NCJ Number
192812
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 29 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2002 Pages: 12-16
Date Published
January 2002
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article considers law enforcement's role in the war against terrorism.
Abstract
To prevent acts of terrorism, local law enforcement needs to recognize anomalies and make the link to terrorism. This requires training and knowledge of what kind of intelligence is important. As terrorist groups become more sophisticated, law enforcement must follow suit. Technology companies are working to develop new weapons for the fight against terrorism, including weapon scans, national databases, passive surveillance tools, wireless handheld communications for police officers, and foolproof biometric identification. One such tool that is already used by law enforcement is facial recognition cameras and software. Cameras passively scan individuals, then compare faces against databases of known terrorists, looking for a match. If a match is found, the system sends an alarm and alerts local security. The whole process takes 1 to 2 seconds. The article describes the need for an all-source national database, handheld communication devices for local law enforcement officers so they can access the database, and comprehensive training of all street officers for identification procedures.