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Research Areas: Use of Technology
Background
New technologies have already enhanced many police functions and may soon significantly improve police performance. For example, breakthroughs in DNA analysis can help solve crimes; simulations and modeling can help determine the most efficient allocation of patrol officers across districts; biometric and license-plate recognition technologies can be used to rapidly locate stolen cars, fugitives, and crime suspects; and non-lethal weapons can help curb altercations before they lead to more dangerous consequences for officers, suspects, and the public.
As policing becomes increasingly dependent on complex technologies, police departments face a host of new challenges related to procurement, training, interoperability, and law. Each new technology requires that police organizations determine if and when to adopt it; the training necessary to use it; and if using it will complement, complicate, or replace current technology.
Research goals
CQP's work on the use of technology will focus not just on the implementation and effectiveness of new equipment, but also on management systems and behavioral intervention technologies (e.g., the SARA problem-solving model for addressing community priorities and the “lever-pulling” gang-intervention strategy). Studies will provide police departments and communities with guidance on the cost-effectiveness of new technologies, their risks and benefits, and the best ways of incorporating them into policing operations.
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