The modern world is characterized by the emergence of technology that affects the functioning of different institutions across the globe. As technology continues to change, institutions such as the law enforcement sector invest in acquiring the latest and high trends needed to strengthen their operation in dealing with criminals. These technologies are directed towards bettering services to ensure efficiency in protecting both officers and the community. Combatting criminal activities using technology has been associated with positive and negative impacts. On some occasions, computer technological trends have been associated with facilitating the police with skills to track criminals. However, technology has also played a critical role in helping criminals to escape the police and commit crime, especially in situations where they can monitor the direction the police drives. The use of computer technology has both positive and negative impacts on the law enforcement department.
Advantages of Using Computer in Law enforcement
The use of technology, such as the GPS, assists the law enforcement department in tracking and monitoring of officers to facilitate protection as well as assisting in apprehending criminals. Officer monitoring has helped law enforcement departments to locate a police officer in need of help, thus providing the necessary support. This system has also been applied in tracking criminals purported to have committed a particular offense without incurring costs that would be experienced by conducting manual search. For example, the use of facial recognition algorithms has played a critical role in assisting law enforcement officers to identify suspects in a criminal case. This technology can be applied in different ways depending on the nature of available tools. For instance, photos, videos, or sketches about a particular incident can be compared to information about known criminals stored in the databases to ensure validity of the prosecution (Hollywood et al., 2018). The use of body cameras has also increased community safety by providing evidence in situations of harmful actions by the police. Information obtained from body cameras determines if a police officer used lethal force when handling an individual, thus providing clarity on the course of action.
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Disadvantages of Using Computers in Law Enforcement
The installation of laptops in police cars has been associated with distractions to police officers, thus creating a chance for criminals to escape. For instance, the use of laptops in law enforcement exposes a police officer to a multitasking condition reducing the effectiveness of using such devices. In effect, police officers find it challenging to drive while monitoring the movement of the law enforcers. On other occasions, criminals take advantage of computer technology used by law enforcers to hack their communication system (Brey, 2017). In situations where the criminals interfere with the communication network of the police departments, they have a chance for committing crime, and the police officers find it challenging to locate the affected area and the criminals. This issue has been facilitated by the effect of cyber insecurity capable of exposing law enforcement computers to malicious attacks. The cyber vulnerability has been perceived to be one of the most recognized causes of criminal activities witnessed in the modern world.
Criminal Case Facilitated By Technology
The emergence of technology trends has facilitated most of the criminal activities witnessed by the law enforcement department in any country. For instance, in the year 2015, a group of Russian based hackers managed to access information for about 100 organizations globally, thus stealing a lot of money from banking institutions. The criminals used malware to infect computer systems and collect personal information about the banking system. Consequently, they used the impersonal online bank staff to create a chance for fraud transfers and even allow ATMs to give cash without necessarily having a bank card. This criminal action recorded one of the most recognized cybercrimes that recorded the most substantial loss facilitated by computer technology. For instance, the case resulted in the loss of approximately $650 million experienced by the affected institutions globally (Elsom, 2017). Access to technology is beneficial to organizations because they facilitate the speed at which they achieve their goals. However, criminals take this opportunity to infect computers with malware, thus accessing personal data used to commit a crime.
Application of Computer to the Prosecution in a Criminal Case
The use of computers has played a critical role in facilitating the arrest and prosecution of people perceived to have committed a particular crime. For instance, the Controlled Delivery case demonstrated the impacts of using computers in tracking and prosecuting criminals. In the year 2011, the French requested the aid of a Moroccan national security agency to monitor the delivery of an oil cargo associated with drug trafficking (UNODC, 2018). The targeted criminal group operated in drug trafficking between Morocco and Paris. The use of a computer by the investigative team indicated that the criminal group had appointed a French national to supervise the delivery of an unknown amount of cargo. The investigative team monitored the cargo until it reached the unloading area where they arrested and prosecuted 11 in several cities in France with large amounts of Cannabis.
In conclusion, the use of computer technology in law enforcement institutions is beneficial. Though the application of technology is associated with various adverse such as facilitating criminal activities, police officers, especially the investigative body, have been in a position to increase the rate of prosecution. Criminals take advantage of technology to commit a crime. However, the availability of technology in the law enforcement department assists police officers in monitoring such criminal activities, thus apprehending the criminals.
References
Brey, P. (2017). Theorizing technology and its role in crime and law enforcement. In The Routledge Handbook of Technology, Crime and Justice (pp. 17-34). Routledge.
Elsom D., (2017). Attack of the Hack Five of the worst cases of cybercrime the world has ever seen – from data theft of one BILLION Yahoo users to crippling the NHS. Retrieved from: https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/4120942/five-of-the-worst-cases-of-cyber-crime-the-world-has-ever-seen-from-data-theft-of-one-billion-yahoo-users-to-crippling-the-nhs
Hollywood, J. S., Woods, D., Lauland, A., Jackson, B. A., & Silberglitt, R. (2018). Emerging Technology Trends and Their Impact on Criminal Justice. Retrieved from: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9996.html
UNODC, (2018). The Doha Declaration. Promoting a Culture of Lawfulness. Retrieved from: https://www.unodc.org/e4j/en/organized-crime/module-8/exercises/case-studies.html
