NCJ Number
250091
Date Published
July 2016
Length
1 page
Annotation
In this video and accompanying transcript, Jim Bueermann, President of the Police Foundation, discusses how law enforcement agencies can use technology in their work and how research funded by the U.S. Justice Department's National Institute of Justice (NIJ) assists law enforcement agencies in making better decisions about the uses, consequences, and impact of new policing technologies, with a focus on body-worn cameras, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), and land-based surveillance cameras (CCTV).
Abstract
In discussing the benefits of the Police Foundation's partnership with NIJ, Bueermann notes that NIJ's Office of Science and Technology is designed to assist practitioners and researchers better understand the implications of various technologies for enforcement tasks. Derived from research, NIJ provides guidance on the multiple ramifications of police use of various technologies, so they can achieve maximum benefits for police work without producing unintended adverse consequences for the public. NIJ focuses on scientific evaluations of the cost-effectiveness of various technologies used in police work. In discussing his perspective on technology research priorities for the future, Bueermann hopes for more research on evaluations of the cost-effectiveness of new technologies adapted for police work. He mentions that an important measure of any policing technology is whether its use will increase the public's trust and confidence in police efforts to improve public safety. It is important that police leaders interact with community leaders in explaining and interpreting how various technologies used by police are being used for the public's benefit without compromising privacy or posing unforeseen dangers to the public.