, KiDeuk Title: 2016 Law Enforcement Use of Social Media Survey Summary: A national scan of practice among law enforcement agencies across the United States reveals that they use social media to notify the public of safety concerns, manage public relations, and gather evidence for criminal investigations. The Urban Institute and the International Association of Chiefs of Police partnered to develop a comprehensive understanding of law enforcement's use of social media. A total of 539 agencies representing 48 states participated in the survey and answered questions regarding their use of social media, the management of social media engagement activities, barriers to success, and their future social media needs. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2017. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 6, 2017 at: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/88661/2016-law-enforcement-use-of-social-media-survey.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/88661/2016-law-enforcement-use-of-social-media-survey.pdf Shelf Number: 145584 Keywords: Criminal InvestigationsInformation TechnologyPolice TechnologySocial Media |
Author: Gaither, Morgan Title: Pursuit Technology Impact Assessment, Version 1.1 Summary: In 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice (NIJ) selected two Johns Hopkins University (JHU) divisions — the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and the School of Education, Division of Public Safety Leadership — for a 5-year cooperative agreement to establish a National Criminal Justice Technology Research, Test, and Evaluation Center (NIJ RT&E Center). The purpose of this center is to conduct focused RT&E activities to inform NIJ's non-forensic technology research, test and evaluation efforts. It also conducts RT&E activities to support NIJ’s efforts to inform practitioners, policymakers, and researchers regarding technologies or technology-related issues for purposes of improving criminal justice policy and practice. The activities of this center vary from year to year depending on the needs of NIJ's non-forensic technology RT&E efforts. The RT&E Center is staffed by JHU/APL and the JHU Division of Public Safety Leadership using a core management team and selected scientists and engineers who function as subject matter experts. Under NIJ Cooperative Agreement Award No. 2013-MU-CX-K111, the NIJ RT&E Center was tasked to accomplish an independent assessment of StarChase, LLC's (referred to hereafter as "StarChase") remote vehicle tracking system and its impact on vehicle pursuits and public safety. A team consisting of former law enforcement personnel, system engineers, and data analysts conducted this impact assessment. It investigates how police operations are impacted by the use of the StarChase system. This assessment relies on both quantitative data and qualitative feedback from the end-user community. Details: Laurel, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory , 2017. 53p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 8, 2017 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/250549.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/250549.pdf Shelf Number: 141373 Keywords: Police PursuitPolice TechnologyVehicle Pursuits |
Author: Young, Joshua Title: Implementation of a Randomized Controlled Trial in Ventura, California: A Body-Worn Video Camera Experiment Summary: Police agencies from around the world are currently deploying police practices which have been empirically shown to be ineffective. Yet, alarmingly, there doesn't seem to be any urgency to move away from these ineffective practices and into methods supported by evidence. It could be that the idea of using evidence from criminological research and running scientific experiments to test the effectiveness of new innovations seems out of reach for local agencies. In reality, this is far from the truth. There is currently, however, a lack of implementation literature for police agencies looking to implement experimentation and transition to evidence-based practices. The purpose of this thesis is to dispel the myth that integrating an evidence-based policing culture and scientifically testing new innovations is outside the scope of local police agencies. Based on lessons learned from implementing a body-worn video (BWV) camera randomized controlled trial (RCT), this thesis is written to offer the practitioner a real-world thematic guide. This guide aims to assist police agencies looking to implement a BWV camera experiment and provide recommendations on how to integrate and sustain an evidence-based policing culture. During the Ventura Police Department's (VPD) randomized controlled trial (RCT), we were not only able to implement an experiment with the University of Cambridge but provide a replication study of the first BWV camera randomized controlled trial conducted in Rialto, California. During the implementation of Ventura's BWV randomized controlled trial, we encountered stumbling blocks in the non-compliance of the randomization schedule. We show with verifiable data that we were able to increase officer compliance by 92% and provide recommendations on how to reduce contamination issues by laying an evidence-based foundation prior to implementation. In addition, I offer a recommendation for agencies looking to embrace evidence-based policing to create a guiding coalition with enough influence to support, integrate, and sustain a culture willing to test new innovations. Our experiment evaluates the effects of BWV cameras on police use of force and citizens' complaints. In addition, Ventura's BWV camera experiment will be the first to empirically test the effects of BWV cameras on prosecution outcomes, particularly the speed of early-guilty pleas and the rate of prosecution. I purposely do not provide any preliminary data relating to use of force, citizens' complaints, and prosecution outcomes. It is too early to show any causal inferences to suggest the effects the BWV cameras are having at VPD. However, early indications suggest that the cameras are having a positive effect. We look to provide statistical strength to Rialto's findings at the conclusion of our 12 month RCT. Details: Cambridge, UK: Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge, 2014. 87p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed April 10, 2017 at: http://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/alumni/theses/Joshua%20Young%20Thesis.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/alumni/theses/Joshua%20Young%20Thesis.pdf Shelf Number: 144766 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasCamerasEvidence-Based PolicingEvidence-Based ProgramsPolice AccountabilityPolice TechnologySurveillance Video Technology |
Author: Balkovich, Edward Title: Helping Law Enforcement Use Data from Mobile Applications A Guide to the Prototype Mobile Information and Knowledge Ecosystem (MIKE) Tool Summary: Consumer devices that automatically and unobtrusively collect data about their users, including cell phones and other mobile devices, are spreading. While these devices gather much data that is potentially helpful to law enforcement, they also complicate the interpretation of surveillance law and raise questions about privacy. Moreover, facilitating law enforcement understanding of and access to metadata may help law enforcement adjust practices as increased use of encryption decreases the availability of content information, even with appropriate legal permission. This report documents a prototype tool called MIKE (the Mobile Information and Knowledge Ecosystem) created to help interested stakeholders - law enforcement, commercial enterprises, regulators, legislators, and the public (including advocacy groups) - better understand the mobile app ecosystem and the relationships among the data, its sources, and applicable legal constraints. This volume describes the prototype, explains how it was developed, provides a manual for those who are interested in using it, and discusses how the prototype might be updated and extended. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2017. 124p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 6, 2017 at: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1482.html Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1482.html Shelf Number: 135335 Keywords: Information PrivacyInternetLaw EnforcementMobile DevicesMobile PhonesPolice TechnologyPrivacy |
Author: Gomez, Santiago Title: The Deterrent Effect of Public Surveillance Cameras on Crime Summary: We investigate if there is any effect on crime following the installation of public surveillance cameras. To do so, we benefit from a quasi-experiment that took place in Medellin, Colombia with the installation of 587 cameras between 2013 and 2015. We highlight three main findings. First, there is a statistically significant decline in total crime after the installation of the cameras. On average, total crime reports are 23.5% lower within the coverage zone following the installation of a camera relative to the average baseline level of crime reports. Second, we also find a statistically significant decline in arrests. The magnitude of this effect is 31.5% relative to the average baseline level of arrests. Along with the facts that the monitoring capacity of the system of public surveillance cameras is low and decreased during the installation period, and the two year installation period is unlikely to allow for the public surveillance cameras to be used by the criminal justice system for aggravated sentences, these results suggest that the effect of the surveillance cameras on reported crime are driven by a deterrent effect on potential offenders. Third, we do not find any crime spillover effects after the installation of the cameras nor we see any diffusion of benefits to surrounding places. Details: Bogota: Universidad de los Andes, Colombia - Department of Economics, 2017. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Documento CEDE No. 2017-09: Accessed May 12, 2017 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2912947 Year: 2017 Country: Colombia URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2912947 Shelf Number: 145450 Keywords: Cameras Crime Prevention Deterrence Police TechnologySurveillance Cameras Video Surveillance |
