The Changing Face of Law Enforcement Technology

Technology has always been instrumental for improving the criminal justice system and police abilities. Crime fighting technology began with the use of systematic photography for criminal identification in 1854, and later progressed to the use of telegraphs, polygraphs, radios and computer dispatch. By addressing these changes, we are able to grasp the extent of this technological effect. One of the most current technological crime fighting trends is the use of global positioning systems to monitor a variety of criminals and criminal area "hot spots." Advanced global positioning systems have been able to locate child abductors, sex offenders, bodies of missing persons, stolen cars, laptops and cell phones. In addition to tracking criminals, suspects and stolen goods, GPS can provide legitimate alibis for potentially innocent defendants. For cops, all of this means less time and effort for monitoring criminals and a smaller need for classic police operations like stake outs and more time that is available to help other victims of crime. GPS has its obvious benefits from the law enforcement perspective, but what does it mean for the general public? Some believe that planting GPS devices without a warrant or a court order is a blatant violation of personal privacy. With the give and take of the watchful eye of sophisticated technology, one can only come to their own conclusion on whether or not this is unconstitutional a decide if they would like a possibly safer society or increased personal privacy.