Technology Is Increasingly Revolutionizing Agencies
Technology plays an increasingly important role in modern law enforcement, revolutionizing the way agencies deter, respond to and investigate crime. From surveillance systems and predictive analytics to forensic tools and communication networks, developing technologies empower law enforcement agencies to boost their operational efficiency, response times and investigative capabilities. Ultimately, keeping current with emerging, cutting-edge technologies helps law enforcement agencies serve and protect their communities more effectively.
“As the rate of technology adoption accelerates it becomes increasingly important for police agencies to consider how they select and implement technology and what strategic objectives these technologies will help them achieve.”
JUST RELEASED
Lexipol Policy on Generative Artificial Intelligence Use
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) refers to computer systems capable of producing original content such as text, images or audio based on patterns learned from existing data. While there are plenty of ways to deploy GenAI systems in law enforcement to increase efficiency and improve the overall effectiveness of the agency, the use of this type of AI is fraught with potential pitfalls.
Note that this policy does not apply to AI integrated into facial or voice recognition applications, biometric access controls, or document/video redacting software.
Tech-Related Law Enforcement Policies
New technologies — and the resulting laws, policies, and court cases — create complex challenges necessitating clear guard rails regarding their use in law enforcement activities. Lexipol provides updated policies on a number of tech-related subjects to help ensure responsible, effective use of technology while protecting civil liberties and maintaining public trust.
- Portable Audio/Video Recorders
- Public Safety Video Surveillance System
- Automated License Plate Readers
- Forensic Genetic Genealogy
- Conducted Energy Devices
- Unmanned Aerial System
- Agency Use of Social Media
- Information Technology Use
- Personal Communication Devices
- Generative Artificial Intelligence Use
Other Tech-Related Content
Below is a curated selection of articles from the Lexipol blog covering a broad range of technology-related topics pertinent to law enforcement, offering insights and strategies for navigating the evolving landscape of tech-enhanced policing.
Cameras, Video Surveillance
- Extended Pole Camera Surveillance Was Admissible
- Smile! You’re on Candid Camera (and the Evidence Is Admissible)
- Can Officers Still Secretly Record a Controlled Buy After United States v. Jones?
- Court Considers Teen Daughter’s Consent to Seize Bathroom Camera Hidden by Father
- Smile for the Camera
- An Untapped Opportunity: Using Body Camera Footage in Police Training
- Video Evidence, TASER Device Discharge Weighed in Court
- Interference with Man Recording Police Rewarded with Lawsuit
- Concerns with Video Evidence: Does Video Tell All?
- Honest But Inaccurate: Why Video Doesn’t Capture What Is Experienced
- Citywide Aerial Surveillance Program Upheld
- Body-Worn Cameras and Memory
- Smile, You’re On Candid Smoke Detector
- Judge’s Drug and Gun Deals Fair Game for Pole Camera
- Automated License Plate Reader Information Leads to Mail “Fishing” Suspect
- Truth, Lies and Video: Reassessing the Brady/Giglio Rule in the Era of Video Evidence
- Magnitude and Duration: Measuring Police Use of Force from Bodycam Video
- Conclusive Evidence? Some Thoughts on the Limitations and Influence of Video Evidence
Investigations, Forensics
- Emerging Tech and Law Enforcement: Forensic Genetic Genealogy
- Emerging Tech and Law Enforcement: What Are Geofences and How Do They Work?
- iCloud Search Upheld Under the Good Faith Doctrine
- Collect All Evidence, Let the Lawyers Sort It Out
- Don’t Borrow a Car with a Hidden Police GPS Tracker
- The Evidence Was in the Cards
- Decision Not to Conduct DNA Testing Didn’t Defeat Conviction
- Unidentified Bodies: How Law Enforcement Can Make a Difference
- Ankle Monitor GPS Evidence Not Admissible
- Using Computer Modeling in Police Use of Force Investigations
- Is a Cell Phone a Tracking Device? More Carpenter v. United States Fallout
- Fingerprints, Facial Recognition, Retinal Scans, Passcodes and the Fifth Amendment
Conducted Energy Devices
- Qualified Immunity for TASER Probe to the Head
- Video Evidence, TASER Device Discharge Weighed in Court
- Qualified Immunity for Interfering with Person Recording Officers, But Not for TASER Device Use
- Qualified Immunity for TASER Device Use at a Chaotic and Combative Scene
- Was Electronic Control Device Use Proper? You Decide!
Law Enforcement Online
- Social Media Management in Public Safety: Keeping Up with the Regulations
- AI in Law Enforcement: Old and New Challenges
- Enticement or Entrapment?
- Social Media Use in Public Safety: Considerations for Agencies and Individuals
- Amateur Websleuth Groups: A Rapidly Evolving Risk for Police
- Facebook Post Leads to Job Faceplant
- State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program: What You Need to Know
- This Is Cyberstalking—Any Questions?
- Yahoo and Facebook Reports of Sex Crimes Were Not “Government” Acts
- Faceplant on Facebook Farce?
- Don’t Loan Your Wi-Fi to Sex Offenders!
- Cyber Tips Are Subject to the Private Search Doctrine
- Social Media Searches Upheld in Child Sex Trafficking Prosecution
- Talk Nice, Think Mean, Seize Child Pornography, Secure Conviction
- Child Pornography Landed Lawfully in Police Hands
- Understanding and Preventing Ransomware Attacks Against Public Safety
- 5 Considerations for Law Enforcement Use of Social Media
- Political Hacking Leads to Discovery of Child Pornography