Introduction to Modern Police Technology

Throughout our nation's history, the local police departments experienced few technological developments that helped push them in a radical new direction.  Apart from the corruption within the early police departments around the country during the political era (1830's-1900), the most dynamic technological impact to American policing occurred during the professional era (1900-1960's). 

During the professional era the major technological innovations with the most dramatic impact on American policing to date, are the telephone, police patrol vehicle, and the two-way wireless radio (Walker and Katz, 2008).  Due to these advancements in police technology the citizenry of the community can finally have a reliable and efficient local or national police department.  By utilizing the phone, the public can call the local police department for service or emergency situations.  Then in turn the portable wireless radio’s that are standard equipment issued to a peace officer, enable them to respond to the call of service or emergency.  And with the standard police patrol vehicles, the responding beat officer can quickly arrive to the scene. 


Technology has also increased the accuracy of DNA and other forms of evidence from a crime scene. Police officers now have available to them hand held fingerprint readers, drug tests, and alcohol level tests. These enable police officers to more accurately identify a perpetrator, suspect, or a driver under the influence. 

Other technological advances include weapons on the level of force scale. They have added planty of other alternatives to using a gun to take complete control over a perp. Now instead of shooting someone the police officers use a tazer. Because of the tazer fewer people have the option of 'suicide by police officer.'

As you can tell thru valiant efforts afforded by the local police departments to continue the development of new and improved technology, our general well being as a public and as a single individual will continue to be the paramount concern for our local heroes, our local police.