Undercover radiation detectors, high-powered night vision cameras, portable explosives detection devices and invisible helicopters read like a list of equipment issued to James Bond but are actually some of the new high-tech tools that are helping law enforcement gear up for the future.
The NYPD reportedly is equipping officers with devices like handheld bomb or radiation detectors that assess levels of radiation and whether it’s manmade or natural, dangerous alpha, beta, gamma or neutron radiation. It wasn’t too many years ago these tools existed only in the minds of science fiction writers.
Advanced technology is being designed, “to prevent crime and terrorism in the first place,” said N.Y. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. “Technology also helps us close the window on the time between when a crime is committed and when the criminal is apprehended. It’s all about distilling information and getting it into the hands of police officers and detectives as soon as possible.”
Some of the innovations reported on include personal digital assistants (PDAs), which can transmit information on stolen cars, suspects, warrants and such. Infrared technology is being applied to high-powered cameras enabling officers to read a license plate from over a mile away, even at night.
Underwater searchers are getting assistance in navigating murky waters with a new sonar device that allows divers to transmit images to a boat while actually seeing the sonar picture on two LCD screens fitted on their mask. They also have a mini-submarine that captures video and sonar images. The remote operated unit, about the size of a hatbox, is used to inspect the hulls and rudders of ships where criminals have been known to hide everything from drugs to people.
Trace explosives detectors allow officers to use a small “wipe”, kept in an Altoids-style container, to touch an object suspected of carrying explosives and place it in a small detection box. The machine reports any trace of explosives within ten seconds.
Counterterrorism officers are being equipped with high-powered radiation detectors disguised as school backpacks.
And yes, the black helicopters are not just for military ops any more. They’re designed to operate without lights and fly as quiet as a mouse, making them virtually invisible at night.
While no technology can replace good police work, for the ever-mounting challenges of today’s policing, high-tech solutions are helping law enforcement stay ahead of the bad guys. These new tools might not be disguised in a fountain pen or built into a wristwatch, but just wait. They’re probably coming sooner than you think.
Source: American Police Beat, November 2007
Local Police Officer Wins $3.7 Million Award
In August, a federal jury awarded a former Stickney police officer $1.7 million in compensatory damages from the village and $1 million in punitive damages each from the mayor and police chief.
According to the Associated Press, 8-16-06, Richard Hare Sr. claimed his bosses retaliated against him after he discovered evidence of corruption. “It’s a victory for me on paper,” Hare said, “but I’m sad because it brought down the entire village.”
The 15-year police veteran filed the suit in 2002 alleging the retaliation after he and five others brought evidence of corruption to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office. Hare claimed tactics included demoting him, taking away his car and trying to revoke his gun license.
In 2000, Hare testified before
a grand jury that money, guns and drugs had disappeared from the PD’s
evidence room.
On The Cop’s Bookshelf
Little Blue Whales is set in a fictional community on the coast of Oregon. Author Kenneth R. Lewis, who once policed the streets of Spokane, eventually became a small town police chief. His book is a suspenseful story of one small town’s political hierarchy trying to further personal agendas of greed and power.
Life After Policing by Alan Roadburg, PhD, is an easy-to-read practical book. The essence of it is in the experiences, impressions and advice of 400 retired police officers.
Reaper’s Line: Life and
Death on the Mexican Border is written by Lee Morgan, a retired federal
agent who spent 30 years
policing the border
and condemns criminals on both sides of it. The deadly realities he witnessed
on the frontline lead him to conclusions sure to rile some readers.
Open Target: Where America is Vulnerable to Attack, by Clark Ervin, identifies
where and how the U.S. is safer than in 2001 but not as safe as it should
be. Ervin, former inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security,
is the Homeland Security Initiative director of the Aspen Institute - a
policy think tank which focuses on the causes of terrorism, overcoming
obstacles to fighting terrorism, and ways to strike a balance between security
and civil liberties.
The Spike in Crime
Violent crime had declined for nearly a decade, until 2005, when increases in almost all categories of major crime were reported. The spike included a 5% rise in homicides and reports of growing juvenile crime that are particularly disturbing. Many factors have led to the national increases in crime.
— Thousands of cities, towns and counties lack the funds to adequately hire, retain and equip their police forces, while federal mandates have increased and federal dollars have dried up.
