Future of Public Safety
| Author | Gene Stephens |
| Pages | 41-51 |
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The style of policing and public safety in the future will differ around the world, depending on the needs in each locale, but two basic models will compete for prominence—the war model, dependent on the reactive capture of suspects and the punishment of offenders; and the peace model, dedicated to the proactive discovery of crime-breeding conditions and the taking of action to ameliorate them before crime and disorder occur.
In third world nations, as was true during the developmental period of most countries, the military will continue to double as the country's police force. As such, the police often will be required to place a priority on rooting out enemies of the current regime—ahead of protecting the civilian population and enforcing civil law. When the police are established as a separate command from the military, they will often remain an arm of the administration in power until and unless the public demands and acquires command and control of lawmaking, law enforcement, and peacekeeping.
The goal of this entry is to describe the future of policing and public safety as they can or should be in the world's developed countries. In societies where discipline and obligation to the letter of the law are held in high esteem, it is likely that the war (or military) model of policing will continue for the foreseeable future, whereas in countries where individual liberties are valued above absolute order and obedience, movement toward a peace (or participatory) model of policing will escalate in the years ahead.
Within each of the two major models, a variety of approaches will evolve, based primarily on the popular culture of the country and its subunits (e.g., states, regions, and communities). There will likely always be constables in former British Empire nations and gendarmes in former French colonial areas, but the meanings of these terms may be significantly different from one region to another. An English constable, for example, is normally a rural police officer, while an American constable is usually a citizen volunteer.
Before discussing the deployment of the two models, this essay will describe two topics germane to both: evolving crime-fighting technology and twenty-first-century crime.
For police departments following the war model, a continuously spiraling cycle of technology and counter-technology can be expected. For agencies following the peace model, coping with technology-aided crimes will require community-based, ethical discussions about what countertactics are appropriate.
Some of the innovations in surveillance that can be expected in the first decades of the twenty-first century include "smart" technology and various types of implants and control devices. Body scanners are already available and handheld models will become commonplace, not unlike the devices in the 1990 science-fiction movie Total Recall that can see through skin down to bone, revealing everything from concealed weapons, to drugs in condoms in the intestines, to the size of body parts. Already in use in some airports, these see-all devices can be expected to become standard in police stations, courthouses, and jails and prisons. The smaller versions (about the size of a camcorder) will become part of the normal supplies
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issued to public safety and corrections officers in developed countries. When police are able to scan unsuspecting citizens on the street, the "in plain view" doctrine (i.e., any evidence "in plain view" of an officer on the street can legally be used as probable cause for arrest and later may be used at trial) will take on new meaning.
Using the same scanner technology, plus new supersensitive auditory capabilities, bionic "eyes" and "ears" that can hear and see through walls will soon be available. Equipped with these new "body parts," safety and corrections officers will be able to more easily spot criminal activity, rules violations, and mischief in the making.
Ubiquitous cameras and computer chips will provide surveillance even when individual officers are not in the area. In some cities, hundreds of cameras already operate twenty-four hours per day, providing street monitor stations with the same type of surveillance and control formerly found only in casinos and top-secret installations. Ubiquitous computer chips are on the market that allow an individual to keep a minute-by-minute record of his or her life with the goal of becoming more efficient and effective in both professional and personal matters. Such a record can also become evidence for authorities if probable cause is found to suspect criminal activity (or on demand when probable cause is not necessary).
Increasingly, video surveillance cameras will be paired with facial-recognition technology so that a person caught on camera can be immediately identified and a "rap sheet" of information will be automatically generated. A facial-recognition system that uses biometrics has been tested in airports and at the Super Bowl game, and by police departments in several nations. The technology has had mixed reviews (it has produced a considerable number of "false positives"), but development and testing continues.
Biometrics, including digitalized fingerprints, hand-prints, voiceprints, and DNA prints, are also being perfected for use along with keystroke locks to safeguard access to increasing numbers of workplaces and to Internet sites. As cash and checks are replaced by cybermoney, and as e-mail supplants postal services to convey official documents, the identification of the parties involved in a transaction must be secured, a technology that may signal the end of "anonymous" surfing of the Web. Biometric ID systems on computers can provide a continuous record of the activities of each individual computer user—providing authorities with evidence of possible criminal (or antiregime) activities.
Universal DNA databanks will eventually tie all of such data together, as a DNA bar code is placed on an individual's record at birth, and all data on that individual are collected and stored in a single account, to be accessed as provided by law (where such laws exist).
Electronic monitoring devices tied to a global positioning system (GPS) are already being used by some probation and parole agencies to track suspects and parolees. The use of such devices will likely soon expand not only to more community corrections agencies, but also to police surveillance of ex-offenders. For those under court-ordered monitoring, convulsive electroshock capabilities may be added to make the system "self-policing": When offenders leave a designated area, they will receives painful shocks until they return. On the positive side, persons formerly held in captivity may be allowed more freedom to go to work, school, and therapy while being tracked.
The growing sophistication of computer technology has led to "smart" applications, such as "smart houses" that have a computer brain that controls functions ranging from climate control to security. Smart houses already provide owners with biometric ID systems to allow or deny entrance to visitors and automatically call the owner or a security service or police in case of unauthorized intrusions. Increasingly, these systems will be capable of constant audiovisual surveillance inside and outside the residence, providing audiovisual data for homeowners and authorities to determine if a person caught in or near a home is welcome or not and later providing evidence for investigation or prosecution if a crime has been committed. Persons identified on the scene as intruders might even be subject to knockout gas or some other deterrent built into the system.
Smart automotive vehicles already come equipped with GPS mapping systems to assist drivers with directions. New models provide many computerized safety features, including the power to take control of the car in dangerous situations. Smart vehicles also provide tracking features that allow authorities to use GPS to find the vehicle if the owner is in trouble (e.g., carjacked) or if the car is stolen. Already being tested are smart highways, where computer chips in the roadway communicate with smart cars and control the flow of traffic, allowing vehicles to be spaced just inches apart while traveling at a uniform high speed. When the system is perfected, all cars will have monitors, and all cars can then be located and tracked, eliminating most car thefts and reducing opportunities for smuggling drugs and other illegal goods.
Smart materials involve placing computer chips in building products (e.g., bricks, masonry blocks, sheet-rock, and paneling), which can then set off warning signals if they are damaged or worn and in need of repair. One application would be alarms set off by doors or windows forced open by burglars or home invaders.
Smart clothing is increasingly being used by the military and police, as chips woven into fabric allow
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authorities to track wearers and even locate the area of the body where an injury has occurred. As nearly all public safety personnel begin to adopt these smart uniforms, not only will they be safer, but their location will be known at all times, allowing for better coordination (an application that will not be welcomed by all).
Information-age advancements are beginning to be combined with biotechnology-age innovations, a process that is likely to escalate. Computer components and software will increasingly be made of organic materials...
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