Author: Koen, Marthinus Christoffel Title: On-Set Body-Worn Cameras in a Police Organization: Structures, practices, and technological frames Summary: Existing research on body-worn cameras (BWCs) has primarily focused on outcomes (e.g., use-of-force incidents, complaints, and arrests) rather than the processes related to BWC implementation and use by officers. This dissertation provides insights into the effects that the implementation of BWCs has had on key organizational structures and practices, including reporting, discretion, training, police-citizen interactions, and supervision. It also focuses on the technological frames of individuals belonging to different organizational groups and examines to what extent these outlooks differed between groups and changed over time. Using in-depth interviews, ride-along observations, and patrol officer surveys at a single police agency, this research resulted in two major, interrelated findings. First, the largest effect of the implementation of BWCs was on accountability, which had increased in scope to cover a range of aspects of policing, including training, reporting, discretion, and police-citizen interactions. At the same time, the intensity with which officers' experienced accountability had not significantly increased as BWC footage was not systematically used to monitor, review, and/or evaluate police officer conduct and quality of performance. The second major finding, regarding the technological frames of two relevant social groups (Managers and Users), helps explain these findings. BWCs were implemented primarily for training purposes and to protect patrol officers against groundless complaints rather than as a mechanism for identifying officer misconduct, for failing to comply with departmental policies, and for poor street-level performance. Although Users initially feared that BWCs were going to be used to get them into trouble for minor instances of misconduct or rule violations, their frames changed over time as they realized that BWCs were not going to be used by Managers as a "gotcha" mechanism. As officers learned that BWCs were used primarily to protect and support them, they became much more positive and less apprehensive about their implementation in the department. This challenges the view suggested by the technological frames literature that "first impressions" last, as Users' initial apprehension toward BWCs gave way to a readiness to embrace them, particularly in light of the several benefits they subsequently learned BWCs delivered. This contribution to existing knowledge is beneficial in two ways: first, it fills a gap in existing police technology research in providing an in-depth examination of the effects of BWC implementation on a variety of structures and practices in addition to technological frames; second, it serves as a baseline for future, large-scale studies by identifying additional factors that were important and/or specific to the implementation of BWCs that have not been fully explored. Details: Fairfax, VA: George Mason University, 2016. 269p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed June 28, 2017 at: http://digilib.gmu.edu/jspui/bitstream/handle/1920/10419/Koen_gmu_0883E_11230.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://digilib.gmu.edu/jspui/bitstream/handle/1920/10419/Koen_gmu_0883E_11230.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Shelf Number: 146450 Keywords: Body-Worn Cameras Camera Technology Law Enforcement Technology Police AccountabilityPolice Technology Police Use of Force |
Author: Hulme, Shann Title: CCTV use by local government: Findings from a national survey Summary: There has been considerable growth in the use of closed circuit television (CCTV) in public spaces as a crime prevention measure and, increasingly, as a tool to detect and identify offenders. In Australia, CCTV systems have become an increasingly common fixture in urban centres, in shopping centres and malls, individual shops and banks, on public transport and in car parks. There has been significant investment in CCTV systems as part of state, territory and Commonwealth government crime prevention programs, with CCTV accounting for a growing proportion of overall grant funding available to community-based organisations, particularly local councils (Attorney General's Department 2015; Homel et. al. 2007). More than a decade ago, Wilson and Sutton (2003) explored the operation and management of 33 open-street CCTV systems in Australia. They found that, while open street CCTV systems were initially primarily located in central business districts of major metropolitan centres, there was a growing trend towards their installation in smaller regional and rural centres and in suburban locations (Wilson & Sutton 2003). Around the same time, Iris Research (2005) conducted a survey of all local councils in Australia to assess the use of CCTV and characteristics of the systems in operation, finding that around one in ten councils had a CCTV system in operation. More recently, Carr (2014) examined the use of CCTV by 18 local councils funded by the Australian Government, finding that police were increasingly reliant on local government CCTV and that the ensuing additional cost to council was significant. Similarly, Edmonds (2014) found that nearly half of all councils in NSW (46%; n=70) had installed CCTV in public spaces, with urban councils more than twice as likely than rural councils to have a system in place. Given the continued investment in CCTV at all levels of government plus the significant advances in technology over the past ten years, it is timely to reassess the use of CCTV by local councils in Australia. This paper presents the findings from a national survey of local government. The overall aim of this research was to develop a national picture of the prevalence and characteristics of open-street CCTV systems in Australia managed by local councils. Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2015. 9p. Source: Internet Resource: Research in Practice, No. 40: Accessed July 5, 2017 at: http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/rip/rip40/rip40.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Australia URL: http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/rip/rip40/rip40.pdf Shelf Number: 146514 Keywords: CCTVClosed Circuit TelevisionPolice TechnologyVideo Surveillance |
Author: Young, Jacob T.N. Title: A Longitudinal Analysis of the Relationship between Administrative Policy, Technological Preferences, and Body-Worn Camera Activation among Police Officers Summary: Policymakers and communities are increasingly looking to body-worn cameras to increase accountability and fix the legitimacy crisis affecting American police. Empirical research on the effectiveness of body-worn cameras is therefore an important avenue of study. Although some research shows that body-worn cameras may influence officer behavior, there is no research examining whether officers will use the device and how usage behavior may depend on administrative policies. Thus, the relationship between officer preferences for body-worn cameras and policies regarding camera activation remains unknown. The current study examines whether officers' activation of body-worn cameras depends on two different policy conditions. Integrating research on administrative policy and officer behavior with studies of technology use in organizations, we test key hypotheses using longitudinal data for 1,475 police-citizen encounters involving 50 officers over a 9-month period. Our study yields two key findings. First, body-worn camera activation is more prevalent under a mandatory use policy relative to a discretionary use policy. Second, although camera activation declined under the discretionary use policy, this was much less likely among officers who volunteered to wear cameras. The lowest levels of activation occurred among officers who were compulsory-assigned to wear cameras. We discuss the dual role of officer preferences and administrative policy on compliance with technological innovations within police organizations. Details: Phoenix, AZ: University of Arizona, 2015. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 7, 2017 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2681290 Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2681290 Shelf Number: 146760 Keywords: Body-Worn Cameras Police Accountability Police Behavior Police Discretion Police Technology |
Author: American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts Title: No Tape, No Testimony: How Courts Can Ensure the Responsible Use of Body Cameras Summary: In January 2015, the Chicago Police Department launched a pilot program requiring its officers to use body-worn cameras. The program began in the wake of public outcry over violence by Chicago police officers against civilians, and a police official explained that it sought to "rebuild[] trust with the residents we're sworn to serve." In July 2016, an officer wearing one of these cameras killed Paul O'Neal, a Black teenager who allegedly stole a car and crashed it into a police cruiser. After Mr. O'Neal fled on foot, the officer fatally shot him in the back. In theory, Mr. O'Neal's final moments should have been recorded by the officer's body camera, and the recording should now be available to assist a court, a jury, or the public in deciding whether the shooting was justified. But no such video exists. The camera worn by the officer who killed Mr. O'Neal was reportedly not turned on until after the fatal shot had been fired. This incident, and others like it, have been cited as cautionary tales about how the value of body cameras can be undermined if the police cannot or will not ensure their consistent use. But police departments are not the only institutions capable of assuring the effective use of body-worn cameras. Courts can do it too. For three reasons, courts can and should encourage the police to record, when practicable, their investigative encounters with civilians. 1. Videos of police-civilian encounters have shaken public confidence in the capacity of legal proceedings to separate fact from fiction. Time and again, cases have been headed for an incorrect result - such as the wrongful prosecution of a civilian or the wrongful exoneration of a police officer - until videos surfaced that contradicted officers' versions of events. Meanwhile, there is growing evidence that witness testimony, on which courts must often rely when video is absent, can be quite flawed when used as the exclusive means of resolving disputes between police officers and civilians. Thus, when video evidence of a police-civilian encounter does not exist, legal proceedings may be less likely to get the right answer or to be respected by the public. 2. Police body-worn cameras present a viable and valuable supplement to witness testimony. These cameras are quickly becoming part of the 21st-century police uniform, with a recent survey of 70 law enforcement agencies finding that 95% of respondents had either implemented or had committed to implementing body camera programs. Body cameras can be critical to uncovering the truth when the facts of a police-civilian encounter are contested. There is also evidence that, when body cameras are consistently worn and activated, they can deter misconduct or violence from happening in the first place. 3. Courts have both a distinct interest in and a unique means of encouraging police officers to record their encounters with civilians. Courts have an interest in conducting legal proceedings that are fair, that avoid wrongful convictions and other catastrophic outcomes, and that efficiently resolve disputes. Given those interests, and given that videos of policecivilian encounters can make the difference between just and unjust results, courts should encourage, when practicable, the recording of police-civilian encounters. Rather than leave this task to police departments, whose disciplinary practices are necessarily inconsistent, courts should provide this encouragement by using tools uniquely at their disposal: jury instructions. This report proposes a model jury instruction that encourages the recording of police-civilian encounters by empowering juries to impose evidentiary consequences for unreasonable or bad faith failures to record. This instruction would tell the jury that, if it finds that the police unreasonably failed to create or preserve a video of a police-civilian encounter, it can devalue an officer's testimony and infer that the video would have helped the civilian. If the jury finds that the case involves bad faith, such as the outright sabotage of body cameras, then it should be instructed to disregard officer testimony altogether. The tools that courts can use to craft this instruction already exist. Several courts now use jury instructions to encourage the recording of custodial interrogations and drunk-driving field tests; they can and should craft similar rules for body cameras. These measures can help prevent wrongful convictions, accurately resolve allegations of police misconduct, and enhance public trust in the justice system's capacity to get it right when confronted with police-civilian violence. Details: Boston: ACLU of Massachusetts; Berkeley, CA: University of California, Berkeley School of Law Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic, 2016. 27p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 2, 2017 at: https://www.law.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/SLTPPC_ACLU_BodyCameras_Final.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.law.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/SLTPPC_ACLU_BodyCameras_Final.pdf Shelf Number: 147015 Keywords: Body-Worn Cameras Law Enforcement Technology (U.S.) Police Accountability Police Behavior Police Technology Police-Citizen Interactions Police-Community Relations Surveillance Video Technology |
