Tech is everywhere. We now rely on technology to entertain ourselves, communicate with our loved ones, find answers on the Internet, store important documents, and more. Law enforcement agencies and police departments are also adopting modern technology to stay ahead of criminals and bring them to justice for their crimes. However, these criminals are also aware of the numerous advantages of technology and use it to evade the law and facilitate their illegal activities. In this article, we will discuss different ways technology can aid in the fight against crime.

Investigation of trails left on social media

The police and law enforcement agencies have created numerous social media platforms to interact with the public and obtain tips to curb crime in real-time. Social media also provides an excellent avenue for the public to express how they feel about the police and what they can do to improve. Modern technology helps law enforcement arrest criminals by following their social media posts and investigating the trails they leave behind when they log into their accounts.

Use of home surveillance to deter criminal behavior

Home surveillance cameras aided by WIFI help the police understand what happened at the crime scene and identify perpetrators using facial recognition. Law enforcement could also reduce the population of convicted criminals in jail by installing surveillance cameras in their homes and restricting their movement. This way, they have a chance of rehabilitation within their community.

Ability to track criminals via their smartphones

Advancements in modern technology have allowed law enforcement agencies to track criminals via location-enabled smartphones. Smartphone tracking, when used correctly, could help the police identify where the perpetrator was before, during, and after they committed the crime. However, there is still a debate about when and how the police should use smartphone tracking.

Use of digital forensics to curb cybercrime

Cybercrime is on the rise and forensic experts are also working hard to use tech to fight them. They can gather evidence from all kinds of digital media to track down criminals and bring them to justice. With the help of an effective digital forensics tool, they are better positioned to restore deleted data faster, decrypt data and retrieve data from damaged hard drives and devices.

Identification of criminals using biometric records

The most common use of biometrics is using fingerprint sensors to unlock our phones. Law enforcers now use biometric devices to identify criminals based on their records without waiting many weeks for approval of paperwork. When the police carry these devices to a crime scene, they could easily collect fingerprints and ask witnesses to confirm the identity of the suspects.

Analysis of geographic crime trends using data mapping

Professionals in the law enforcement department now use data mapping to analyze the type and volume of crime within a certain geographic area and zero in on specific locations. For instance, police departments have successfully identified various drug rings using data mapping and sent reinforcements to disband drug traffickers.

Wrapping up

Advancements in using technology to fight crime have significantly reduced crime rates over the past two decades. As emerging tech trends crop up, law enforcement agencies are expected to keep evolving as well make law enforcement more efficient.

Taylor Gilbert is the admin and freelance writer at How About Tech since 2020. He primarily writes Tech articles, How-to guides and Entertainment as well.