Your textbook lists several types of law enforcement technology that are currently on the drawing board. Identify five of them.
What will be an ideal response?
Answers can include any of the following:
• A pocket-sized, voice-activated voice-stress analyzer that police officers could use to determine whether suspects or witnesses experienced stress during questioning, indicating possible dishonest answers (to be used like current polygraph machines).
• An ultra-small, two-way cellular phone (like a Dick Tracy wrist communicator), possibly implanted in officers' larynxes, that would allow police officers to be in constant contact with headquarters, fellow officers, or anyone around the world.
• A wireless interoperability system, which connects the radio frequencies of various emergency federal, state, and local first responders and provides smooth, fast, and accurate real-time communications for emergency personnel who may need to coordinate activities at a large incident.
• A universal translator (that is, an ultra-small computer) that could instantly translate speech from one language to another, allowing police officers to question suspects, witnesses, or crime victims without the language barrier they frequently confront today.
• An ultra-wideband device that will allow police officers to detect motions through surfaces such as walls (for example, to determine whether there are people inside a room before they knock down a door).
• Video-equipped, nearly unnoticeable pilotless drones for aerial surveillance that are guided by a remote operator or by GPS that can hover above a target or just outside a window while transmitting real-time video.
• A video stabilization system that electronically converts useless, unstable surveillance video into clear, court-presentable evidence.
• A "smart" gun that would electronically disable itself if taken away from a police officer during a struggle.
• A microwave device to shut off a car's ignition, stopping fleeing suspects without the risk of a high-speed chase.
• A supersticky foam that could be sprayed on armed suspects, neutralizing them by temporarily gluing their arms to their bodies.
• Spikes embedded in retractable panels beneath roads that could be raised by remote control to blow out a getaway car's tires.
• An exoskeleton suit using nanotechnology and artificial muscles to allow officers to run with minimal effort over prolonged periods at a speed of up to 20 mph with a top speed of 35 mph for shorter distances and to lift items up to four times their own weight.
• A comprehensive, integrated modular tactical uniform that offers ballistic, chemical, and biological protection for special operations police officers such as SWAT officers and hazardous materials specialists.
• Augmented reality technology that overlays computer-generated images onto a person's real-world vision that could be used by officers to have patrol car operator data and regional traffic management information on heads-up display to make driving safer and more efficient, especially during pursuit and rapid response situations; to identify friend-or-foe to reduce or eliminate friendly fire casualties by visually highlighting fellow officers both on and off duty; to project a display of officer location, activity, and status information on a three-dimensional map of the community; to manage the coordinated use of robots, aerial drones, and police officers to enhance surveillance activities; and to employ realistic training scenarios to simulate dangerous police environments while blending real-world equipment and fellow trainees into the scenario.
• Jet packs that officers could wear on their backs so that they could patrol by air.
• A handheld scanner that will allow remote body-cavity searches.
• A mini-buster secret compartment detector, which is a handheld device that senses density in solid objects and will allow police officers to scan over the body of a motor vehicle to locate hidden compartments used to smuggle contraband, terrorist devices, or other illegal items.
• A handheld nonintrusive cargo inspection device that could be used at seaports, truck inspection facilities, airports, and ports of entry to reveal the presence of contraband in a sealed container and identify the contents (drugs, weapons, biological agents, or explosives) without expending costly time and resources searching by hand.
• Nanosized computer chips that can be placed in the neural networks (such as the human brain) of police officers to give them access to billions of gigabytes of instantly accessible data (such as criminal records of suspects).
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Chat and instant messages typically are stored in _______________ ___________
Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).
In an emergency situation, which of the following communications can be issued with relative ease, since concurrence by those affected is not sought?
A. Free rein B. Dual Track C. Democratic D. Autocratic
The primary difference between felonies and misdemeanors is:
a. the person prosecuted. b. the penalty imposed. c. whether the victim is an individual or general society. d. the court that tries the case.
According to the Supreme Court's decision in New Jersey v. T.L.O., involving the search of a student's purse, school officials (at least those officials supervising students junior high age or younger) may search the possessions of a student under their authority:
a. only with a search warrant. b. based on probable cause that the student has broken the law or a school regulation. c. based on reasonable suspicion alone. d. without a warrant at any time, for any reason, and without individualized suspicion.