Author: Newell, Bryce Clayton Title: Transparent Lives and the Surveillance State: Policing, New Visibility, and Information Policy Summary: In this dissertation, I utilize conceptual and legal analyses to explore the tensions between personal information privacy and public access to information implicated by government surveillance and citizen-initiated inverse surveillance efforts designed to cast the gaze back at the government, and ask what implications these conclusions have for individual freedom (defined as the absence of domination). I focus on police use of body-worn cameras (BWCs) and automated license plate recognition (ALPR) technologies, on one hand, and citizen-initiated recordings of police officers and freedom of information (FOI) requests for data collected by police BWCs and ALPR systems, on the other. My analysis draws upon republican political theory, philosophical and legal theories of privacy and free speech, the concept of "policing's new visibility" (Goldsmith, 2010), and various other theories of surveillance and reciprocal/inverse surveillance within the surveillance studies literature. I conduct doctrinal and descriptive legal research into relevant privacy and disclosure laws applicable within Washington State (USA); utilize legal and philosophical theories of privacy, freedom, and free speech to conduct an analysis of the values and value tensions implicated in these situations; and apply elements of Value Sensitive Design for similar conceptual and analytic purposes. Ultimately, I develop a theory of information policy that that accounts for tensions between personal information privacy rights and government disclosure of personally-identifiable information under state FOI law in Washington State, and I propose normative recommendations for improving law, public policy, and police department surveillance and disclosure policies related to these privacy and access concerns. Details: Seattle: University of Washington, 2015. 207p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed September 16, 2017 at: https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/bitstream/handle/1773/33984/Newell_washington_0250E_14460.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/bitstream/handle/1773/33984/Newell_washington_0250E_14460.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 147362 Keywords: Automated License Plate RecognitionBody-Worn CamerasCamerasPolice SurveillancePolice TechnologyPrivacy |
Author: Te, Funk Title: Human Versus Technology: Comparing the Effect of Private Security Patrol and Crime Prevention Information System Over the Crime Level and Safety Perception Summary: Crime reduction became one of the major issues of the modern society. In order to achieve public reassurance, police forces all over the world are undertaking actions to involve citizens in crime prevention through community policing. In parallel, technological platforms were deployed in order to share crime-related information with the public and to support the development of problem-solving strategies. However, the impact of these initiatives in terms of crime reduction and perception has not been sufficiently investigated yet. Furthermore, up to now, no previous studies compared the effectiveness between the traditional approach of preventive patrolling and technology-based crime prevention solutions. Therefore, we present a study design which aims at assessing the effectiveness of the two aforementioned crime prevention measures. The goal is to evaluate and compare their effects over the local criminal activity and citizen's safety perception measured by Fear of Crime (FOC) and Perceived Risk of Victimization (PRV) constructs. Preliminary results show a rather low level of FOC across the whole sample, paired by a high level of PRV. Furthermore, potential explanatory background factors for the previous constructs have been identified and will be explored in future work. Details: Association for Information Systems, 2016. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Research-in-Progress Papers. 48: Accessed October 17, 2017 at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1072&context=ecis2016_rip Year: 2016 Country: Switzerland URL: https://aisel.aisnet.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1072&context=ecis2016_rip Shelf Number: 147711 Keywords: Crime PreventionFear of CrimePolice TechnologyPreventive PatrolPrivate SecuritySecurity Guards |
Author: Taylor, Emmeline Title: Police detainee perspectives on police body-worn cameras Summary: Recent years have seen the introduction of police body-worn cameras (BWCs) in many countries. Despite the costs involved in purchasing equipment and storing the large amounts of data generated, there is a dearth of evidence to support their mainstream use as part of law enforcement activities. There remains little understanding about the impact and effectiveness of BWCs, and less still on how the police, members of the public and, importantly, arrestees perceive and experience the cameras. In this study, 899 adult police detainees were interviewed about their perceptions and experiences of police BWCs through the Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program. Findings suggest that police detainees in Australia are largely supportive of the use of police BWCs, but this was predicated on a number of operational and procedural requirements. The findings have implications for the use of BWCs as an everyday part of policing apparatus. Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2017. 14p. Source: Internet Resource: Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 537: Accessed November 2, 2017 at: http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi_pdf/tandi537.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Australia URL: http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi_pdf/tandi537.pdf Shelf Number: 147971 Keywords: Body-Worn Cameras Police Technology Surveillance Video Surveillance |
Author: Koontz, Warren L.G. Title: Analysis and Prediction of Call For Service Data Summary: The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) recently sponsored a Real-Time Crime Forecasting Challenge that "seeks to harness the advances in data science to address the challenges of crime and justice." Participants were challenged to identify a forecast area within the city of Portland, OR where certain types of crime are most likely to happen. NIJ provided historical crime data for the Portland police district for the period January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2016. Participants could use this data and any other available data to make their predictions. Entries were judged based on measurements of actual crime data for a three month period beginning March 2017. I submitted an entry to the competition as a "small team/business" (consisting only of myself). This paper describes how I used tools provided by MATLAB to analyze the historical data and determine an area within the Portland police district that seemed most likely to have the highest rate of a particular crime. Details: Unpublished paper, 2017. 9p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 20, 2017 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/251177.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/251177.pdf Shelf Number: 148268 Keywords: Calls for Service Crime Analysis Crime Hotspots Hotspot Policing Police TechnologyPredictive Policing |
Author: Strom, Kevin Title: Research on the Impact of Technology on Policing Strategy in the 21st Century, Final Report Summary: Over the past several decades, policing agencies have implemented an array of technological advancements to improve operational efficiency and outcomes, especially in times of diminished resources and enhanced public attention on and scrutiny of law enforcement activity. However, much remains to be known about the prevalence and utility of technology among the nation's law enforcement agencies and the factors that influence its selection and implementation. To address these issues, we need to build the knowledge base of why and how police select, implement, and integrate new technology; how that technology is being used; and whether new technology improves policing in a meaningful way for both the agency and the community. RTI International and the Police Executive Research Forum were funded by the National Institute of Justice to examine more closely the types of technology that U.S. law enforcement agencies (LEAs) are acquiring and implementing, and the degree to which the use of technology is linked to strategy development and larger organizational change within policing organizations. Three specific objectives were examined. The first objective was the prevalence of police technology on a national level; the second objective examined a group of selected "high-technology implementer" and "mixed-technology implementer" agencies. The combined findings from the national- and site-level data were used to develop the final objective: a research-based framework to guide police agencies in future selection, implementation, and use of technology. Findings show that for most technologies, a greater proportion of large agencies (250 or more sworn officers) had adopted the technology than those from the entire sample. A notable exception, however, is that large agencies were less likely to have used some technological devices, such as body-worn cameras, in the past 2 years. Site-level data illuminated the difference in how ingrained different technology is from agency to agency; two agencies may have implemented the same technology, but the level of sophistication and use can be widely divergent. Finally, the findings suggest that the success or failure of technology can be multidimensional and can rarely be traced back to a single issue. Instead, technology identification and adoption are complex processes and the factors that support technology success or failure are similarly multifaceted. In general, across U.S. LEAs, a strong association between policing strategy and technology uses was not found. In other words, at a national level, agencies are not making decisions to acquire technology based on dominant policing philosophies or the activities they prioritize. Instead, agencies appear to adopt technology ad hoc in response to a constellation of factors that includes executive staff decisions, perceived needs, community demands, and available funding. Details: Research Triangle Park, NC: RTI International, 2016. 151p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 8, 2017 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/251140.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/251140.pdf Shelf Number: 148771 Keywords: Law Enforcement TechnologyPolice EfficiencyPolice EquipmentPolice Policies and PracticesPolice Technology |
