TECHNOLOGY AND POLICE ADMINISTRATION (FROM CRIMINAL JUSTICE INFORMATION AND STATISTICS SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL SEARCH SYMPOSIUM - PROCEEDINGS, FOURTH, 1979, BY JOHN W LAUCHER - SEE NCJ-63648)

• NCJ Number: 63656
• Author(s): J J ZURAWSKI
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 6 pages
• Corporate Author: SEARCH Group Inc.
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS SYMPOSIUM ADDRESS DICUSSSES HOW TECHNOLOGY HAS AFFECTED POLICE ADMINISTRATION THROUGH FORENSIC SCIENCE, RADIO COMMUNICATIONS, AND AUTOMATED DATA PROCESSING.

Abstract

THE FIRST SCIENTIFIC METHOD OF IDENTIFYING CRIMINALS THROUGH BODY MEASUREMENT WAS DEVELOPED IN 1879, BUT GAVE WAY TO FINGERPRINTING WHEN IT PROVED FALLIBLE. SYSTEMATIC USE OF FINGERPRINTS WAS BEGUN IN 1903 BY THE NEW YORK STATE PRISONS SYSTEM AND ADOPTED BY THE FBI IN 1933. POLICE SUBMISSION OF EVIDENCE TO SCIENTIFIC EXPERTS FOR EVALUATION WAS BEGUN IN EUROPE BUT WAS SLOW TO BE ACCEPTED IN THE U.S. IN RECENT YEARS, CRIME LABORATORY EFFECTIVENESS HAS BEEN IMPROVED BY DATA BANKS WHICH ALLOW CRIME SCIENTISTS IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION. MOBILE RADIO COMMUNICATIONS WERE MADE PRACTICAL FOR POLICE IN THE 1920'S; BY 1950, POLICE RADIO USE WAS UNIVERSAL. IN 1973, COMPUTERS WERE FIRST USED TO DISPATCH POLICE CARS. COMPUTER-AIDED DISPATCH IS DEEMED MORE ACCURATE AND EFFICIENT THAN TRADITIONAL MEANS OF DISPATCH. TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS THAT AUTOMATICALLY LOCATE PATROL CARS AND OFFICERS ARE ALSO DISCUSSED. COMPUTER INFORMATION STORAGE, INTRODUCED TO POLICE IN THE MID-1960'S, NOW ENJOYS WIDESPREAD USE BY POLICE AND IS ESPECIALLY USEFUL IN MANAGEMENT, CRIME PREVENTION, AND THE APPREHENSION OF CRIMINALS. (PAP)