In the modern era, you can see technology at work in many fields. Some tech has taken over jobs that human workers once did. Other tech helps industries like law enforcement.
Law enforcement uses tech to combat crime in many ways. We’ll talk about some of them right now.
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Facial Recognition Technology
Facial recognition technology exists now. You might use it to unlock your phone, but the police use it differently.
Some police departments, usually the ones in bigger cities, use facial recognition technology to identify criminals in crowds or on the streets on the police wanted lists. This tech isn’t foolproof, though.
Serious crimes can cause life-altering damage to your reputation, but if facial recognition technology says you’re a suspect in a crime, you might combat that in court if you say you’re innocent. That’s because this tech, advanced as it is, can still make mistakes. It remains somewhat controversial, even though it seemingly has its uses.
Cameras
The police also use cameras they put in lofty places, mostly in big cities. These “eyes in the sky” can monitor intersections.
If someone runs a red light, they can photograph that driver’s car, and they can ticket them later, even if the driver thinks they got away. The police can send a ticket to that driver’s house since the DMV will have their address.
The police also use these cameras to identify crimes in progress. They might spot a criminal mugging someone on that same block or a couple of blocks away. The cameras the police use have advanced to the point that they can see what’s happening several blocks over if they have an unobstructed view.
They might stop the crime in real time, or if they can’t, they’ll at least have a video of the subject. They can use that later when they’re hunting for them. They can make posters with the wanted individual’s face on them and ask the general public if they know that person.
Robot Dogs
The police have robot dogs now. The robot dogs can approach suspicious duffel bags, backpacks, and other items that might contain bombs. The dogs can dispose of the bag, or they can open it so the police, working remotely, can see whether the suspicious item actually has bomb components or whether it’s just some trash or something equally innocuous.
Robot dogs have also appeared on the streets in San Francisco and New York lately. They’re pilot programs. The robot dogs weigh about seventy pounds.