Author: Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority Title: Law Enforcement Information Sharing Task Force. EDiscovery Initiative Final Report Summary: The Law Enforcement Information Sharing Task Force (Task Force) reviewed the mission set forth in PA 99-0874 and determined that the imminent technological possibilities were a priority. Moreover, while PA 99-0874 highlights the importance of studying information sharing technologies and processes for the purpose of improving the criminal discovery process, the Task Force determined that the state's role in facilitating information sharing for public safety and criminal justice agencies must go beyond criminal discovery. Illinois must advance its efforts for using technology to improve multi-jurisdictional, crossboundary, information sharing between local and state public safety agencies and criminal justice agencies. The Task Force believes that the charge set forth by PA 99-0874 could serve as an effective use case for state and local governments to collaboratively initiate the development of a comprehensive statewide information sharing environment for the public safety and criminal justice domain. However, the Task Force also agreed that it did not have the resources and or capacities to fully examine this complex issue, which would include, at a minimum, a deeper analysis of the different information systems local jurisdictions use, how the state could promote more effective information sharing practices among local jurisdictions, and the real cost and benefits of implementation. As such, the Task Force offers this report as a preliminary analysis and set of recommendations to promote more effective and efficient state and local information sharing practices and systems. Details: Chicago: ICJIA, 2007. 31p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 20, 2018 at: http://www.icjia.state.il.us/assets/pdf/ICJIA_ILEITF_HB5613_Report_%20120117.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: http://www.icjia.state.il.us/assets/pdf/ICJIA_ILEITF_HB5613_Report_%20120117.pdf Shelf Number: 148888 Keywords: CollaborationInformation SharingLaw EnforcementPolice Technology |
Author: Hickman, Kishon C., Sr. Title: From Behind the Lens: Police Officer Perceptions as Body-Worn Cameras are Introduced Into the New York City Police Department Summary: In 2014, the U.S. District Court ordered the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to test the use of body-worn cameras (BWCs) after finding that their stop, question, and frisk practices violated the rights of some minority New Yorkers. The ruling in Floyd v. City of New York (2013) mandated the recording of future interactions to determine if behavior would be influenced. A total of 54 volunteer officers wore a BWC for a 1-year period and were assigned to six precincts, all selected due to the high frequency of stop, question, and frisk reports prepared by patrol officers. This research examined patrol officer perceptions of the BWC from the lens of the NYPD's two-officer patrol car. The study revealed unique access to 54 volunteer officers and their non-camera-wearing patrol partners, as they recorded citizen interactions during this pilot period. Further, this study examined the extent officers were open to the adoption of BWCs, providing some of the first-ever evidence for or against claims of increased transparency, accountability and improvements in both officer and citizen behavior during encounters. The respondents' demographic data were analyzed to determine any relationship with particular viewpoints toward the BWC. The results suggest that patrol officers are in favor of the adoption of a BWC program, and that the BWC had little to no effect on their patrol partnerships. Results also suggest that officers felt comfortable wearing BWCs, and that regardless of their age, gender, years of police experience or years partnering, the existence of the BWC made for better police service in New York City. Details: Rochester, NY: St. John Fisher College, 2017. 163p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed February 23, 2018 at: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1301&context=education_etd Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1301&context=education_etd Shelf Number: 149230 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasCamerasPolice AccountabilityPolice SurveillancePolice TechnologyPolice-Citizen InteractionsStop and Frisk |
Author: Sacca, Giacomo Title: Not just another piece of equipment: an analysis for police body-worn camera policy decisions Summary: In the United States, law enforcement agencies are rapidly deploying body-worn cameras (BWCs) to increase organizational transparency and foster positive community relations. Proponents of the technology see BWCs as a tool to ensure police legitimacy and eliminate abusive conduct. Preliminary evidence identifies several benefits of using BWCs, such as: reduced citizen complaints, increased cooperation, and lower civil liability. However, emerging evidence suggests that the devices may be achieving the intended goals but with unintended consequences. BWC use may inadvertently increase use of force incidents and reduce the time that the police spend on de-escalating a situation. This thesis employs qualitative research methodology to examine how BWCs affect the ambiguous nature of police decision-making, as well as the effects of BWC use on the public, thereby investigating solutions for the frayed police-public relationship. By analyzing current data available on BWCs, examining information on human decision-making including heuristics, and completing a comparative analysis of a similar police technology-the vehicle dashboard camera-the thesis finds that BWC use can have different and changing impacts on police behavior, suggesting that variables related to human factors alter the dynamics of BWC use. The thesis provides recommendations that cover independent agency BWC evaluations, organizational training, limits on discretionary officer recording, and the practical application of automated camera systems. Details: Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School, 2017. 148p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed February 23, 2018 at: https://calhoun.nps.edu/bitstream/handle/10945/56797/17Dec_Sacca_Giacomo.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://calhoun.nps.edu/bitstream/handle/10945/56797/17Dec_Sacca_Giacomo.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 149231 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasCamerasPolice AccountabilityPolice BehaviorPolice Decision-MakingPolice LegitimacyPolice TechnologyPolice-Community Relations |
Author: Smith, Brian T. Title: Ethics on the Fly: Toward a Drone-Specific Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Summary: This thesis examines the issue of law enforcement's use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) from an ethical perspective. It describes ethics as rules governing individual conduct that are functionally specific, relating to the role one plays in society. The role police play in U.S. communities and the ethical frameworks they use to guide their conduct have a great impact in defining the relationship between the people and their government in the American context, colored as it is by the social contract and the idea, enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, that the legitimacy of any government is derived from the consent of the governed.[1] Empowered to enforce the laws by which society has corporately agreed to be governed, police have a unique ethical relationship to the law. For an action to be ethical for police to take, it must first be legal. The law is a necessary deontological reference point for officers and agencies in defining right and wrong conduct. Unfortunately, in the current environment, legislation governing UAS use by police agencies is lacking. This circumstance creates a referential void for law enforcement executives seeking to put drone technology to use in service of the public. From a homeland security perspective, public safety stands to be greatly enhanced by the fielding of these versatile platforms. UAS will allow law enforcement agencies without manned aviation units to realize gains in situational awareness, crime scene investigation, accident investigation, search and rescue operations, warrant service, and tactical operations. At issue is how to put the technology to use in these legitimate public safety missions in a way that adequately addresses the privacy and other concerns that accompany any discussion about domestic drone use by government. It is imperative that these issues be considered if public support for law enforcement UAS deployment is to be secured.[2] Yet, at present, the discussion about the ethics of UAS employment for law enforcement purposes is nearly absent from the literature. This research seeks to help fill that void. The primary research question posed by this thesis is whether a prevailing ethical framework exists to govern the use of UAS for domestic law enforcement functions. This thesis concluded that no such consensus exists. Indeed, this research found no single set of ethical guidelines is available to which all American police agencies subscribe. Rather, state and local law enforcement in the United States is fragmented, which results in a lack of standardization regarding ethical norms. With over 18,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide,[3] law enforcement in the United States is far from a unitary project. Whether by accident or by design, this circumstance allows agencies to be responsive to local and regional concerns with regard to the ethics of policing. As a secondary research question, this thesis considers what ethical frameworks might be applied to this problem through an examination of the emerging literature. A hybrid research methodology using elements of the case study method, as well as a policy analysis section, are used in developing this thesis. Using the case study method, it examines evidence of ethical frameworks currently in use by domestic law enforcement agencies. The evidence considered is largely documentary and considered against the ethical standards society expects of law enforcement. Once described, a comparative policy analysis is performed to identify any overlapping areas of concern that appear to be held in common. This study identified seven common dimensions of ethical concern regarding UAS employment: Engagement Accountability Transparency Privacy Legality Use of Force Safety This thesis recommends that agencies currently using or preparing to use UAS for law enforcement missions address these dimensions in a drone-specific code of conduct, both to guide decision making for officers in the field and to inform the public regarding the uses and limitations of these increasingly capable public safety tools. Further, this thesis recommends the code of conduct be made available for public review and that it be considered a living document that is expected to change over time. Public opinion is not static; society's expectations are subject to refinement over time. It is in this light, possessing a capacity for change, that the code of conduct should be understood when considering drones and their place alongside other tools employed in law enforcement missions. Of the more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States,[4] only 20 agencies have a certificate of waiver authorization (COA) with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate drones.[5] Accordingly, very little experience exists from which to draw regarding what acceptable and unacceptable conduct looks like in law enforcement's use of drones. UAS use by police is just one facet of an ever-broadening debate in this country about the costs of security in the modern world. The debate about police use of drones is a debate about the future of policing. Law enforcement agencies are uniquely positioned at this moment to lead that conversation, demonstrating that drone technology can contribute to this nation's collective security in a way consistent with American principles and that maintains the consent of the governed. Details: Monterey, CA: Naval Postgraduate School, 2016. 79p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed March 28, 2018 at: https://www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=792232 Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=792232 Shelf Number: 149603 Keywords: Code of ConductDronesHomeland SecurityLaw EnforcementPolice SurveillancePolice TechnologyUnmanned Aerial System |
