New partnership to provide training in emerging technologies for U.S. law enforcement

The IJIS Institute, the National Police Foundation, and the Center on Policing at Rutgers University have launched a partnership to offer training to executives, managers, and staff at all levels of law enforcement on emerging and enhanced technologies.

The partnership was announced during a Regional Information Sharing Summit, which was hosted by New Jersey State Police, the New York Police Department, and other agencies operating along the I-95 corridor. Law enforcement leaders concluded that emerging technologies hold incredible promise to prevent and intervene in violent and serious crime.

“The exploding introduction of new technologies in policing makes it very difficult for police executives to know what a given technology can do to improve operations and what pitfalls should be avoided,” explained Ashwini Jarral, Executive Director of the IJIS institute. “This training program offers practical advice on selecting and managing technology implementation.”

The first product of the partnership is a seminar on “The Promises & Perils of Law Enforcement Information Technologies.” Other seminar topics will include justifying the adoption of new technologies, developing community support and acceptance, privacy concerns and safeguards, managing technology acquisition, measuring benefits, managing risk, and developing data use policies, according to the announcement. Technologies for discussion include predictive policing solutions, body cameras, license plate readers, machine learning and artificial intelligence, and communication technologies.

“As has been said before, we cannot allow technology to happen to us and this is particularly true in policing and public safety where the needs are great, but the risks may in some cases be even greater,” said Jim Burch, Interim President of the National Police Foundation. “Selecting and implementing new technology in law enforcement deserves and requires unique considerations, not the least of which is the impact on officers and the community.”

Last September the IJIS Institute created a Biometrics Task Force to promote awareness of biometric technology, and address issues related to biometric policy, privacy, ethics, interoperability, and best practices, as well as to share success stories, all within the context of public safety, criminal justice, and government-sector business processes.

Article Topics

artificial intelligence  |  data protection  |  ethics  |  IJIS  |  law enforcement  |  machine learning  |  privacy  |  United States