NCJ Number
174152
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 25 Issue: 4 Dated: April 1998 Pages: 30-34
Date Published
1998
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This first in a two-part series on the impact of computers on police work focuses on hardware, integrated justice systems, communications, and innovative uses of the Internet.
Abstract
Two of the most recent developments in computer hardware specifically for law enforcement include "ruggedized" and palm- sized computers. Ruggedized computers are standard laptop computer designed for the real world of police and military work. Known as the "Rambos" of laptops, these computers can survive drops, car chases, and much more. Palm-sized computers take the downsizing of computer hardware to the next degree, enabling officers to take a computer anywhere. Computers and computer software have also reached the point where the information flow into all components of the justice system can be integrated. This means that the information collected by the cop on the street can flow into every other application used by every other step in the justice system without the necessity of rekeying and recreating this information at each step in justice processing. Computers and software programs are also facilitating the exchange of information. They permit the instantaneous exchange of information between State agencies and local police departments, as well as the exchange of information between State and Federal agencies. Some creative uses of the Internet that help the police perform their duties are the anonymous reporting of crime and the supplying of information on crimes, the use of a virtual private network that police officers can use to scan a central repository of mug shots from anywhere in a jurisdiction, and solutions to managing information and making it available to everyone who needs to access it.