Author: Independent Advisory Group on the Use of Biometric Data in Scotland Title: Report of the Independent Advisory Group on the Use of Biometric Data in Scotland Summary: The report of the Independent Advisory Group on the Use of Biometric Data which provides recommendations on a policy and legislative framework for police use of biometric data and associated technologies, and rules around retention. The advisory group, chaired by John Scott QC, was established by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice to consider the recommendations contained in HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland's Audit and Assurance Review of the Use of the Facial Search functionality within the UK Police National Database (PND) by Police Scotland report, and provide recommendations on a policy and legislative framework. The report makes 9 recommendations which include the creation of an independent Scottish Biometrics Commissioner, the establishment of a statutory code of practice covering biometric data and technologies and a review of the existing retention rules (with distinct policies applied to children aged 12 to 17). A Scottish Government response is published alongside the report Details: Edinburgh: Scottish Government, 2018. 91p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 10, 2018 at: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2018/03/9437/downloads#res533063 Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2018/03/9437/downloads#res533063 Shelf Number: 149748 Keywords: Criminal InvestigationFacial RecognitionPolice InvestigationPolice Technology |
Author: Police Executive Research Forum Title: New National Commitment Required:: The Changing Nature of Crime And Criminal Investigations Summary: To say that computers, communication systems, and other technologies are changing the policing profession is a vast understatement. In recent years, much of PERF's research and policy development work has focused on the impact of new technologies on crime analysis and police use of force. We have also studied new devices such as body-worn cameras and, most recently, the revolution that is occurring in 911 and emergency communications. For this report, we stepped back and assessed the impact of computers and other technologies on the nature of crime itself, and on how technology is changing investigations. As part of our Critical Issues in Policing series, PERF assembled nearly 200 experts in criminal investigations, technology, and police operations and management to explore these issues during a day-long conference in Washington, D.C. We learned about new types of computer-related crimes, and also about criminals' use of technology to commit many old types of crime. For law enforcement agencies to keep up in this new environment, their approaches to criminal investigations must change. Relying on physical evidence and witness statements is no longer sufficient in many cases. Investigators need to know how to access and secure data from mobile devices, social media, Fitbits and other devices that store computerized data, and the so-called "dark web." The reality is that the science of criminal investigations is changing rapidly, and many law enforcement agencies are not prepared for the changes that are taking place. This report is a wake-up call for the policing profession. If we are to be successful in combating crime in the 21st century, agencies must have the training, tools, and skilled personnel to understand the changing nature of crime and to be resourceful in investigating new types of crime. Details: Washington, DC; PERF, 2018. 88p. Source: Internet Resource: Critical Issues in Policing Series: Accessed April 12, 2018 at: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/ChangingNatureofCrime.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/ChangingNatureofCrime.pdf Shelf Number: 149791 Keywords: Crime AnalysisCriminal InvestigationsPolice Technology |
Author: Schwartz, David Title: Harnessing Power: Exploring Citizen's Use of Networked Technologies to Promote Police Accountability Summary: In this examination of citizen surveillance, I engage with Foucaultian and Deleuzian conceptualizations of surveillance, power, resistance, control, and desire, to explore the motivation(s) of community members who film and disseminate footage of the police. Methodologically, I conducted semi-structured interviews with community stakeholders to study the latent thematic ideas embedded in their responses. These themes represent the underlying motivational factors a citizen surveiller may have when filming the police. In my analysis of these themes, I explore: citizen surveillers' logic for resisting power; citizen surveillers' understandings of power; and, citizen surveillers' reported approaches to both passive and active forms of resistance. Subsequently, there appears to be an underlying desire for power and a resistance to power when filming the police. However, given the exploratory nature of this study, there is a need to continue investigating the theoretical and under substantiated claims about citizen surveillance and its association with race, gender and socio-economic status. Details: Ottawa: University of Ottawa, 2016. 146p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed April 19, 2018 at: https://ruor.uottawa.ca/bitstream/10393/35338/1/Schwartz_David_2016_thesis.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Canada URL: https://ruor.uottawa.ca/bitstream/10393/35338/1/Schwartz_David_2016_thesis.pdf Shelf Number: 149852 Keywords: Police AccountabilityPolice LegitimacyPolice TechnologyPrivacyVideo Surveillance |
Author: West, Darrell M. Title: Benefits and Best Practices of Safe City Innovation Summary: Public safety is an important aspect of contemporary life. In a world that is chaotic, dangerous, and volatile, it is hard for there to be economic prosperity and social cohesion without some degree of safety. People need security in order to live day-to-day and undertake business and communications. This is especially the case in regard to cities. According to UNICEF, 70 percent of people around the world will live in cities by the Cities face a variety of implementation challenges, such as poor funding, infrastructure difficulties, public resistance, a lack of technical expertise, and privacy and security concerns. Implementation of public safety solutions represents a major challenge in many different places, and it is crucial for leaders to overcome these barriers in order to achieve the benefits of public safety innovation. Solutions such as CCTV cameras, police body cameras, integrated command centers using broadband trunking, social media safety alerts, and predictive data analysis show great promise as tools for law enforcement. Many factors affect technology innovation in the public sector. This includes the level of financial investment, crime rates, safety considerations, openness to technology solutions, and the strength of the digital infrastructure in particular countries. But government policy is especially important because officials make investments that enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of public sector operations. The way in which they handle modernization strategies matters a lot in terms of innovation and service delivery. There are many opportunities for cities to build their economies and promote social inclusion through public safety innovation. Cities can encourage greater innovation by increasing budget investments in digital infrastructure, building public support, using crowd-sourcing platforms to encourage citizen participation, breaking down organizational stovepipes through technology, overcoming organizational resistance, making data openly available, deploying data analytics, integrating solutions, figuring out how to balance privacy and security concerns, and identifying opportunities for improvement. Details: Washington, DC: Center for Technology Innovation (CTI) at Brookings, 2017. 58p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 26, 2018 at: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/safe-city-innovation_final.pdf Year: 2017 Country: International URL: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/safe-city-innovation_final.pdf Shelf Number: 149914 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasCCTVPolice AccountabilityPolice TechnologyPolice Use of ForcePolicingPublic SafetyPublic SecurityVideo Surveillance |
Author: Cox, Stacie Leigh Title: Law Enforcement Attitudes of Current Public and Departmental Surveillance Technologies: A Qualitative Case Study of the Toronto Police Service Summary: This thesis explores the perceptions of front-line police officers surrounding synoptic and panoptic surveillance and the implications of police body-worn cameras on community relations, citizen's recording devices and police practice. The study involves a qualitative approach that utilized one-on-one, semi-structured interviews, in which participants were those members of the Toronto Police Service who wore body-worn cameras during an earlier pilot study of the device conducted by the Toronto Police Service. Police as a sampling group are very exclusive and hard to gain access to, as such this study relied on a snowball sampling strategy which resulted in a sample size of 7. While sample size is a major limitation of this study, these 7 interviews provided rich data that were able to provide a valuable and humanizing dialogue of police officers. Transcriptions of interviews were collected and thematically analyzed, resulting in commonalities among participant responses. These commonalities suggest that officers involved in the piloting project that were interviewed share similar perceptions and concerns of this new technology, whether it be positive or negative. Themes that were established include: Context; Synoptic Surveillance; Accountability; Police and Community Relationship and Trust; Impact on Officer's Job, Career and Routine; Officer Repercussions & Protection from Accusations; Officer Change in Behaviour Due to Surveillance Devices; Officer Physical Safety; Citizens Behavioural Changes and Reactions Body-Worn Cameras; Social Media; Privacy Concerns; Officers Favourability toward Wearing Body-Worn Cameras; and the Overall Impact Body-Worn Cameras have on Policing. Participants reported while this surveillance tool is beneficial in theory, in practice the implications of this device are increasingly negative on police practice and community relations. Study results are framed using contemporary theories of surveillance and concepts central to police legitimacy, and for the purpose of this research the culmination of these notions has been termed the Surveillance Accountability Framework. The concerns surrounding police body-worn cameras raised by this research should be considered for further research and improvement, particularly due to the increasing amount of police services planning on adopting this new technology. Details: Kingston, ONT: Queen's University, 2017. 124p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed April 26, 2018 at: https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/bitstream/handle/1974/22788/Cox_Stacie_L_201709_MA.pdf?sequence=2 Year: 2017 Country: Canada URL: https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/bitstream/handle/1974/22788/Cox_Stacie_L_201709_MA.pdf?sequence=2 Shelf Number: 149919 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasPolice AccountabilityPolice LegitimacyPolice SurveillancePolice TechnologySurveillance |
