Police Technologist: the position every police agency needs but almost none have

The use of technology by the police is clearly anchored to the culture of policing. Unfortunately, what is not part of the policing culture is the role of “Police Technologist.” This position is envisioned as the keeper of policing’s ethical commitment to do the right thing while protecting the community. Without a solid understanding of how police technology works, like artificial intelligence for instance, police leaders might inadvertently implement technology that, at best, doesn’t produce the outcomes they seek, and at worst, actually harms the very people they are paid to protect. Police technologists are trained to understand technologies the police want to use, know how to evaluate them, and, perhaps most importantly, understand how to determine the technologies’ effectiveness and whether they are actually producing harm. To read more about police technologist click here.