How Does Your Department use Technology?

Greetings, readers! Although the title of this Editor’s Log may seem rhetorical, it is not. I really want to know: How does your department use technology?

A few weeks ago I took on the role as Editor of Law Enforcement Technology. In the few short weeks that I have been with the publication, I have spoken with many people in the law enforcement industry who started out the conversation by saying, “Before we invested in this technology, there were so many inefficiencies.” They referred to technology ranging from report writing software to handheld narcotics equipment to backend scheduling software. Technology has always been changing the way we function in society (for better or for worse), and it’s no different in our industry.

While out on a ride-along recently, I was told by the sergeant that his department was looking into adding body cameras, joining several other agencies in neighboring counties in this addition. While body cameras are certainly one investment many departments are making, it’s not the only one. There are new products and technologies coming out each week that will help drive efficiencies for your agency. Our cover story features three departments in the U.S. who used technology during natural disasters in 2016, both proactively and reactively.

If you are involved in one of the many agencies that have been making technology integrations in the last decade, I would love to hear how technology has influenced your day-to-day role. What is your purchasing process? Do you allow your officers to evaluate and test a product they would be using daily? Before making a purchase, do you reach out to a department actively using the product and get their feedback? As our contributing writer William Harvey wrote recently for Officer.com, “Nothing is a bargain if it does not work.” You can read Harvey’s full article “Chiefs Don’t Need to go Shopping” at Officer.com/12312125.

These last few weeks have been full of education, networking and training, and I want to thank those of you who have helped jumpstart my introduction to law enforcement, especially those of you at the ILEETA conference.

While some of the faces around Law Enforcement Technology have changed, our offering of great content will not. We will continue to provide you with news and articles on the constantly changing technology provided to law enforcement, as well as give you examples of other agencies that are using this technology to solve challenges.

I am looking forward to learning more about the industry and hearing from you, the readers. Please feel free to reach out to me anytime at [email protected].

Stay safe!

Adrienne