Author: Big Brother Watch Title: Smile you're on body worn camera. Part II - Police. The use of body worn cameras by UK police forces Summary: Smile you're on Body Worn Camera Part II - Police reveals for the first time the investment police in the UK have made in equipping frontline officers with body worn cameras. Since 2010 the police, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and politicians have enthusiastically promoted the roll out of body worn cameras. The public have been told the technology is a critical tool in reducing violence against officers, improving transparency in police/public relations, assisting the police with the number of guilty pleas they obtain and will play an essential role in speeding up justice by being used as evidence in court. Off the back of such enthusiasm we felt it necessary to investigate how many police forces had invested in the technology, how many cameras were being used by frontline staff and if the benefits lived up to the promises promulgated by the various groups. Responses to our Freedom of Information request reveals that 71% have adopted the technology, with a total spend of $22,703,235 on 47,922 body worn cameras. This is a huge increase from 2010 when the police told us in response to a Freedom of Information request that they had spent $2.2million on 2,843 cameras. 1 With such an increase in investment it would be logical to assume that the police had determined conclusively that the technology was indispensable and worthy of such substantial spending, and that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) could show the extent to which footage from body worn cameras has benefitted conviction rates. However, this is not the case. Neither the police nor CPS could provide us with data relating to the use of footage in criminal proceedings. This makes it impossible to verify the promise of improved convictions based on the use of the technology. Furthermore, publicly available findings from the police regarding the outcome of the trials of the technology reveal inconclusive proof of the benefits to frontline policing and the public, and ongoing concerns with the technology itself. Meanwhile, academic research shows that the way the cameras are deployed can impact the safety and security of the police and public alike. If the plan for future policing is to provide every frontline officer with a body worn camera, proof of purpose is vital. Our findings reveal that such proof is far from conclusive. In light of our findings we make three policy recommendations: 1. Data must be collated and published to show how often body worn camera footage is used as evidence during court proceedings and in obtaining early guilty pleas. 2. Forces must publish regular transparency reports to show how body worn cameras are being used in day to day policing. 3. Forces should ensure that all body worn cameras deployed feature a visual aid and screen showing clearly when the citizen when they are being filmed. Protection of data when at rest or in transit must be standard. Key Findings Based on responses from 45 police forces2 - 47,922 body worn cameras have been purchased by UK police forces. - 32 Forces (71%) use body worn cameras. - 4 Forces (9%) were in the process of beginning trials or were planning on rolling out body worn cameras for the first time. - 6 forces (12%) do not use body worn cameras and do not have any trials or roll outs planned. - In total $22,703,235 has been spent on body worn cameras. - Neither the CPS nor the police told us how often footage has been used in court proceedings. - 19 forces use body worn cameras made by Reveal. - Axon (formerly trading as Taser International), supply 26,935 cameras to forces, including the three largest police forces in England the Metropolitan Police, Greater Manchester Police and West Midlands Police. - 3 forces provided us with information relating to trials of body worn cameras which had been undertaken. Details: London: Big Brother Watch, 2017. 27p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 2, 2018 at: https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Smile-Youre-on-Body-Worn-Camera-Part-II-Police.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Smile-Youre-on-Body-Worn-Camera-Part-II-Police.pdf Shelf Number: 149980 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasCriminal InvestigationsPolice AccountabilityPolice InvestigationPolice SurveillancePolice Technology |
Author: Big Brother Watch Title: Face Off: The lawless growth of facial recognition in UK policing Summary: Facial recognition has long been feared as a feature of a future authoritarian society, with its potential to turn CCTV cameras into identity checkpoints, creating a world where citizens are intensively watched and tracked. However, facial recognition is now a reality in the UK - despite the lack of any legal basis or parliamentary scrutiny, and despite the significant concerns raised by rights and race equality groups. This new technology poses an unprecedented threat to citizens' privacy and civil liberties, and could fundamentally undermine the rights we enjoy in public spaces. Police forces in the UK have rolled out automatic facial recognition at a pace unlike any other democratic nation in the world. Leicestershire Police, South Wales Police and the Metropolitan Police have deployed this technology at shopping centres, festivals, sports events, concerts, community events - and even a peaceful demonstration. One police force even used the surveillance tool to keep innocent people with mental health issues away from a public event. In this report, we explain how facial recognition technology works, how it is being used by police in the UK, and how it risks reshaping our rights. We are seeking to raise awareness of this growing issue with parliamentarians and inform the wider public about what is happening behind the cameras. In this report, we: - Reveal new statistics following a series of freedom of information requests, exposing the shocking inaccuracy and likely unlawful practices within a number of police forces using automated facial recognition; - Analyse the legal and human rights implications of the police's use of facial recognition in the UK; - Review the evidence that facial recognition algorithms often disproportionately misidentify minority ethnic groups and women; - Present guest contributions from allies worldwide warning about the impact of facial recognition on rights, including contributions from representatives of American Civil Liberties Union, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Georgetown Privacy Centre, and the Race Equality Foundation; We conclude by launching our campaign against the lawless growth of facial recognition in the UK, supported by rights groups, race equality groups, technologists, lawyers and parliamentarians. Details: London: Big Brother Watch, 2018. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 30, 2018 at: https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Face-Off-final-digital-1.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Face-Off-final-digital-1.pdf Shelf Number: 150405 Keywords: Criminal EvidenceCriminal IdentificationFacial RecognitionHuman Rights AbusesPolice TechnologyPrivacy |
Author: Mastrofski, Stephen D. Title: Receptivity to Police Innovation: A Tale of Two Cities Summary: Innovation is widely thought to be the key to success in police departments, yet police are often conceived as traditional and resistant to the changes that innovation requires. Recent decades have witnessed much interest among police leaders and policy makers in various innovations, ranging from new applications of information technology (intelligence-led policing) to administrative changes (affirmative action) to strategic changes (Compstat and community policing). Despite a number of studies of the impact of such recent innovations, there have been very few investigations of the receptivity of police to innovation. Who is most and least receptive to innovation? What kind of environment for innovation do police departments provide? Which innovations are most and least welcome? In sum, what is the environment for innovation in American municipal police organizations? This Platform Project report describes a preliminary effort to test some popular views about the orientation of the police to innovation. It compares the responses of police officers in two large municipal police agencies, considering how the police feel about their organization's environment to support innovation and about their department's orientation to specific innovations. Below are some propositions that were evaluated by comparing these two police agencies. Details: Washington, DC: National Police Research Platform, National Institute of Justice, 2011. 10p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 2, 2018 at: http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/733761/10444481/1296183364910/Receptivity+to+Police+Innovation+A+Tale+of+Two+Cities++FINAL.pdf?token=SeJS91HYZyK7nsfsRL3UNZl4t1o%3D Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/733761/10444481/1296183364910/Receptivity+to+Police+Innovation+A+Tale+of+Two+Cities++FINAL.pdf?token=SeJS91HYZyK7nsfsRL3UNZl4t1o%3D Shelf Number: 150442 Keywords: Intelligence-Led PolicingPolice InnovationPolice ReformPolice Technology |
Author: Hollywood, John Title: Using Social Media and Social Network Analysis in Law Enforcement. Creating a Research Agenda, Including Business Cases, Protections, and Technology Needs Summary: In April 2017, the National Institute of Justice convened an expert panel to identify high-priority needs for law enforcement's use of social media and social network analysis. The panel characterized business cases for employing social media and social network analysis in law enforcement, including monitoring for short-term safety threats in postings; identifying those at high risk of involvement in violence, either acutely or chronically; and investigating specific crimes and organized crime networks. The panel also specified a core case not to do: monitoring of First Amendment-protected activity for vague purposes. The panel next specified a framework for providing computer security, privacy, and civil rights protections when employing these types of analysis. The framework includes data protections for ensuring legal backings and information security; analytic protections for ensuring protection of findings, legal backing, and equitable justice outcomes; and protections on enforcement actions to ensure consistent and equitable actions and outcomes. Finally, the panel identified and prioritized needs for innovation related to social media and social network analysis. The first part of the resulting innovation agenda concerns developing policies and strategies, including best practices for transparency and collaborative decisionmaking with communities, as well as model policies. The second part is technical development, starting with assessing current tools and how they might be better tailored to law enforcement. The third part concerns law enforcement-specific training, starting with assessing gaps in current training. Training on legal issues is a short-term priority. The final part is creation of a help desk to help law enforcement agencies navigate requests to social media companies and interpret the resulting data. Key Findings - Business cases for social media and social network analysis The panel discussed five core business cases for employing social media and social network analysis in law enforcement: monitoring for activity indicating short-term safety threats in postings, and communicating responses as needed; identifying those at high risk for involvement in violence; actively monitoring the high-risk to see whether violence may be imminent; investigating organized crime networks; and investigating specific crimes. The panel also discussed one core case not to do: monitoring First Amendment-protected activity for vague or unspecified purposes. Core security, privacy, and civil rights protections Data protections relate primarily to documenting procedures and policies, and having protections for, data searches and collections. Analysis protections provide a common set of policies and procedures needed for the deployment and use of analytic tools drawing on social media and other personal communications data. Action protections ensure both that policing practices are not distorted and that both enforcement and social service actions are employed consistently and equitably. An innovation agenda for social media analysis and social network analysis in law enforcement The first part of the expert panel's innovation agenda is to support working with communities to develop policies and strategies for using social media and social network analysis. The second part is technical research on law enforcement-specific social media and social network analysis. The third part is supporting law enforcement-specific training on social media and social network analysis. The final part is creation of a help desk to help law enforcement agencies navigate requests to social media companies. