How Technology Has Modernized Law Enforcement
In the quarter century that Commander Kelly Musgrove of Union City, Calif., has worked on the police force, he’s witnessed the shift from a radio and a pad of paper to a mobile technology center. “Now officers have basically a rolling workstation — a fully functional office out there in the field.”
Consider all the hardware and software that are becoming as common to policing as a gun and badge. There are rugged notebooks or tablet computers, client virtualization, e-citation systems, evidence management software, mobile printers, license plate recognition software, video surveillance, in-car cameras and even wearable cameras. Such technology requires a robust wireless or cellular network infrastructure to carry traffic and easy-to-manage storage to hold this data.
What do all these technologies have in common? The IT tools work together to save time and boost efficiency in law enforcement, something welcome in these lean budget years. For examples of ways technology has enhanced law enforcement in local government, turn to the Public Safety Solution Guide.