When the terror threat level rises, thousands of police secure bridges, power plants, trains and other critical infrastructure. Police are also being called upon to stem immigration. The assigned personnel are either working overtime or taken from their regularly-assigned duties. Local police departments are not reimbursed for costs.
— The recruitment of enough qualified men and women to serve has grown more and more severe. Some local departments lure tenured officers from surrounding departments. Others have lowered their hiring standards. The average Police Officer in the U.S. earns $32,000 a year. Nearly 170 are killed in the line of duty every year. With the unemployment rate low, highly-qualified men and women are looking for better paying, less dangerous work in the private sector.
— Management practices, often made in reaction to political interference and public protest, also contribute to the spike in crime. Police Officers are human. Like other employees, they tend to perform their best when working under optimum circumstances and don’t generally do their best when they lose confidence in management or perceive a lack of respect and fairness. When cops get a raw deal, the biggest losers are the victims of crime.
In August 2006, law enforcement authorities from throughout the country convened a summit in Washington, DC, to explore the causes and cures of the national spike in violent crime. But the summit had little input from rank-and-file Police Officers.
While Police Officers are the backbone of every department, their opinions
are rarely asked. In the end, nothing much will change until politicians
and police brass demonstrate that they believe the reduction of crime is
a top priority and they learn to fully respect the men and women who serve.
Politicians’ Empty Talk
For all the tough talk by politicians about supporting police officers, we sure don’t have much to show for it. Despite terrorist threats, growth in organized crime, more complex types of cases such as internet crimes, and burgeoning street violence and illegal gun and drug trades — we still don’t have more cops on the street today. In fact, per capita, the number of cops has dropped in recent years.
So while some politicians make proclamations about getting tough on crime, their commitment to it is pretty soft. Talk doesn’t change the fact that our police forces are understaffed.
Which is why today we’re seeing a lot of news stories about police shortages and longer response times to calls.
Yes, it will cost money. But an increase in police forces would partly pay for itself because it would dramatically reduce skyrocketing overtime costs.
It will take money to put more beat cars on the road, more cops walking the beat and more investigators cracking organized crime rings.
And it will take real political leadership, not the kind of lip service we see from many public officials.
A Question of Priorities
American Police Beat editorial, November 2006
No one has forgotten what happened five years ago on the morning of September 11, 2001. The memories of that terrible day are especially painful for the law enforcement community as they lost so many colleagues.
And no one would ever be silly enough to suggest that terrorism and the possibility of more large-scale attacks are not things to be worried about or planned for here and abroad.
Like us, the Spanish, the English, and citizens of countless other countries have seen the carnage that comes with religious extremists who strap themselves to bombs and take innocent lives to make their point. But it is possible that terrorism can overshadow other public safety concerns, and there’s some evidence to suggest that this is already happening.
As the basic focus of the police mission has been expanded to cover national security,… local cops are being stretched thinner than ever before.
As the turnaround in rates of violent crime nationwide and a horrifying series of school shootings has shown recently, the basic public safety mission of law enforcement agencies is more challenging than ever before.
Can police officers act as “guardians of the homeland” in addition to making collars, keeping our schools safe and breaking up drug rings and meth-factories?
Of course they can.
But it would be a lot easier if the federal government would stop gutting
local public safety spending while doubling the operating budget of agencies
like the FBI.
Immigration Policy 101
American Police Beat editorial, July 2006
…. For all the talk about increasing numbers in the Border Patrol and erecting a fence between the U.S. and Mexico, the main issue driving illegal immigration has gone largely ignored. The fact of the matter is that many employers are addicted to the cheap labor illegal immigrants provide.
As long as there are businesses that will hire illegal workers inside the country, individuals will do whatever it takes to cross the border and fill those spots.
The issue of immigration is politically charged, and symbolic gestures like militarizing the border or making it a felony to be in the country illegally work well for politicians trying to please one group of constituents or another. But until contractors, produce growers and manufacturers decide to stop hiring illegals and begin to hire Americans and pay them minimum wage, you can expect very little in terms of stemming the tide of illegal workers washing into the country on a daily basis. Show me a 50-foot fence and I’ll show you a 51-foot ladder.