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2018. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 27, 2018 at: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2301.html Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2301.html Shelf Number: 150934 Keywords: InternetLaw Enforcement TechnologyPolice TechnologySocial MediaSocial Network Analysis |
Author: Coyne, John Title: I can see clearly now! Technological innovation in Australian law enforcement: a case study of anti-money laundering Summary: The Australian government's technological monopolies have ended. Technological developments, especially those that have been disruptive, have been driven primarily by private corporations for at least the past ten years. Meanwhile, legislative responses to those changes, be they disruptive or otherwise, have been increasingly delayed. Acceleration in the development and use of technology has been matched by changes in the capability of those who would do us harm. In the face of rapid social change, governments have lost more than a technological edge, as the very conceptualisations of sovereignty and geographical jurisdictions are being challenged. Law enforcement agencies' traditional business models for dealing with organised crime are under significant pressure from threat actors that are able to operate more agile decision-making cycles and exploit seams between jurisdictions and in law enforcement agencies' capabilities. In this context, Australian law enforcement agencies face an increasing number of challenges from emergent technologies. A key policy challenge underpinning these issues relates to the limited capacity of law enforcement to introduce innovative strategies in response to disruptive technology. Another is how to make cross-jurisdictional cooperation simpler and easier. This report explores technological innovation in law enforcement through a specific crime type case study of anti-money laundering (AML) provisions. It analyses the factors that support or restrict technological innovation in federal law enforcement's AML efforts and argues that the current ecosystem for innovation for AML needs to be enhanced to engage with the dual challenge of disruptive technology, and the integration of existing pockets of AML excellence into a holistic whole-of-government innovation program. The initial steps for responding to this challenge should include an analysis of the central assumptions that underpin innovation, policy-making, strategy and finance in this space. Details: Barton, ACT: Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 2018. 35p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 31, 2018 at: https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/ad-aspi/2018-07/SR%20123%20I%20can%20see%20clearly%20now.pdf?jLRQZUtiZ44.o66ipdnFVjoXF2plYehv Year: 2018 Country: Australia URL: https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/ad-aspi/2018-07/SR%20123%20I%20can%20see%20clearly%20now.pdf?jLRQZUtiZ44.o66ipdnFVjoXF2plYehv Shelf Number: 150983 Keywords: Anti-Money LaunderingFinancial CrimeMoney LaunderingOrganized CrimePolice Technology |
Author: Gaub, Janne Elizabeth Title: Campus Cameras: Implementing Body-Worn Cameras in Collegiate Police Department Summary: Since 2014, many police agencies have adopted body-worn camera (BWC) programs, in many cases with little to no evidence-base to guide implementation and policy development. The research has expanded significantly since then, with well over 70 articles now published on the topic of BWCs (Lum, Stoltz, Koper, & Scherer, 2019). These studies have identified several benefits of the technology, including increased transparency and legitimacy, expedited resolution of complaints, and evidentiary value for arrest and prosecution. Likewise, BWCs still present challenges, especially related to privacy and financial constraints. Much of the research has also focused on municipal agencies; to date, only one study has used data from officers in a college/university setting. This study uses survey data from collegiate law enforcement agencies to better understand how BWCs are used in these agencies. The survey was administered via the online survey platform Qualtrics and sent to the agency director on 611 college or university campuses; 126 surveys were completed (response rate of 20.6%). The survey included both open-and closed-ended questions about program goals, policy development, and perceived benefits and challenges associated with BWCs. Findings indicate that roughly half (49%) of agencies had fully implemented a BWC program, and another 13% were in the planning phase or had partially deployed the technology. These agencies viewed the technology positively, citing benefits like evidentiary value and complaint resolution. The most notable challenges included budget constraints, technical concerns, and privacy and public records compliance. Importantly, 21 agencies did not have BWCs and had no intention of getting them in the future. The primary reason was cost, both short-term (initial setup) and long-term (maintenance and storage). Details: Greenville, NC: East Carolina University, 2019. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed march 30, 2019 at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330888412_Campus_Cameras_Implementing_Body-Worn_Cameras_in_Collegiate_Police_Departments Year: 2019 Country: United States URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330888412_Campus_Cameras_Implementing_Body-Worn_Cameras_in_Collegiate_Police_Departments Shelf Number: 155231 Keywords: Body-Worn Cameras Campus Crime Campus Police Campus Security Colleges and Universities Police Accountability Police Technology |
Author: Shinnamon, Donald L., Sr. Title: Building and Managing a Successful Public Safety UAS Program: Practical Guidance and Lessons Learned from the Early Adopters Summary: It happens countless times each day-police are called to investigate a crime, assist with a traffic crash, search for a missing child or endangered adult, or respond to any number of other calls for service. During rapidly unfolding incidents, officers depend on gaining situational awareness as quickly as possible to effectively manage an incident and bring it to a successful conclusion. For other incidents, it may be necessary to document the scene for further investigation and later presentation in court. In many of these cases, an aerial perspective can be of great value in quickly and effectively gathering critical information for law enforcement. For the small number of agencies with traditional manned aircraft, air support may be requested to assist. For the vast majority of law enforcement agencies in the U.S., however, air support is simply not routinely available. By the mid-2000's, the military was growing increasingly reliant on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. Hand-launched aircraft had given warfighters on the ground the ability to see over the next hill or around the corner without endangering troops. With the perceived success of the technology in providing such situational awareness, discussions began about how unmanned aircraft could be used to support public safety operations. There was great interest, but a variety of obstacles made it challenging to integrate UAS technology into police operations. Over a decade has now passed since those early attempts to transfer the technology, and the use of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) is becoming more common as the technology is now widely available and affordable for the general public. Even so, research has identified only 599 state and local law enforcement agencies (out of almost 18,000 agencies in the U.S.) that are using the technology. As sUAS technology continues to mature and the barriers to its use continue to shrink, law enforcement, and public safety more generally, will likely see a proliferation of the technology, some of which has already been seen over the past two years. As such, there will be many agencies, particularly those lacking aviation experience, that will require education and guidance in establishing and maintaining an effective, lawful, and publicly accepted sUAS program. This report aims to address that need by discussing the benefits and applications of sUAS technology; examining major obstacles to successful implementation; identifying important considerations and lessons learned in building and managing an sUAS program; and providing examples of developed programs. It is intended that this report will help not only those agencies interested in starting sUAS programs, but also those agencies looking for guidance on how to sustain and grow their existing sUAS programs. This report is intended primarily as a resource for public safety UAS program managers, both those with and without prior aviation experience. Accordingly, the areas of primary consideration for implementing and managing a UAS program are organized as sections in the report for ease of reference, with descriptions of the studied agencies provided as examples. Section B provides an overview of sUAS technology and its possible applications, and Section C outlines major obstacles the early adopting agencies encountered when developing their UAS programs. Section D provides a brief description of each of the agencies in the study, and Section E addresses a critical initial step in developing an sUAS program-gaining political and community support. This section discusses how each of the studied agencies secured support, then provides some general guidance on the topic. Section F then outlines the major areas to address in an agency's UAS operations manual and offers some examples as to how the studied agencies conduct their operations. Section G highlights some points of consideration when acquiring unmanned aircraft and offers a few resources to use as guides. Section H discusses the critical importance of data collection and how data can be utilized to drive a successful UAS program. This section offers an overview of federal, state, and agency reporting requirements and provides recommendations about the data agencies should capture during UAS operations. Finally, Section I offers lessons learned from the studied early adopters, and Section J discusses the future of UAS technology in public safety. A glossary of key definitions important for a basic understanding of aviation and unmanned aircraft operations is included in the appendices of this report, along with a variety of other resources that will be referenced throughout the document. The information presented in this report was gathered through interviews, documentation review, and site visits at six law enforcement agencies across the country. These agencies include the Alameda County (CA) Sheriff's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami-Dade (FL) Police Department, Mesa County (CO) Sheriff's Office, the Michigan State Police, and the York County (VA) Fire Department/York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office Joint UAS Program. All of these agencies were early adopters of sUAS technology and provide both unique experiences and common lessons learned that can benefit other law enforcement and public safety agencies. It is important to note that, while there are many types of unmanned aircraft varying significantly in size and capability, the focus of this report is on small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS). These are typically lightweight, battery-powered aircraft that can be deployed from a patrol vehicle, capable of carrying high-definition optical and/or thermal imaging cameras. Details: Washington, DC: National Police Foundation, 2019. