Cjs 210 Critical Issues Research Paper

Critical Issues Paper CJS 210 Fundamentals of Policing Lisa Burkart-Uva 03/30/2014 Natalie Williams

There are many different ways law enforcement agencies fight crime and solve them. The continuous usage of technology is one of those major ways. Law enforcement agencies uses different technologies that are needed depending on the situation and the outcome of it. Some examples of technology that police use Today are GPS systems(global
positioning systems), cellphones, surveillance equipment, communication systems, license plate readers, and mobile computer systems that have features such as WiFi, video, etc.
The GPS system is used to track down a certain location or to reach a destination. The GPS system is very common in law enforcement agencies. For example, if a car is stolen or a criminal is on the run and it has a GPS system in it, the officers can use this device to track the car down. The GPS will give the current location of the car which would help officers to find the victim and follow them. Officers also use the GPS system to locate another patrol car. Cellphones is another popular device law enforcement uses. Cellphones can be used in numerous ways during any situation. For example, if a teenage girl is kidnapped but is able to still use her cellphone to call nine one one, officers can try to trace her call. By tracing the call, it will be able to give off a location or give a close range of the location to help find the girl. Another popular technical device law enforcement agencies use is surveillance equipment. Surveillance equipment is used to watch and keep track of a individual or a place and their activities. For example, if a drug dealer is going out everyday to sell drugs and officers need proof of that to convict him or her, they
will use the surveillance equipment to take pictures, videos, etc. They may use a special kind of camera to get the pictures they need and take them to court to use for evidence. By using these devices, it will help to enhance law enforcement agencies by assisting them to help bring criminals down. It improves the efficiency and effectiveness of how law enforcement reacts to a situation and how quickly. Over the years, law enforcement agencies have dealt with a lot of criticism when it comes to officers using their firearms. In some cases, after being involved in a shooting, officers are thoroughly investigated to find out why and how the shooting happened. Because of this, officers now have the opportunity to use less-than-lethal weapons. One popular less-than-lethal weapon is the taser. "A Taser is a battery-powered electro-muscular (EMD) that fires two metal prongs, which are attached to a wire that delivers approximately 26 watts of electricity at more than 50,000 volts. The electricity causes substantial muscular pain and typically results in the immobilization of the suspect" (Walker, S, & Katz, C.M. 2011 pgs. 508). By law enforcement using a taser, there are lesser injuries occurring than before. Another type of less-than-lethal weapon is a shotgun. Although it is a shotgun, real bullets do not come out of it. This type of shotgun shoots rubber bullets. Although the bullets are rubber, they still have enough force to temporarily hurt a victim. If a victim is acting out of control, this type of gun is used to drop him or her to the ground. One other popular less-than-lethal weapon is pepper spray. This type of weapon is very popular amongst large and disruptive crowds. In order to control the crowd, an officer may use the pepper spray and shoot towards the crowd with it and spray it in someone's eyes. This will instantly cause a burning sensation and temporarily boundless to the eyes. In most cases, this will force the victim to sit down and the officer will remain in control. Each and everyday, police officers risk their lives to help protect communities and to keep the streets safe. There are many dangers that police officers face on a daily basis. For example, stress is a major factor in a police officers life. Being stressed about something can take its toll on the officer. It can affect his performance at work or it can affect his home life. Stress is something you have to pay attention too by taking it seriously. Another example of danger police officers face is the chance of being shot. Officers pull over people for traffic laws or anything else simple. A person may panic seeing a cop pull them over. They may think it's for something major when it's really not so they will try to shoot the officer so they can get away. Another danger police officers deal with is the high temperature changes. This may sound simple, but an officer stands around and walk around his entire shift. He may do this outside and if it's hot outside, it can be very dangerous for an officer if he didn't keep himself dehydrated.