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 4, 2019 at: https://www.policefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/NPF-Building-and-Managing-a-Successful-Public-Safety-UAS-Program_Final-Report.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United States URL: https://www.policefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/NPF-Building-and-Managing-a-Successful-Public-Safety-UAS-Program_Final-Report.pdf Shelf Number: 155335 Keywords: Aerial Surveillance Drones Police TechnologyUnmanned Aircraft Systems |
Author: Los Angeles Police Commission. Office of the Inspector General Title: Review of Selected Los Angeles Police Department Data-Driven Policing Strategies Summary: Data-driven policing strategies and artificial intelligence-driven technologies utilized by the Los Angeles Police Department lacked oversight in their implementation and often strayed from their stated goals, an internal audit found Friday. Some of the largest law enforcement agencies in the country use so-called predictive policing programs and technologies to forecast where and when crime will occur in their communities. Those technologies, while seen by police as objective tools, have come under scrutiny by advocates who claim the tools disproportionately target those who are low-income or people of color and that they collect data on individuals without consent. Under the auspices of two LAPD programs - Predpol and Operation Los Angeles Strategic Extraction and Restoration program, or LASER - officers scan license plates across the city, conduct in-person interviews with so-called chronic offenders and analyze crime data to determine which individuals are most likely to commit or recommit crimes. LASER draws on technology developed by data giant Palantir, which mines government and private company databases to build extensive profiles of individuals. Predpol uses historical data from both property and violent crime reports to identify which city blocks are most likely to be the site of crimes. Privacy rights advocates crowded an August 2018 Board of Police Commissioners hearing on the programs and demanded a thorough review of new policing tools utilized by LAPD. Commissioners agreed and ordered the resulting 48-page audit by Inspector General Mark Smith, though a third data-driven policing tool called the Suspicious Activity Program was not analyzed in the report. The audit found that training on how to use the programs was "informal" and that different departments across city adapted the programs "for their own use," which led to inconsistencies in how the programs were utilized. The LAPD's Chronic Offender Program - the in-person interview component of LASER, which was first introduced in the city in 2011- utilized a department database of so-called chronic offenders who had few, if any, actual contact with officers. Of the more than 230 "active" individuals listed on 637-person chronic offender list - which is not available to the public - almost 80 percent are black and Latino men, the audit found. The arrests and stops of people listed on the database could also not be clearly tied to LASER-relative activities, the audit found. "These inconsistencies appeared to be related to a lack of centralized oversight, as well as a lack of formalized and detailed protocols and procedures," the audit said. "To the extent the Department continues to deploy a person-based strategy, more rigorous parameters about the selection of people, as well as the tracking of data, should allow for a better assessment of these issues." A more formal, standardized training was recommended for officers using the programs going forward. Various inconsistencies with LASER data troubled auditors, with more than a third coming from department vehicles that were scanned as squad cars with license plate readers entered police stations and department parking lots. A department trend towards using LASER as a crime-deterrence strategy was endorsed in the audit, rather than one that uses it to arrest and remove residents from communities listed as having high crime rates. "While the overall goal might be the general reduction of violent crime, a program focused on extraction may naturally count an arrest of a particular person as a measure of success, while one focused on deterrence might ostensibly look for the absence of a crime and/or an arrest involving the person," the audit said. LAPD forecasts and analysis of crime trends - collected by using GPS data to track the amount of time officers spent in certain areas of the city found that crime rates decreased with increased officer presence, but the audit found that a region-by-region breakdown of crime data found "more mixed" results. The audit noted that the LAPD said it intends to introduce a "precision policing" strategy that "combines intensive crime analysis - and a focused response that values precision over high levels of enforcement - with neighborhood engagement and collaboration." An LAPD spokesperson did not immediately to respond to a request for comment on the audit, which noted that officials have begun making changes to the programs under review. Details: Los Angeles: Author, 2019. 51p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 15, 2019 at: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/b2dd23_21f6fe20f1b84c179abf440d4c049219.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United States URL: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/b2dd23_21f6fe20f1b84c179abf440d4c049219.pdf Shelf Number: 155404 Keywords: Chronic OffendersData-Driven PolicingLicense Plate ScanningPolice PerformancePolice PoliciesPolice TechnologyPredictive Policing |
Author: Shale, Suzanne Title: Final Report on Live Facial Recognition Summary: Facial recognition technology is one of a potentially larger set of tools associated with the deployment of new digital technologies in policing contexts. Since 2016 the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), along with other police services, has been trialling a specific form of Live Facial Recognition (LFR). These trials have attracted attention from press and public, raising important questions about the power of new digital technologies, how they are tested in the field, and their potential to impact on the relationship between police and civil society. This Report builds upon our earlier Interim Report. Here we: -report the views of Londoners on use of Live Facial Recognition, as gathered through our survey; -propose an ethical framework to adopt in future police technology trials; -set out conditions the Panel views as reasonable to attach to adoption of LFR in policing operations; -share an ethical thought-experiment exploring the implications of increased police surveillance. Details: London: Long Policing Ethics Panel, 2019. 66p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 4, 2019 at: http://www.policingethicspanel.london/uploads/4/4/0/7/44076193/lfr_final_report_-_may_2019.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/london-police-live-facial-recognition-technology-ethics-rights-group-say-illegal/ Shelf Number: 156184 Keywords: Camera Surveillance Digital Technology Live Facial Recognition London Police Surveillance Police Technology |
Author: Shale, Suzanne Title: Interim Report on Live Facial Recognition Summary: Facial recognition technology is one of a potentially larger set of tools associated with emerging digital policing technologies. This report specifically concerns Live Facial Recognition technology (LFR), which is the realtime application of facial recognition technology in a public space. The term Automated Facial Recognition (AFR) has also been used by commentators, but AFR can also refer to associated technologies that do not necessarily involve automated identity checks in public places in real time. We have chosen to use the term LFR as this report focuses on the LFR technology currently being trialled by the Metropolitan Police Service. We believe LFR raises significant questions about how the Metropolitan Police may in future interact with individual Londoners and with private companies or individuals using facial recognition technologies. The Panel therefore believes that both the current and future potential uses of LFR should be subject to ethical scrutiny. Additionally, LFR provides an exemplar for considering some of the wider issues associated with police use of new digital technologies that involve the automatic capture, analysis and storage of personal data from large numbers of individuals. In future such technologies could potentially affect the way citizens are identified as they use various forms of public space such as London's streets and parks, quasi-public spaces such as travel hubs, and private spaces such as shopping centres. The Metropolitan Police Service is currently trialling a specific form of LFR that we describe below. The Service has shared information with the Ethics Panel about its current technology, about the trials that are presently underway, and its emerging plans. We are appreciative of the Service's engagement with the Panel during our consideration of LFR, and its responsiveness to the questions we have raised. The Panel is issuing this Interim Report in order to comment on the current trials of LFR, and also to provide an indication of further ethical issues that we believe should be considered before LFR is adopted more widely. The Panel is continuing to work on LFR. We will take further evidence from interested parties, and will be conducting a public opinion survey over the coming months. This Interim Report will be followed by a fuller report later in 2018. Details: London: London Policing Ethics Panel, 2018. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 4, 2019 at: http://www.policingethicspanel.london/uploads/4/4/0/7/44076193/lpep_report_-_live_facial_recognition.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.policingethicspanel.london/uploads/4/4/0/7/44076193/lpep_report_-_live_facial_recognition.pdf Shelf Number: 156185 Keywords: Camera Surveillance Digital Technology Live Facial Recognition London Police Surveillance Police Technology |